Chapter 20: Moving Up

Summary: The team's escaped from Deepground, but they're not safe yet. They still need to get out of Shinra Tower, and Zack may have overlooked one tiny, but important detail.

Eventually, Zack ran out of ideas about alternate energy to share with Tifa, but he still felt good about having shared them. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of cutting Shinra out of power production completely. It would be dangerous (Rufus and the board would probably send the Turks, if not the whole army) but between the four of them, they had enough muscle and smarts to protect the company while it started up.

They'd probably have to do it away from Midgar or Junon though. Someplace where it was more difficult for Shinra to watch.

Not Wutai, Zack thought, because that would give Shinra too much incentive to attack it again. Maybe Cosmo Canyon - that place was a maze.

Aerith had snuggled up beside him, arms around his waist, sharing her ideas, too. Cloud had kept his comments short, still a bit jittery from the tainted mako. Zack promised himself he'd keep an eye on his friend – any more exposure to mako of any kind could bring Cloud up to SOLDIER Third level. If he accidentally ripped off a doorknob, Zack would know he'd reached it.

In the mechanical quiet of the elevator the piped-in music filled the space. It was innocuous, ubiquitous, and vaguely horrible. Yet his head bobbed along to the rhythm automatically, and Aerith hummed along with it against his chest, which felt nice.

One song turned into another, that didn't really sound any different, and then another, and…

"Shit!"

He jumped forward and hit the emergency stop button. The elevator car jerked only slightly.

"What?" Tifa asked, looking around to see where the threat was.

Zack cleared his throat. "It just occurred to me that this elevator probably only stops in two places in the tower." He looked at Cloud, whose eyes widened in realization.

"Science Department," Cloud said.

Zack nodded. "And, unless Hojo is way better at embezzling than he is at science, the president's floor. We want to get off on neither of those," he pointed out. Unnecessarily, he hoped.

"You expect us to climb out?" Tifa's eyes flicked to Aerith as she said it. Zack nearly laughed. Aerith couldn't fight like Tifa, but she was just as strong in her own way.

"We won't have to go far – shouldn't, anyway," Zack assured them. "All the elevators are built into a couple of shafts – even the private ones. There'll be doors and access points we can use to get out."

"Kinda defeats the purpose of being private," Cloud pointed out. He was already hoisting Genesis back up though, so Zack didn't take the objection to heart. Still….

"Lemme check," he said. He jumped up and caught the latch for the emergency escape hatch. It opened and a heavy chain ladder slithered out nearly to the floor. "Cool!" he said. He'd been prepared to try and jump up through the hatch, but with two big swords, he hadn't been looking forward to it.

He climbed up the surprising stable ladder and stuck his head out.

And released his breath in relief. He could see the frames for two other shafts. Regular elevators with doors on every floor, and if he wasn't mistaken, that was a maintenance access panel just over there.

He'd stopped the car in between floors, so they'd have to go up or down a half floor. Easy enough, as the walls had built-in ladders.

He dropped back down.

"Good news," he said with a smile.

Aerith climbed out first, then Cloud followed by Tifa. That way, she'd have a chance to catch Genesis if Cloud dropped him. Shouldn't happen though. They'd used belts and strips from Aerith's dress to strap the two together piggy-back style.

The shaft's built-in ladder was only a step away from the top of the elevator, and the three of them moved smoothly off and up. Once everyone was securely off, Zack dropped back into the car to press the release button – they didn't need maintenance workers or security forces coming to investigate a stall.

Back out to the top of the now-moving elevator then a little jump to get off. He snagged the ladder one-handed as the box rattled on up.

He glanced down to see he was only a couple floors higher than his team. Not bad.

Zack climbed down; they climbed up, and then they all inched along the ledge created by an I‑beam until they'd reached the maintenance hatch. There wasn't a handle on this side, but there was an emergency release (which didn't sound like Shinra at all, but Zack gave a mental shrug. Luck had to be with them sometimes, right?)

He pulled the lever…

The panel opened barely a finger width along the top side.

He had to work to get a grip along the top edge, but a hard pull had the panel swinging open and crashing down against the wall.

It echoed in the enclosed shaft.

"Well," Aerith said, looking at him with wide eyes. "That was dramatic." Zack smiled, because she was wonderful. She hadn't signed on for any of this shit when she'd agreed to become his girlfriend, but she just clenched her strong, little hands and muscled through.

He crossed to the far side of the opening and dipped his head. "You first, m'lady,"

She dimpled. "Thank you, noble sir." He kept one hand on her, but the hatch was low enough she didn't need help climbing out.

Cloud was next, and that was a problem. No way he could fit with Genesis tied to his back.

"You go first," Cloud said after a quick bog to gauge the fit. "Get a good hold on 'im, then Tifa cuts the ropes and you pull him through, yah?"

It should work. Zack climbed out and rolled onto his back. He anchored his feet to either side of the hatch. Cloud pushed one arm through the opening, keeping his shoulder low and his head in the elevator shaft so Zack would have the maximum room. He braced it against the edge, and gave Zack a thumbs up.

Zack reached through and grabbed Genesis under the armpits. The redhead groaned, and Zack thought the First wouldn't be out for much longer. Too bad they couldn't wait for him to come round, so he could help.

Oh well, he thought with a mental shrug. Life.

He told Tifa to start cutting.

Immediately, Zack felt the weight. Even skinny from months of ill-treatment, the ex-SOLDIER weighed an effing tonne. Cloud grunted as his armpit was pressed hard into the granite lip, but other than that, he stayed quiet.

Zack kept a steady pull as more and more of Genesis' weight transferred to him. He had them pause a couple times so he could adjust his grip, but there was more of the redhead out of the hole than in when Tifa said she was cutting the final tie. Zack pulled and let himself fall back.

Genesis didn't come through as much as Zack would've liked. Instead of hitting his chest, Genesis face hit Zack's thick bellyguard right above his diaphragm and knocked the air out of him. Genesis gave a clear groan of discomfort.

"My girlfriend likes my chest, so your opinion doesn't count," Zack pointed out to his fellow former-SOLDIER.

Genesis made another small sound; it sounded like he was trying to make words.

"Get 'im off me," Cloud grunted, still a little squished in the opening.

With a grin, Zack rolled and heaved and got the rest of Genesis through.

"He's starting to recover," he said to Aerith who'd hopped out of the way.

"Is that normal?" she asked.

Zack could only shrug. He'd come to all of a sudden, but he'd been in refined mako, not the unholy mix Genesis had been subjected to. The only person who might have an idea was Hojo, and Zack had no intention of asking that madman squat.

He shifted Genesis to the wall, sitting him up and giving his cheek a pat.

Cloud tossed his sword and harness onto the rubberized flooring where they made dull clanking sounds. He followed moments later, grabbing Iron Blade and rolling out of the way in one smooth move. "Genesis is coming round?"

Zack nodded. "Think so." He turned to look at Cloud. He saw Aerith smiling and holding out her hand to Cloud's friend. Tifa's cheeks were flushed when she pulled herself through.

Zack would let her claim exertion if she wanted. She really did seem to be clueless.

Cloud, hand gripping his sheathed sword, looked up the corridor. "Don't think this is an office floor," he said to the group.

Zack stood up and walked to stand next to his friend. Aerith followed.

Instead of the bland beige walls and carpets the office drones enjoyed, the walls here were smooth metal, the floors were a grey rubberized material, and the lights were light blue strips along the floor. It was threateningly industrial, and sickeningly familiar.

There were cracks in the wall paneling and some of the ceiling tiles had come down. This place had been shaken too.

Good. Maybe the place would collapse on top of Hojo.

"Where are we?" Aerith asked hesitantly. She was frowning at the walls, but Zack didn't think it was because of their ugliness. She had one hand slightly raised, as if sensing the air.

There were only two departments that lined their corridors with metal. "Science department or weapons research," he had to answer.

Aerith inhaled sharply and tucked her folded hands beneath her chin. Cloud paused, sword harness only half on. "Back to the shaft?"

Zack stepped to the public elevators and hit the down button. "Nah."

Tifa blinked. "Will that work?"

Zack shrugged. "Don't see why not."

Aerith had retreated back to the elevators. Zack moved to put himself between the corridor and her.

"Could take the stairs," Tifa suggested. She was coaxing Genesis into drinking a small healing potion. It was a good idea. Even if the First choked a little, his survival instincts might bring his hazy mind back into focus.

Zack cut a look towards Cloud who was stretching his back and rotating his shoulders. Tifa followed his gaze.

"I can carry for a bit," she said. "Don't need a navigator now."

Zack laughed. "You'd be surprised."

There was a roar from up the hallway, the skittering of claws, and a shriek of pain from something that sounded close to human.

They'd all turned to look at the noise.

"I'll carry," Tifa said, bending down to pick up Genesis. "Cloud, you can face that."

"Gee, thanks," he said dryly, but he obediently drew Iron Blade.

She had Genesis up on her shoulders fast as a SOLDIER. It looked odd (not that Zack would say that out loud) because Genesis was quite a bit taller than she was - his bare feet bounced below her knees. The redhead groaned, and Zack swore it was in protest at the indignity.

Tifa started moving across dead-end elevator lobby than stopped. "Where's the stairs?"

That had them all looking around the largish space. There were the sliding doors for the two elevators and nothing else. Not even a washroom.

"Aaah," Zack said stupidly. He couldn't actually remember where the stairs were, since he didn't know where they were. This was an internal elevator, and he'd usually used the outside ones because of the view.

"Goat balls," Aerith said. She'd already turned to look up the hall, where the noise of the fight hadn't stopped.

Cloud took a breath, lifted his chin and his sword. "Can't go down. Havta go through."

"Or we can wait for the elevator I called to arrive," Zack pointed out.

Cloud's stance relaxed. "Yah. That, too."

Tifa hadn't put Genesis back down, and Zack supposed it made sense. What if they had to move quickly? "What's the chance that security's been called?" she asked.

"For us, or for whatever's fighting up the hall?" Zack

"Either."

The elevator tinged. Zack turned, Hardedge up and ready, in case Tifa's lack of optimism was rewarded.

A soft-soled shoe at the bottom of a neatly pressed, dark-blue pant leg stepped out of the elevator and brought Tseng with it. The Turk stopped, eyes widening slightly.

"Hey, Tseng!" Zack said cheerily, lowering his sword. "Fancy meeting you here." He smiled as wide as he could.

Tseng took a moment to squeeze the bridge of his nose. Zack figured it was in the hope it that would erase the image of the bunch of them hanging out on a secured floor.

"Zack." Tseng's voice made it sound like he should've known this meeting was inevitable. Given Zack's luck, Tseng probably should've. "Aerith. Ms Lockhart." He nodded at each of the women. "Cloud Strife."

Cloud had shifted so that he could watch both the hall and the Turk. "Tseng," he said back as cool as a Turk. "I remember. You crashed the helicopter on the Modeoheim mission."

For some reason, that cheered Zack right up: Tseng wasn't infallible. He was human the same as the rest of them.

There was a final inhuman shriek from something up the hall. Then a growling roar filled with triumph filled all the spaces. On Tifa's shoulders Genesis squirmed and muttered unintelligibly. Definitely coming round.

Tseng's eyes flicked in that direction, but he stayed where he was. "May I ask how you all got here?" he said politely. "After all, this is a secured floor, and if there's a breach…"

"Explosion in your secret lab made my bar drop into it," Tifa said with an angry glare. "Dropped the whole thing nearly two stories, because you assholes blew up your secret underground reactor!"

Zack winced. He could've fudged it, made it seem like they'd only ever reached the upper floors of the evil lab, but that reactor had been deep in the hole. Only way they could've seen it.

"And that's where you picked up Genesis Rhapsodos?" Tseng's tone was mild.

Okay, so maybe having Genesis along would make it harder to spin it that way…

"Unwilling experiments stick together," Cloud said firmly. His tone was absolute.

"I see." If Tseng had been anyone else, he would've sighed.

"Mind telling me how Wutain terrorists got sixty floors deep under Shinra's main HQ?" Zack asked. He tried to make his tone somewhere between Tseng and Cloud's, but he probably just came across as curious, and he was. He had a theory about that reactor blow out, and he wondered if Tseng would confirm it.

Tseng looked up at the ceiling. He pulled a short, thick cylinder from his pocket and pressed the top. It was the same device he'd used to block eavesdroppers back in Beginner's Hall.

"If the security's working, why'd you come up alone?" Tifa asked.

"The security is working… intermittently," he replied. "For this, it would be better for it to not be working."

"Was it Sephiroth?" Zack asked. Too impatient to wait.

Tseng gave him a long look while Tifa and Aerith made sounds of surprise and shock. Cloud just grunted and continued to watch the corridor.

"Why would you think that?" the Turk asked.

Zack could hardly say it was because he'd seen a couple more black feathers after they'd left Beginner's Hall.

"Because he's the most logical of the three options."

Tseng's head tilted. "The others are…?"

Zack lifted a finger. "Bad design and/or maintenance – always a possibility," he conceded. He lifted a second finger. "Actual terrorists – not very likely at all. So, given recent events, Sephiroth is just as likely as bad design or maintenance." He looked at Tseng.

Tseng didn't confirm anything, just made a neutral sound.

Before Zack could press the Turk for a proper answer, Cloud announced that something was coming towards them. "And it's growling."

The three unencumbered fighters immediately shifted to block whatever the threat was coming at them.

"Containment failure?" Zack said sideway to Tseng. It wasn't actually a question.

"A large one," Tseng confirmed. "Since the Deepground reactor was completed seven years ago, Shinra Tower has been cutting it's connections to the city's reactors as a security measure."

"In case 'Wutai terrorists' actually did manage to blow one up?" Zack asked sarcastically.

Tseng lifted the side of his mouth in a wry smile. "That was never going to happen."

"You tried to set up Tifa's friends to do it," he pointed out.

"Not the time, Zack." He had his gun drawn but not raised.

"You know," Zack said even as he watched the hallway. "Fourth option it was a Turk obeying old man Shinra's order."

"That's not a possibility." Tseng barely looked at him. "Anymore."

Around the curved corridor, a large lion-like creature appeared. It was scarred horribly, and horribly emaciated, and the numeral 'XIII' was branded on its shoulder. It stalked towards them teeth bared in a growl that was so low Zack felt it more than heard it. He raised his sword and Tseng raised his gun.

"Wait!" Aerith called out. She pushed past them before Zack realized what she'd said.

"Aerith!" His hand reached for her, but she was already beyond him.

She waved at him to be quiet, so he tried. His heart was beating so hard and so fast it felt like a snare drum in a marching band.

The creature raised its tail above its head in threat, end glowing like a torch, but it didn't try to bite Aerith when she reached out a hand.

"This child's a friend," she said, and a soft light filled the space where she almost touched it.

Lips relaxed, eyes softened, and that annoying subsonic growl stopped. It blinked as if just realizing where it was.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Aerith said as she backed away.

Zack kind of felt like he should be watching Tseng as he observed this new ability of Aerith's. After all, Tseng was a Turk and it was his duty to report on all their surveillance targets, but Zack couldn't move his eyes away from Aerith. It no longer looked like the creature was going to attack, but why had Aerith done – whatever she'd done – for this creature, and not for the dozens they'd encountered in the lab below? What made this one special?

"What the hells is it?" Tifa asked.

"A fascinating question," it replied. "One we have no time for."

"You can talk?" Cloud asked.

"Obviously." The creature narrowed its one eye at them. "There is something coming this way. Something unnatural."

Zack and Cloud immediately lifted their swords back up to the ready. "Do you know what?" Zack asked.

"No," the creature answered, turning to face back down the corridor. "Just that all Hojo's experiments are avoiding it."

"Then that's what we want to do, too." Zack lifted his chin at Tseng. "We need that elevator."

"Allow me," Tseng backed out of the line and pulled a keycard from an inside pocket. He waved it in front of the elevator call buttons and a small light blinked on. "Priority override," he informed them. He'd already pulled his PHS from another pocket and he lifted it to his ear. "I'm on the 66th floor. Come as quickly as you can."

"What pronouns do you prefer?" Cloud asked, giving the creature a sideways glance.

Zack gave a little eyeroll. Trust ex-Honeyguy Cloud to make that a priority.

"You have already decided I am an 'it'."

Cloud shook his head. "If you can talk, you can choose your own pronouns."

The creature – being – tipped its – his? – head to the side. "Interesting distinction."

Cloud shrugged. "Common courtesy."

The tail flicked, possibly in annoyance, possibly in amusement.

"I am male; he and his is acceptable. And you?" he asked with exaggerated politeness.

"How about a name?" Tifa asked pointedly.

Before the lion-guy could answer, screams and wails echoed up the corridor. They seemed to be getting closer. "Heads up," Zack said and got everybody to focus back on the hall.

From behind him, he heard Genesis ask for "a weapon, materia, anything." Though it came out more like "weap'n, m'teria, 'an'thin'."

"How are you with Fire?" Tifa asked,

Zack couldn't help his snort. He wasn't surprised when Genesis replied, "Oh, I can make anything burn." The voice was rough from disuse and the tubes they'd stuck down his throat, but it was Genesis's mocking lilt through and through.

They waited as the hall went quiet, and all Zack could think was 'come on, come on, come on!' He wanted something to happen – the elevator to arrive, the creature to show up – anything.

He hated waiting.

"Hojo called me 'Red'," the lion-guy said out of nowhere.

The lights in the corridor flickered and dimmed. There was a moan, from up ahead. Almost a word, not understandable but Zack almost recognized it. He strained to hear it…

"I can sense it," Aerith said, voice high and stressed. "It's big."

The shadows shifted. Zack squinted, trying to see it….

Was that a… cloak?

It was like one of the huge sunlamps hung under the plate to provide daylight to the ground floor went off in Zack's brain. It actually hurt, and he couldn't control his flinch. He heard Cloud asking if he was okay, but the voice was distant, weak.

When Zack looked up, it wasn't a cloak he'd seen.

"Sephiroth."

"Hello Zack."

The voice was his – that deep baritone – but the tone was wrong. Sephiroth had never purred. At least, not for him.

"You're not real," Zack said. "You're dead!"

"Am I?"

Well, Zack had a hard time arguing that one. It was entirely possible that Sephiroth – like Genesis and Angeal (and him) – had survived well past the announcement of his death.

As if he sensed Zack's dilemma Sephiroth smirked and stepped forwards, his movement like the prowl of a predator.

It was wrong.

"Sephiroth may not be dead, but you're not him." Zack said it with absolute conviction, and he charged, ignoring the calls of the people behind him.

Before he could hit the thing wearing Sephiroth's face, it changed, grew, stretched into something inhuman. Around him the world twisted…

It was the elevator lobby – rubberized flooring and steel – but it wasn't. Wherever they were, it was infinite. The floor stretched out and beyond what Zack could see. Steel pillars rose up to impossible heights. In the middle was the thing he'd seen – the thing that had pretended to be Sephiroth.

It was reptilian but it stood upright and there were tentacles growing where legs should be. There were appendages that could've been malformed shoulders or fleshy wings. It was draconic, but there was a ribcage and a skeletal face.

"Gods-damned fucking frog balls!"

He barely heard Tseng's startled, "I beg your pardon?" as the thing's mouth flipped up and it shrieked. A whirlwind built around its body, and its tentacles swept out and around it.

Zack jumped straight up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tseng, Cloud, and the lion-guy (not going to use Hojo's name for him) duck or roll out of the way.

Two massive Firas flew under his feet and hit the small tornado circling around the thing. It proved two things to Zack. One, Genesis was still good with fire, and two, magic didn't do much damage to the thing when it was surrounded by that wind. The fireballs had made it through, but much smaller and less powerful than they'd gone in.

"Magic resistant, I think," he shouted to the team.

"Can't be Slowed," Cloud added.

Zack felt the air around him harden slightly as Aerith cast high level Barrier on them all. He landed and tucked into a roll, coming up right under one of the thing's fat rubbery tentacles.

Hoping his Sneak Attack-Double Cut combo would work, he swung with Hardedge.

It worked.

The blade sliced into the right tentacle deep and clean. Purple-black ichor dripped out. Where it fell it hissed and bubbled.

He heard gunfire – three quick shots. The tentacle in front of him shifted, shielding the main body mass from the hits.

"Need to take out the tentacles," Tseng said before Zack could.

"What is it?" Tifa shouted, in what she probably hoped was in a tone of curiosity, rather than one of bone-melting fear.

Zack could sympathize with the bone-melting fear.

"No clue!" he shouted back, grunting as he swung again.

"Is this another one of Hojo's experiments?" Tifa angrily called to Tseng. "You guys let him make this?"

"No," Tseng replied. "There's no record of anything like this."

Aerith said. "It's filled with Jenova cells."

"Nonetheless, Hojo's records contain nothing like this," Tseng argued calmly.

The Turk was still firing at the tentacle nearest to Zack – he could clearly see the bullets impact. They created little holes that, like his blade cuts, slowly oozed close. On the far side, he saw Cloud and Red taking on the other one. The other, smaller, tentacles seemed to be for stability only, so Zack ignored those in favour of hitting the ones that could hurt him.

Red landed and growled, "It's an illusion, no matter how solid it feels."

Above him, the thing bent down towards him. It opened its mouth… and squeaked.

"It can be Silenced," Tseng said calmly.

Good to know, Zack thought. He set aside his blade for a moment and wound up for Iron Fist. It landed solidly. The whole tentacle rippled and then drooped as if it had gone numb, but Zack absolutely hated how it felt – like it wanted to swallow his hand and absorb it. A voice whispered "Reunion is not to be feared…"

Zack backed up for a moment to shake out of whatever that was. Something evil and freaky that he wanted no part of.

He looked at the creature again. Aspects of it did kind of look like the thing in the tube at the Nibelheim reactor. It had shoulders but no arms, tentacles instead of legs. And its head was so low on its 'shoulders' that it mimicked the fact that Sephiroth had torn its head off at the reactor.

"I think it is a form of Jenova," he shouted out. "Not sure how that helps, but…" Maybe Tseng knew of some weakness.

Zack went back to swinging his sword until the tentacle fell off. Unlike the blood that had dripped to the floor and bubbled, the thick limb disappeared before it landed proving Red right about the illusionary aspect.

"Shield's down around the body," Tseng reported. There was a pause in the gunfire, so Zack figured the Turk had to be reloading.

"Watch for the purple pools in the floor!" Tifa called. "They froze Tseng."

Alrighty then.

Feeling strong enough for a big hit, Zack used his Power Attack, hoping to stun it so it would be defenseless even after the Silence wore off. Cloud also used one of his strong moves – a swing straight to the ground that flung lines of power at the target that he called Braver. Then Cloud followed it up with slashes across Jenova's torso that almost looked like Octoslash.

It wasn't a move Zack had ever seen his friend use before, and it occurred to him that they were all much stronger now than they'd been at the start of this dungeon dive.

Yay?

Suddenly the ground under his feet sparked and glowed red, and then Zack was flying backwards, feeling like he'd just been hit with a lightning spell. He didn't land well and had to take a moment to get his breath back. A cooling wash of Aerith's Cura made him feel almost as good as he had this morning.

Was it awful that he really did enjoy fighting? Just like Aerith had accused SOLDIERs of on that long ago day?

"It has regrown its tentacles," Tseng announced.

Zack heard the sound of another body being thumped and landing hard.

Somewhere in this infinite other-space, Cloud groaned in pain.

Zack flipped to his feet and ran back into battle.

End Note: I'd originally thought of "The Girl from Ipanema" for the elevator music (because, c'mon, it's a classic). However, I really don't like that song and didn't want it in my playlist, so I went looking for something to get it out of my head. Did you know there are YouTube channels devoted to elevator and mall music? I didn't know this.

I felt better not knowing this.

Anyway, I didn't like any of those songs either, so if you're following the soundtrack on Spotify, you got Floyd Cramer's "Last Dance" instead.