As Cloud strolled down an alley, looking for the house he was to meet his contact in, he took notice of his age. It had made him tired already, and he hadn't even done anything yet. No… you're not that old. You're just out of shape. The muscles in his legs had began to sore and stiffen. His back hurt a bit. He was old - there was no denying it. Not too old to fight. He hoped.

After a few more minutes, he had reached the house. More of a shack, really. It was low to the ground, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the alley. Dirty, of course, like everything else in the city had become. He let his eyes take a quick scan around him before pushing open the door and quickly darting inside. It was dark. He squinted into the back of the room, trying to make out the figure he thought he saw.

"You gonna stand there all day, or you gonna bring your spiky-ass over here?" The voice was low, grainy, a perfect fitting voice for the shack. It had changed, but none-the-less, it was recognizable. Barret.

As Cloud stepped further into the room, the hulking figure in the back became more and more distinct. When he was fully visible, something happened to Cloud that - at first - he didn't recognize. It had been so long. He fought it at first, but then accepted it.

For the first time in years, Cloud smiled.

"Alright, alright. Don't go getting all mushy on me, old man." Barret said, returning the smile. He was still like a giant bear, Cloud thought. He could be massive, and fierce - but when he wanted to, he could be gentle and caring. It was a quality Cloud had always admired about him. Sometimes, he wished his personality was as easily changeable.

"Barret… you look good." He said, taking a seat across from the table Barret was at. He was telling the truth. Barret looked a lot better than he did. His hair had gone a little grey around the edges, and his figure had shrunk a bit, but he was still Barret. It was as if Cloud was ten years older than him (or more), even though Barret was actually the elder at the table.

"Wish I could say the same." Barret replied, giving Cloud a confused look. "What happened to you?"

"Guess aging just wasn't something I was good at."

"I'd say… you look like hell, Cloud."

Cloud heard the honest concern in Barrets voice. Although he appreciated it, it wasn't the time. There was business to be had. He leaned up in his seat.

"Where is she." He said, cutting to the point.

Barret nodded, accepting the inevitable question. He knew it would be asked, but he had hoped to speak to Cloud personally for a little longer.

"Cloud, I was thinking-

"Barret. Where do I go? Just tell me. We'll save the reunion for when we're all here. All safe."

Barret sighed. "She's at the new Shinra tower. We have a way in… down through the sewers."

Cloud grimaced. He should have suspected his first job in twenty years would have been trudging through a disgusting sewer.

"And, I suspect this is a one-man job?"

Barret nodded.

"I'd love to go with ya, old buddy, but…" Barret started moving towards him from around the table, but he wasn't standing up. It was now, Cloud realized, Barret hadn't been sitting in a chair. He was sitting in a wheelchair. He watched as the, once powerful figure, wheeled it's way over to him slowly.

"Jesus Barret…" Cloud stated in shock. "What the hell happened."

Barret gazed coldly into the distance, as if trying to suppress some far-off memory.

"Had a little accident with the New Shinra Army a couple years back. Guess' I should be lucky they left me alive… a couple of buddies of mine weren't so lucky."

Cloud frowned as he shook his head. Twenty six years ago, the Shinra took his right arm. Now, all these years later, they had taken his legs. His air went hot in his lungs, his once-sore muscles now tightened. He was angry, and it made him feel alive. This whole time, he just wanted to help Tifa… now, he wanted to hurt Shinra as well. He stood up and began heading towards the door.

"They'll pay." He simply added as he reached for the door.

"Cloud." Barret called him. He turned to face him. Barret wheeled over to him and handed him a folded piece of paper. It was his route inside to the Shinra building, mapped out neatly. Cloud looked it over then tucked it into his pocket.

"You're the only one that knows about this?" He questioned.

"Yes." Barret answered. "I discovered the route years ago, always kept it as a sort-of… trump card, ya know. Figured I could count on you to be the only fool crazy enough to use it."

Cloud hesitated for a moment then turned to leave again.

"Cloud." Barret stopped him again. Cloud turned his head back. "Marlene is everything to me. She's all I got left. All I care about. I would do anything… anything, to keep her safe… you understand that, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"Good… because it's true. If anything was to happen to her, I'd lose something much more valuable than my arm, or my legs."

Cloud nodded again. He really did understand. He paused for another moment.

"I'll see you later… and so will Tifa." He said, before pulling the door open to the slums, and exiting. Barret watched him go, and as soon as he was outside, and the door was closed up again, he dropped his face into his hands and began shaking it.

A figure stepped out of a long, dark shadow in the corner of the room.

"You did good, Mr.Wallace." It said - it's voice as mysterious as it's figure.

Barret just kept shaking his head.

"I don't want her touched! Not EVER!" He suddenly yelled out.

"No, of course not." The voice soothed him. "Marlene will be safe. We won't mess with her again."

Barret simply continued to shake his head. It was so easy to sell-out your friend when you haven't seem him in twenty years. When he was there with you, face-to-face, it was the hardest thing to do you could imagine.

"Cloud…" He whispered under his breath. "I'm sorry."

Cloud swore under his breath as he pushed through the crowds of the slums again. Barret had lied to him. He didn't know why, but he had - and it was making him feel very uneasy. He noticed a trash can coming up. As he passed it, he crumpled up the map Barret had given him, and tossed it in. For all Cloud knew, it could have been bugged. The map was just too neatly drawn up for a right-handed man with no right hand. Someone else knew about it. Someone else had drawn it. He could have been over exaggerating the whole thing, and it was just Marlene who had drawn it - but why wouldn't Barret just say so. Cloud was older, but he wasn't stupid… not yet, at least. He'd find his own way into Shinras building… if Tifa was there at all.

Suddenly a myriad of possibilities swarmed his head. What if it was all a set-up? What if Marlene was in on it, as well? What if he was being watched right now - the Shinra army ready to pounce and take him out, just incase he was going to ever be a threat to them. No. You're being paranoid, Cloud. Over a stupid map… you're friends need you right now, not some paranoid, rambling old fool. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal from his head. He had to know, now - or it would drive him to insanity. He turned around sharply, and began heading back to the alley. He had to know… he had to.

"Barret!?" He shouted into the darkness of the room he had been in only minutes earlier. No answer.

He began stepping into the dark, when suddenly, every sense in his body grabbed a hold of him and forced him to duck. Just in time too, as a huge steel pipe wooshed past his head and crashed into the wall beside him, sending splinters of wood in every direction. He barely had time to catch a breath before he was rolling out of the way of another ferocious swing. The pipe struck the ground hard, colliding with the concrete floor and sending cracks out in every direction, like a piece of shattered glass. Whoever was swinging this thing was powerful. Freakishly, in fact.

Cloud rolled back into a crouching stance, only a few feet away from the pipe-swinging lunatic. His eyes darted around the room, looking for a weapon. It took him a few moments to realize the only weapon he needed was strapped to his back. Too long. The pipe-swinger charged at him, shoving the pipe he now held in a horizontal position into Clouds gut. Cloud felt every ounce of air forced out of his lungs as he was driven backwards - smashing into the wall behind him with incredible force. He cringed as the pain shot out from every spot on his body. The pipe-swinger rolled the metal rod up his gut, all the way to the underside of his chin - pushing it deep into his throat. Cloud struggled for air as his hands instinctively dropped his sword, and shot up towards the pipe to try and pry it away. It was no good. The man… whoever he was, was just too strong. Or maybe… I'm just too old.

Cloud now got a look at his attacker through squinted eyes. His size matched his swing. He was probably about six and a half feet tall, with the muscles to back it up. He had slicked-back, black hair, that greasily wrapped around the backside of his ears. His smell reminded Cloud of the bathroom he was in earlier… stale and old - but now covered by some cheap cologne. The mixing of scents was disgusting. To top it off, the man was giving him a sick grin that reached from one pointy ear to the other. So this is what death looks like…

No… not yet it didn't. It took every bit of strength he had, but he managed to kick the man in the stomach hard enough to give him the room he needed to duck below the steel pipe. His head was barely below it as it crashed into the wall behind him. If his neck had still been there, it would have crushed it like a can. He used the moment to scoop up his sword and roll underneath the massive mans legs. He was on his feet and turned around in seconds, bringing his sword down at he mans back. The first swing of his sword in years… it felt good. It would have felt better if the man had not spun around at the last moment, and blocked it with the pipe. The explosion of steel against steel filled the room. The sword recoiled, unaffected. The pipe wasn't as lucky, as it had now been split down the middle - barely held together by a thin layer. If it was a few years back, the pipe would have been successfully cut, probably the man along with it. But it wasn't a few years back, and what Cloud lacked in strength, he had to make up for in knowledge.

The stunned man quickly ripped them apart, now holding two pipes. He laughed a bit as he began swinging them around. This was the part where Cloud was supposed to take up a defensive stance, and slowly back away from the wildly swinging pipes. He wouldn't be so predictable. He couldn't afford to be. Instead he shifted his stance closer to the left wall - the man shifting with him to stay in front of him. It was at that moment that Cloud charged at him, holding his sword straight-out in front of him in a stabbing position. The man swung his right hand to block the attack, then (like Cloud had hoped.) swung his left at Clouds head. Cloud ducked, letting the pipe strike the wall, and then quickly knocked the weapon out of the mans hand with the butt of his sword - sending it flailing across the room. In another fast movement, he grabbed the remaining pipe and pulled it downwards, flattening his sword out in front of him at eye level. The large man was pulled into a helpless position - one weapon gone, one held, and Clouds sword was now close enough to his throat to give him a shave.

What Cloud lacked in strength, he made up for in knowledge.

The man took deep, sucking breaths. His eyes were wide and his face rained sweat, as he stared at the small blonde man beneath him, who had rendered him defenseless. He let out a grunt of frustration.

"Save it." Cloud started. "Tifa, where is she?"

"Tifa who!?" He spit out quickly.

Too quick - like a trained answer.

Cloud pulled his arm down, forcing the blade to push a little deeper into the mans throat.

"Where." He repeated calmly. He was impressed with himself that he wasn't winded after the battle. Maybe he wasn't too old to be doing this after all.

"OK! OK! …she's at the shinra building!" The man said.

Now he's just telling me what I want to hear.

Cloud pulled the arm even further, the blade now dangerously close to breaking the skin of the mans pulsing neck.

"I know the truth, and if you lie again, it will be the last lie you ever tell." His words were calm, steady. If he didn't have the man convinced to tell the truth by now, it would be pointless to try further. The black haired guy gave him a look, as if debating something. Good.

"Alright man… they're holding her at Nibelheim."

Nibelheim? A flood of memories crashed into Clouds head. No time to focus on any of them.

"Why Nibelheim?" Cloud asked, shifting the blades angle as a reminder it was still there.

"I don't know man, that's all I know - I swear!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes onto the mans face, studying it. After a moment he nodded his head, the man was telling the truth.

"Barret… does he work for Shinra? Don't lie."

"W-Who?"

"The black man with a gun for an arm."

The man looked at him. He clearly didn't want to hand out anymore information. Clouds sword begged to differ.

"No." He finally said in defeat. "We followed his daughter here… waited till she left, then charged in and told him we'd kill her if he didn't cooperate."

Cloud felt a bit relieved. It was betrayal, but it wasn't dirty betrayal.

"What does Shinra want with me… and Tifa?"

"NO MORE INFO!" The man suddenly yelled. Cloud pressed the blade into his throat to calm him down. He realized he would have to kill him to get anything else from him.

"Thanks."

And with that, he quickly brought the butt of the sword into the side of the mans head, reducing him to an unconscious floor rug. Cloud stood, and brushed himself off.

If no one was in on it… that means Tifa really is in trouble. That also means, right now - Marlene is the only one I can trust.

He gave the room a quick scan, stopping on the unconscious man.

But where can I find her.

He sheathed his sword and left.