A/N: To Tacofoolio and Kokorohikaru - yeah, I know, naughty me... No Wall Market fun. TT As it happens, I did write a Wall Market chappie, but it just seemed so superfluous when I went back and read over it, like an extra bit that wasn't really needed, and remember, this story was waaay long and I was trying to get to all the exciting bits once they get out of Midgar in Part Two. :p I think there are only a couple more chapters before we get there. :p

-oOo-

: Chapter Five : Infiltrating the Shinra Building

In a whirl of hurtling metal and debris, Cloud, Tifa and Barret landed and skidded across a flinty, unyielding ground, their bodies scorched by the shards of broken rock and wreckage. Behind them, the resonant thunder of the plate crashing down filled their ears like an earthquake.

They did not dare to move until it had disappeared. It was hard to even tell when it had all ended. A low rumble lasted for several minutes after the actual explosion, and the atmosphere was thick and ominous. Cloud did not stir until he felt Tifa shifting beside him. Gradually, they pulled themselves off the ground.

"You okay?" Cloud breathed out to her, his mouth full of grit and dust. She put a hand to her head in order to still it.

"Yeah, I think so..."

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!"

Cloud and Tifa looked up, startled. Barret was standing not far off, smashing his fist against a pile of rubble that had once been part of Sector Seven's plate.

"God dammit, God bloody dammit!" he yelled into the echoey, empty air. Tifa ran to him.

"Barret, calm down, it's over, it's all over!"

Barret shook his head viciously.

"No way is itover yet! They've destroyed everything, those Shinra bastards...!"

Cloud looked round. They were in the Sector Six playground, or what was left of it from the intensity of the blast. The gate to Sector Seven stood not far off, but it had been flattened completely by the plate. They were lucky. They'd just escaped certain death. Wearily, he walked toward the other two.

"No Barret - it's over. The plate's fallen. We can't get it back. It's all gone."

Barret turned on him, the veins in his forehead swollen with rage.

"Yeah, damn bloody right, it's all gone! They've all gone! The slum people...Biggs...Wedge...Jessie...Marlene! Gone!"

With a cry of bitterness, he turned, aimed his gun anywhere, let fire. Cloud closed his eyes and listened to the staccato rhythm of the gunshots. His mind seemed to throb with each shot, as if he too had been struck and felt Barret's pain. When the sound could no longer be heard, Cloud opened his eyes. Barret was trying to hold back tears, and Tifa had a hand on his shoulder.

"Cloud," he was saying, pleading, "What's it all for? What the hell does all this shit mean?"

Cloud did not attempt to answer. He didn't know either. Tifa spoke suddenly, quietly.

"Barret, Marlene's not dead."

He stared at her, disbelieving.

"Whaddya mean, 'not dead'?"

Tifa's face was suddenly animated again, her eyes sharp. "She's safe. Didn't you hear Aeris? She said, 'she's safe'. I think she took Marlene back to her home or something."

Hope filled Barret's roughened face.

"You mean...that girl...she saved Marlene?"

Tifa nodded silently.

"Oh my God..." Barret could hardly speak for his relief. "...Marlene...alive...!"

Tifa turned to Cloud. "Do you know the way back to Aeris' house?"

Cloud said nothing. There was something puzzling him, something that had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since he'd met Aeris. And now, he thought he finally knew what it was.

"Yeah, I do," he answeredafter a moment."But there's something else bugging me."

Tifa was confused.

"What's that?"

Cloud turned away, rubbed the back of his neck. It stung and he felt the warmth of blood. He ignored it.

"That guy...Tseng. He called Aeris an Ancient. Didn't you hear him?"

"Ancient?" Barret repeated slowly, crossing his arms. "I've heard stories 'bout them people before. Did you say that girl was an Ancient?"

"Well, the Shinra appear to think so." Cloud paused. "I've heard about the Ancients too, I'm sure of it. They're a race of people who lived thousands of years ago."

"Where did you hear this?" Tifa asked. Cloud hesitated. He couldn't say exactly where he'd heard it from. That was part of the whole problem.

"It doesn't matter," he finally said.

"So I take it you're going to rescue her then," Tifa interjected.

Cloud nodded. "There's some stuff I have to ask her. You coming Barret?"

"Sure." The big man looked adamant. "That Aeris saved Marlene. If I owe anyone anything, it's her!"

Their first priority was to see if Marlene was alive and well. They began to make their way through the Sector Six junkyard and toward Aeris' house. The people of the Sector Five slums seemed to be shaken by the falling of the plate. The Shinra had already sent news bulletins across Midgar, and the locals were out in the streets, shouting some nonsense about AVALANCHE being responsible. It was most likely that they had never seen or even knew what AVALANCHE was, which was lucky for Cloud, Tifa and Barret. They had pushed through the rioting crowds with their elbows, making for the direction of Aeris' house. Cloud knocked on the door briskly.

Elmyra opened it, a fearful look on her face that changed to anxiety as she recognised Cloud.

"Cloud, you're here!" She pushed open the door for him to enter. "Aeris told me you might return. You'd better come inside."

Cloud walked in, Tifa and Barret following. Elmyra shut the door quietly after scanning the area for any signs of the Shinra, and turned to face them apprehensively.

"They took her. I tried to stop them, but this time..." She broke off, too drained even to cry. Finally, she took in a deep breath and started again. "Those men from the Turks came again. They made all kinds of threats. Things about the Sector Seven plate...about killing the little girl Aeris had brought with her...All this just to stop Aeris from refusing to go with them. She let them take her. She wouldn't want to put the girl's life in danger."

Barret had a mixture of total relief and guilt on his face.

"You mean...your daughter risked her life for my Marlene?"

Elmyra stared at him in shock.

"You're her father? What were you doing, leaving her in danger like that? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Barret hung his head. Cloud was surprised to see such remorse on his face.

"I know, I know," he began in an abashed tone of voice. "I'm stupid, irresponsible and selfish. I don't give a damn about Marlene, otherwise I wouldn't have left her in that damned, god-forsaken slum." He looked up suddenly, his eyes full of emotion. "But what you've gotta understand is that what I'm doin' now is for Marlene's sake, an' no one else's. I've gotta save the Planet, I've gotta fight, fight for Marlene's future, otherwise she won't have one!"

Elmyra was moved at his words. "I understand," she said softly, her eyes on his.

Barret shook his head regretfully.

"Aeris must really hate me for leavin' Marlene, even if she don't know me yet."

Elmyra shook her head passionately.

"No, Aeris would never think that, not about anyone."

"Elmyra," Cloud intervened, "there's something I need to know about Aeris. That man, Tseng, said that she was an Ancient. That means that you must be an Ancient too. Is it true?"

Elmyra looked at Cloud in surprise. Slowly she slumped into a chair, a dazed expression on her face.

"Oh no," she exhaled. "I'm not her mother. Not her real mother, anyway."

"You're not?"

Elmyra shook her head as she answered him.

"No. It's a long story." She laughed weakly."Too long really to tell."

"Does Aeris know?" Tifa ventured, uncertainly.

"Of course Aeris knows!" Elmyra looked agitated for a moment or two, then her face fell. "Even if I told her I was her real mother, even if I lied, she'd always know the truth."

"I don't understand," Cloud replied. "What do you mean?"

Elmyra closed her eyes for a second; then, when she opened them, they held a misty, clouded quality, as though peering deep into the past.

"I suppose it won't hurt to tell you," she finally said. "It was such a long time ago; Aeris was only a very small child."

Cloud sat on the nearest chair, held the women's eyes.

"Go on," he said.

-oOo-

It was seventeen years ago, during the Great War. My husband had been fighting in a far-away place called Wutai. That year he had been given leave from the army, and I was to meet him at the Sector Seven train station at the appointed time.

I was so excited as the train came in. For the first time in so many years, I saw happy faces at the railway station. Wives and husbands, lovers, friends, all reunited at last. After all the years of pain, there was real love and joy on their faces, looks I thought I'd never see again. And yet, as their hearts' desires were fulfilled and satisfied, mine never even came. My husband was not on the train. He did not return that day.

For weeks, months I waited for him. Maybe it was longer, I don't know. Time always seems to pass deceitfully when waiting. And then, one day, when I had gone to the station on a dull, winter evening, I saw something different.

A woman was lying at the end of the platform. She looked as if she were hurt, so I made my way toward her. I bent over her. She was a beautiful looking woman - so distinguished, with lovely long wavy hair and a statuesque figure. She was dying - from exhaustion, I guessed. Her feet were bare and her clothes were in tatters. As I tried to help her up, she began to come round. She spoke to me in a dry, cracked, yet eloquent voice.

"Are we safe? Is my daughter safe?"

Up until that moment, I had not seen the girl beside her at all. She had been sitting by her mother's body, covered by a bundle of rags. Her eyes were wet -she had been crying silently. She was so little, so pretty, with bright green eyes, big, like her mother's. It sounds strange, but it was as though those eyes were speaking to me. I held the woman's cold hand.

"Yes," I replied. "You're safe."

The woman closed her eyes, did not open them again.

"Please...take care of Aeris for me."

So I took care of her.

I think perhaps I was lonely. I had no one, my husband had not come back, and this girl had literally been pushed my way.

She was a wonderful child, so bright and cheerful. And she loved to talk. She would tell me of many things, especially of her mother. She would tell me how her mother was not dead, how she had gone back to the Planet, how she still talked to her, how she'd never be alone...At the time, I didn't know what she meant. But then, a few years after, she told me something new.

One morning she came downstairs, this time looking more pensive.

"Mother, please don't cry, but someone very dear to you has just died."

She comforted me, but I did not see any reason why she should. I did not understand her. And then, I did. A few days later, I received a telegram.

My husband was dead.

Soon after this, strange men started to come to our house. They wanted to take Aeris away. They called themselves the Turks and they worked for the Shinra. One man always came back. His name was Tseng.

"Aeris," he would always tell her, "you must come with us. You must help the Shinra to find the Promised Land."

"No!" She would always refuse.

"Don't you want to help the slum people find happiness?" Tseng still persisted. "Aeris, you are an Ancient. You alone can bring peace to this world. Don't you hear your mother and ancestors speaking to you? Aren't you aware of powers they've given you?"

Aeris was angry.

"No! I'm not an Ancient and I don't have special powers!"

But I knew. I knew she was different, and I knew of her special powers, though I pretended I never did.

-oOo-

"I see." Cloud rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. "So Aeris is an Ancient. I should have known."

Elmyra looked at him with sad, wearied eyes.

"Aeris knows what she is. I can't help thinking that maybe she went with the Shinra with some other ulterior motive."

Cloud sat quite still and pondered. Barret cut into the quiet.

"Do you think I could see Marlene?" he asked, meekly. Elmyra nodded weakly.

"She's upstairs."

Barret hurried up the stairs faster than thought. Cloud stood up and paced the room gravely, Tifa and Elmyra following him attentively with their eyes. At length, he stopped and turned to face them.

"Elmyra, I think you're right. Aeris had other reasons for collaborating with the Shinra. Perhaps she went to find out more about her past and the Ancients." He paused. "Still, we have to get her back. I wouldn't trust the Shinra as far as I could kick them."

Elmyra pulled herself up from the chair, and there was asad gleam in her eyes as she stared at Cloud.

"You won't bring Aeris back. Shall I tell you why? Because she doesn't belong here. She's not mine. I guarantee you that she'll want to find out her true past, her true purpose, whatever they may be."

Cloud and Tifa remained silent. The older woman continued softly.

"Please, when you find her, take care of her. And when she leaves to seek the truth, tell her..." she halted, thought better of it, and gave a resigned smile. "No. It doesn't matter. Just look after her for me."

Cloud nodded firmly. "Of course." He turned to Tifa. "We'd better get going."

She passed him an uplifting smile.

"Okay, Cloud. What about Barret?"

"I guess I'm going to have to tear him away from Marlene, much as I hate the thought." Cloud grinned. "At least there's something in this world that Barret truly cares about."

He climbed the stairs on to the landing. He found Barret and Marlene in the spare bedroom, talking together in glad, joyful voices. It almost pained him to split them apart.

"Barret," he ventured quietly, "we have to get Aeris back now. Sorry."

Barret stood up good-naturedly and placed Marlene back lovingly on to the bed.

"Right! As I say, I owe that girl one, and I'd do anything for her!" He patted Marlene on the head. "You take care of yourself, Marlene."

"I love you, daddy," she replied, placing a wet kiss on his cheek. He grinned in embarrassment.

"Me too, girl."

After a last affectionate glance at his daughter, he hurried out of the room, leaving Cloud in the doorway.Cloud watched Barret run down the stairs and scratched his head as he turned back to Marlene.

"Don't you ever worry about your dad?" he asked, quite seriously. Marlene laughed.

"You're funny," she remarked, through her giggles, forgetting her previous fear of him. Then she stopped suddenly, and her eyes sparkled. "Hey! You know the flower lady? She kept on and on asking me questions about you, Cloud!"

Cloud sat down on the bed next to the girl.

"Did she?" he asked, a hint of discomfit filling his voice as he said it. Marlene nodded vigorously, her expression one of resolute seriousness.

"Yes, she did. She kept on asking 'What kind of a person is Cloud?' and 'What sort of things does Cloud like?'" Her eyes widened, so that they appeared to resemble two large, chocolaty saucers. "I bet she likes you, Cloud!"

"Let's hope so," he replied, half-jokingly.

Marlene found the remark intensely humorous. She began to chuckle again.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Tifa!"

Cloud passed her a half-smile, not sure whether his witty little remark had been taken the right way or not. He gave Marlene a half-hearted pat on the head, thinking once again of how much she seemed to resemble Aeris in some vague, indistinct way. He stood up.

"I've got to go now, Marlene. Goodbye."

She beamed up at him with glittering eyes.

"Goodbye!"

Cloud hurried down the stairs. Tifa and Barret were ready and waiting for him.

"Well, I guess it's time to go."

"Where are we headed?" Barret asked keenly.

"The Shinra Headquarters, of course," Cloud answered. He opened the door and nodded in Elmyra's direction. "Thank you again, Mrs. Gainsborough."

She stopped him before he could make his exit.

"Cloud. Let me give you some advice. Getting to Shinra Headquarters won't be easy. Go to Wall Market. The people there will be able to help you."

Once again, the three set off, a new purpose to their journey.

There was still the general anarchy going on over the falling of the plate outside. In Wall Market, the excitement was even more felt. It seemed that parts of the plate had crashed down into the market, and some stall-owners had been scavenging through the piles of rubble hoping for the chance of finding any valuables.

"How are we going to get to the Shinra Headquarters?" Tifa asked, as they wandered through the chaos of the milling crowds. "Everyone knows it's impossible to get up there, unless by helicopter or through Sector Eight's security systems. There's no way of getting up to the top, Cloud."

Cloud frowned. He'd been trying to work out an answer to this problem for quite some time now, to no avail.

"Elmyra said we'd get help here," he said, thoughtfully. "I suppose we'll just have to ask around."

At that moment, a gang of children came barging past their small group.

"Damn kids!" Barret scowled. "Got no respect in the slums. Now, in my day..."

"Barret!" Tifa glared at him ironically. "You're not seriously going to tell us about your childhood! We learnt about all that stuff in History, at school!"

Barret puffed out his chest, offended.

"I didn't know you went to school, Tifa," he hit back, hotly. "School's only for rich kids!"

At this point, a young boy came crashing into Barret at top speed. Barret, being in the least tolerant of tempers, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and stared him aggressively in the eye.

"Hey, what's your game, comin' and rushin' into me like that? Is there a fire or somethin'?" he growled fiercely.

The boy stared up at him with terror in his eyes. It was strange how Barret could seem extravagantly bountiful in his affections one minute, and then become a bastard the next. The youngster began to speak in a quivering voice.

"I'm sorry sir, but I gotta hurry. My friends and I are havin' a meetin' at the wire and..."

"Wire!" Barret snarled at him. "What're you talkin' about? You're havin' me on, aren't you."

"Barret!" Tifa scolded him. "Stop frightening the boy! Put him down!"

Muttering angrily, Barret placed the boy back down on the ground. Before he could scamper off, Cloud spoke to him.

"Just out of curiosity, you just mentioned a wire. What do you mean by that?"

The boy was still obviously terrified, especially since he'd caught sight of the sword on Cloud's back. He hesitated and Tifa spoke to him gently.

"We're not going to hurt you. We just need help, that's all."

There was still doubt on the boy's face, but he spoke anyway.

"I wasn't lying about the wire. My friends and I are trying to get to the top of the Sector Six wall. You can sit on it and see for miles. The view is great."

Cloud bent over toward the lad in enthusiasm.

"And do you think you could use itclimb to the top of the Shinra building?"

The boy's eyes began to twinkle.

"Hey mister, if you want to go up the wire, I could show it to you right now."

Cloud gave the thumbs up sign to the others.

"Let's go, kid."

The boy obligingly led them to the outskirts of Wall Market. The wall of Sector Six lay there. On its surface were numerous signs of graffiti, and, misprinted in big, red letters had been sprayed the word: AVARIS. Right beside the wall was an immense, thick wire. The boy pointed upward.

"It's attached to the plate, so its quite safe," he assured them."If you go up high enough, it's possible to get to the Shinra building."

Cloud gazed up the line. Shinra Headquarters, a massive, towering skyscraper, situated in the centre of Midgar, assumed the likeness of a remote and forbidden castle. Tifa addressed him dubiously.

"Cloud? Are we really going to go up that?"

Cloud reluctantly stood back.

"Hmmm. I don't know. It's kind of risky."

"Hey, no pain, no gain!" Barret put in cheerfully. "Lissen, do you know what this wire is? It's a shiny, golden wire of hope. And if we don't climb it, we don't get nothin'!"

"Nice bit of poetry there, Barret," Tifa commented in mock approval.

Cloud decided not to think too much about the pros and cons of the matter. Barret was right. Holding back would get them nowhere.

"Okay," he resolved, quickly. "We're climbing up."

"That's the spirit!" Barret slapped him on the back. The boy grinned.

"Good luck." He paused. "Wow, wait 'til I tell my mates 'bout this!"

"Hey, Cloud?" Tifa piped up sheepishly. "I'm kind of scared of heights...and I was wondering if you'd give me a ride on your back..."

Cloud laughed and held his hand out to hers.

"Come on, then, baby. Cloud will give you a piggy-back up to the top."

They began to climb the wire. Barret had no trouble in doing this, but Cloud, having Tifa's weight on his back, soon found the journey tiring. After several minutes of heaving and clinging, they finally got the top of the wall, and stopped to take a rest.

"Wow!" Tifa exclaimed, as they stood on the wall, looking out into the distance "What a view!"

It certainly was a view. To the right, Sector Five and its slums could be seen, tiny white, yellow and pink lights dotting the dwarfish shops and houses. To the far corner, Sector Eight could vaguely be made out. The richest Sector, its tall buildings with ornate minarets adorned the black horizon, where plate met earth. To the left were the smoking remains of Sector Seven, all ashy grey and inky black. And right in the middle of it all, beside them, was the Shinra Headquarters, their intended destination.

They travelled on a little further, until they got to the entrance of the building. A steel platform jutted out toward the line, attached to the actual tower itself, which was accessible by a large flight of stairs. To the right was a heli-pad; in front was the main entrance; to the left was the back entrance. An array of red lanterns glowed to provide light, and to create a frightening, yet impressive atmosphere to intruders.

As they stood outside taking all this in, Barret looked round at them comically.

"Well guys, there's sixty-nine hard-rockin' floors to this building. We've got two choices - bust on in through the main entrance - or climbing sixty-nine flights of stairs through the back entrance. Take your pick."

Tifa pulled a wry face.

"I don't know which one's worse!"

Barret turned to Cloud.

"Well?"

Cloud shrugged. There wasn't much to choose between them, but he supposed they should save their energy for fighting, rather than on the stairs.

"Let's bust on in." he finally replied.

Barret slapped him on the back.

"You know Cloud, you really are a man after my own heart. I apologise to you."

They walked to the main entrance, looked at each other in expectancy.

"Just don't die on me, okay, guys?" Cloud joked. Tifa passed him a wry glance.

"Let's just get this over and done with, okay?"

They opened the doors together, and, in perfect unison, they walked inside.

-oOo-

Next: Aeris is rescued and there's another new and unlikely addition to the team...