Days of Exile

Chapter 34 - Divulge

11 January 0008

Reeve stopped in front of a quaint little house. He knew the place by heart, even though he was not a Turk. There was no one in the executive committee who did not know about Aerith Gainsborough, the last Ancient on the Planet. Well… there are no more Ancients left.

It was hard to accept that. It was so difficult to bring himself to admit that she was really gone forever, much less tell it to someone else.

Aerith had never met Reeve before, but the same could not be said with the other way around. Obviously, when the Turks took so long to capture Aerith, Reeve was sent to ensure that they were committed to their duties. Reeve had been there to see Aerith grow; from a wide-eyed innocent girl, to a fearful teenager using the rod for self-defence, to a confident and self-assured woman. Through these years, one thing never changed. That was her caring nature. Her warm smile was only for the eyes of the slum citizens, the handsome SOLDIER Zack Fair and Tseng. That much he could observe from a distance.

The thing that won Reeve's admiration was when he saw how friendly she was towards Cait Sith even after the discovery that he was a spy. Aerith's kind-heartedness was indeed one of a kind. When Shinra first spotted Aerith, they hoped that she would be the solution to finding the Mako-filled Promised Land. The way Reeve saw it; she is the answer to the dying Planet, but in many ways more than one.

None of that mattered anymore. Not when he personally saw Sephiroth impale Aerith at the pearlescent centre of the Forgotten City. How could anyone bear to kill an innocent girl? However, Reeve dared not wonder – the company that he worked for, and now he, were just as guilty of such despicable acts. Now, he had a bigger task to do; he liked to think that it will be a closure to everything that he owed Aerith for.

He raised his hand and, drawing a deep breath, knocked on the door gently. At first, there was nothing, but soon Reeve heard the voice of a little girl. The door swung open, revealing a five year-old girl. Her big brown eyes widened, and the door slammed shut again. Reeve heard anxious murmuring from behind the door shortly after. It was nothing out of his expectations, so Reeve waited patiently. Soon, the door opened again, this time it was a middle-aged woman. She had a petite stature but the lines that crinkled near her eyes whenever she smiled (in this case, frowned) showed Reeve that she was not a young woman to be trifled with.

"What do you want?" The woman asked sharply, but her eyes were full of fear. "If you think you can take any of us off the streets again, you will need to go through me."

"Good afternoon, Mrs Elmyra Gainsborough," Reeve said calmly. "I do not come here with such motives. I only want to inform you something."

"Well, you can say it here, then."

"I believe that it is better if we discuss inside."

Elmyra looked as if she was about to close the door for good this time, but beside her, a small hand tugged her apron. "Mrs Gainsborough," Reeve heard Marlene say. "This man is not a bad guy."

They conversed quietly for a few minutes; Reeve waited again. Finally, the door opened fully. "Come in," said Elmyra curtly.

"Thank you for your hospitality," replied Reeve politely, taking off his shoes before entering the small house. Looking at the humble decorum, it reminded him of his mother, who was living alone in Sector 5. He had not really talked to her on the phone ever since the falling of Sector 7. He did not dare tell her that he was responsible for the thousands of lives buried under the debris. Besides, Reeve was dispatched to Costa del Sol on a forced vacation. When he came back, he was buried in the work of being an undercover for AVALANCHE. No, he did not have the time to talk to his mother.

"Thank you for taking care of Marlene." Reeve almost started at the sudden voice. It was Elmyra. "Marlene told me that you kept her by your side most of the time while she was in the Shinra Building."

"Marlene had been most cooperative," Reeve commented. "There was no need to treat her roughly."

"Not that I am thankful that you captured her. You should not have involved a little girl at all." Elmyra Gainsborough shot him a dirty look, and he respectfully dipped his head in return. "Well?" She asked curtly. "Didn't you say that you have something to inform?" Reeve cleared his throat and replied that it was so. "It's Shinra again, isn't it?" She asked. "Well, as you can see," She gestured her hands at the empty living room, save the three of them. "Aerith is no longer here."

Reeve felt a pang in his heart. This woman obviously had no idea how true her sentence was. He took a deep breath, because it was hard to break the news. "You are right. I've come to tell you that Aerith Gainsborough is no longer here."

The older woman stared at Reeve. "What do you mean?" She asked, her pitch higher than normal. "What has Shinra done?"

He lowered his voice in response to Elmrya's reaction. "It is not Shinra's doing. She was killed by a man named Sephiroth."

Marlene looked up at Reeve, with understanding on her face. "That flower lady… is dead?" She asked in shock, but her expression told Reeve that this was not her first experience with death.

"I'm sorry to break the news to you, Marlene. But it is what you say."

The little girl's face was pale. "But… but I have not thanked her." She mumbled. Soon, tears rolled down her cheeks and little Marlene cried. She may not have understood that Aerith had saved her from Sector 7 before it collapsed. However, she did remember that Aerith had almost given herself up to prevent Marlene from falling into Tseng's hands. "Is she really not coming back?" No one answered her. No one wanted to.

"Sephiroth…" Elmyra spoke calmly. "Wasn't he the SOLDIER First Class?"

"He has been acting all on his own accord," answered Reeve. There was no need to give her the full story of Sephiroth.

"My poor child…" Elmyra fell onto a sofa and buried her face with her hands. She then glared at Reeve. "In the end, it's indirectly your doing, isn't it?" Elmyra placed her hands on her hips to make her look intimidating, but Reeve knew her heart was quaking. "If Shinra had minded their own business from the start, Aerith would not need to leave Midgar, wouldn't she?"

"I…"

"Would this Sephiroth man be after her if she had left me?"

"I understand where you are coming from-"

"Seriously, Mr. Shinra?"

"You may call me-"

"I don't care a single bit how you should be called!" She raised her voice. "My little girl left me just a month ago! Why did you pursue her to her death? What did the girl do to warrant such persistence from the company?"

"I just want to say," said Reeve quickly before she could continue. "I am sorry-"

Elmyra stood up, her eyes flashing with anger and hurt. "Don't give me such lies!" She growled. "You know very well that anyone who is in relation to that cursed company doesn't have a good ending! First it was Lance, now it is Aerith. Who else do you want to take away from me?"

The woman stilled herself, controlling her anger. Reeve wisely said nothing. It would be futile to explain to her that her husband had died in the Wutai War precisely because it was war. She knew it, of course. Reeve understood that she was blaming Shinra in order to feel better about it.

"This is a personal visit." Reeve said. "I am only here to inform you, as an… an acquaintance. I was there with her, with that bodyguard that she brought home the other day. We were all there when it happened. No one in Midgar knows of her death, not even Shinra. You should be informed of all these. However, I believe you may not want to hear anymore, not today at least." Reeve left a card on the table. "This is my contact number. If you want to know about what had happened, this is the only way to contact me without going through Shinra."

Elmyra's face was as hard as stone. Little Marlene was beside her, her own cheeks reddened from the crying. "Just leave." Elmyra said, her voice cracking with emotion. "Don't let me see any of you Shinra anymore."

The Shinra executive made a small bow and quietly retreated from the silent living room. As he closed the door, he heard the strong-willed woman sob terrible tears, for the girl was closer to her than any relative could ever be. Reeve held a strong respect for this woman, to be able to hold up on her own emotionally. Not many women will be able to still sound strong and intimidating after such heartbreaking news.

Hello, Reeve. Cait Sith spoke in his head. How did it turn out?

Ah, Cait Sith. Reeve replied. I have managed to inform Mrs Gainsborough of Aerith's news.

How did Miss Elmyra take it? Is she alright?

Reeve hesitated, and then said, She cried a lot. So did Marlene. There was no need to tell Cait Sith the complete truth of what had happened. If Cait Sith were to tell AVALANCHE, it would only serve as a reminder to them why they hated Shinra. Reeve will not risk that, not when things were looking as if working together was possible.

Poor Marlene.Cait Sith said mournfully. Well then, I guess I'll let the rest know about this. It has been on Barret's mind to let Miss Elmyra and Marlene know since Aerith's death. A soft withdrawing of consciousness from his mind told Reeve that Cait Sith had broken contact with him.

Perhaps I should give her a visit…

Reeve looked down the dirt path. Just two streets away, he will be able to see his mother. It would not hurt to see how his mother was doing… right?

No. He remembered the news footage of Sector 7 collapsing onto the slums. It was too difficult for him. He could not bear to tell her. What would she think of him then?

Reeve pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his brow. It had many little pink flowers on it. His mother had too much of the same cloth and thus Reeve carried many handkerchiefs in his office. It was the only homely item in the midst of his office mess.

I will return once I make this right. Reeve decided. Once I solve this Meteor crisis, and everyone is happy again… Then I will probably have some courage to tell her of what I had done.

With that new decision, Reeve stood straighter and walked away, back to the Shinra Building.

Tifa regarded the group of people in the Highwind. Apart from RedXIII (maybe she should call him Nanaki from now on), everyone seemed uncomfortable, and Tifa knew why. Earlier on, they had visited Cosmo Canyon, seeking advice from Bugenhagen, wise village elder of Cosmo Canyon.

Bugenhagen had this bizarre notion to have everyone remember anything that had happened. For everyone, that moment was the death of Aerith. Everybody kept going back to her. In the end, Bugenhagen not only suggested that they return to the City of the Ancients to find out more, he volunteered to join them.

The atmosphere in the airship was tense, broken slightly by small conversations between Cid and his trainee pilot. When Cloud strode in, there was a soft breath of relief around the cockpit. Indeed, without Cloud, the group was aimless and restless.

"I went an' told Aerith's Mom about her death," Cait Sith was saying to Cloud. "Yes, an' Miss Elmyra was cryin' herself silly... So was little Marlene..."

Barret was staring into space blankly, but what he said showed that he was not daydreaming. "And Aerith... she's dead," Barret commented mournfully. "Guess she turned into spiritual energy and returned to the planet, huh?" He shook his head. "But even if she did, there's no way we'll meet her again..."

Cloud walked towards her. For some reason, Tifa's heart beat faster. She mused on her observation. Of all things that were taking up her time and thoughts, she could not believe that she was still thinking of Cloud. The blond stopped in front of her. Then, he shrugged and smiled. It was always a sign for her that she was free to share with him her thoughts. "I wonder what Aerith felt... when she was on that altar?" Tifa murmured to herself, but Cloud heard her thoughts.

"I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet..." Cloud said softly.

"Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all." Tifa recalled the undeniable surge of regret as she talked to her in the Lifestream. "I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on coming back all along. She always used to talk about the 'next time'. She talked about the future more than any of us..."

All around, everyone started talking about Aerith, snippets of how they wanted to thank her, or apologise… it seemed that everyone had a bit of Aerith in their lives, even in the short span of merely two weeks.

Aerith… Tifa clasped her hands in a silent prayer. If Cloud is the leader that everyone looks up to. Then you are the support of this group. Please continue to be with us… and show us the answer that we are seeking.

For the last two days, Meia had been listening intently to the dialogues of AVALANCHE as they searched for the last two pieces of Huge Materia in Junon's Underwater Reactor and Rocket Town. Now, they were on their way to the City of the Ancients, somewhere in the Northern Continent.

Although she was thankful to be in the know of everything, she felt restless. She felt that it was stupid to be locked in the cell for absolutely nothing… Alright, she was taking it for granted. Perhaps it was because of the many days that she spent in the cell without Hojo convicting her of anything. It was definitely a cold case. While she could be sure that no one had solid evidence of her infiltration, she would most likely be stuck in here until Meteor strikes, or something.

At least listening in to AVALANCHE was entertaining. She stopped becoming bored, but there were many times that she was almost caught by the guard. AVALANCHE's activities were busy and packed full of things to do. Sometimes Meia fell asleep while the group was still fending off some monsters in the field, late at night.

Whenever AVALANCHE was busy with their other duties, she would be thinking about what they had talked about on the Highwind. One thing that she would always think about, in particular, would be Cloud Strife. From the moment that she first met him in the Crystal Cave, she knew that he was a rather strange man. Even after his confession to his members, she knew that there were a lot more to him than what he said.

Trouble was, Cloud himself did not remember his past. Apparently, even though he figured out that he was living the life of Zack Fair, he knew nothing more than that. His memories were of his childhood in Nibelheim. Thereafter, he only remembered Tifa waking him up in Sector 7. That was a good number of years lost, and Cloud could remember none of that.

Meia had some time piecing bits and pieces of what he had said together. She had already concluded that Cloud Strife was indeed in Shinra. Tifa had mentioned it to Cait Sith because Reeve was just as interested to know of his past. If only she could leave this dreaded place so that she could help Cloud find out more about him. Maybe Kunsel knows of Cloud too. Well, Cloud had mentioned that Zack Fair was a good friend of his. Meia crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows. She did not remember Kunsel mentioning Cloud at all, but then again, Kunsel may not be the only good friend that Zack had.

This is frustrating! Meia scratched her head. Nothing makes sense, just like in that Crystal Cave. Only snooty Professor Hojo looked like he knew everything...

Meia sat up so straight, so quickly, her back ached. Professor Hojo! She exclaimed in her mind. He knows who Cloud is! She scrunched up her face and tried to recall the details. The details that surfaced in her mind easily were the visual ones: the Cloud Strife in a trance, the sneer on Professor Hojo, the crystalline aquamarine-coloured walls embedding the dormant WEAPONS… She could not remember much of what she had heard. Think, Meia! What did Professor Hojo say?

Again, more recollections of Cloud trying to regain his control in vain… Tifa screaming silently as she watched her friend give the Black Materia to Sephiroth… Rufus turning to Hojo…

Then, she remembered, like a voice recorder playing back in broken bits: "He's a Sephiroth clone I created after the real Sephiroth died five years ago. Jenova cells and Mako, with my knowledge and skills, have been combined with science and nature to bring him to life."

That's it! Meia drew a deep breath. That was what Professor Hojo said about Cloud. Cloud was Hojo's attempt to create a Sephiroth clone. But… She saw in her mind's eye and recalled everything. He asked Professor Hojo for a number, because he was a… what was that? A failed experiment. Yeah… I remember now! Hojo was disgusted that only a failed experiment had made it so far.

A chill ran down Meia's spine as her quest for the truth became clearer. Oh crap. It makes sense now.

Those reports in Nibelheim… That four-year project that Zack Fair went under to be injected with Jenova cells was the same experiment that Cloud went through. The… the infantryman that was with Zack… he was never named. When Zack escaped from Nibelheim, he brought that same infantryman with him. And when he died near Midgar…

Meia recalled the time when Reno brought her to the place that Zack had died. At a cliff overlooking the Midgar metropolis, Meia had brought up the possibility that the infantryman might still be alive, but Reno had brushed it aside. He is still alive, Reno. That infantryman who went through those experiments with Zack in Nibelheim had escaped from Nibelheim and the swarm of SOLDIERs… He survived…

And he is Cloud.

Well, at least I think he is. Meia honestly felt that she was just plucking ideas out of nowhere, but it seemed pretty good. At least, if everything she had theorized were true, then Cloud is as real as he ever was. And perhaps there will be some link between the time he entered Midgar to who he is now.

A sudden clanging of keys against belt buckles shook Meia from her daydreaming. The cell doors opened, releasing a soft cold breeze into the room. Meia glanced at her visitors in surprise. "Am I let out?" She asked cheekily.

"I wouldn't hold my breath on it," one of the two Third Class SOLDIERs said. "Professor Hojo wants to see you."

Meia shrugged. "Perhaps he has seen that he needs his lab assistant very much." When the men said nothing, she allowed herself to be cuffed by the SOLDIER. At least they did nothing more than to push and shove her roughly. Even SOLDIER did not dare to abuse their authority with Hojo's captives.

Another thing that intrigued her was her observation that the guards on duty never returned to patrol again. For the last 4 days, she was guarded by different pairs of guards or SOLDIERs each time. It was not a common practice in Shinra, the last time she checked. Hojo must have been keeping her from getting away with anything. She figured that was why Kunsel and Fred could not return to help her.

Meia peered at the SOLDIERs. "Hmm? I've noticed that the guards are different every day."

The guards tensed at her words; one of them even pointed a baton at her temple. "What are you trying to say, girl?" Meia stared at his weapon blankly. Unless the Lightning Materia attached to his EMR was a mastered Materia, she seriously doubted its power against Reno's. That demon of a Turk amplified his electric power in his EMR, because he preferred the "convenience". Meia remembered how the EMR almost killed her when she tried to wake him from his slumber. The air almost sparked with static electricity.

"Relax," Meia laughed, though the SOLDIERs were not relaxing. "I'm just being observant. There's nothing more that I can do but to observe your faces, isn't it? I'm pretty honoured, that you would think me as a captive dangerous enough not to bring back the same guards to duty."

"Hey, we ain't guards! See this?" The one with the EMR jabbed a free thumb at his chest. "This is a SOLDIER uniform! I'll watch your mouth if I were you." The one with the EMR was swinging it dangerously at her face. "This EMR is imbued with Materia!" Meia almost rolled her eyes.

"Hey, the girl said it already, 'relax'!" The other one laughed, though Meia knew he was less than amused. "She isn't out of the line or anything." When the guard did not remove his weapon from her face, Meia stared him down. "Warner," the second guard said again, this time not in a joking tone. "Put the EMR away. You are making the lady uncomfortable."

Meia smiled sweetly at the second guard. "Glad to know that there's someone here, apart from Warner, that knows how to treat a lady nicely." Her light-hearted comment was met with a grim look. Meia felt a gentle push from him and then, they left her cells.

As they were walking towards the Science laboratories, the other guard, whom Meia heard as Scott, pulled Warner close. Meia overheard them conversing in low tones. "Watch what you say around her," warned Scott. "There is a reason why they keep changing people, after all."

"But she's just a girl, what harm can she do?" Warner whined. "One swing of the EMR and she's out."

If Meia could turn around, she would see Scott rolling his eyes. However, his exasperation could be inferred from his tone. "For goodness' sakes, it's only a training EMR. You don't really think you can knock her out with that?"

"Not like she would know," said Warner, his voice so much softer that Meia had to strain her ears to listen.

"Don't always rely on your weapon. Use your head a little more. Like I said, keep your eyes sharp."

Meia resisted an urge to smile. They were afraid of her, a mere young woman. Funny thing was that they did not know how strong or weak she was compared to them. It was the fear of not knowing her capabilities that made them fearful. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage when the time came.

She did not have much time to think of possibilities, for soon they reached the laboratory doors, where Professor Hojo was waiting. Meia's heart sank when she saw the triumphant smile on the scientist's wrinkled face. Things probably would not turn out well.

Argh, didn't I just write this a few weeks ago? Why am I uploading it so quickly? I really need to write faster so that I can put some distance between the developing and uploading chapters again!

In other news, I finally got down to thanking everyone who favourited and followed my stories. I backlogged those for one whole month. Thank goodness (for once) I did not have many followers and favourites, hahaha! I'm still free to chat, you guys. I'm cool with typing a few sentences for you once in a while. Just that to sit down and churn a thousand words at one go is kinda difficult for me in terms of the time consumption.

Yeah, Meia is called back again. What plan does Hojo have up his sleeve? Stay tuned. Please read and review, as usual!