Another chapter is here!

Kazeshuriken: Thank you! And yes, bring the Buggy is better than leaving it alone.

Enjoy!

The group assembled later on in one of the rooms they had rented out for the night, exchanging the information that they had gathered about the visiting Shinra representatives. President Rufus himself was coming, if the news spreading around was to be believed. He would be meeting with someone named Cid, a pilot who the inhabitants of the town called the 'Captain' for some reason. It seemed he also doubled as the de facto mayor of the town, if not in name. The question now was what they would do with this information.

"We should finish Shinra off once and for all," Barret suggested. "Cut the head off the snake while it's out."

Cloud lowered his head in thought, a new sword that he had received from a strange old man near the base of the rocket on his back. He said he couldn't refuse the old man's generosity and ended up taking it. It looked Wutai-made, probably imported since the country was right across the sea from the shore further north. "It would stop them from chasing after Aerith, and we could focus on Sephiroth."

"Won't work," Crimson said. She was looking out of the window at the rocket that was in the center of the town, tilting in exhaustion from time and nature. "We kill Rufus Shinra and things will only get harder. That plan will get us killed."

"Is that right?" Barret turned his eyes up to her and sat up straight. "Why don'tcha explain it to me?"

She turned to face him and crossed her arms. "What happened when Sephiroth killed the previous president?"

"His son took over," Tifa noted.

Crimson nodded. "Rufus is just as ruthless as his father from what I know. But he's pragmatic. He's not a good person, but he's the lesser of two evils. If he dies the next in line to get the company will be Heidegger, given his seniority and position."

"You mean the guy in the robot that tried to kill us all?" Yuffie asked.

"And blew up Gongaga to try to kill Cloud and I, helped spearhead the plan to drop the plate of Sector 7, and so on." The amount of blood on his hands was something that would never wash away, only he didn't mind at all. "He believes in overwhelming might above all else, and that any problem can be solved with the excessive force. If he gets in charge, he will dedicate everything left in the company to try and kill us, and he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish it. He'd likely go so far as to take Aerith's mother hostage, or even threaten to lay siege on Cosmo Canyon, or any other place that sheltered us."

"Not before I tear out his throat," Nanaki said with a snarl to that. Having reconnected with his grandfather and mate after several years of torture, he took any threat to them as one to be ended.

"Then we'd have to deal with Scarlet. She's the head of the Weapons Development department, and may or may not be the illegitimate sister of Rufus. I never really looked into the rumors because I couldn't stand her, but she would have no qualms about simply blowing everything up. And unlike Heidegger, she wouldn't be stupid enough to put herself into a position where we could get rid of her if we killed the first two. That means we'd be putting her in charge and giving her a virtually unlimited budget to work with, making whatever happens our responsibility."

She stepped forward and looked Barret square in the eyes to drive the point across. "That's why I don't want killing Rufus to be something we actively strive for, unless absolutely necessary in self-defense. We'll be responsible for putting two complete monsters in charge and giving them a blank check to work with. It'd be another story if those two were taken out ahead of time, which would be doing the world a favor considering the sheer amount of crimes against humanity they've committed and then walked off from. Then either Reeve or Palmer would get the office, and they can be reasoned with."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Tifa asked. "What makes them so different?"

"Palmer was the head of the Space Program." Crimson gestured out the window to the rocket. "This was his project right up until it got its budget cut. He's… well, a coward. If he got into office because we got rid of the others, he'd avoid us like the plague."

He was also friends with President Shinra, which is probably why he kept his job so far. She couldn't imagine that he would be competent when it came to managing the entire company. Chances were that it would fold like a house of cards, which could prove disastrous given that people still relied on the company for their power supply. It was not an ideal solution.

"As for Reeve, he's in charge of Urban Development and is the one who designed the Mako Reactors." She took a moment to give her words some thoughts. "He's probably the best candidate for the seat. He's a very respectable man, has a lot of charity and goodwill projects behind him, and actually considers collateral damage when it comes to an objective. He's likely to take note of what has happened and decide to cut his losses to prevent any further bloodshed."

"Let's get back on-topic," Aerith said, before things could go any further. "Our goal in the first place isn't killing anyone from Shinra, but to stop Sephiroth and Jenova. How is the President coming out here himself connected to this?"

"The most likely answer would be that they are also chasing after Lucrecia's son," Vincent stated. They turned to look at him. "What brought us in this direction was our search for him, upon being told to head north of Nibelheim. It stands to reason they'd be tracking him themselves somehow."

Aerith nodded. "Then we can use that to our advantage if we can figure out where to go. Its late tonight, but we can split into groups to go question this Cid person and his assistant, while another group keeps an eye out for their arrival in the morning. That way no one will be alone if something happens."

"You and Crimson will have to stay out of sight if it does come down to a fight," Cloud added. They both gave him an inquiring look in response. "Remember, their original goal was to capture Aerith. They see her, they'll go after her. And it's likely that they think Crimson is dead from the injury she sustained. We should keep it that way."

Crimson placed a hand on the spot where the bullet had penetrated her. "That…" She sighed. "That makes sense. In that case, Aerith, Lockhart, and I will go question the assistant that lives with Cid before they get here. She might feel more comfortable talking to us in a casual conversation rather than a larger group of men."

"Barret, Vincent, and I can go question the pilot then," Cloud reasoned.

"That leaves Yuffie and Nanaki on lookout." Crimson looked towards the pair. "You are the best-suited for it, but do you have any objections?"

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders. Nanaki shook his head. Good enough.

"Meeting adjourned then." Crimson made for the door. "Everyone get some rest, I'll be at the Buggy checking up on things."

[-oOo-]

Aerith found the night to be warm as she walked to the outskirt of Rocket Town, where the Buggy was parked. The windows of it were tinted one-way to prevent someone from seeing into it from the outside. She lightly knocked on it to gain access, and stepped inside when the door opened.

The former Turk was sitting with one of the research journals in her lap. It held her attention as she asked, "What wrong?"

"You've been avoiding Cloud." It wasn't a question, but a fact.

Crimson didn't deny it as she looked up from the journal. "Has it become that apparent?"

"Cloud and I have noticed." Aerith took a seat next to her and shut the door. "We've been with you the longest and can see how you're pulling away from him. Right now he's probably wondering why."

Crimson groaned softly and rubbed her eyes. "I wanted to avoid that if I could. Damn."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She took a moment to think and then closed the journal. "Kunsel left partially because I lied to him about what happened in Gongaga. His friend attacked us and Cloud killed him. He reasoned that I hid the truth because I may have… romantic inclinations towards Cloud, and it's affecting my judgment."

"Oh." That explained it. "And… is it true?"

"I've thought about it, and I can honestly see why and how it happened," Crimson admitted. "The issue is that if I make a call based on that, and it turns out to be a mistake, then it will be my responsibility. I'm afraid that—"

"Your decision will get the rest of us killed." Aerith pursed her lips at the thought. That was the same train of thought she had in regards to her duty. "And you're trying to distance yourself because you believe that it will allow you to make more rational decisions."

"It's not ideal, I know that." She sighed softly and tilted her head back. "But it's the best I could come up with for the time being."

"You should at least talk to him about it."

Crimson picked up the research journal. "It's bad enough that I can barely understand any of this, so I can't help him with his memories. But if I had to put him in a position to know what I'm feeling then he'd be forced to consider it."

Aerith tilted her head slightly at that. "And you're afraid he'd reject you?"

Her red hair swayed gently as she shook her head. "It's not me I'm worried about, Aerith. I can handle rejection. Very few Turks had stable relationships given what we do. The secrets and dirty work don't mix well with long-term commitments outside of the company, so most of us only had casual relationships at best. A long-term relationship with someone is essentially a foreign concept for me."

"Then you're worried about what it will do to him," Aerith realized.

"If I tell him then he'd feel obligated to respond," Crimson reasoned. "No matter how he answers that, the dynamics of everything will change between us and the group. Besides that, I don't want him to agonize over it needlessly when we're still chasing after Sephiroth and Jenova with Shinra behind us."

"True." Aerith had to concede they were all valid points. She changed the topic again, realizing that there was nothing to be gained by lingering on it. "On the subject of Shinra's President, do you really think he'd come alone?"

"The Turks will likely be with him, and some guards to be safe." She crossed her arms in thought. "That's why Lockhart and I will be with you, just in case. They'd have to get past both of us to get to you."

"That's why I want to give you this." Aerith reached into her pocket and held out a materia for her. "It's an Elemental Materia I found at a Mako spring on Mount Nibel."

Crimson grasped the small sphere and looked at it inquisitively. "Why give it to me?"

"That Reno fellow is the most troublesome one of them all besides…" She wanted to say Tseng, but she had a strong feeling they were both hoping that he wouldn't be there. "His electric rod won't be able to disable you if you link it to Ramuh. I also gave Tifa a Barrier Materia that we picked up at the store to be safe."

"That makes sense." Crimson nodded. "Ideally, we'll get some answers without being spotted. All we really need to do is figure out what they need from this Captain and where they're going. It shouldn't come down to a fight."

"Better safe than sorry," Aerith said. "Has anything ever gone as planned so far?"

Crimson's shoulders sagged when she thought about it. "No, I guess not." She pulled out one of her own materia and handed it over to the Cetra. "I'll loan you my Seal Materia too. You should be able to Silence them so that they can't try again."

"Thanks." Materia exchanged, they talked a bit more before heading back to the Inn to get some rest.

[-oOo-]

"I'm so sorry." The deep hazel eyes that were framed behind a pair of thick glasses cast their gaze down at the floor, rather than the three women. "I thought you were from Shinra and I was overeager, I suppose. I'm always making stupid mistakes."

"It's fine. See?" Aerith removed her hand from where she had hit her head. "All better."

Aerith, Tifa, and Crimson had arrived outside of the house of what was supposed to be the Captain and his assistant. They had already confirmed that he was at the rocket, so they felt now was the time to go see her. Unfortunately, in a bout of misplaced zeal, she had eagerly tried to pull them inside and Aerith lost her balance, causing her to bump into the frame of the door. It was an accident and nothing major, but the woman insisted that they come inside while she fussed over a medical kit until Aerith used Cure on herself to heal the slight bruise.

"Are you sure that you don't need something else for it?" she asked. "I have painkillers? Or maybe some tea? He'd probably want me to serve guest tea. It won't take five minutes to make."

"No really, you don't need to go out of your way for us," Aerith told her.

"It's not trouble at all." She turned towards the kitchen. "Just let me get the water boiling. And maybe some snacks?"

Tifa took a step closer to Aerith as the woman filled up her teapot at the sink, and quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

Aerith nodded. "Compared to everything else we deal with, a bump on the head is hardly an issue. She's just being fussy."

"Uh, Miss?" Crimson started, getting straight into the point of their visit. "We heard that someone important was visiting, but we're not from around here and wanted to know what all the excitement was about. Could you tell us?"

"It's Shera," she said. "And everyone is excited because the president of Shinra is coming today to speak with Cid. We're hoping that he's here to talk to about restarting the Space Program."

"You mean with that rocket outside?" Tifa asked. "Does it still work after all of this time?"

"Cid's been working tirelessly to keep it functional. Everyday he's either in the rocket, making sure everything is functional, or with the Tiny Bronco out back. He still has hope that he'll be able to fulfill his dream to be the first astronaut in space."

"He must be a skilled pilot then."

"The best…." Her expression turned somber. "He would have been in space already if not for me. I… I ruined his dream." No sooner than she said that did it seem that all of the energy drained out of her body. It seemed they touched a sensitive topic.

Aerith kept her tone soft. "What happened? If you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

"Do you know why the launch was canceled?"

"I imagine it was due to a system malfunction or something drastic enough that they wouldn't bother funding a second attempt," Crimson said.

Shera shook her head. "No, it was because of me. When they were ready for launch, I was supposed to get off of the ship with the others. But I was still down below, checking the oxygen tanks."

"Why?" Tifa asked. "Were they broken?"

"I'm… meticulous," she admitted. "I have to be thorough when I check something. The tests weren't satisfactory, so I had to keep working on it. I told him to continue the launch while I finished up."

"If he had gone through with it, you would have died from the internal combustion temperature," Crimson pointed out. "You had to have known that."

Shera nodded. "I knew that, but the launch would've been a success. He would have been able to accomplish his dream after working so hard. He would have been happy, and that was all that mattered to me."

She brushed away the tears dotting the corner of her eyes and turned back to the sink. "Cid threw away everything to save me. His dreams went up in flames because of me, and I can never help him regain what he lost that day. The best I can do now is live my life for him…nothing else matters."

Crimson's face was adorned by a sad expression upon hearing that; one that was sympathetic in nature. She turned away as her phone vibrated, walking over to the wall and answering it. Looking between them, Aerith felt she understood the situation as well.

She rose out of her seat and walked over to the auburn-haired woman that invited them into her home, resting a hand on her shoulder. "People who are driven by a goal or a dream can go to such an extent that they can't stop themselves. They'll do what they have to in order to accomplish that, even if it means sacrificing others. He chose you over doing that, so that meant you were worth more to him than his dream."

Crimson closed her phone with an audible sound, grabbing Aerith's attention, and nodded her head towards the door. All traces of sympathy were gone. They were out of time. Aerith prepared to make an excuse for their abrupt departure when there was a knock on the door.

"Shera, are you in there?" said a voice on the other side.

She seemed to perk up in recognition. "Oh, that's Mister Palmer! It looks like they really will be starting the program back up."

As she made for the door, forgetting the others in her excitement, Crimson gestured towards the hallway and mouthed that it was time to leave. The three women quickly headed towards the rear entrance, planning on getting out of sight before they were spotted. No sooner than they made it to the backdoor did it open on its own.

And they came face-to-face with Elena and Reno.