At the sound of Corneo's shout, from beyond the second set of doors. Tifa busted into the room with Cloud's sword. Aerith carried his clothes in a bundle.
Natalie slipped in behind them, sheathing her sword, now that the fighting was behind them.
"Sorry," Tifa offered a sarcastic apology, "but your boys had to learn some manners too."
Tifa and Aerith stood in the middle of a gaudy, and cluttered, opulent bedroom.
Natalie stood behind the rectangular inlay in the floor, behind Aerith and Tifa.
"What the?" Corneo crawled towards the back of the gilded four-poster bed. Away from Cloud looming over the opulently dressed Corneo. In some sort of read-and-gold silk robe, which strained itself over Cornero's bulky frame.
Natalie felt her face go still, now that she could see Cloud's dress in full view. He was in a black lace skirt and a royal blue corset. It suited him, especially with his hair the way it was. Natalie found herself staring as Aerith called his name and Tifa tossed him his gear.
"Cloud!"
Natalie, in her combat fatigues, binder, t shirt and split long coat. She felt the opposite of Cloud in this moment. Her a woman dressed like a male mercenary, and him in a very feminine ensemble from his hair extensions to his heeled toes.
Natalie felt her cheeks burn as she looked for somewhere else to look but where Cloud stood.
Without any ceremony or shame, he stripped off his dress and corset, down to his underwear, before covering up with his normal clothes. The black, with a shade of blue, SOLDIER uniform, his combat boots. And the salvaged pauldron that had been jury-rigged back into service.
Natalie found anywhere to look but at Cloud until he was done.
Natalie then found that she was staring at the battered pauldron. Standard issue shoulder-armor was black leather, not metal with screws sticking out every which way.
While Corneo made too many awkward noises of his discovery of what Cloud had been wearing under the dress. Natalie wondered what had happened to Cloud in the intervening time, since Zack's death and Tifa had introduced Cloud to Natalie in Sector Seven. The differences in his uniform had slipped by her in the dark of that first night. She wanted to kick herself for not noticing in the daylight after the first reactor job.
"So," Corneo declared to Cloud, "you're a man huh? What are you four up to?"
Tifa took charge of the interrogation. "We'll ask the questions." She had her fists on her hips. "Like, why did you have men in Sector Seven asking about AVALANCHE?"
Corneo grunted, "Me, huh?" He rolled to sit up on his butt on his king-sized bed. "Don't know what you're talking about."
Tifa crossed her arms and stepped forward with menace, "Don't play dumb with me. Let's try again." She stepped right up to the bed. "Why did you have men in Sector Seven asking about AVALANCHE? Spill the beans or…"
Cloud grabbed the hilt of the sword that hung from his back, "I'll cut 'em off."
Natalie kept her face as stone. She wanted to laugh inside.
Corneo pulled his legs together. "All right! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Natalie was feeling vicious and satisfied at the cowering of the man. The threats to Corneo's anatomy.
The others in front of Natalie relaxed as Corneo gave an answer.
"Uh, some guy with a gun for an arm. I was paid to find him!"
Tifa continued questioning Corneo. "Paid by who?"
Corneo looked afraid to answer, "I can't tell you that! They'd hunt me down like a dog!"
"Well you better," Tifa said, "Cuz if you don't…"
Aerith stepped forward, "I'll rip 'em off."
Corneo clutched his legs together again, whimpering in a sound that was very horse-like, "It was the director of Public Security, Heidigger. It was Heidigger!"
Tifa loosened up in surprise, "ShinRa? And what were they planning?"
Natalie was beside Cloud, both matching faces of stone. Though even with Cloud removing his make-up the scent Andrea had given him still lingered.
Corneo rolled over onto his hands and knees, begging with Tifa, "Some things are better left unsaid. You know?"
Natalie glared down at the man. This night had already been very long and she didn't know what else she would have to deal with before she could sleep. For now she watched while Tifa threatened Corneo again.
"See, I'm not so sure they are. Better keep talking…"
Tifa brought her booted foot down on the end of the giant bed, "Or I'll smash 'em."
Natalie watched the man give another horse-whinney of a whimper, before it changed one to something more sinister. The man smirked at the four of them. He chuckled darkly, "Heh, all right you got me. I could never say no to a sexy girl." His tone said otherwise, it dripped with sarcasm. "Since AVALANCHE blew-up two Reactors. ShinRa has decided they ought to stamp them out, home base and all." He gestured with his hands "And I mean stamp out," bringing his palms together for emphasis. "By targeting the support pillar and blowing it up."
Natalie glared at the man, letting her anger show. Sector Seven was the first place she had felt truly at home in a long time. Vibrant, alive and full of people.
Tifa leaned forward, not convinced, "The pillar?"
The man that has been begging, was crouching on the bed and upright now "Did I stutter?" He brought his hands up then down, "the plate will come crashing down!" Making a cartoon-ish noise with his mouth for explosions. "It'll be Sector Six all over again." He man-splained the ruin that was the rest of the Slum they were in at that moment. "I'm sure you've been there and seen the wreckage for yourself. So you know exactly what Sector Seven is going to look like."
Tifa stood up straight, still not believing that ShinRa would, "they wouldn't."
Aerith went for the door, "Come on guys, we gotta go."
Natalie needed no convincing, she turned on her heel and was half a step ahead of Aerith to their exit.
Corneo halted them all with a call, "Before you do-"
"No." Cloud stopped and turned on the man.
"Please," Corneo stated, "this won't take long."
Natalie wanted to go now.
Cloud turned to face Corneo, they all did. Entertaining this last request.
Corneo was standing on his bed now, gesturing like a showman, "as everyone knows, villains only divulge their plans in a certain situation." Walking to the back of the bed and spinning dramatically he continued, "but what is that situation? Hmm?"
Cloud pointed at him, the answer was clear, "when they think they've already won. Right?"
Natalie wanted to turn back to the door and leave. She was holding the door-ring, everyone else was between her and Corneo.
Ever the showman, Corneo cheered Cloud, "Ladies and gentleman! We have ourselves a winner!" He danced to the head of the bed, "you get an all expenses paid trip, to the sewers."
The floor in front of Natalie fell out from underneath the others. Revealing only a dark abyss. Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa were gone.
The inlay in the wooden floor had been a trap door all along. Natalie felt her face scrunch with a glare for the man across the pit from her.
"Well, three out of four isn't bad." Corneo shrugged from the gilded dragon statue, raising the arm that had released the trap door.
Natalie stared over the open floor, where Cloud, Aerith and Tifa had been standing moments ago.
Corneo looked up from the trap door, at the movement of Natalie raising her pistol. She was more than close enough to tap his chest with it at this range.
"Not a word, fucker." She threatened him. Pulling back the hammer of her side arm.
Corneo looked cocky enough to try to snark her anyway. As his jaw worked, she started putting pressure on the trigger.
A powerful wind battered Natalie back, loosing grip of her gun with one arm, the other barely clung on at the assault of wraiths that had just burst out from the darkness between the two people.
"No!" Natalie could not even see Corneo now, "let me end that FUCKING rapist and MURDERER!" She yelled at the wind wall. Individual wraiths would break off to batter the arm holding her gun. She could barely hang onto it, pointing it at the ceiling under the pressure.
Natalie took another step back, she was alone in the enemy's den. The wraiths would allow none of her interference. She couldn't even jump down the hole to help Cloud if she wanted to, the wraiths cut her off from that choice.
If Corneo was sassing her, if he could see the wraiths, or if he couldn't see the wraiths. She couldn't tell. The wraiths were too numerous and thick, making a wall from hole-to-ceiling.
"Fuck you!" She yelled at the gray wall. Putting the safety back on, she pushed one of the heavy ornamental doors with her back. The wraiths pushed her on and away. Corneo was going to live, for now. The wall of wraiths blocker her view into Corneo's bedroom. But they were so thick she only wanted to leave, get ahead of them somehow.
Natalie mumbled "fuck you" over and over again under her breath. The words were entirely meant for the wraiths. As she stumbled into the hall between Corneo's bedroom and the next one.
The wraiths vanished when she holstered her sidearm. With her back to the yawning trap door and Corneo, she took her exit.
Corneo yelled through the open door, it sounded like some sort of order. Yelling for someone that was unconscious or dead. Nobody came.
Natalie entered the overly-decorated office between the bed room and the rest of the mansion, there was someone moving. Checking on the goons that she had helped Aerith and Tifa dispatch moments ago.
Lesley looked up at Natalie, from a crouch. Corneo was yelling in the background for help.
Lesley and Natalie's eyes locked, he started reaching under his coat for his own sidearm. Holding still, when he recognized Natalie.
"I gotta go." She told Lesley.
"Where are the others?" He asked her quietly. They could both hear Corneo through the doors. Now that the winds of the wraiths were gone.
"Somewhere I can't help them."
Lesley emoted something, looking despairing.
Natalie only shrugged. "I gotta go, save who I can. But are you going to be okay with your former boss?"
"He wouldn't know about that. Unless someone told him."
"Then you should be able to handle things here. Like I said, I gotta go."
ShinRa was going to blow up the pillar. She had no time to stop and explain anything.
Natalie started marching for the door before Lesley waved a dismissal. They had no reason to fight. And Natalie hadn't waited for him to be okay with her leaving now.
Natalie could still hear Corneo in the background, the wall behind the desk blocked her from seeing him anymore. Natalie made her way through the rest of the mansion, full of goons that Tifa, Aerith, and Natalie had already taken care of.
Cloud would have to take care of himself and the others in the hole in the floor. He had too. Natalie had to make it to Sector Seven, before it was too late.
The path out of the mansion had been cleared quickly enough. What she had not expected on the bridge outside, was a squad of ShinRa public security.
'I hate surprises.' Natalie stood outside the giant front doors to the mansion, staring down the Public Security that was still figuring out the situation.
The four basic, gun-toting bottom-rung, members were led by an elite red-shouldered one from the back.
Except for the people beyond PS. The people just down the stone steps, partying the night away, the math was in Natalie's favor. One stray bullet would end someone's party forever.
Natalie didn't waste another second. As the one in charge yelled to engage 'the target,' her.
Four guns moved to focus on Natalie as she finished her spell. Putting most of the PS members to sleep.
Four people dropped to the ground between the bridge and the man left standing.
"AVALANCHE!" The one in red shoulders yelled. As he drew a baton that sparked with electricity. Stepped over his compatriots, he advanced on Natalie. But she wasn't done.
The elite charged at her from across the bridge, prepared to stun her with his baton. Despite the four guns, he was aiming for a non-lethal take down.
His reward for charging Natalie was a face full of Firaga. "I'm not going back!" She yelled at him from behind the conflagration.
The man screamed, his armor protecting him from the fire, but thoroughly softened up by the hefty spell. He didn't stop in the face of failure, those that made it to his elite rank were no cowards.
Natalie drew her sword in time to block his stun baton, the low volts sparking across her own blade.
She pushed the man away before he followed up with something else, dancing from one foot to another to slide behind the man. Following up with a strike to his back, side, then around to his other side. 'Kite-ing' his facing around and around She ran around him so that he would use up most of his time just moving to face her. He may be an elite PS, but she was a former SOLDIER.
"Fuck!" She cried out, "I don't have time for you!"
As the elite twisted and turned to keep up, she kept up her sword slashes to his arms and legs, wrists and ankles. The thinnest points in his reinforced clothes, or just not covered by the thickest parts of his armor.
The elite PS dropped seconds later. The four PS were still snoring. And now she had been sighted in the sector.
No bullets had gone off, and she still had a bullet she had to get out of the chamber of her own gun, hoping not to need it tonight.
The people below still partied in Wall Market. Oblivious to what had gone on in or near the mansion tonight.
Anything ShinRa sent at the mansion, short a Turk, Natalie could handle just fine. But not if she wanted to keep the people out of it. And not if she wanted to get back to Sector Seven before the plate fell.
So Natalie cursed herself and did what she did so well, and slipped away into the crowds of Wall Market. Keeping an eye out for any PS helmets and straight to Chocobo Sam's. If anyone could get her through one of the gates tonight, it would be one of his carriages.
"I don't have time for this Sam. How much for a ride back to Sector Seven?" Natalie asked the man again.
"What crawled up yer back and died. A thank you for tonight would be much appreciated." The man looked at Natalie from under his cowboy hat, insulted.
Natalie took a slow breath, failing to calm herself, "Thank you for everything you've done tonight to help Cloud and me, and the others. But I need to get to Sector Seven, now."
"How's Tifa? Did it work?"
Natalie tried to not roll over the genuine concern in his eyes. "That remains to be seen. A carriage?"
There was now a glint in his eye, "You made it into the mansion though?"
Natalie scrubbed her face. There was no time for this. "Yes! Thank you, for all the Trio's help. How much?" she scanned the area, jut outside the South entrance to Wall Market. She could be seen from a distance if anymore PS showed up.
"One thou- no woman. You look like a scared rabbit Lee. Ten thousand Gil."
Natalie had no time, she yanked up her shirt, exposing her belly, and the pouch underneath. Counting out the thousands, she glanced again for anyone that could be watching to rob her. She spoke after seeing none of those types nearby "Maybe don't tell anyone I was here." She yanked the zipper shut on the pouch and left her shirt un-tucked, a thin strip of her binder was visible above the pouch. "Or that you know me." Once the Gil was dropped in the man's hand. He gave her a scrutinizing look.
"Not even going to try to barter?" He asked, while holding the Gil like it was chump change. As one of the Trio, it probably was. And just a slice off of the end of Natalie's own savings.
"Carriage?" She asked Sam.
The ten thousand Gil disappeared like a magic trick, and he snapped his fingers for the nearest Chocobo carriage. "What about Cloud?" He asked her.
Natalie shook her head, "there was trouble at the mansion." She stepped towards the back of the carriage, grabbing the rail as one of the workers jumped in the driver's seat. "We did our best."
Sam had a question on his face, but Natalie had no answers for him. She did not have time to satisfy his questions, not now.
Natalie didn't linger on the back steps of the carriage either, taking a seat inside she drew the curtains, cutting off the sight of her from anyone outside the vehicle.
Sam watched her go before he was cut off from view by a curtain. No ShinRa PS were in sight, yet.
She peeled back a corner of the curtain, between the driver and her. "All speed sir, and I can pay."
"You can't afford getting my bird hurt." The man called back to her.
"As fast as you can, without risking any harm to your bird." She dropped another thousand Gil. "Pretty please."
The man scooped up the money, giving a warning, "You might want to hold on miss, this will get bumpy."
"Will do, and thank you."
The three of them, man, person, and Chocobo, rode to Evergreen Park. As quickly as the man could be convinced to do so.
Only stopping next to the park between sectors, for the giant gate to open.
This was how Tifa and Natalie had gotten to Wall Market earlier in the night. And this was the quickest way Natalie knew how to get back.
She peeked the curtain, seeing an empty park. No people this late at night, and no PS wandering around.
Hopping out of the carriage, she waved at the driver.
"Hey, don't you wanna ride the rest of the way?" He called.
Natalie started towards the sliding metal doors, as tall as the wall they were built into, over fifty feet high. "Don't go in tonight." She looked at the opening between the doors and back to the man holding the reigns. "Maybe don't take any more fares into Sector Seven tonight."
"What do you know that I don't?" He called to her.
"Nothing good." Natalie didn't elaborate as she dashed through the opening, she needed to get to Seventh Heaven. The carriage, even rumbling over the ground was too slow. She dashed though the gap between the doors. Hoping the man would roll back to Sam.
The name reminded her of her friend, or frenemy, or whatever Jamie's brother had been. Jamie's brother Shawn. Before he had fallen off of Mount Nibel.
His name was close enough to Chocobo Sam's than one reminded her of the other. 'I hate you, yet I miss you Shawn.' She thought as she ran through Sector Seven. 'Jamie and Danny too.'
Her headache from the gas came back with a vengeance. While grabbing her head from the lancing pain, she stumbled and had to tuck into a roll. Ending on one knee, still gripping her head.
Jamie's Adidas sneakers stood in front of her. A hallucination of them did.
Marin squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the dirt-covered ground in her fists. "You're not real." Natalie spat out.
"Marin," the old name, in Jamie's voice, stung. "You can't save anyone, not even yourself."
Marin, no Natalie. 'I'm Natalie now. Natalie, Natalie, Natalie.' She reminded herself. Thinking the name over and over again, trying not to think of Jamie's face, her voice. The way she smelled when they sat together watching television. 'Natalie.' She heard her own name in her ears. Natalie had been mumbling that name to herself out loud.
"Marin." Jamie said.
"Natalie." Natalie aid.
"Are you all right?" a new voice asked.
Mare-no-Natalie looked up at the new voice. One of her fellow Slum-dwellers was reaching out a hand. Someone Natalie hadn't seen before. Taking his hand, Natalie didn't look at the version of Jamie that continued to stand nearby.
Natalie wanted to puke. She dusted herself off and told the man "Thanks, I have to go."
Natalie left him and the hallucination of Jamie in the dust. 'I didn't tell him to leave the Sector.' She thought guiltily. She had wanted away from her brain's conjured image of Jamie. She promised to herself she would do better with everyone else she met tonight. Looking to the steel sky it didn't look about to fall
Running as fast as her feet could pump, she made her way through the Sector, straight to Barret and the others.
Sector Seven had been Natalie's home for over two years. She took a familiar route, through the alleys and by ways. Taking her to the Seventh Heaven area as quickly as possibly. Not spotting any PS, or anyone from ShinRa along the way.
'They were probably pulled out just for tonight.' She guessed, knowing now what ShinRa had planned for this night.
Natalie's boots chewed up ground and side stepped people that didn't react to her approach. Natalie ran, ignoring cries of people she had nearly stumbled into. Taking the twists and turns and streets she had come to know in the last two years.
The last month had been a haze of renewed grief, confusion, and pain. Jamie dogged her nearly every day now. This was after years of her her mental troubles had going into hibernation. She remembered the last thing the last hallucination had told her. Despite Natalie trying not to think about it, it floated back to her while she crossed the Sector, taking short cuts and narrow streets better than the Chocobo carriage could.
'You can't save anyone.' Jamie had died years and years ago. And here Natalie was, haunted by images of the dead.
Natalie hadn't saved anyone so far, only outlived them, watched people die. She had never found Zack on that overlook to Midgar, he had already joined the Lifestream by the time Natalie had caught up to him. After they had both left Banora. The wraith had dogged her enough to not have been in time to save anyone. Not in Nibelheim, and not outside Midgar.
And now, Cloud was with Aerith and Tifa, were trapped underground. She had no idea if they were even alive. They had to be though, she couldn't do this without them.
She hadn't saved anyone.
Natalie ran forward, focusing on the bar, on Seventh Heaven. She just had to get there, warn the others in time.
A helicopter blew overhead, it's spinning blades beat a rhythm she could feel in her chest. It spurned her onwards.
Natalie's eyes burned as she blinked back tears. "This time is different," she mumbled. "I can save them, save someone, anyone this time."
Her heart pounded in her chest. Her breath was steady and deep. Her SOLDIER body could maintain that pace for far longer.
"Hey!" a familiar voice on the watch called to her back.
As Natalie came out of an alley alongside Scrapyard Boulevard.
One of the Neighborhood Watch reacted to her sudden appearance. "Who are- Oh."
"What's up with Nat?" another voice asked her back, as she rushed by.
The late-night shift was awake and keeping an eye on the most-common gate monsters used to pester the sector.
She didn't stop or slow down to answer, taking the first left down the dirt road.
Steps later she passed Stargazer Heights. Marle was likely asleep. The other residents, Tifa and Cloud, weren't in the Sector. So Natalie stomped on her sprinting feet and kept going.
Past the item shop, that was closed this deep into the night.
A corner of Seventh Heaven's bricks were visible now
"Lee, how'd it-whoa!" Biggs was nearly bowled over as Natalie took a hard turn left, up the front stairs to the door of the bar.
"Where's Barret?" Natalie called from over her shoulder. Breathing fast, she slowed down and came to a stop in front of the doors to the inside.
"Inside, I think." Biggs looked concerned. "You came in like a bat out of hell, how's Tifa?"
"Get the others."
Biggs had not moved from the base of the stairs yet. "How did the audition go?"
"Bad, get the others together." Natalie found herself glaring at Biggs, "All the Watch Biggs."
"Jessie will kill me if I wake her from her beauty sleep."
Natalie shook her head, "Blame me for waking her Biggs, but wake her up. Get. Everyone. Now."
"All right, all right." He turned to go, at a walking speed.
"NOW!" Natalie yelled. She didn't open the door until Biggs quickened to a jog.
Natalie pulled open the doors, not seeing Barret inside.
"Bars Closed!" She told all the patrons.
The five people inside moaned and started complained.
Natalie scanned the bar, not seeing any Watch members, no Barret or Marlene.
"Go home." Natalie stepped further into the bar. Glaring at each person in the eye. Most were bleary and tired or drunk looking. "Now!"
Someone snored on the table, the rest grumbled and started to get up.
"One more fer the road." One of the regulars hiccuped.
Natalie went straight behind the bar, and got him the swill of a 'whiskey' he, Grend, liked. She poured it into the nearest cup, that was too large for that sort of liquor. Shoving the glass into the mans hand he started sipping it immediately. His greasy gray-hair stuck to the side of his face, he had been about to fall asleep.
"Go see your sister in Sector Eight." Natalie told him as she came back around the counter.
"She don't talk to me no more." He clutched the glass to his chest like it was delicate and precious. Despite his tipsy-movements he looked unlikely to spill his drink.
Natalie urged him out, Grend was the last man in the bar towards the door. "Don't go home tonight Grend, tell your sister you're sorry and you won't break anything else. But don't. Go. Home."
"Yeah, Yeah." Grend took the tall glass, Natalie let him leave with it.
Heavy footfalls came from the stairs by the front doors Natalie had left open.
Wedge, still buckling his pauldron over his broad shoulders. In his usually strained white shirt and green cargo shorts. Came into the bar and looked around. "Aren't there usually a few regulars left, this late?"
Natalie told him. "I sent them home, well, out of the Sector. If they're not too drunk to get out."
Wedge looked nervous. "Get out? Lee, what's going on? Biggs is running around waking everyone in the Watch up."
The door behind the bar opened up.
Natalie and Wedge turned to see Barret step softly down the stairs from where he and Marlene lived. Where Marlene would be sleeping right about now.
"What's all the ruckus down 'ere?" Barret frowned, not seeing any customers in the bar might tick him off. Until Natalie told him why. "And where's Tifa?"
Natalie blinked, she had a few things to say. "With Cloud. And I'm not even sure if they're alive right now."
"What the-?" Wedge gasped.
Barret wasn't emoting anything on his face, it had gone hard. "Then why do you look like yah got more bad news?"
Natalie shook her head, her heart was still thudding in her chest from her run, "that's not the worst of it, no."
"What's worse than-?" Wedge stopped at a gesture from Natalie. Clapping his hands over his mouth.
Natalie kept staring grimly at Barret. "It's ShinRa."
Barret took a step closer and slowly closed the door to upstairs behind him. "What's ShinRa up tah now?" His grim face now a match for Natalie.
Natalie told them both, "They're going to blow up the support pillar."
"No way-" Wedge began.
Barret was right on top of him. "When?"
Natalie started "Tonight. I told Biggs to get everyone here and we can make a plan-"
Barret came right up to Natalie, grim yer disbelieving. "How do you know?"
"That bastard Corneo told me, right before-" Natalie stopped.
"Before what?" Barret demanded.
Natalie cringed, but she looked back up at the taller man, Barret, with a giant gun for a right arm. "Before Corneo set off a trap that swallowed everyone else. It was all I could do to get out of Wall Market and give ShinRa the slip.
Wedge cried, "But Cloud?"
Barret looked down at Natalie, "And yah jus' left Cloud and Tifa down there?"
Natalie frowned, remembering that Barret hadn't see the wall of wraiths that had blocked her, "Aerith is with them."
Barret looked a little confused, "Who?"
Natalie shook her head again, it would take too long to explain. Besides, "Cloud's survived worse than whatever is in that pit." He had, some Natalie had seen and some she hadn't seen personally. "Besides, Tifa knows how to fight and so does Aerith. Barret. I didn't fall after them, I was the only one left to run here to tell you what's going on.""
Barret opened his mouth to say something else.
Natalie went right on top with the next statement, "Barret, ShinRa plans to drop the whole plate down on this Sector. Cloud's a SOLDIER, and he's with two people that can back him up. I had to get here to warn you. Start the evacuation-"
"I'm not gonna let no ShinRa destroy my home." Barret marched to the front of the bar, where a trickle of members of the watch could be seen congregating outside, in front of the bar.
Wedge wrung his hands, looking at Natalie. "We can stop them from blowing up the pillar, can't we?"
Natalie stared at Wedge, saying nothing as Barret started barking orders to who had shown up so far.
Wedge looked crushed, before shaking it off. "Well, we won't let them!" Wedge went outside to join the others.
Natalie was alone in the bar. She had done so well saving her friends up to this point. She dreaded Cloud and the other's fate, while trying to avoid the surety of their demise. She just did not want to face another potential failure. This time it would work. And this time she had gotten back to the bar in time.
Her eyes wandered the bar, the walls, the wall of bottles behind the bar. Before the night was over it could all be crushed to dust under the plate hanging three hundred meters above her head.
Natalie noticed a yellow flower behind the bar, one of the pointed yellow lily-like flowers from Aerith's church.
'How did one of Aerith's flower get here?' Natalie shut her mouth. When the thought reached her ears. She had said the thought out loud.
Already grieving the Sector that she might fail to protect. Natalie adjusted her backpack, it was already full of the things she couldn't bear to abandon, amongst the things that she had accumulated in her tiny room near the dump. She had been living the life of being ready to run, and never looking back, every day. That might pay-off today.
Her chest vibrated as she headed for the front door. The wing beats of a helicopter were making noises nearby. Natalie came up behind Barret. Who was dispatching another crew to defend the support pillar nearby.
Some part of her had already given up on the Sector, but she would make ShinRa pay for every inch. Every single inch.