Number VII

"Ok, guys, get ready; Mr Vice President and General Celes are coming back! Be ready to turn the anti-magic seal on, just in case the General tries something!"

"So, you're not gonna ask why we are going back to Midgar, this soon?" Rufus asked softly.

"No."

"Hmm."

"General will be taken straight to Mr President."

"You don't care?"

"And after that, she will probably taken to Nibelheim."

Celes answered nothing. Rufus snorted. Celes shook her head, making her white hair float around her face. "It's not that I didn't care... I just guess it's none of my business, after all. I might be a General but... this is not the battle field." She smirked.

Rufus snorted again. "Are you sure?" His eyes glowed ice blue in the dim light of the chopper.

"Politics are not for me."

Rufus laughed.

"Nibelheim? You mean...?"

"Yes."

Celes glared at the blond-haired man, wondering what was he laughing at. Her expressions made him just laugh even more. Blushing out of irritation, Celes turned her face away and gasped with surprise as she saw the reflection on the window. Rufus stopped laughing and followed the woman with his eyes carefully. There's nothing but the old good Midgar there, he thought and frowned.

Celes stared at the reflection and recognized the face of the girl she had helped to escape so long time ago. She touched the window glass, and the girl with brown hair tied up with a ribbon smiled.

Celes, a bright voice said in her mind. It was a child's voice indeed, and the woman recognized it immediately, even though the girl had changed a little and she hadn't heard her talk so much that night. And suddenly Celes realized she wasn't in the chopper anymore, but in a shining garden with beautiful yellow and white flowers. She blinked and touched one of the flowers. So real...

"Celes", the voice said again. Celes rose up her face.

"It's you", the woman said, amused.

"Yes, it's me. But we don't have time for this now. I can't keep us here for long, I am not sure how to."

"You're testing your powers", Celes suggested.

The girl smiled again. She looked so serious to be so young, and it hurt Celes' heart. "Yes, I am. I am an Ancient, probably the last of my kind. You'll find out what we are later", she added as Celes looked like she was about to ask something. "But today, I brought us here to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"You saved me once", the girl said, and her deep green eyes captured Celes'. "Now I will return the favour. Please, escape Shinra as soon as possible. They are planning to ... to erase you." The girl frowned as she tried to find an appropriate word.

"I see." Celes stood up and looked around. Beautiful and strong for an illusion. Even stronger than anything I have ever made. "When and where?"

The girl didn't answer, but waved her hand and showed the SOLDIER an image of the flying helicopter that was heading towards the Shinra Headquarters in - Midgar. "I'm sorry", the girl whispered. "I showed you the dream before, hoping you would escape then, but I never knew you were so ... loyal to Shinra." She bowed her head to hide her tears.

Celes couldn't do anything else but to stare at the image. Does Rufus know? Does he?

"Well, this is not a problem, not yet." She patted the girl's hair gently. "But Rufus... I mean, Mr Vice President is." Her eyes flashed with Mako as a thought crossed her mind. "Actually... Please, Miss Ancient, let me return!" Excitement burnt in her eyes alongside the Mako.

"You have a plan?"

Celes grinned grimly. "Hell yes." Another thought came to her mind, and she grabbed the girl's arm. "What's your name, Miss Ancient?"

"Aeris." And the flower garden faded.

Celes opened her eyes and faced her own reflection - her green eyes were normal, without the usual Mako glow. Amused, she touched her cheek right beneath her eye. Normal... She inhaled deeply and determinedly turned to face Rufus, who was looking at her with his deep blue eyes, his face cold and expressionless; but it was his eyes that told Celes he knew she had seen something in the window reflection, something he wasn't able to see. Jealousy and greed were burning in his eyes, and for a little while Celes felt horrified. She knew very well what kind of a person this young man was, that besides his somewhat cruel nature he wanted to control everything - control with fear. Rufus was able to study your deepest fears by following your behaviour and speech for some hours or days, and he used them for his own good when he thought it was a necessity. Celes stared back at him, trying not to show how scared she was, and finally she found her voice: "Mister, something came up." His left eyebrow rose high, and Celes continued, her throat getting dry: "I need to go down there, right now. The Turks are to come up here and escort us to the Headquarters, right?"

"How are you going to get down from here?" Rufus snapped.

Celes grinned sheepishly. "Do not worry about that, Mister", she said softly. "Just stay here and wait for the Turks, ok?"

Rufus reached to grab her arm, and Celes wanted to frown because of his hold being so tight, but she managed to keep her face still. "And why", he said quietly, tightening his grab even more, "why would I do so? General?"

Celes stared at his eyes while she released herself from his hold, and the man stared back somewhat angrily. "For your own safety, Mister", she finally said, closing her eyes. Now came the hardest part of her plan; she prayed she would succeed, because it was her only chance. Please don't have Head Band or anything. She gasped shortly... Rufus' eyes went wide open as he realized she was up to something.

[Sleep

The Materia in her short katana shone as it was used, and Rufus jumped up, trying to avoid the magic. Celes watched calmly as the young man's eyeballs rolled about, and then he collapsed on the floor. Celes immediately reached to him and put him into a more comfortable position. She touched his face gently; his cheeks were cold, his expression doubting the fact a SOLDIER officer had attacked him. "Goodbye, Mister", she said, stood up and opened the door. The breeze of the air struck her the moment the door opened, and her white hair floated all around her face. The noises from the front of the helicopter made her turn her head, and she saw a surprised looking SOLDIER was staring at Rufus with his mouth open. She smiled sadly and took a deep-red Materia from her pocket. She was thankful that she had Mastered her Materia long, long time ago, so she was able to use their full power whenever she needed them. Her smile turned into a nasty grin. She hadn't just Mastered the Materia she had received, found or bought; she had also learned to use them in a brand new way no one else knew about. She held the Materia on her palm, first really tightly... then she loosened her hold a bit, and finally let it fall.

[Summoning: Bahamut

The red Materia flashed in lighter red, and Celes jumped after it, without even trying to close the door. She jumped with her legs first, and as she fell she turned in the air so she was falling with her face down. She closed her eyes, embracing the polluted air of Midgar. I am free! Suddenly her senses said there was something coming towards her, and she opened her eyes and turned in the air again, avoiding a bullet shower aimed to her legs. She looked around and saw another helicopter next to the one she had just left. The Turks!

Fortunately for her, the trick had worked and Bahamut was free from the chains of the Materia - free and grateful for the summoner who had freed him. She laughed and opened her arms, welcoming the summoned creature. Bahamut roared and flew faster to reach her, and Celes' eyes shone with Mako and happiness as she sensed the creature behind herself, and then he grabbed her in his huge claws, holding her carefully. "Let's get out of here!" she shouted, and Bahamut roared again as an answer. He changed his course and flew up, fast and energetic, and in her joy of flying she managed to forget the Turks and the fact they were after her, probably to kill her. The huge wall of Midgar with its reactors came closer, and then it was right beneath them... Some tried to shoot them just like the Turks were still trying to do, but Bahamut avoided them easily. Grinning somewhat crazily, Celes took another red Materia and led it fall as well. Another light-red flash and the words to summon the creature within the small stone... And Ramuh was freed, too. There were so many machines in Midgar that Ramuh was strategically thinking the best summon to use after Bahamut, and Celes knew the thunder god would be devastating at the best. And obviously the Turks knew that as well, since their helicopter turned back immediately and headed towards Rufus' helicopter.

And finally, Celes was out of Midgar. "I am free!" she screamed. No more fighting for Shinra! No more secrets! Finally, finally..! Laughing and crying at the same time, she asked Bahamut to go higher.

---

"This is humiliating", Rufus growled as Tseng of the Turks helped him out of the helicopter. Rufus had just waked up from his magical slumber, and his legs were shaking a bit with tiredness and anger. "Humiliating", he repeated, his eyes burning dangerously and mouth in a grin that promised a hell for the woman who had treated him like this.

Tseng didn't say anything, but he was worried. First Sephiroth goes crazy, then those two escape us like that, and now Celes... What will come to Shinra now? He feared Celes might take revenge on them, and Tseng knew the President was worried of that matter as well. Celes was to be destroyed at any cost, so the secrets of Shinra wouldn't spread around... and because she had become a dangerous specimen as an experiment work, and Professor Hojo had agreed she was actually useless for the whole Jenova project.

"When I find that bitch...!"

"Sir, do not bother yourself with such things", Tseng said calmly. His longish black hair flew behind his head as he led the Vice President inside the big building. "We are already sending troops after her, and we will do everything to find her.. and destroy her."

Rufus stopped walking. "Destroy?" he repeated.

Tseng looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Yes. She is too dangerous to be captured. You did not see it, but it seems she has found a new way to use the summoning Materia. She has probably found similar ways with the other Materia as well. We will of course first drag that information out of her... and then wipe her out from the face of the world."

"Oh", was all that Rufus had to say. Wipe her out from the face of the world. "Tell me, Tseng", he suddenly said, with a soft but coldish tone. "How are you exactly going to do that? Because, from what I know, she is the 7th strongest SOLDIER officer in the whole history of our recordings regarding the strength of our troops, and Sephiroth and Zack trained this bitch, two greatest SOLDIERs we have known for a while. So how will you destroy her?" His last words were shouted out in anger, and then the young man moved his angry eyes on Tseng's, his chest rising heavily as he inhaled and exhaled.

Tseng remained as cool as ever, but inside he felt the doubt fill him. He's right, he thought in horror. He's right! He fought with himself while trying to look calm outside, but something obviously gave him out because Rufus snorted, turned around and walked away.