Splintered Dreams
Chapter 6
"AVALANCHE"

The door squeaked—thanks to newly busted hinges-- when Tifa walked back into Seventh Heaven. She peeled her gloves from her hands and tossed them carelessly onto the counter. Her morning run had taken far less time than usual, due to the lack of beasts—a very good thing as far as Tifa was concerned—and she decided that she could spend the extra time preparing breakfast for her crew.

Hands washed and hair pulled back, she began rummaging through pots and pans. Within minutes she had a meal going. There was coffee for those that wanted it, and toast and eggs in the warmer on the sideboard, pancakes with chocolate chips and links of sausage. Enough to go around, but from the dwindling contents in the refrigerator Tifa knew she'd have to head into Midgar for supplies soon.

She tapped a wooden spoon against the plastic container in her hand and set Marlene's favorite juice aside. Like Tifa, Marlene was an early riser and would be up soon. Tifa's "boys", on the other hand, all liked to sleep in and she knew she'd have to practically bang the pans together to get them up.

She headed toward the stairwell, intending to do just that, but steady clacking from the small office she had adjacent to the kitchen paused her.

Jessie sat cross-legged in the low-back swivel chair, typing away. Her pony tail swayed as she bopped her head to some internal conversation.

Tifa leaned into the room."I didn't know you were up."

"Yup. Up." Jessie tapped a few more keys, then spun around. "Had some ideas. Wanted to get them down, run some numbers, before passing them onto Barret." She stretched her arms overhead and yawned.

"Have you been up long?"

Jessie wiggled in the chair. "Long enough for my butt to fall asleep,"she grinned.

"There's breakfast in the kitchen," Tifa told her with an answering smile.

"Oooh, good." Jessie hopped to her feet, all energy and cheer. "I thought I smelled coffee."

Tifa nodded. "I made it strong."

"And good."

The voice behind her, deep and slightly rough from sleep, caused her to start.

"Sorry." Zack smiled his easy smile. "Didn't mean to jump you."

Gone was the bitter and sad Zack from the night before, replaced now by damp-haired and clean shaven Zack, who smelled of soap and coffee, and looked far too good for the early hour.

"He could jump me anytime..." Jessie muttered under her breath and Tifa almost laughed at the slight widening of Zacks' eyes. He sipped his coffee, and avoided her amused look.

"I'll go wake the others." Jessie folded her laptop.

"Okay, thanks." Tifa nodded with a step back so that Jessie could pass.

As Jessie disappeared up the stairs, Zack cleared his throat. "I don't think I was supposed to hear that." Eyes, the color of a cloudless sky, twinkled with mischief.

Tifa maneuvered herself so that she was facing him directly, arms crossed over her chest. The posture was automatic; she hated having her back to anyone. "No, I don't think you were," she agreed with a small chuckle. "I didn't hear you come down."

A spot on the wall over her shoulder seemed to capture his interest. "I've been up for awhile."

"Oh?"

Zack took another sip of his coffee and observed her over the rim of his mug. "Couldn't sleep," was all he supplied.

There was a heavy pause between them and Zack shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes still not meeting hers.

"Did you eat?" Tifa switched topic.

"No. I wasn't sure--"

"Come on." She brushed by him and motioned for him to follow. "One thing you'll learn quickly here is that food and toilet paper go extremely fast."

She wasn't kidding, Zack found out. Within minutes the kitchen was bustling with activity. Hands grappled for spoons and cups while plates of eggs and pancakes circled the room and idle morning conversation filled the quiet.

"Wedge, how many of those damn things are you gonna eat?" Barret's rich baritone cut across the chatter. He squeezed a pool of syrup over his pancakes, and then onto Marlene's plate.

Wedge, a rolly-polly type of guy with chestnut hair and gentle blue eyes, popped another sausage link into his mouth."As many as I want. I'm a growing man."

"The only way you're growing is out..." Jessie placed her hands on her belly and waddled to the seat across from Biggs, who himself was busy wolfing down some eggs.

"Oh, har-har." Wedge cast her a mock glare. He waved a pancake dramatically. "I blame Tifa for my weight issues."

"Me?" Tifa laughed as she buttered a piece of toast. She held it out to Zack. "What do I have to do with how much you eat?"

Caught off guard by her thoughtfulness, Zack accepted the toast with a quiet, "Thank you." And watched as she then buttered one for herself. Others first; Tifa second. He was beginning to see a pattern.

Wedge bounced his head enthusiastically. "If you weren't such a good cook, I'd be svelte and sexy." He speared another sausage.

"I'm gonna need some vodka for my juice if I'm gonna believe you could ever pull off svelte or sexy," Biggs chimed, drawing Zacks' gaze. Biggs was a short man with an expressive face and a cleft chin. His eyes, a shade between brown and green were a bit on the dull side and Zack speculated he was probably a heavy drinker.

Both men seemed to be the easy-going and eager sorts, but Zack hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to them aside from the brief, cursory introduction that Barret had given late in the evening.

"What? Is it pick on Wedge day?"

"No. That's Thursday," Biggs spoke around a mouthful of egg.

Tifa plucked his dark hair as she made her way toward the coffee. "Be nice." At Biggs' low snort, she amended, "Or at least attempt to."

Conversation was light and easy with quips and laughter exchanged as frequently as the food. There was an easy camaraderie between the kitchen occupants that Zack found simultaneously enjoyable and uncomfortable.

"You wanna share my pancake?"

Zack looked down and found himself reflected in a pair of wide brown eyes. Marlene gazed up at him with sleep mussed hair and a forked pancake dripping syrup, held out like an offering. "Thanks." He took the proffered pancake, syrup and all, between his fingers and added it to his plate.

"Welcome." She smiled bashfully at him before scampering back to her father's side.

"So, Zack, were you really in SOLDIER?" Wedge asked, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

Zack allowed his gaze to touch Tifa's before he slid it away and answered in the affirmative.

"No shit, man." Biggs this time, nodding his head in a fashion that indicated deep thought. "I thought about joining once." He puffed out his chest, leaned back in his seat and winked at Jessie. "But I just couldn't give up the ladies."

Jessie rolled her eyes, used to Biggs' blatant advances. "I was unaware that celibacy was a SOLDIER requirement." Then quickly to Zack. "It's not is it?"

Another glance at Tifa, this one lingering for a moment longer than comfortable, then back to Jessie. "No, it's not."

"SOLDIERs are like the elite, right?" Wedge wanted to know. "But even they have classes, right? So, uh, what class were you Zack?"

Zack watched the syrup from Marlene's hand-me-down pancake slide into his eggs in a slow roll. Funny how sticky, sweet syrup can look so much like bitter bloodstained memories...

"Zack?" Jessie hedged.

"First," he answered finally. "I was SOLDIER First Class."

"Hot damn," Biggs whooped with a clap of his hands. "We got ourselves a top of the line SOLDIER. Shin-Ra won't know what hit 'em."

Barret harrumphed. "Just 'cuz he's a Shin-Ra lackey don't make him anything special."

"Former lackey," Zack corrected. Although he made an effort to keep the comment light, there was hard undertone—an unspoken suggestion to let the conversation drop.

Barret didn't seem inclined. "Says you."

"Yes. Says me." Zack lowered his plate, met Barret's angry scowl with a frown of his own. "Problem with that?"

"No, so long as you remember you're scrawny ass is working for AVALANCHE now," Barret warned.

"Uh, guys--" Jessie flicked a worried glance between the two men, then toward Tifa for support.

Tifa finished her coffee and placed her mug carefully into the sink. "Marlene, if you're finished eating, how about you go get dressed, okay, sweetie."

The little girl nodded and hopped from her stool. "Thanks for breakfast, Tifa, it was yummy," she said and skipped from the kitchen.

"You're welcome, honey." Tifa turned back toward the table."Barret. A word."

"Uh-oh. I know that look. Someone's in troubuuuuuuul--"

"Biggs, shut it!" Barret snapped as he stood.

Near the stairwell, away from the murmurs in the kitchen, Tifa waited. She wasn't angry at Barret for his opinions of Shin-Ra, hell, she shared them. However, Zack didn't deserve to be the brunt of Barret's loathing...or hers.

Both Barret's posture and expression were defiant when he met her beside the banister.

"You think you could lay off?" she asked in a voice laced with gentle reproach.

"No." He didn't pretend ignorance to what she was referring to. Barret was too smart for that—and knew she was too. They'd been through too much together and knew each other far too well. "He was one of them, Teef. Not just a Shin-Ra grunt, but a fuckin' SOLDIER."

"Was being the word to remember here."

"What makes you so sure he doesn't have any ties left with Shin-Ra? That he gave it all up, no remorse, huh?"

"No, Barret, there's plenty of remorse..." Tifa pinched the bridge of her nose and took a calming breath. There was no easy way to explain things. There was too much convoluted history and emotional uncertainty involved. When she looked up, she said simply, "I trust him."

"But I don't," he countered.

"Then trust me."

There was no arguing against that. Tifa had proven herself again and again, and trust was never an issue between them. With a defeated sigh, Barret knuckled her cheek. "For your sake, kiddo, I hope your faith ain't misplaced." With that he walked away and followed his daughter's retreating footsteps up the stairs.

Tifa watched him, not oblivious to the fact that he had neither agreed nor disagreed to lay off of Zack. She sighed, but there was a soft curve to her mouth. Barret, often pig-headed and stubborn, needed to work things out for himself. She was confident that, given time, he'd drop his bias and make an opinion based off of personal interaction. Whether or not he liked Zack...well, that was an altogether different matter.

She pushed herself away from the banister and started back toward the kitchen, only to have Zack himself step out into the hall a few feet from her. His eyes were a turbulent sea and a slow, but steady, tick thrummed in his jaw.

He made a vague gesture towards the stairwell. "I don't want to cause a rift between you two--"

"It'd take more than you," Tifa stated, waving off his concern. The remark wasn't snide or cold, but truthful. It would take a hell of a lot more than Zack Fair to come between her and Barret. They were family and for both of them family was forever. "Did you get enough to eat?"

To his credit, he took the comment and the topic shift in stride. "Plenty. Thank you. So, what are the plans for today?"

She tapped her index finger against her chin. "I have some chores that need to be done before we open tonight."

"Anything AVALANCHE related?"

"Not this morning, no. Meetings are generally in the evening, and assignments are handed out then." She paused, studied him. His expression was serious and she found herself missing the cocky tilt of his lips.

Zack stared right back. Finally he asked, "What are you thinking?"

How very much I like your smile... She ruthlessly ignored her inner voice. "Nothing. Let's get going. There's a lot to do. Let's see how useful you can be."

Zack, as it turned out, was very useful. He helped paint the front steps, fixed the hinges and replaced two light bulbs before heading out to the old shed behind the bar to give Biggs a hand getting the antique truck up and running. That done, he returned inside and helped Tifa stock the bar, make a grocery list and do laundry.

She tried to shoo him away from the laundry, but he had steadfastly refused, citing his need to "pay rent" somehow and so he stayed. Tifa was less surprised than she would have liked to admit to realize that she was actually enjoying him. His quick wit and easy smile were refreshing and his thoughtfulness was endearing. He was good company.

She wished he wasn't.

That night, beneath thbar, after the last patron had been ushered out, and Marlene was tucked in and checked on--twice-- Barret and the others pulled out maps and schematics and rolled them out onto a makeshift table of crates and chairs. Some of the maps had red circles, and of those, a few had X's slashed through them.

"We've hit Reactors 1 and 5," Wedge told Zack when he caught the direction of Zack's gaze.

"So I've heard," Zack acknowledged as he swiveled a chair around, and straddled it with his arms crossed over the back. "What else?"

"And a few supply factories," Jessie filled in, setting her laptop on the table and taking the seat beside him. "But nothing really substantial. Shin-Ra is like a giant y'know, and we're just tiny pests nipping at its ankles."

"We're making a difference," Barret chuffed, his tone defensive. Jessie immediately looked contrite.

"Yeah, but she has a point." Biggs placed his flask onto the table as he took his seat. "All we've done so far is irritate them."

"And given them a scapegoat," Tifa added. She took her place beside Barret.

"All that's gonna change," Barret ground out, pressing the maps flat with his hand. "It's gotta change. If this Planet's gonna have a fighting chance, we've gotta find a way to hurt Shin-Ra."

Zack nodded slowly, his gaze pensive."You ever thought about hitting the Mako supply lines?"

"We already hit the reactors," Biggs was quick to point out.

Zack shook his head. "I'm not talking about the reactors. May I?" He gestured with an open hand toward the maps.

"Go nuts, Slick," Barret leaned back with a scowl.

Zack stood, turning the papers so that he was better able to show them. "The Reactors are more like refining plants," he said as his index finger traced a circular path from reactor to reactor. "Each one designed for the specific purpose of filtering Mako."

"Yeah, yeah, we know this." Barret said impatiently. "What of it?"

"Well, you ever stop to think about where the Mako is coming from?" Zack tossed back.

"The planet," Wedge offered up eagerly.

Jessie, in line with where Zack was headed, began to nod her head vigorously. "Yes, but given how much Mako each sector takes to run, the immediate area would be sucked dry..." She began punching her keypad with earnest. "Within years."

Zack sent her an approving look. "Exactly. Which is why there's no vegetation in the slums, or in Midgar. The life has been sapped."

Barret shifted in his chair, his scowl deepening into creases alongside his mouth. "So, what? Shin-Ra is sucking up Mako from elsewhere and bringing it here?"

Zack nodded. "Many elsewheres." He picked up the red marker from the table and drew lines spreading out from each reactor and connecting to one another. "They use pipelines that work on a grid system."

Barret turned to him. "I ain't never seen any of these pipelines."

Zack shrugged. "It's not exactly something they go advertising. But trust me, they're there. I did enough patrols and security runs during my grunt days." He lifted the paper and fumbled around a bit. "Got another marker? A different color."

"Here." Tifa, who had remained quiet and contemplative thus far, handed him a blue marker.

"Thanks." Zack clenched the cap between his teeth and popped the marker free. "Along the same route as the pipelines," he sketched the lines in, "there are underground supply tunnels."

"Huh? But I thought these," Biggs pointed to a set of tracks on the map, "were the supply routes."

"Oh, they are," Zack agreed. "For the basic run of the mill stuff. These tunnels," an index finger along blue ink, "are for the stuff Shin-Ra likes to keep hidden."

"SOLDIERs," Barret muttered.

"A lot of the time, yeah," Zack confirmed. "But other stuff too. Weapons, ammunition, hostages..."

"Hostages?" Tifa's head snapped up.

Zack nodded. "Ugly stuff goes on in Shin-Ra." He still hated that he'd been a part of it for so long—had aspired to it. He shook himself, and brought their attention back to the maps. "If we get into the supply tunnels we can drill through and hit the pipelines." He X'd several juncture spots.

"And if we knock out the right pipelines, then we have the potential to wipe out an entire grid." Jessie beamed, excited.

Biggs whistled. "That, sure as shit, would get Shin-Ra up in arms."

Tifa glanced at Barret. "What do you think?"

Barret, in turn, was looking at Zack. "You wouldn't be leading us into a trap, now would ya?"

Zack gave an irritated sigh. "I'm trying to help you. If you want to keep wasting time and energy and risking your lives on ineffectual plans, then fine, keep doing what you're doing, but if you want to hit Shin-Ra and hit them where it counts, then you do this." He jabbed the maps with his index finger.

Wedge and Biggs scooted their seats away from the table, prepared for Barret's angry outburst. Jessie slid her laptop off the table into the safety of her lap and Tifa placed her hand on Barret's arm.

Barret, surprisingly enough, simply leaned back in his chair and raised a brow at Zack. "Okay, Princess, we'll try it your way, but know this; if anything happens to my guys," he encompassed the group with a wave of his hand, "I'm holding you personally responsible."

There was something far more unnerving to hear the quiet threat in Barret's voice than when he was vein-bulging yelling.

"We're going up against Shin-Ra, Barret," Tifa said. Her voice was steady, strong, reassuring. "We all know the risks. No one is responsible for us, except us." She nodded towards each member. "Anyone not want to try Zack's idea? No, okay then. We're all in."

The look Barret gave her was a mixture of frustration and pride, Zack noticed, and he knew Tifa was right in her earlier assessment. It would take a lot to come between the two of them.

Barret shoved his seat back and stood. "Jessie, you're on drilling and explosive design. Work with him," a thumb jerk in Zack's direction, "on coming up with points of attack. Biggs; Wedge, you two head to the Weapons Shop and see what you can find to fortify the truck with. Teef, you and I will scout the supply tunnels." At everyone's nods of agreements Barret held his hand over the table. "For the Planet," he said.

"For the Planet." Biggs put his hand on top of Barret's.

"The Planet." Wedge next.

"For the Planet." Jessie reached for Zack's hand, placed it over hers, sent him a reassuring smile.

Tifa placed her hand over his. Their eyes met and held across the table. "For the Planet."

"On three; AVALANCHE...one, two, three..."

"AVALANCHE!"

The next couple of weeks passed in an almost routine-like fashion. Tifa would wake early for her morning run, returning soon after, due to lack of monsters, usually to find Zack already up and showered. Breakfast followed, and then the group would scatter. Zack and Jessie would head to the office to continue their work on drill designs and explosive calibrations. Wedge and Biggs were busy in the garage fortifying the truck with armor plates and weaponry. Barret and Tifa scouted out patrol routines and schedules from the locations Zack had given them. Evenings were spent at the bar in order to maintain their front, as well as make what little gil there was to be made to support their plans.

The atmosphere was tinged with excitement and productivity. Zack's plan had revitalized the group in a way that they had desperately needed, Tifa thought as she flipped the "Closed" sign to "Open". Although steadfast and determined, their small group had begun to lose hope of making a difference as each attack they made left a dent but nothing significant; and as fast as they hit, Shin-Ra recovered twice as fast. Their collective hopes were now pinned on the plan to take out the pipelines. She hoped it worked.

The phone behind the bar pulled her from her thoughts as it began to ring and she hurried across the room to snatch it up.

She knew who it would be before she picked up the cordless handset. Zack had made it a routine to call his parents every night before opening since his second night. It was that very same night that Zack had handed her the phone and mumbled, "My mom wants to talk to you..."

Tifa, flustered, had taken the phone and been immediately barraged with questions. Is he eating right? Because he wouldn't tell her, at least not honestly. Did he look good? Was he behaving? How did they meet? Was she eating right? And so it began; a nightly ritual. Zack first, Tifa second.

Tifa found herself simultaneously looking forward to his mother's phone calls, and dreading them. They served as a reminder that her own parents were long passed, but more than that, they reminded her that Zack had a family of his own. Every day that he was with AVALANCHE, he was away from Gongaga and his home. She wondered if he regretted that, if he felt guilty...if he wanted to go back.

Tifa had yet to brave that question.

She exhaled and answered the phone, "Seventh Heaven, this is Tifa, how can I help you?"

"Hello, Tifa. How are you?"

The voice on the other end carried with it a familiar accent and a hint of cheer. "I'm fine, Mrs. Fair. And yourself?"

"I have no complaints," Mrs. Fair replied. There was a smile on the other end, Tifa was sure of it. "Have you seen my wayward son?"

"Uhm," Tifa glanced over her shoulder. "I think he's here somewhere. Can you hold on?"

"Sure."

Tifa put the phone on mute and walked the hall. "Zack?" She peeked into the office. Empty. "Zack?" The upper hallway was empty but she could hear Wedge and Biggs in their rooms. "Zack?"

"Be out in a minute." He was in the bathroom.

"Your mom is on the phone."

The door swung open. "Thanks."

Tifa handed him the phone and angled her head, studying him. He looked pale. "You okay?" she mouthed.

He nodded once and pressed the mute button. "Hey, Mom. What? No, no...I'm fine. Yes. Yes... Yes." He rolled his eyes.

The front door chimed. Tifa backed away, letting him have his space.

Zack angled the phone down into his shoulder. "Thanks," he whispered.

"No problem." She was half turned away when she saw him grimace, his left hand lingering at his side. She frowned. Peering past his shoulder she saw that toilet was closed, a wet washcloth on the sink, splotched with blood.

Deciding her customer could wait, Tifa leaned against the wall.

Zack eased himself down to the edge of the bathtub. He was nodding at something mother was saying, but his smile was tight and his eyes glassy.

There it was again. That almost imperceptible grimace of discomfort.

She stepped into the room, picked up the cloth.

"Zack."

His head snapped up at her sharp tone. "Yeah?" He noticed what she was holding. "Uh, Mom, can I call you back? No, nothing's wrong...yeah okay. Good night then." He hung up, set the phone on the back of the toilet. His expression was wary. "What's up?"

"Show me," she said in a flat tone.

"Show you...?" He feigned ignorance.

Tifa tossed the cloth back onto the sink and leaned over him, poking his left side where she had seen his hand linger. His breath hitched and then hissed through his teeth. "Show me," she repeated.

With a grunt, Zack shifted, lifted the edge of his shirt and revealed a swollen, red gash that circled from navel to back.

Tifa glowered at him. "How did you get that?"

"Fell."

She poked him again and he grit his teeth. "Ow."

"How did you get this?" she asked again. "And don't lie to me," she warned.

Zack sighed. He could tell from her expression that she wasn't going to let this go. "Before you go and get all offended, let me just say that I think you're a more than capable fighter and--"

"Don't patronize me!" Her eyes were full of ruby sparks. "You've been patrolling my running route. That's why there haven't been any beasts in the area. You jerk!"

Her angry tone caused his own brows to push together. "Explain to me how this is a bad thing?"

She threw her hands up and gave an exasperated groan. "It's bad because...because..." she floundered.

His pained smirk was triumphant. "Yeah? I'm waiting."

"It just is!" she snapped.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're kind of overreacting here, don'tchya think? What are you so pissed about? Did I steal some of your thunder? Do you have to be the one that saves everybody--"

"You wanna know what pisses me off? The fact that you didn't trust me enough to carry my share!"

"It has nothing to do with that. Besides, what makes it your share? Huh? Why can't I help?"

"Because you weren't helping me, Zack. You were shielding me. I'm not some weak damsel in distress in need of saving! I can take care of myself!"

He got slowly to his feet, towering over her. "And damn anyone that may want to try and help you." He was getting angry himself.

"I don't need another hero!" She all but screamed it at him, her voice breaking. And just as suddenly she went quiet, surprised by her own vehemence.

She turned her face away but not before he caught the sheen on tears in her eyes. "There are bandages and potions under the sink," she told him quietly.

When she stalked out he stayed where he was. He felt shaky and raw and it had very little to do with the wound on his side. "Aw, hell," he muttered and ran his hand through his hair.

She was pouring drinks when he finally made his way downstairs.

"Thought I could give you a hand."

She barely glanced at him. "I can handle it."

"Because you're still pissed."

"No," she slid the mixed cocktail across the bar top and smiled her thanks for the tip in her jar. "I'm not mad anymore. It takes too much energy to stay mad."

"That and I'm unbearably cute and impossible to resist?"

She turned toward him, her eyes roaming his face. "You're not ugly," she conceded.

"You're tremendous for my ego."

"Your ego needs little help." She turned away from him, giving him her back.

He preferred her anger to this icy indifference. He moved to the other side of her. "Tifa." He waited until she looked up at him. "Look, I'm not going to try and tell you what to think or how to feel, but packing away your emotions into a tidy little box isn't healthy."

The set of her shoulders tightened. "What's it matter to you?"

"Because I care about you."

The frank honesty in his voice softened her. She tilted her head, her hair shadowing her face in a manner that Zack had come to recognize as defensive. "I'm scared for you."

Shock was too mild a word for the jolt Zack got at those words. "What?"

She turned away, placed her hands on the back counter and took a breath. "You're the type of guy that'd run into a burning building for a perfect stranger. You've had more than your fair share of pain and trauma, and yet you're willing to take on more. What happens when you take on too much, Zack? What then?"

He gripped her shoulders, turned her towards him. "Tifa, you can't keep shutting people out because of the chance you may lose them."

"I can try," she mumbled.

"It's useless."

"Oh?"

His smile was crooked. "Yup. I'm already in." He grazed the back of his fingers across her cheek.

The front door banged open, jumping both of them, and Barret plowed through the doorway, a large canvas sack across his back. His dark eyes narrowed in a speculative look that flicked between the two of them.

Tifa cleared her throat and stepped farther away from Zack. She could still feel the warmth of his hand against her face.

"Ok, you two, no time for that shit." He glanced around. "Where the hell are Wedge and Biggs?"

"Here!" The two jogged through the swinging door.

"'Bout fuckin' time. Truck ready?"

"Yep." Biggs nodded.

"Good. Grab your gear," he told Zack and Tifa.

"What? Wait, why?" Tifa was confused. "I thought we were hitting the pipelines in tandem? We're not even set up--"

"We gotta move tonight," Jessie, who had been shadowed behind Barret's hulking frame stepped forward. "I intercepted a transmission that Shin-Ra is planning to double the production of the Reactors."

"They ain't gonna be satisfied until they fuckin' suck the Planet dry," Barret swore.

"So what's the new game plan?" Zack wanted to know.

"We hit the pipelines likely to do the most damage tonight," Barret answered. "Reactor Six supplies Wall Market and Reactor One powers Shin-Ra HQ. If we can cut of the Mako supply there, then we can buy some time to hit the others."

Zack nodded. "Sounds solid."

"Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, you three focus on Reactor Six. Me, Sally and Tifa will hit One."

"Sally?" Wedge frowned.

"He means Zack," Biggs whapped the back of his head.

"Ow! I knew that," Wedge grumbled.

"What about Marlene?" Tifa asked.

"Taken care of. Johnny's parents are going to watch her." He was already heading toward the stairs. "Get your shit, get to the garage, and get ready to make some noise!"

The group exchanged determined looks. "Let's do this!" Biggs shouted before running out the front. Jessie and Wedge followed.

Zack glanced at Tifa. "Ready?"

She removed her gloves from beneath the bar. She slid the worn leather over her fingers, clenched and nodded. "As I'll ever be."

Zack took his Buster Sword down from the hoist on the wall. Tifa had let him house it there, up and away from kid hands and clumsy drunks. He spun the blade, pressed the flat of it to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Never lose your honor," he whispered. When he reopened his eyes he found Tifa staring at him.

"Tradition," he murmured. "I know it may seem silly--"

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking it's not something you need to worry about."

"What?"

"Losing your honor." She slid past him and out the back before he could respond.

AN: Thank you everyone for the reviews and encouragement. Special thanks to Bof, again, for her help and input. Also, for anyone interested I made a "trailer" for this fanfic on youtube:

http : / www. youtube. com / watch?vl3XnLvRSQUI

Minus the spaces.

I hope you enjoy! There's nothing too spoilery in the video, but it does hint at some upcoming events.