Hey everyone! Another update ready. Actually, I've been booking on this story now that I'm down to the last few chapters. I actually have two more chapters ready to go after this one. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep this pace up, but I'll try to make it hold until the end.

Ragnar, Cloud, and Aerith had indeed only been able to pray for the outer forces for nearly three hours. Their own anxiety continued to grow during that time.

The three had been able to move into more military corridors since the battle began. No one tried to stop them now. Even when they practically waltzed in front of one camera, no one responded. Lights flickered occasionally in some places they went through, and the building continued to shake periodically. It grew in frequency as time went on. However, the red alert lights stayed on and no surrender message blared, indicating that the fight was still going. And they hadn't been beaten back into their Dome yet obviously, because they still encountered no one.

The silence was getting to Ragnar. He didn't like being here. He was the last person on Gaia that the New Shinra wanted inside their Dome. Even if there wasn't Sephiroth to worry about, he would have been afraid to be here. As it was…he almost felt the blood in his veins dislike being in the structure. After all, his Cetra portion feared Jenova and anything associated with it. It was getting worse the closer he grew to the heart of the Dome. He had Bahamut's strength and knowledge to bolster him…but he could hardly believe that Aerith wasn't crippled or even slowed by it. She had to be much stronger than he thought…

The three were moving down a corridor at the moment. They didn't bother hugging the edges anymore. It had taken a while to get their bearing and then move through the Dome, but they thought that after a recent stop they found where a main service elevator was. It wasn't coded, so as long as no guards tried to stop them they could probably use it. Hopefully it would go all the way to the final sublevel. The hallway shook a bit as they walked along. More dust rained from the ceiling, and the lights flickered once.

"I guess they're doing well." Cloud mused.

"They won't be doing well until the New Shinra surrender." Ragnar answered. "So long as they keep fighting, they can tell the Gauntlet of Zeus to fire."

No one voiced the worst case scenario, although all three feared it. There was a chance that whoever was manning the cannon would fire anyway even if the rest of the army was destroyed. Ragnar hoped that wasn't the case…that the people running it were saner than that. Even he couldn't stop them in time at this point…with or without Bahamut's help.

The three finally came to the end of the hallway. They emerged into a circular area. Just ahead of them, three different sets of metal sliding doors loomed. They went for the largest one in the center. It looked a bit rougher, meaning it was likely the freight or service elevator. Anyone could use these. Luckily as they came closer and saw the buttons, they saw only a place for a key in case of fire. No sign of a keyhole to use the elevator for any purpose. They were near the center of the Dome at this point, so it seemed the New Shinra didn't plan on anyone ever getting this far.

They came to a stop in front of the large doors. Cloud reached over and pressed the down button. Although they soon heard the elevator shift behind the metal, it took a few minutes before it arrived. Cloud looked a bit impatient during this time, but Ragnar was encouraged. If it moved this slow, perhaps it was meant for heavy equipment, meaning it probably was what they were looking for.

At last, the elevator came to a stop. The doors slowly slid aside in front of them. What was revealed inside was basic metal walls and a ceiling, but the floor was metal grating. One could look through it and see the workings of the Dome and elevator underneath.

Cloud stepped inside and around the edge, looking at the controls. He scanned them a moment, and then turned back to the others.

"This one goes all the way to the bottom sublevel."

Ragnar inhaled deeply, and then looked to Aerith. She looked back to him, tightening her grip on the Sun Ray and looking ready as well. With that, the youth turned back and walked into the elevator. Both he and Cloud turned to Aerith afterward. She hesitated, but then took two steps toward the open doors…

Suddenly, she stopped. It was almost as if she had hit an invisible wall. When she did, the two men saw her face abruptly change. It looked like something had both scared her and surprised her. She drew back a step and brought her hand toward her chest.

Seeing this, both men immediately turned anxious as well.

"Aerith, what's wrong?" Ragnar called.

The Cetra paused. She seemed to be thinking about something…or even seeing something that only she could see. Ragnar was puzzled by this. She was acting like the Planet was saying something to her. But at this point, he could hear the Planet as well. He had heard nothing…no warning of danger or new instruction.

The woman finally looked up to the two of them. When she did…her face suddenly broke out into a more carefree smile.

"Well, looks like you boys are going to get your wish."

Both Cloud and Ragnar looked confused.

The Cetra exhaled, and then gave a shrug. "I finally heard the Planet. It seems that it doesn't want me to go down with you. For some reason, I got a strong feeling to stay here. I guess I'll be hanging back after all."

Ragnar and Cloud paused for a moment. Well…that would explain why he hadn't sensed anything. If the Planet only had something to say to her, then naturally he wouldn't hear anything.

However…he was a bit puzzled. He had certainly not wanted Aerith to come to the fight, but by now he thought that it was inevitable. She had felt such conviction to come that he could say nothing to dissuade her. She had firmly believed she had to be here, just as she knew she had to act when Sephiroth tried to destroy the Planet. Nothing had happened to her to turn her from this goal until now. And now, right when they were about to make the final plunge, something was stopping her? Of course, that wasn't to say that he wasn't relieved. He certainly didn't want her coming along. Yet why did it have to be now?

"Are you sure, Aerith?" Cloud asked at last. It seemed he shared Ragnar's thoughts.

The Cetra gave a single nod. "Without a doubt."

Both men looked to one another. What could Aerith do in this little chamber? Neither of them knew. Neither of them liked the idea of leaving her alone here either. However, the woman always seemed to know exactly what to do, even if it was strange to either of them. They both cared a lot about her, but they also knew to respect her wishes when she asked.

In the end, they turned back to the Cetra.

"Alright." Ragnar answered. "Stay here. We'll be back up as soon as we're done."

The woman nodded again. "I'd say good luck, but I know you two will succeed. You don't need it."

Cloud gave a bit of a shrug. "Might as well. I think we'll need all the help we can get."

Aerith smiled a bit wider. "Well then…good luck."

Cloud smiled slightly himself as he leaned over and pushed the button. The doors began to close. Ragnar hung back and stared on at Aerith a bit longer. His face was still rather anxious. However, he only inhaled in the end and gave a nod to the Cetra as the doors shut. The last look he had of her was her smiling face before she vanished from view. A moment later, the elevator lurched and began to lower.

The youth tried to put Aerith from his mind, and focused instead on the upcoming battle.

The moment the two men were out of visual sight, Aerith's smile faded.

"I'm sorry I had to lie, guys. But I didn't have time to argue."

Aerith had indeed at last received a message from the Planet. And she had indeed been told not to go down the elevator with Ragnar and Cloud. But that was where the truth ended. She had to break off from them and go somewhere else. The Planet was now pulling her in a new direction. Toward what, she had no idea. She had no idea of the significance either. She only knew she had to go. She had barely managed to get Cloud and Ragnar to allow her to come with them into the Dome. If they knew that she would have to wander off alone and unprotected to some obscure corner of it to face an unknown fate…they never would have let her go. Or if they would have, it might have been too late. Something was telling her that time was of the essence…that some series of events would have to take place in order very soon. She couldn't afford delays.

The Cetra looked down to her weapon, and tightened her grip on it. She hoped it served her as well as it had served Ragnar. Though she was prepared to give everything again…she honestly didn't want to die. There was much in the world that was beautiful, and many people she wanted to see grow and live. She hoped that option was with her.

With that in mind, the woman turned, now being directed by the Planet, and began to go back the way she came.

Red XIII frowned, wondering if he should go in now and, if so, whether or not it would make a difference.

The battle was not going either way…and it hadn't been going either way for a long time. He was beginning to get a little worried. They had done as planned. With the shields down and the cannons deactivated, the New Shinra HQ Dome was fodder for their weapons. However, they hadn't been close enough to mount a full artillery assault. Only the long distance cannons could hit. The rest of the artillery tried to drive the enemy from their trenches or destroy the sweepers that had frozen in place. By the time they destroyed the sweepers and gained another amount of yards, the enemy was able to reprogram its control and send out more sweepers. These ones were harder to destroy, and although they passed them it gave the enemy enough time to regroup with its own artillery and forces. By the time they finally managed to get within the fourth mile range, the enemy was able to hit them back. It took much longer than anticipated to suppress the enemy guns, and even when they did they lost many of their own guns in the process.

At last, the enemy infantry charged them. When that happened, Red XIII called in their two flanked regions. The battle was joined and the enemy was soon being wiped out. A few more divisions panicked and surrendered, and it seemed as if they'd be able to pull this off after all despite the delays.

Yet it seemed the Dome wasn't finished. A counter-strike of considerable size, much bigger than they anticipated, came out of the Dome and flooded them. They weren't alone either. They brought some sort of new weapon with them. It was armed with both a chain gun and a missile launcher. It walked like some sort of spider on four metal legs, and it was much faster and able to cover far more terrain than a sweeper. Enemy radio transmissions called these new machines, "Black Widows". They were having a hard time dealing with them. Yuffie had taken off half of one's head, and it still had spun around and attempted to kill her. Barret had hit one dead center with one of his own grenades, but it continued to function until he followed up with another. Due to this new enemy, the PPA was actually repelled from the Dome back to some of its barricades. Since then, they had held.

Now it was an all out fight. The enemy was still bringing out mobile artillery units, and the Black Widows were striking hard. They managed to keep firing on the Dome for all the good that it was doing. They were repelling enemy assaults, but the enemy was also repelling each of their attacks. They hadn't even been able to take the first trench yet. They kept charging forward with everything they had, depleting the reserves in the trench…but never quite taking it. They always had to fall back and regroup…and the NSA kept pouring more units back into it during these times, so they were back where they started when they came again. Until the New Shinra actually began to hurt for manpower, they'd be able to keep doing this. That was bad for both the PPA and them. It meant they'd have to kill just about all of them if they didn't break away soon.

The battle was only getting more violent. From Red's relatively secure position, guns and missiles continued to whiz around through the air. Barricades on both sides kept turning into craters, and the sounds of firepower deafened everyone. The only thing more violent was the storm. The wind had picked up even more since they started, and the sky was now lashing out with lightning again and again on the battlefield. Until now, Red XIII had wanted to bring in the Phoenixes to give some air support. That was hardly possible now. Both sides were grounded and staining the snow red with their blood. At least the cold wasn't anyone's major concern anymore…

59 Minutes Until The Firing Of The Gauntlet Of Zeus

"See anything yet?"

"No…but this place is starting to look familiar…"

Ragnar frowned and turned his gaze away. He had no idea it would be this difficult. Perhaps Sephiroth was hiding from them. For what purpose he had no idea. He had to be down here somewhere…the youth could feel his skin crawl. He felt colder down here…and the scents and sights around him reminded him of the pain of their last meeting. He was close. He just had to find him.

The place hadn't changed much. It was still the darkest, oiliest mess of pipes and large machines within the Dome. All of the wastes dumped down here through large ducts, deep into the large mako waste trench that ran through it. Just like last time, the room was shrouded in darkness illuminated by a pale green light. He could hear it bubble and churn beneath him, sizzling from rats or some other creatures falling in it periodically. Other than that, he heard his footsteps echo loud and deep as he moved on. The darkness seemed thicker here…and it seemed almost cold enough to make his breath mist. But still…no Sephiroth.

Last time Ragnar had only wanted to get out of here. This time, he and Cloud searched the entire floor. They examined every nook and cranny in the place for hiding people or secret entrances. At first, they had gone in slowly with swords drawn, sweating and nervous. But although they were still tensing up, and felt danger growing nearer with every second, they moved faster now. Part of that was getting used to not seeing Sephiroth. Part of it was fear that they were running out of time. They now had less than an hour to find him.

The two men continued to scan the area as they crossed the catwalk. They had done so a few times before now, as they moved around the entire bottom floor looking for their enemy. But they were running out of room, and still they had not found him. Ragnar was beginning to grow afraid. What if this had been a decoy? What if he was doing something else overhead? They couldn't even hear the battle anymore from down here…

As Ragnar thought this, he continued to look about the area beneath him. Nothing but boiling, swirling mako waste. That was all that was lower than this…soaking slowly into the ground. He wondered how many pits were filled with the stuff down here. He didn't know that a reactor could put out this much waste. No wonder the things had been so dirty…

Yet as he thought this…something caught his eye and made him stop.

Cloud stopped as well, but not because of Ragnar. He sighed and looked around him. "Damnit… We're not getting anywhere. We've been here before. Vincent had to have seen wrong. He has to be on another floor…"

"No he's not." Ragnar immediately answered, keeping his eyes ahead of him. "We're just not on the bottom yet."

The ex-mercenary turned to the youth. He saw that Ragnar's eyes were fixed ahead of him, aiming toward the ground. Cloud looked as well to see what it was. Below them was filled with mako vats…but Ragnar was looking toward one particularly empty space. He saw residue from mako waste on the edges, but below that only blackness.

"All of the waste vats we've come to except this one were full." Ragnar explained. "This one isn't. Somehow, I don't think it's just because they didn't need it. I'm feeling a chill just staring at it."

Cloud didn't answer this right away. He looked to the empty vat instead. Ragnar himself soon began to move toward it, and his friend soon followed. He walked slowly…almost as if he was creeping up on a sleeping dragon. As he did, he gradually was allowed to look further and further down the pit. Yet there was nothing but more blackness…and more uneasy feelings. His eyes couldn't see anything else down in it, and his heat vision detected nothing. After a few moments longer, they finally made it to the edge. Both leaned slightly over the rail and looked down.

Some odor seemed to catch Ragnar's nostrils…and nothing in Bahamut's memory registered. It was foul…no doubts there. It wasn't just the normal stagnant smell that he picked up around Sephiroth and Aleron. It was something far nastier…like some unnamed rotting beast. There was no wind here. The air itself seemed to die as it grew colder down the hole. Neither man could see the bottom of it. In theory, it terminated just after descending into darkness. And since there was so little air around it, there was nothing to dispute that. However…Ragnar had a feeling that it wasn't the case. He believed that he was in the right spot.

"…I think this is it." Cloud spoke at last.

"There's no telling how far down it goes." Ragnar mentioned.

"Would that keep us from going down it?"

"…I suppose not."

Both men paused a moment to swallow. Both of them reached behind and grasped the hilts of their blades. A moment later, and both Ragnarok and Event Horizon were naked in front of them. They stared down into the blackness…and it seemed to stare right back at them. It appeared like some great void entity, wanting to swallow whatever would come near it. Despite all his training, Ragnar felt genuine fear. He could almost feel the blade in his chest as he stood there. Yet he remembered what was riding on this…what would happen if he didn't fight. Sephiroth had to be defeated at all costs.

With that in mind, he tightened his grip and, along with Cloud, leapt over the edge and into the darkness.

It instantly felt like he was consumed. The blackness seemed to lunge out and engulf him. Cloud vanished into shadow, and he felt cold and breathless. It was like something was trying to draw the air out of his throat. He gasped…but made no sound. His heart seemed to still within him. The light overhead winked out, and darkness was all that remained. He lost his sensation. He couldn't feel himself falling or rising or standing or anything. He only felt himself suspended in shadow. For a moment, he thought that somehow he had been devoured by the darkness…and what was only a few seconds seemed like an eternity in an empty hell…

Then his boots hit hard, smooth ground. They clicked ever so slightly, sending a mild noise echoing into the blackness all around him. They were joined a split second later by the clicking of Cloud's own footsteps. On landing, Ragnar immediately dropped into a crouch…more out of surprise than response to the fall. At any rate, he wasn't hurt from it. It felt as if he had fallen no more than two inches. Now that he was on solid ground, however, his mind snapped out of its daze and focused. He turned his head up and looked out, trying to see what his surroundings were. But the blackness held. He couldn't even see Cloud next to him.

But then, silently, something turned on overhead. The blackness was cut by a cone of white light being projected from an unknown source. It came down and centered right between the two men, so that both of them were instantly and completely illuminated. Both snapped their heads up and turned to look to one another. They noticed that they were remarkably similar. Both had their swords out in roughly the same position, and both were crouching. Yet now that they were in the light, and believed themselves to be watched by someone else, both quickly rose to their feet. They held their weapons in front of them, and gazed into the darkness…expecting a phantom assault at any time.

Moments later…another light came on, projecting a smaller cone some distance in front of them.

Ragnar's pupils narrowed as sweat began to build on his neck.

He hadn't changed much…but he didn't need to. He was fearsome and awe-inspiring each time they saw him. He always seemed to radiate an aura of power and heartlessness. And now, in this place, it seemed that much stronger. Ragnar almost thought his saw his breath mist. As he looked out to them like a cultured and yet ravenous demon…his eyes seemed to cut through the darkness and flesh to freeze his soul.

"Well now…" Sephiroth spoke in his dark, calm voice. "Both of you came this time."

Neither man said anything in response. They simply tensed up, went into ready stance, and pointed their blades at him. Both of their gazes turned cold as they let fury dominate their emotions.

Sephiroth kept his smile. "How dull… No words…no greetings…just straight to a battle."

"We didn't come here to 'chew the fat', Sephiroth." Cloud darkly answered. "We came here to destroy you."

The dark man let out a slight snort. "Pity. Because I'm not planning on destroying you, Cloud. Not immediately. I have much still to show you. As for the Cetra…I'm afraid I won't waste so much time torturing him this time around."

"I'm not the same as I was before." Ragnar retorted. "Come on. Either you make the first move or we will."

"…And will you be so rude as to not say hello to me before you battle?"

Both Ragnar and Cloud felt their flesh crawl. That was the most horrible-sounding voice they had ever heard. It was like a squeal, nails on a chalkboard, and some sort of wet mushy sound rolled into one. It defied explanation. What more…it came from everywhere. It echoed all around them, reverberating through the darkness even after the person…or thing…was done speaking. Yet before either of them could sound anything else, the room changed.

Lights flickered on now. They were basic industrial ones. None were that sophisticated, and when they came to life they evaporated the darkness only to replace it with a dull, dim glow. And as they came on and chased away the all-consuming blackness, they revealed long, large pipes extending down from the ceiling and imbedding into the ground below everywhere else. Beneath it, a metal floor stood on a concrete foundation. It was here where the two men were now perched and, just ahead of them, Sephiroth.

But what was beyond him truly caught their attention.

Some nasty thing was snaking around the room. It looked like tree roots or fungus of some sort…but it was growing on everything. It had shifted all around the chamber, going up and down each pipe and covering the floor. Only the two places where the white lights had come on had been free of it. Now, the two men saw it surrounded them on every side. It was slimy…and quivering and throbbing. It made a horrible sucking sound as it broke into smaller branches and snaked out over more pipes. It smelled horrible…only seeming to really give off a scent now that the lights were on. It smelled like alien mold covering rotting feces.

The material grew denser and denser until it gathered together in the rear, right behind Sephiroth. There…seeming like a truly hellish nightmare in the dim light…was a grotesque, ten meter tall creature. At least…it looked something like a creature. A thing was more appropriate. It looked vaguely human-shaped, although much larger and attached all over to the roots among other things…mostly tentacles and flaps of skin. These shifted slowly and left slime trails on the floor and walls as they did so. It looked almost like it was growing out of the pipe it was fixed to. Its torso had a face and two long, clawed arms extending all the way to the ground. The face had a mass of purple tentacles streaming behind it, forming what looked like a mimicry of hair. But worst of all…the thing didn't look complete. The two noticed that metal machinery seemed to be stuck inside it…making up parts of it. Half of its face was nothing more than a metal skull. It wasn't just a hideous monster…it was a hideous cyborg monster.

The head shifted, and rotting lips parted to reveal sharp teeth made of bone and metal.

"We meet again…child of mine. And we meet for the first time…enemy of mine." It addressed to both of them, one after another.

Cloud tightened his grip…but let another bead of sweat run down his brow.

"…Jenova."

Something's wrong…

Normally, that kind of thought would be obvious. After all, they were in the middle of a war zone, Cloud and Ragnar were fighting for their lives, and she was wandering into a situation that was likely highly dangerous. And yet…none of that was what Aerith was referring to. Something else was settling inside her as she came to the end of this hallway and stopped.

Just ahead of her loomed another doorway. Like the previous two, this had been sealed with a special lock. The Planet had directed her to make her way into some unknown branch of the New Shinra HQ Dome. It was a sublevel as well, but this one was still in the main corridors. She had made her way past several abandoned checkpoints along the way, and from looking at the signs…she began to realize that this was their research and development branch. This was where they conducted their experiments. Aerith knew areas like this all too well…having been confined to one at a point in her life.

The Planet led her in one specific direction. First she came to a card lock. Next she came to a card locked elevator next to an abandoned sentry post. She went into it, and found it only went one way. Once she landed, she moved forward through another card lock before coming to this particular door. This one was more sophisticated…locked with a fingerprint scanner.

Aerith stared at the door for a few moments. The area around her was silent…and the door itself stood like an impassive guard. She didn't go through it right away. She had a feeling that what she was looking for was on the other side of this door…and she had no idea what it was. For that reason, something inside her didn't want to cross past it.

Then again…there was something else too…

The Cetra swallowed…and then raised one of her hands. She slowly adjusted it until it pointed at the locking mechanism on the door. She had tried something like this before back in Operation Hiccup…and this was how she had passed all of the other locked doors. Now seemed like it would be no different. She closed her eyes and focused. Her spirit reached out and drew from the Planet's. Faint lines of energy streaked out from her hand and toward the door. They went into the cracks and flooded out, until they saw the hydraulics that blocked it. This door had more than the others…about five different pistons holding the door in place. However, once she reached them…she focused her power there.

The edges of the door suddenly began to glow. A minute or so went by, and then red-hot ooze began to leak out of the edges and pour down the door sides and frame. Aerith continued to focus for a moment longer, waiting until the locks were completely dissolved by her focused flame. But then, her eyes slowly parted, and her hand lowered. The heat was cut off, and the ooze that had come out began to cool.

This was what made her nervous. The first time she had ever tried focusing her power like this, she barely had the control to maintain it. However, she had pulled it off back in Operation Hiccup. Once that happened, however…she seemed to have crossed a threshold. Now her power was that more perfectly under her control, and she could focus it that much easier. It was second nature to do something like that now. Until now, she thought that her new abilities were only under similar control as her healing ability…and that they only worked in a general sense. Yet now she was learning that this wasn't the case.

It wasn't only that. Although she was brave and acted when she needed to…Aerith felt unnaturally confident about this mission. That wasn't to say she felt she would succeed for certain. Part of her was still a bit afraid but determined, like she had been back when she had first died. However…there was another part of her to. She only felt it from time to time…but when she did she suddenly felt very confident. Very certain. She felt as if she could do anything…and that nothing could stand in her way. She felt…powerful…and she felt anger against those who had wronged her. She usually held it back. There was only two real times that it had come out. Once was when she and Krystea had been ambushed. The other was when she was waiting for execution in the reactor room during Operation Hiccup. Yet when it had come out…she felt as if some sort of drunkenness had come over her. She felt power…and it felt good. She also felt anger…even hate…toward those who stood in her way…thinking they had such power over her…when with a thought she could end their lives…

Aerith shook her head immediately as this thought entered her brain. Even remembering it seemed to tickle the palate of something inside her mind…and that scared her. As she reverted back into her normal self, she felt her heart beating a bit faster, and her breathing was a bit more rapid. When she came back to life…she had changed. Not only physically…but she feared mentally…perhaps even spiritually. And the closer she came to this place…the more she felt that some beast deep within her, wrapped in fetters, was having its restraints unlocked one by one…

Just relax, Aerith… Concentrate. Don't think about it. Don't feed it.

The Cetra inhaled deeply and smoothed herself out. She put her free hand back on her staff, and looked ahead to the door again. Despite her fear, she was ready. She stepped forward, and the door obliged her. No longer locked, it opened of its own accord. It was heavy and metal, much thicker than the previous doors had been. It was indeed guarding something large. However…it opened only into darkness. Without fear, however, the woman continued to walk forward. She passed through the entrance way and let the shadow fall over her.

Even as the woman passed into the blackness, the faint light from behind her made the Sun Ray flicker like a dim flame. Seeing this, the Cetra was not only emboldened…but realized that this darkness was natural. It wasn't the doing of Sephiroth or Aleron. She felt her body cross onto some sort of metal catwalk, and her footsteps began to sound like raindrops on tin as she made her way forward.

She didn't get far before the door behind her began to swing shut again. However, she didn't turn to it. The room was on automatic, and realized that someone was now inside. As a result, the lights automatically switched on. They were the white fluorescents like in the rest of the Dome, and so they provided pretty good illumination as they came to life. They flickered a bit, and they started off a little dim. But they quickly went to full brilliance.

Yet long before they did so…Aerith began to realize what was in the room. The lights turning on the rest of the way only confirmed it.

On seeing it…the woman stopped and gaped in horror.

The room was a great vertical shaft, lined with pipes up and down on both sides. There were two separate catwalks leading to a large suspended platform in the center, of which Aerith was now down half of. The center platform had a lot of room, but on the edges had an angled wire mesh guard all around. A console with built in chairs was on one side. Most of the other side was dominated by a huge machine…a machine with two glass cylinders opposite one giant cylinder in the center. All were hooked up to large amounts of machinery buried beneath the platform.

There were only three cylinders instead of four this time. The lights were far brighter, and the area smelled far cleaner and newer. But other than that…the place was a perfect reproduction of Aerith's memory. She had been in this place before. It was impossible. Only the mad scientist could have built it. And yet…here it was…

"…You remember it, don't you Aerith?"

The woman's horror was cut off as an icy, heartless voice struck her ears…chilling her blood and making her very flesh seem to shrink back in fear. Her head snapped around to the source, and looked at the other catwalk.

There she was.

She was still just as cruel-looking as she had been the last time she saw her…a pale imitation of who Krystea had been. Her black coat seemed to flow behind her as her burning green eyes locked onto the Cetra. The seductive, hungry smile she wore was painted across her face. Very casually, she made her way down her catwalk to the central platform.

"This is where it all began." Aleron continued. "This is where I was born. This is where you could have provided me with a body just as much as your clone. Only a few threads of fate kept us from being one, Aerith. This is where it started. This is where it shall end."

Aerith swallowed a bit, and tightened her grip on her staff.

"…You rebuilt it?" She asked after a moment.

Aleron snorted. "Blame your so-called friends, the Turks. They took pictures of the ones under Midgar. They were the ones who brought the design here. The New Shinra did the rest."

Aerith thought back to that day. Yes…they had been in there. They had been there to rescue Krystea. However…that only shocked her. Krystea was their friend. She had nearly been turned into a monster by that machine (at least…at the time they thought that). That madman had made it… And yet, they gave the New Shinra what it needed to rebuild it for themselves. How could they do that? Didn't they see what it had done to all of those other people? What a horrible thing it was?

They're greedy fools… The foreign part within Aerith growled.

Quickly, the woman swallowed it. This wasn't the time.

Aleron had reached the platform. She was still coming, however. She walked along it until she reached the base of Aerith's own catwalk. She began to move up that next.

Seeing this, the Cetra quickly drew up her staff and aimed it at her.

This made the dark woman halt…but only to smile wider.

"What exactly do you plan to do with that, Aerith?" Aleron challenged. "You only really have one viable option, and you lack the will, much less the power, to accomplish it. You have to kill me. If you don't, I will kill you. But I know that you don't plan to kill me. You can't. You think that you can still somehow get Krystea out of me. You refuse to believe that she doesn't have anything left inside me to save. She was never anyone to begin with. You must know that by now."

Aerith didn't change.

"She saved my life. She loved me like a sister. That's more than enough reason to try and help her."

"Yet that's still assuming you even live through me." Aleron answered. With that, she snapped her hand to one side. A cold chill seemed to ripple through the air as her scythe snapped out and into her hand from seemingly nowhere. The cruel black blade gleamed in the light. Slowly, she crossed it in front of her.

"You and I both know you can't defeat me." The dark woman went on. "And if you kill me, it will avail you nothing. None of this matters. Your army will die. Your friends will die. And in the end you will die. Krystea is gone forever…and in a few hours I will ascend to a higher plane of existence as I turn your Planet into ash. Fighting is nothing. You can either run and live a few more hours, or submit and pray that I make your death as quick and painless as my mate did."

Aerith continued to hold firm. As far as she was concerned, she wasn't going to back down. She had faith that there was a way out of this. She set herself like stone and prepared to fight. That wasn't to say that fear wasn't grasping her. She knew who this woman was. As she began to approach again…she felt colder and overshadowed by her presence. She knew how easily the woman had dispatched the Turks and Vincent. She hadn't had much hope. Yet she had to fight. There was no other option.

Not only that…but the dark part of her within felt challenged. Here was yet another person thinking that their power made them better than anyone or anything. They felt they were so untouchable and invincible. It was determined to prove her wrong…in the worst way.

Aleron was nearly to Aerith at this point. Just as she got within fighting distance, she stopped. Her scythe stayed crossed in front of her, and she leveled her gaze at the Cetra. Deep within…she seemed happy that Aerith was standing her ground.

"…Have it your way."

Aerith barely saw the first blow. It flashed out so quickly that she could have been killed right there, if it hadn't been simply to smack her weapon away. The force that struck the Sun Ray jarred her arms so painfully that she cried out in agony. It was like she was being electrocuted and hit by a bull at the same time. Not letting up, Aleron dove forward and drove the end of her scythe forward, lashing out to strike and cut at the woman herself. Aerith saw this, and gaped in panic. In a sloppy move, she stumbled backward and fell on her rear. The blade sliced ineffectively overhead.

Aleron still wasn't finished, however. Grinning in delight, she raised the end of her scythe and drove it down on the Cetra. Aerith managed to see this, and quickly yanked her body back. It was sloppy, for all she was doing was dragging herself away. The scythe found the edge of fabric on her pants and sliced through it. Aleron didn't let up with that either, but quickly spun her blade around and aimed the spear end down at her next. Aerith was still scrambling back, but the woman was still coming at her. She drove her end down again…and this time Aerith didn't fully clear it. A cold burning pain cut through the side of her ankle, and her blood soon flowed freely out over her socks as she came back. Again, she cried out.

The dark woman grinned and brought her weapon back to swing forward again. Trailing some blood behind her, Aerith kept going back, looking up to the woman in growing shock at her speed and power. She felt helpless before her…like a kitten before a bear…

No…no! Don't think like that! Ragnar taught you better! Concentrate!

Abruptly, Aerith's fear vanished. She stopped thinking of herself before an invincible monster…and tried to think of this as one of the drills against Ragnar. Quickly, she crossed her staff over herself again and put both hands on it. She began to focus her own senses out, letting her power as a Cetra come to bear. She let it begin to send information to her…telegraph Aleron's moves for her though she couldn't see them…

The dark woman dove forward and brought her scythe down again. But this time…Aerith responded. Before the blade even reached normal blocking range, she reached out with the Sun Ray and intercepted it. The move was fast…and so Aleron's smile actually faded slightly as she saw how readily Aerith had blocked it. Quickly, she retracted her scythe, but that was what Aerith had wanted. She put forth her own strength and pushed up against the scythe, letting it act as a hook, and using Aleron's own power to draw her back up and on her feet. After that, she quickly snapped her wrists and disengaged the weapon from Aleron's. She shifted her feet back into ready stance, and stared down her opponent.

Aleron actually hesitated a moment, surprised at this show of life. But then, she grinned and struck out with her scythe again. Though she moved even faster this time, Aerith managed to bring up her weapon and blocked. The power was too much for her small frame to withstand…but she didn't try to block it with strength. She deflected it instead. Seeing this, Aleron pulled her blade back and swung her spear tip toward her legs. Aerith swung the end of her own staff down in response, deflected the end of it slightly, and then quickly stepped up and down to avoid the rest of it. Aleron followed up by bringing half of her staff up along with her scythe, trying to give Aerith an overbearing strike. The Cetra reached up and intercepted it…and soon began to have her arms forced down by the power. For a moment, Aleron thought she would force the weapon from her grasp. However…before she could, Aerith suddenly went into a spinning move and wrenched herself free from being pinned.

Aleron grit her teeth although she kept her smile, and soon advanced on the Cetra. She brought her scythe up and began to swing it in figure eights, beating down on Aerith with both the scythe and the spear end. Aerith's eyes widened, and sweat became visible on her brow. However, she held on. She backed up and deflected the blows as they came in. Each one was put to the side, although she seemed strained to do so and continued to back up. Aleron smiled wider and continued to come forward, pushing on her with more power and intensity. The Cetra had a harder and harder time deflecting each new blow. What more, she was soon being pushed back to the shut metal door…where she had no more room to move. Her moves continued to get more sloppy…and she continued to break down…

Finally, one swipe of the scythe went across the top of her wrist, drawing more blood. Aerith cried out again, although milder this time. Aleron moved in even harder, intending to draw far more blood with the next strike.

She was most surprised to see Aerith dive in instead, throwing herself at her with her staff crossed in front of her. To her surprise, her attack was cut off. Despite her speed, Aerith had managed to leap in at the right moment and block. Now she pushed what strength was in her against the dark woman. Using a combination of speed, surprise, and power, Aerith twisted herself around and off Aleron, pushing to the other side of her and down the catwalk.

Angry at this annoyance, Aleron quickly twisted her own weapon down, taking Aerith's staff with it. The ends of both weapons swung down into the rail of the catwalk…and in a flurry of sparks smashed into it and cut through.

Yet Aerith reacted surprisingly again. Moving fast too…she brought one end of her staff out before she could have the Sun Ray twisted from her grasp…and then swung the other end of her staff down and onto Aleron's knuckles.

Something Aleron had not expected to do the entire fight happened. She gave a cry of pain. Aerith didn't press the attack. She seemed surprised she had succeeded in doing it, and halted momentarily. Aleron herself actually stepped back, and removed her struck hand from her weapon and shook it. She looked down to it and seethed. However, the attack was not nearly as effective as it appeared. Aerith had been directed by the Planet to swing with all of her might against Aleron in just the right spot to break her knuckles. However, the attack hadn't even left a bruise. It merely made a "smarting" blow that was more unexpected than painful. Within less than three seconds, all pain was gone and it was as if nothing happened. The dark woman placed her hand back on her scythe, and looked back up to her opponent.

Aerith was quivering now. She had never fought as fast or hard as she had over the past few seconds. She was already dripping with sweat, and both exhaustion and tension were making her waver. Yet she kept her eyes on Aleron, and was still ready to fight.

The dark woman, on the other hand, showed no exhaustion at all. Her smile returned.

"Well, well…maybe this won't be so easy or quick as I thought."

The woman swept her scythe up and advanced toward Aerith even more strongly than before.

"Better or worse since you last saw me, child of mine?" The hideous monster asked, actually raising one of its rotting limbs and aiming it at itself. "This is mostly your handiwork. See what I have been reduced to. There was a time when I could have instantly regenerated any damage to me. But you have destroyed so many parts of my body…made me deplete so much of what energy I have managed to consume from this world…that I can no longer grow back like I used to. I have to augment myself like this. I'm famished. I'm barely eating enough to survive. Everything I consume I must use to extend myself to absorb more. You and who that boy represents are to blame."

Both men stayed aghast from sheer grotesque horror at looking at the thing. Sephiroth was almost forgotten in light of the creature behind him. However, this didn't last. Both of them began to grow bolder after a few moments, and both tightened up again.

"I'm not your child." Cloud coldly uttered. "Even if I was, then what? Would you kill me too? Use me as some other pawn in your desire to survive? Like you did with Kadaj? Azure?"

"On behalf of my race, the race you stabbed in the back, I'll finish you off." Ragnar added. "You've caused untold amounts of misery to this world. You've done nothing but destroy one life after another. You're a parasite."

"Well, as ones who are part human, you'd know all about that." The creature answered. "It was your race's ambition and desire for more power that allowed me to come this far. I lived only as a creature that moved from world to world before now. You gave me the ability to become more. By the end of today, I'll transcend what I am now. I'll go on to a whole new level of life. I and my true children. What are your thoughts regarding that, little creatures? That this is all possible due to what your people gave me?"

"You're finished." Cloud simply answered. "You and your children. So all of your desires and ambitions are moot."

"I hope you haven't forgotten that you still will have to destroy me before you can realize that boast…if you can." Sephiroth calmly answered. "Based on our previous meetings, I'm not that frightened."

Ragnar tried not to smile at this. Though he was sure Sephiroth was still very powerful, he took this as a sign that he didn't know that both he and Cloud were far stronger than before.

"We know something you don't, however." Ragnar continued darkly. "Even if you do manage to kill me and Cloud, you'll only be sealing your own fate."

Here, however, Sephiroth only smiled wider. Not only him. Jenova's lips parted again to show even more teeth as it grinned far wider than before.

"…I suppose you're referring to the coming of the Sorceress."

Both Cloud and Ragnar looked like someone had shot them in the back. Their own boldness and determination suddenly disappeared as they froze in surprise. Ragnar's mind went blank as he heard what Jenova said. For a moment…he thought his ears had deceived him. It was some trick to the thing's voice. However, he knew that wasn't true. He had heard her correctly.

"You silly Cetra…you're all the same after three thousand years." Jenova sneered. "You think yourselves so wise. I've been alive far longer than any of you can even imagine. I've seen and experienced things far beyond your wildest dreams. Do you really think that you can surprise me with anything? That I wouldn't have bothered to examine each spirit I devour to see their past memories and experiences? That I would know nothing of your myths and legends?"

Ragnar suddenly felt very uncomfortable. That was because Bahamut also felt uncomfortable. The esper hadn't counted on the monster knowing about the Sorceress. Now he feared that she had a plan to deal with it, inconceivable as it seemed.

"Why do you think I haven't killed you until now? Why do you think that I waited until now to destroy you? Did you think I was simply biding my time? Wasting it as you and your race do? Everything that you have planned I have considered. Allow me to shatter your hopes and grant you despair in your final moments of life…

"Ever since my son returned and I knew of my daughter to be, I have been planning this. I dwelled here in the heart of the Dome this entire time. I learned about the weapon that the New Shinra were building…and I saw how it could help me. With each blast that comes from that weapon, thousands…perhaps millions…of nourishing lives will enter the Lifestream to become food for me and my children. Before I needed to destroy and absorb the damage. But that changed with my daughter. Aleron is part Cetra herself. She can command the energy of this world to come to me and feed me. The stronger she becomes, the more she is able to draw into herself.

"It was I who attempted to thwart your progress…to keep the New Shinra on the path to perfecting their weapon. Now, in less than an hour, it will be ready. When it does, it will destroy Midgar and Wutai. Millions will die…and will come to feed me. My power will triple at least. Then the insane leader of this band will turn the cannon upon you and her own army. That will feed me even more. When that is done, I'll destroy this entire facility by detonating the reactor. That will be the last meal. With all of this new power, I will be able to absorb anything. I will transfer it to my beloved daughter, and allow her to feed me one final time…from the greatest meal of all.

"You see…I wanted you here so I could make you and your friends suffer. But not just your friends…her friends. I knew when she came back to life she was far stronger…had the potential to become this Sorceress in legend. I wish for this to happen once all is said in done. I wish for her to challenge me…so that I can consume her as well. With her power added to mine, I and my children will become gods among insects. I won't need to turn this world into a new chariot. I and my children will be able to move on our own through the vastness of space…until I find a new world where Sephiroth and Aleron can sire a new race far greater and more omnipotent than any other.

"I sent Sephiroth just to start things back in your first operation. I needed to keep you from destroying the cannon, but I also wanted to start her anger building. You, boy…you are an insignificant member of the Cetra. You are a mistake. You are nothing. You wouldn't even be worth my time if you hadn't bonded yourself so closely to the woman. Now killing you will fill her with more than enough rage to turn her into a tantalizing morsel."

Ragnar was aghast. Bahamut burned inside his brain. This was what they had been hiding from him. This was what they didn't want him to know. They knew that when Aerith came back she could become a Sorceress. So they tried to find a way to make it work out. They had been counting on this all along. The youth thought they had been making plans against them all along, when the whole time they were counting on them arriving. They weren't just randomly destroying things. They were trying to slow down the invasion of the PPA so that the cannon could be completed. This attack wasn't a surprise. It was a plan...a plan to feed them...to give them the power they needed to become all mighty. This whole time...they had just been pawns on Jenova's game board.

"…This changes nothing."

Ragnar turned to who said this. Sephiroth and Jenova looked as well. They found themselves staring at Cloud's resolute face.

"You may have been planning this…but you'll fail this time like you failed every other time." He stated. "You've risen the stakes, but the game is still the same. Once we've killed you and Sephiroth, none of it will matter."

Jenova kept smiling.

"Though I seriously doubt it matters…I have insurance in that regard. You haven't forgotten about Aleron, have you?"

Ragnar turned back to Jenova. Both he and Cloud tried to suppress their anxiety on hearing this.

"I've already sent her out. By now, she should be meeting with the female Cetra."

Ragnar's eyes widened.

"If your deaths will not bring out the Sorceress within her, then my daughter will simply torture her until her rage is unleashed. And if she dies in the process…well…then I and my children will have to simply settle for demigodhood instead of godhood. The cannon will still provide us with plenty of energy. At least the only one who had a chance of stopping us will be dead again. And this time, no Holy materia will save this world."

The youth tensed up. He didn't know if what Aerith said was a trick or not…or if Aleron had somehow deceived her. But he didn't care. He hated himself for being so stupid. He never should have left her alone. How could he have thought she was safer up there? Forgetting about Jenova and Sephiroth, the youth suddenly turned around and made to get out of there. Cloud snapped his head to him as he began to go…

However, one was faster.

Springing on him like lightning, Sephiroth abruptly leapt into the air, sailed ten feet into the sky, shot across the room, spun, and then came down behind Cloud and in front of Ragnar. He touched down practically soundlessly, his cape flying about…distracting Ragnar and immediately making him stop. He looked up to him, and saw the evil man smile darkly back. The Masamune was already in his hand. He had drawn it sometime in mid-flight.

"I thought you said you came to destroy me." He calmly addressed. "It's too late to regret seeking me out. You signed your death warrant by coming here. The only way you're leaving is over my dead body."

Ragnar stood aloof for a moment, staring back at Sephiroth with a bit of surprise. The dark man smiled back at him, his thin eyes mocking him.

Then, the youth tightened his jaw. He gripped his sword harder, and the blade seemed to respond by flickering like a stronger flame than before. Cloud fully turned around as well now, his own face grim and hard again. He raised Event Horizon and aimed it at Sephiroth's chest. Both men now stood side to side, looking at the evil man with killer intent.

"…Then so be it."

Sephiroth's smile widened a bit more…as he slowly shifted his own body into ready position.

"Make them suffer until their last, my son." Jenova cooed behind them. "Make sure she can hear their misery."

Ragnar didn't answer that. Neither did Cloud. He didn't bother restraining himself or holding back. Bringing all of his power and speed to bear, he lunged at Sephiroth for a killing blow.

Bahamut knew how mighty Sephiroth was. He knew that if he gave him the chance to increase his power to maximum, there might not be a chance at victory. He had to hit him with everything he had at the get go. With any luck…he would be using less power like last time…and he could strike him down before he brought any more out. Luckily, Cloud knew from experience to give Sephiroth everything as soon as the fight began. He was putting everything into it as well. Both men shot toward him with their full improved speed, and both struck as one…Cloud from above and Ragnar from below.

Sephiroth swung out with Masamune, crossing it in front of him and twisting it so that he could intercept both blades at once. Moments later, the three swords locked. Sparks flew out across all three men, and the swords quivered as the tremendous amount of force exerted between all three men collided. Sephiroth moved back a step from the power of the two men. Both of them continued to push against him on seeing this. Ragnar nearly grinned. They had him. He didn't expect both of them to be so strong…

That enthusiastic thought lasted for a whole half of a second…before Sephiroth's blade became solid and easily held back both swords.

Cloud and Ragnar both gaped in shock. Sephiroth stopped quivering. His legs stood still, and he didn't look strained in the slightest. He didn't even look like he was putting out any effort into keeping the two men off of him. Bahamut's mind swore. His calculations were right. Sephiroth was far stronger than he had anticipated…and he was able to bring himself up higher far faster than he thought.

The man smiled at them darkly.

"So…you've been working out a bit, I see. That should make this only somewhat boring instead of embarrassingly easy."

Ragnar wasn't sure if Sephiroth pushed them away or if he discharged some sort of magical force…but some powerful blow connected with his body at that moment. It must have hit Cloud as well, because both of them went flying off, sailing across the room at a blinding speed. Ragnar's face tightened in agony, and he struggled not to cry out. He hadn't felt anything that painful since Cloud's Omnislash. Unfortunately, he knew…that wasn't near Sephiroth's maximum.

Both men did not clatter to the ground. Instead, they twisted around and put their legs behind them before they could connect. Using their own strength, they touched down, squatted, and then launched themselves back at Sephiroth just as fiercely. The man smiled at them, not even bothering to move. Cloud went straight for him, bringing his sword up for another strike. When he reached him, Sephiroth took a step back and quickly blocked his blow. As for Ragnar, he looked like he was coming for him…but Bahamut had other plans. At the last moment, he touched off the ground, darting to the side instead. He touched down again from there, and sent himself coming at Sephiroth from his own side. The dark man, however, simply twisted his blade down, intercepted Ragnar's, and then twisted him out of the way, deflecting him and using his own force to throw him off balance behind him. Sephiroth brought his blade back a moment later to intercept Cloud's next slash, and then nimbly did a backflip in mid-air to shoot out a foot, catching Cloud under the jaw and sending him flying again.

Ragnar managed to catch himself before falling, and quickly rose back up, spun around, and brought his blade in a great arc to cleave into Sephiroth's side. The dark man answered by simply holding his blade straight up in front of him, taking the blow without batting an eye. Ragnar brought his sword off of him and slashed for his legs next, seeing as they were most unprotected. Yet the dark man simply leapt over the hit, and while he was in the air sliced for Ragnar's own face. The blow was fast…and Ragnar barely managed to raise his own sword to intercept. To his surprise, and frustration, it hurt just as much as last time to block one of Sephiroth's hits…even with his improved body. At any rate, the blow was a distraction. Sephiroth brought in his foot behind it and roundhouse kicked Ragnar in the face, ripping him off of his feet and sending him crashing to the ground.

The dark man turned his attention to the sky next, and crossed his blade in front of him just in time. Cloud had been sent skyward and toward one of the pipes surrounding the area from his last hit. However, he had touched down on that pipe and used it to launch himself back at Sephiroth with improved power. Yet he intercepted this blow as easily as the others. Cloud landed on the ground a moment later and swung at Sephiroth again. He made the man move a step back, but other than that did nothing. As soon as he blocked Cloud's latest swipe, Sephiroth advanced with his own strikes. Three powerful slashes went out to the ex-mercenary, and he was forced to retreat himself to block each one.

After the third one was blocked, Sephiroth snorted and slashed out with the end of his sword. The Masamune easily cut through Cloud's torso armor and left a slash across his chest. The man grunted in pain and fell back…giving Sephiroth time to bring Masamune up and behind him, just in time to intercept Ragnar's latest blow. The youth was astonished, but not nearly so much as when the man easily spun around and began to assault him furiously. He seemed to fly over the ground as he came at him, striking again and again. Ragnar was forced to back up quickly to avoid being sliced in two, and showed his strain and panic at having to intercept this. After several strikes, Sephiroth moved in and locked blades with Ragnar. His head came forward…close enough so that Ragnar could feel his breath and stare right into his pale eyes.

"Simple Cetra boy…don't you know Death when you see him?"

Ragnar couldn't reply. Sephiroth sent him flying with a backhand.

Again, the youth couldn't stop himself before he clattered to the ground. His whole body seemed to ache from that hit…and his face throbbed. His jaw would have been compound fractured if he was in his old body. Somehow, he forced himself to flip up back onto his feet…though it was starting to make him dizzy to get up that quickly. He shook his head and looked in front of him. Cloud had already engaged Sephiroth again, and the two were dancing up a storm of sparks.

Yet this only made Ragnar angry. It didn't matter if both of them didn't give Sephiroth a chance to breathe. He had unlimited energy. He could keep this up as long as they could… Longer. And now…he had made it clear that he was stronger than both of them combined. After all their training and work, he was still treating them like infants. They weren't giving him any trouble at all…despite their overwhelming strength.

Now what do I do?

To be continued...

NEXT CHAPTER: Maritza 'fesses up...