Me, I had dreams.

Hell, we all did, though we all had different reasons for them. Barret kept quiet about his past most of the time, but we knew he lost his arm to the ShinRa. Now he had a machine arm set into his right elbow, and a vicious temper. Couldn't blame him- if it were me I might well've just given up, that is if I'd ever gotten involved on my own.

Wedge was in it for the glory- nah, don't get me wrong, he was a real good guy, but he was in it for the glory the way a kid is. He got excited about the stupidest things, and he was always first to congratulate us all on a mission gone well. Yeah, maybe he wasn't thinking of saving the planet on a, well, worldwide scale, but his heart was in it. He looked on the bright side of everything- how great the world'll be when we overthrow ShinRa, not what'll happen when their SOLDIERS and their treacherous ways beat us and drain the world of Mako.

Jessie was fascinated by the whole thing and just sick of the way ShinRa worked. Now, a dumb thing like numbering the plates instead of using their names got her worked up, "that's the kind of place this is," she'd say, and shake her head and sigh. But she knew what she was doing; we couldn't have done a damn thing without her.

Me, I had dreams, but I knew when to get real. Me and Barret, we had that in common. That's why I respected the guy so much- but sometimes the long lectures about the ShinRa got old and I wanted to tell him to stop acting so damn big. But I respected Barret- he was our leader, he was AVALANCHE's leader, and he was the one with the gun-arm to prove his worth. Me, I had nothing but a life in the slums and my dreams.

Then we met Cloud- that damn blonde ex-SOLDIER who didn't give a shit about nobody, who was in it for the money (which we rarely had) and still thought any SOLDIER would wipe us out in a heartbeat.

But Barret still liked him, I figure- he was always telling him to watch out for himself. Wedge looked up to him, though he looked up to most people. Think the girls had a crush on him too- well, girls are like that.

I liked him. Well, to be honest in the beginning I liked throwing my weight around even more, but yeah. I liked him.

Mostly I liked his eyes. Real strange colour they were, but that was just one of those things, he could explain that. Sure, that weird glow was all down to being infused with Mako, but how d'you explain that lethal hair and all those weird episodes when he just sits down and holds his head- yeah; he's a strange one.

He kinda bumped his way into second-in-command, just 'cause of all his inside info on the ShinRa and that big sword he keeps on his back. Guess that sticks me in my place with Wedge and Jess, not that I mind, but it would'a been nice to take a chance at leading our team for once.

Saw him going up the pillar a couple of minutes ago- shit, I hope they're alright. I asked him one last time if he really didn't care about the planet, and the bastard says he's still not interested. Well, what can you do- some people never change- but a second later he says in this real strange voice, "You're wounded..."

Well, maybe some people do know how to change. I told him to get on up and help Barret out- he's the one who matters, ain't he, the one with the machine gun for an arm.

I think, I bet Jess could've taken care of that bomb those ShinRa suits just planted up there to take the plate down, but none of us are going anywhere now. Barret and Cloud, they're the ones who are gonna make a difference- there they go, they're on that wire, they're gonna make it out...

I know they can make it. Hell, if I was gonna die for anybody, if I was gonna give up my dreams for anyone to have a chance at fulfilling theirs, if I was gonna be second to anyone, it'd be them.