Splintered Dreams

"Cait and Dyne"

Chapter 30

There was a moment of silence around the table as Zack's teammates absorbed his statement, and then Tifa blinked, her eyes moving from the sullen and silent robot in his hands to his face. "Reeve Tuesti? The Head of Urban Development?" She knew the Shin-Ra roster almost as well as he did.

"One and the same. I did a number of missions for Reeve and his division when I was in SOLDIER. Cait Sith here is a reconnaissance robot, used to gather information, infiltrate and make battle and scenario predictions."

"What's it doing here?" Tifa wanted to know. She leaned across the table to peer into Cait's face.

"Any closer, lass, and I'm liable to kiss ye."

She gave Zack a sharp look. "This is a robot?"

"It is."

"Mostly," Cait agreed with a flash of small white incisors. "But all male."

Zack inclined his head towards the overly large Moogle still lumbering nearby. "Get rid of it," he ordered. Although unassuming in appearance, those Moogles could pummel their way through concrete and had a hell of a lot of force behind them when they charged.

Wide-eyes blinked up at him. "You'd have me defenseless?"

"You bet your ass. Get rid of it, Reeve, or I break your toy." He tightened his grip, gave a small shake.

"Fine." Cait grumbled. He placed the golden megaphone in his hands in front of his face. "Go take a nap!"

The sharp peal made Zack flinch, and he gave another shake as retribution. He waited until the Moogle waddled away before addressing Reeve/Cait again. He skipped formalities and trivial questions and cut straight to what he needed to know "How long before we can expect Rufus to drop on our heads?"

"The new President is otherwise occupied."

"And the Turks?"

Cait shifted in Zack's grip. "What do you want me to say? That your whereabouts are completely unknown?" He sighed, and there was something distinctly Reeve-like in the sound. "Look, Zack, this is Shin-Ra you're up against. Given the recent chaos you've been fortunate, but the fact is, you and your AVALANCHE friends aren't as discreet as you'd like to believe."

Zack had known as much. He had avoided saying anything to the others because tension and stress was high enough. Shin-Ra was at times inefficient, but rarely inept. When they wanted something done—it got done. Still, Zack didn't feel the need to worry the others by giving Reeve's words weight, so he avoided them and asked instead, "Is that why you're here?"

"I'm here for the same reasons as you I suspect."

"Sephiroth." Was everyone and their brother out looking?

Cait nodded.

"Why not just use your fortune telling abilities, predict the future, and tell us where he is?" Yuffie chimed eagerly.

Both Zack and Cait swung their heads toward her.

It was Aerith that replied, though, faint amusement in her tone. She placed her hand on Yuffie's shoulder, eased the younger girl back. "I don't think he really can predict the future."

"Och, that's insulting, lass. I can find missing objects, people, tell ye what date ye'll be married. All kinds of useful things!"

"Why does it do that?" Tifa wanted to know. "Switch voices like that?"

Truth be told, Zack had no idea why the little robot kept alternating from a subdued calm voice to a thickly accented and slightly high-pitched voice. It was an oddity that he'd never questioned before, but now, he also found himself waiting for the answer.

"Well, if ye wanna know, I may be a robot, but I'm also me," Cait told Tifa. "Reeve sparked me to life, but I'm my own personality. There could be a hundred Cait Siths, but there's still only one like me! Reeve runs the show when he needs to, but I'm not Reeve...well, not entirely."

Tifa glanced up at Zack. "I'm confused."

"Ditto." He sighed, ruffled his hair. But that confusion would have to wait in favor of more pressing questions, such as: What to do now? He couldn't exactly let Cait go. He would just deliver their location to Shin-Ra...then again, he was up-linked with Reeve, so chances were reinforcements were already on their way...damn it.

As if reading his mind, Reeve/Cait shook his head. "I haven't let them know."

"Like we can believe you," Zack said, surveying the crowd for signs of suit or rifle.

"You can. I have nothing to gain by turning you in. You are the best chance I have of locating Sephiroth. Let me join you and I will help you find him."

"Uh-huh. You want me to lead Shin-Ra to Sephiroth. No fucking way."

"The alternative is for me to follow you...or tell Shin-Ra where you are. Look, Zack, we're after the same thing here. Let me help you. Through me, you have access to any information Shin-Ra gets."

"Yeah, and they have access to us. No thanks."

"You're a fool if you don't think they don't have access to you now. Look around, Zack. There are video cameras everywhere and a hundred Shin-Ra employees milling about the park. You think a man with a huge sword and Mako eyes goes unnoticed? Or another with a gun graphed to him? Or a creature such as that," Cait pointed at Red. "The only reason you aren't held or dead is because they are preoccupied with finding Sephiroth first."

Zack flinched at the truth of Reeve's assessment.

"In the end, it won't really matter what you say, because I'm coming with you one way or another. It'll just be easier if you agree to it."

"Or, I could break this doll and run. We've escaped before," Zack pointed out, sucessfully silencing Reeve for a moment.

"I'd really rather ye not kill me," Cait pleaded, folding his paws over Zack's hands, eyes wide.

Beside them, both Aerith and Yuffie made soft, sympathetic sounds in their throats.

"It's a machine," Zack pointed out, each word a careful enunciation. "You are a robot."

"I'm me."

Frustrated, Zack scowled at the cat. "I am not debating this with you."

"Zack." Tifa placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezed gently and he was once more soothed by her familiar, steady calm. "We don't have a lot of options. Bring him with us. We'll figure out what to do with him on the way."

"Beautiful, smart and..." feline eyes strayed, "generous. A bonny one indeed." Cait winked.

Leaning close to a pointy ear, Zack whispered, "That'd better be the damn robot, Reeve." And in his hands, Cait stilled.

"So are we letting him come with—?"

The sharp sound of an intercom blare interrupted Yuffie and jerked all of their attention up to where the PA System shrieked for a park-wide announcement. "Security detail to section 27. Security to section 27. Attention Gold Saucer gamers, the Battle Square will be closed for maintenance effective immediately. The Battle Square will be closed for maintenance effective immediately. Please enjoy the remaining event squares. Thank you."

"I find that an oddly random conjunction for an announcement." Red commented, rising from the ground.

"Ditto. Let's go." Zack pushed away from the table. Cait hopped onto his back. "What the hell are you doing?"

Adjusting the little crown on his head, the cat-doll shrugged. "You can't expect me to walk. My legs are puny."

"For the love of—get your damn moogle. And so help me, Reeve, if you try anything—"

"Consider me warned."

The Battle Square was probably Zack's second favorite event square. He'd visited several times in his up and coming days as a grunt, using the experience to hone his skills against monsters he'd yet to face on exploratory missions and grunt details.

It had always been packed with spectators and fighters, filled to capacity and always with a level of excitement and activity that was addictive, but when they slipped through the chute door, the area was empty—eerily so—and quiet.

Immediately, Zack's hand went to the hilt over his head and he saw Tifa tighten the straps of her gloves. This was becoming an all too familiar scene for them, and he was instantly expecting blood and death.

He didn't have to wait long.

Across the registration area, there was a stairwell, and staggering down it, a Gold Saucer Security guard stumbled. Holding his stomach, blood seeping between his fingers, the man gasped and pitched forward, taking the last dozen steps in a nose dive. He landed with a sickening crunch and a gurgle of fluid.

Aerith's hand covered her mouth. "This is bad."

Zack glanced behind him, saw her fishing in her pocket for the green materia she kept there.

"Stay back," he told her with a shake of his head. He crouched beside the fallen guard, checked for a pulse out of training, but knew it was for nothing. Clouded, vacant eyes stared sightlessly up at him from behind a shag of dirty blond hair and for a moment Zack was back in the desert and his breathing seized in his chest.

"Do you think it was Sephiroth?" Cait asked from atop his Moogle perch, unwittingly pulling Zack out of quicksand memories before they could take hold.

Zack gave the dead employee a quick once-over, and knew that whoever had killed him was not Sephiroth. Not unless the General had started carrying a gun. There was a door at the top of the staircase that led to the Battle Arena lobby, where registered fighters waited or mingled before and after their rounds. He stood, wiped his hands on his pants. "Everyone, be ready," he told them. "Aerith, stay behind me." He glanced at Tifa who nodded once.

Ready.

Through the door at the top, they found more carnage. Wounded bodies littered the floor, limbs at odd angles with blood smeared in slick splashes against the stone. Immediately, the group split up, triangulating the room, but all within eye-shot and immediate assistance of each other.

It was becoming second nature for them, Zack noted absently. To read one another, to work together. He'd seen teams of men train for years and never achieved this level of silent communication.

"What...how...could anyone do this?" Horror written on her face, Aerith stepped cautiously over a pool of blood.

It always hurt Zack when Aerith hurt, and seeing the stricken expression on her face pierced deep. He moved to her, placed one arm around her. "You okay?"

"Yes. No. I...I just..." She turned her face into his shoulder, shuddered.

"I can have Red take you back out—"

"No." She shook her head against him. "I'm part of this team. I'm staying."

"Aerith—"

"Hey! I think this one's still alive!" Yuffie called out, waving her arm to get their attention. She was knelt beside an injured competitor, her hands pressed to a bleeding wound on his chest. "My friends will help you," she told him, voice shaking. "Just hang on, okay?"

A kid. That was the first thing Zack thought when they joined her. The fighter bleeding at his feet was no more than fourteen years old, barely old enough to enroll in Shin-Ra military, but old enough to compete at the Gold Saucer.

"Shit," he hissed, dropping to his knees.

"Here," Aerith was already beside him, her hands moving to take Yuffie's place.

"A...ma...man..." teeth chattered, blood dribbled.

"Shh, it's okay, don't talk." Aerith instructed. "Yuffie, hold here. Press; hard." Aerith fished the materia from her pocket.

"Gun...gun...for his..ar-arm...."

Green eyes widened, moved to Zack.

"Shit," was all he said.

"Barret wouldn't do this?" Aerith whispered. "Would he?"

"He wouldn't," behind them, Tifa's voice was sudden and hard. "I know what you're thinking and it's not."

Turning, Zack's face softened. "Tifa..."

"No!" She took a step back, her eyes shimmering and glinting beneath the overhead lights. "He wouldn't." She was steadfast.

Zack, as much as he was reluctant to believe it, couldn't rule it out. He'd witnessed—first hand—some of the greatest warriors and men he'd ever known snap and go insane. Slow, he took a step towards her, hand outstretched. "Come here."

"No." She took a shaky breath. "I can see it on your face...you think...you think it could be Barret."

"Look, I don't want to, but—"

"There are no buts!" She wiped angrily at her eyes. "He wouldn't, so shut up. Just...shut up!"

"Okay. Okay." Zack nodded, kept his voice low, soothing. She was shaking, he could see the fine tremors running over her, and his heart broke. Let me be wrong, he silently prayed. He wasn't sure Tifa could take that kind of blow. He got to his feet, gave Aerith her space so she could heal the boy and tried again to reach for Tifa. "We'll find him."

"Zack!" Cait's high-pitched yowl was followed by a snarl by Red as the doors around the circular room slammed open which had Zack swinging the Buster Sword free and turning to confront whoever was coming their way.

Stepping through the doors with weapons drawn and faces masked in fury, Gold Saucer guards as well as some personal security, quickly surrounded them. Zack recognized one of the menn as the Gold Saucer Manager, Dio. A flamboyant man with a deep tan, long brown hair, and the inability to ever wear a shirt. He reminded Zack of a gold chained Mukki, but that image was disturbing, so he shook it free.

"Shit," he muttered, taking stock of how things must appear to them.

"This is gonna be ugly," Cait whispered.

"No." Zack wouldn't let it. They had no quarrel with these people, nor did they need one. He lowered his sword. "I know what it looks like—" he started.

"It looks like this is as far as you go," Dio cut him off, snapping his fingers.

"Zack...?" Tifa raised her fists, cast him a questioning glance.

He shook his head. He wouldn't have innocent blood on their hands.

With a nod, she relaxed her stance.

"What? We're just giving up?" Yuffie tossed her hands in the air. "Come on!"

"Hush," Red chided.

"We didn't do this!" Zack protested when his arms were yanked behind his back. "Listen to me, man, we didn't do this!"

Dio folded his arms over his chest, shook his head. "Forgive my skepticism, but the room's full of corpses and you're standing there with weapons drawn."

"We put them down—!"

"No, wait, let me finish," Aerith protested as she was pulled to her feet.

"Hey!" Zack pulled against the men holding him.

"You can pay for your crimes below! Get rid of them!"

From opposite ends of the room, two huge robots emerged and the floor beneath them trembled.

A few feet away a gaping hole appeared, dust and swirling heat coming up from the depths.

"Wait, wait!" Zack turned his head towards Dio as he was shoved forward.

Having a difficult time holding him, the guards motioned for the robot and Zack's breath was crushed from his body by hard metal and a death grip.

Well, fuck.

And then he was tumbling down a hard chute, followed by the others.

Spitting dust and dirt from his mouth Zack pushed himself up from the sand. "Everyone all right?"

"Oh, yeah, just great," Yuffie rolled to her side, puffed out a breath. "Never better."

Zack shifted, found Aerith being helped to her feet by Tifa and Red and Cait already up. "Tifa?" He dusted his pants, walked to her.

"Where are we?" she asked, staring at the endless sea of sand stretched to the horizon.

"The remnants of Corel. Now a prison," Cait provided. "This whole area is surrounded by quicksand. No way out—at least that's the rumor. There are, I find, always exceptions to such facts."

"Yeah, well, we'll figure out just what that exception is and get our asses out of here," Zack agreed. Tentative, his hand hovered over Tifa's shoulder. He wanted to offer comfort and reassurance, but he wasn't convinced that Barret hadn't gone off the deep end.

She turned then, and looked past him. "Barret!" she exclaimed.

Zack followed her as she ran.

Barret turned before they reached him and the look on his face was one that Zack had never seen him wear before. It was a mixture of resignation and pain, and it had both him and Tifa pulling up short as their big companion stepped away from them.

"Stay back, Teef. This is something I gotta deal with on my own."

"Barret?"

"I mean it!" he shouted. "Don't come near me!" He ran from them.

"Barret!" Tifa started forward, but Zack grabbed her arm. "Let go," she told him with an angry jerk.

"Tifa." Gentle, Zack pointed her to where Barret had been standing, and the dead body left behind.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. She turned her eyes up to his, hurt and confusion causing the red to bleed through chocolate. "Please," she whispered.

Unable to bear that look from her, Zack pulled her into his arms, tucked her beneath his chin. "We'll get him back," he told her as he kissed her hair.

She clung to him, nodded. "I have to believe in him, Zack."

"I know." And he thought maybe he did understand. Everything in Tifa's life had ended up in tragedy and death, but then she'd found Barret and a new family, and that too was destroyed recently, and all that remained...all she had left of that...was Barret.

"I need you to believe in me," she murmured. "I know him. I trust him. Trust me, Zack."

Without a doubt or fail, he thought, dismissing his previous assessment. If Tifa said Barret wasn't responsible, then he'd take it as fact.

"What do we do now?" Red asked, approaching them.

Keeping one arm curved around Tifa, Zack addressed the rest of them. "We ask around, find out who has seen what and find the way out of this place." He looked down at Tifa. "And we find Barret and kick some sense into him."

Aerith took Tifa's hand, shared a gentle smile. "That's a good plan."

"I think I saw your scary looking friend near that building," Cait pointed toward the burned husk of a house.

They made their way to the shack that Cait had pointed out with Zack leading the way. He stayed close to Tifa, knowing how her close proximity eased him, and hoped that his did the same for her.

The door was hanging half on, the hinges charred and squeaking when he pushed it open. The interior of the house appeared to be empty, and he debated on calling out for Barret.

He didn't need to, as it turned out, because behind them, angry scowl back in place, Barret stormed inside. "I thought I told you to stay away!" he bellowed.

"Whoa, l-l-look, they just want to talk!" Cait said, covering his face with his hands when Barret lifted his gun-arm.

Barret opened fire, the bullets sailing across the small shack and tearing through fabric. Spinning, Zack pulled Tifa into his chest, covered her head with his hands, braced to feel bullet pierce flesh once again, but after a moment he realized that no injury was coming. Behind the couch a man coughed, crawled and fell.

"What the...?" Zack looked to Barret for explanation.

"I told you, I didn't want you involved."

Tifa pulled herself out of Zack's arms and stalked across the room, her palm slamming hard into Barret's chest. "Yeah, well, I already am pretty damn involved, you asshole!" She pushed him again and Barret looked chagrined.

"Teef..."

"Don't 'Teef' me," she scowled. "What the hell is going on?"

"The people in the arena claim a man with a gun-arm committed the murders," Red informed Barret, head inclined in an inquisitive manner. "Is this true?"

"Yes," Barret nodded. "But it ain't me," he quickly added.

"If not you, then who?" Cait questioned.

Barret blinked at the cat, then, "Who the fuck is this?"

"Long story, we'll fill you in later," Zack waved him on. "So who was it? Do you know?"

"I have an idea." There was a pause and Barret sighed, weary and heavy. "Hope I'm wrong." He shook himself, straightened. "Got this," he moved his gun-arm, "when Shin-ra attacked the village. They shit me and Dyne down from a cliff. Dyne ended up falling and I caught him, but the soldiers, well, they were pretty relentless and shot our arms nearly clean off. After, I couldn't use my hand, and could barely move the limb. Heard of a new procedure that could graft a gun to a limb. I figured why not...it wasn't like I could do anything with it anyway...."

"Go on," Tifa urged when he faltered.

"Got a gun so I could get revenge on Shin-Ra. Back then, the doc said he's done the procedure on another man—left arm. I didn't think nothing of it, then...but now..."

"You think it might be Dyne," Aerith said, eyes soft. "Because his injury was the same as yours."

"And if it is...then I gotta do this alone. I need to apologize, make it right, so when I die I can see Myrna again."

"You want me to say go ahead, do this on your own," Zack muttered with a shake of his head. "Well, I can't. You die and that's on my head." He nodded toward Tifa. "And it'll hurt someone I actually do care about, so no. We're here to help you."

"Ain't you a sentimental jackass. I ain't asking for your help."

"Never said you were. But you've got it. Like it or not," Zack added. "That's what friends do."

"Well, that's just lovely. Looks like you have a bunch of others fooled." At the door, a man stood, his expression haggard, eyes bloodshot.

"Dyne!" Barret turned to face his former friend.

"Now there's a nostalgic voice. Never thought I'd lay eyes on you again." Dyne sniffed, wiped his hand under his nose, smearing dirt and blood.

Barret took another step forward, waved the others back. This was something he had to do on his own, he'd said, and Zack repected him enough to fall back.

Tifa and the others did the same, but they all stayed alert, very aware of the tension between the two men.

Barret made a placating gesture with his good hand. "I had always hoped I'd see you again. There's so many things I need to say—"

"You can just shut your mouth," Dyne leveled his own gun-arm at Barret's chest. "You ain't got nothin' to say that I want to hear. I tried not to hate your rotten guts. I did, but the fact is, it's your fault! All of it!"

"I-I know." Barret lowered his head.

"I promised Eleanor that I wouldn't hunt you down, so I didn't, but here you are, coming to me...interfering with me, again!"

"Look, I know you can't forgive me—"

"No, I can't and I won't!" Dyne spat on the floor. "You may have them fooled," he moved his arm to encompass the group of them. "But I know what you are."

"I was your friend," Barret whispered.

"I have no friends!" Dyne shouted, eyes wild. "I have nothing! Shin-Ra took it all, tore it away!"

"But the people you killed..." Barret looked up, pleading. "Dyne, they had nothing to do with it."

"You think I care? You think that matters? I have nothing! All that I know is despair and emptiness! Fuck them and fuck you too! My Eleanor is gone...my Marlene..." Raising his arm Dyne started to shoot into the ceiling.

"Dyne, Dyne! Marlene is alive," Barret shouted.

Bullets stopped, Dyne lowered his arm and his gaze. "Mar-Marlene is alive?"

"She is. She's in Midgar, I can take you to her. Let's go together," Barret encouraged. "Please, Dyne."

"I thought...I thought at least she had that..." Dyne was talking mostly to himself. But then he turned those bloodshot eyes on Barret. "I thought at least my Eleanor wasn't alone, that at least her and Marlene were together, but now... Now I have to find Marlene. So I can send her to Eleanor."

Beside Zack, Tifa stiffened. "Are you insane?" she breathed.

Barret echoed the statement. "Don't be crazy, Dyne. Just be calm and we can go..we can go to her."

The laugh that Dyne let loose ws enough to turn blood to ice in the room. It was off and edged with madness.

"Barret, you aren't getting through," Zack warned.

"You stay out of it!" Barret shouted. "No matter what, you stay out of it."

"Barret!" Tifa shouted. "I will not let anyone hurt Marlene!"

"Don't expect you to." He continued to face his former friend. "Lemme handle this."

"Handle this?" Dyne echoed, laughing. "Handle this? I am not to be handled, Barret!"

"Dyne, you can't do this to yourself. Come back to Midgar. See your little girl..."

"My little girl..." Something flickered in Dyne's eyes, his expression contorting. He looked down at his arms, then at Barret, then at the body on the floor. "Can't see me like this...what...what have I become?" He took a step back. "I am...not fit to touch her."

Something in his tone sent warning bells off in Zack's mind. It must have done the same to Barret because he was reaching for Dyne. "Wait, I'm no better. I have blood on my hands too, but you can still love her. I'll take you there...Dyne..."

"Tell her...nothing..." Dyne shook his head, a small, fleeting smile on his face. "Take care of her and don't let her know what a monster I was. Be her father Barret. That's how you can earn my forgiveness."

"Dyne, no!" Too late Barret realized his intent and before any of them could move, Dyne raised his arm, pressed his weapon to his temple and fired.

Aerith gasped and Yuffie shrieked.

Barret dropped to his knees, head bowed forward and shoulders shaking with rough, harsh sobs. "Damn you, Dyne! Damn you!"

Without a word, Tifa slipped across the room and dropped herself beside her friend, wrapping her arms around his head and holding him while the others could only watch in stunned silence.

After a few minutes, Barret took a ragged breath and wiped his eyes. "I have to keep that promise. I have to take care of Marlene. And to do that, I need to make sure Shin-Ra can't suck the planet dry." He looked up at Zack. "If that means finding that Sephiroth guy, then we find him."

Zack nodded. "We will."

"First, we need to find a way out of this place," Cait pointed out.

Barret pushed to his feet. "Leave that to me."

AN: Still not 100% happy with this chapter but it reached the 'move on' point for me, so I decided to stop second guessing and just go with what the characters told me to do, lol. Thank you all for reading and especially for reviewing! you are the best readers in the world, I'm sure of it!! Chocobo races and some good luck kisses coming up! :D