They had to pass through a museum. Opening with a gold statue of President ShinRa. All four of them were disgusted the whole trip. Natalie and Cloud wore their masks through the gallery. Natalie was getting good at telling when someone didn't want anything to show on their face.

The next section contained slides of the board of directors. As well as a grandfatherly smiling face of the president. Then there was the exhibit of uniforms, robots. Examples of things from each department.

As they looked at a statue of a Third-Class SOLDIER. Barret stopped to ask. "How far didja make it Lee?"

"Second class," she told them. "For reasons, They kept me on inactive duty. I'm glad I didn't get out much. I didn't-never mind. I made second class by a hair. before I finally made my exit."

"How long ago was it?" Tifa asked.

"Not long enough ago." Natalie went for the doorway to the next area. "Let's go."

Natalie finally got to the floor with the giant model of the city. It was not in pieces. There was a very 'showing' feel to this section. Telling them about how great ShinRa was. At least this was just a gallery, floor by floor there was no fighting.

She was more concerned with what they would find in the lab upstairs.

They found a VR suite that gave them a 3D show about the Ancients, where those people got Materia from. As well as an event from two-thousand years ago that had ended their people.

'How do I fit into this?' Natalie thought, as the show talked about seeking the promised land, infinite Mako, and building a city there in paradise.

"The fuckers want to create paradise. And probably sell us a seat there." Natalie said as the show dissolved back into an empty room. While everyone else digested the video from VR.

The walls went wild and purple. Showing them a VR suite of a topside street. There was a glowing moon over ShinRa HQ. The moon was too big and too bright. A tattered robed figure stood on top of the building.

Natalie could make out the flames, that was no moon. It was Meteor. Sephiroth had gotten into the VR systems. She recalled a story long ago, of Sephiroth mock ups appearing in VR when he shouldn't have. Back in her SOLDIER days, before things had gone sideways.

As meteor came close enough to touch the atmosphere, the black-cloaked figure on top of the building disappeared.

Natalie's head started to hurt. The image of holy and clasped hands appeared in her head. That was the future she was heading for. Natalie could not make herself completely hate Sephiroth, only the actions he was trying to do now. The choices he had made. As strong as he had seen himself, she felt that he was weak for succumbing to the truth of his origins.

The VR went black before Natalie could see how it resolved. Giving her seconds before she could see the empty VR suite again.

'I can't hate you. I could never save you. But I can remember you, for who you were.' Natalie promised herself. While the others looked around the empty VR suite. Even as the nightmares ruined Natalie's sleep and showed alternate versions of her history. She could remember what she had had.

Her head no longer hurt as Barret spoke to the otherwise empty room.

"That made me want to puke." Barret said. "That ain't for kids."

"That wasn't just a movie." Cloud told them.

"That huge meteor," Tifa asked. "what was that about?"

"Like I said," Barret told her, "nothing you should show a kid."

"Let's just get Aerith out of here." Natalie said. 'Can other people can see him, he's in the VR systems. The hard light is powered by Mako, because of course. How far down does this go?' She was a tangle of emotions that she thought would stay buried, from back when she was a SOLDIER. Years before now, even before Nibelheim.

Sephiroth was haunting her dreams, her nightmares, while she was even awake. She knew she was going crazier every year. But that didn't explain the others seeing him. Not unless they were all being driven mad at once. And that last thought was a creeping terror of a thought. A terror that Natalie seemed to be running towards, instead of away from in a long time.

At least this time she was not dealing with it alone.

"Let's go." Cloud told them.

A man was waiting for them outside the VR suite. Hart. The mayors' aide. Natalie was the only one that didn't threaten him. She only knew of the mayor by name through listening to the local news in the Slums. 'Domino.'

The archives were huge, peaceful. They were lit by lights that mimicked natural sunlight. There was a light playing of piano keys in the background. The place would have been a haven for Natalie in her time in HQ, had she only known to poke around this floor then. Her life seemed to be full of regrets. They had no time to browse the archives now, not when Aerith waited for them.

Hart led them through a couple of large rooms to a secret door, behind which Domino's office lay.

Barret issued Hart another threat before they went inside. "What does your trouble sense be tellin' you Natalie?"

"It isn't. But If I'm wrong, the four of us can handle a trap."

"Hmm," they proceeded up the last staircase to the mayor.

The office had a bank of monitors, showing them all walking about the building. The mayor greeted them, told them that 'someone' had been cleaning up there messes. Other wise 'someone else' would have turned on the general alarm by now.

Natalie was alarmed by the number of cameras that she had not known of, since she had been in HQ last. As well as some angles in rooms where she had never spotted a camera in the first place.

He also revealed that he was AVALANCHE's man on the inside. Barret's people just didn't know. Natalie did not care in the end, only that this room had not turned out to be a giant trap.

The mayor explained why he had become disenfranchised with ShinRa. The mayor had been relegated to an archivist of the city's, and ShinRa's, records. At least the ones that were not locked behind several clearance levels. Such as in the Data Room, which was a basemen-sub level. At least it was compared to the plate.

Natalie wanted to laugh. She kept her face a mask instead of shit in his complaints. Domino was helping her group, after all. Though the bookworm in her was a little mad that being 'relegated' to being an 'archivist' felt like an insult to librarians everywhere.

Domino was surprised that they weren't there to kill the president. Cloud told him about getting to Hojo's lab. So Domino upgraded their keycard to get to the Sixty-fourth floor, at which point another man would get them up to the Sixty-fifth if they exchanged pass phrases.

"As you you." Domino surprised everyone by turning on Natalie. "The same things that are keeping the general alarm off, are stopping your face from being flagged by facial recognition. Do you know-"

Natalie's face, still a mask interrupted the mayor. "I know. Our friend is more important than me."

"Well, just as long as you manage to not get recognized by someone outside of this room." Domnio gestured grandly at the bank of monitors in his office. There were little facial-recognizing squares around all the footage of Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Natalie.

Natalie's had a little red square with an exclamation point. ShinRa was watching, or it tried to. And after five years since she had set foot in this building, they hadn't forgotten. Which meant that Hojo hadn't either.

Barret asked, "why is yer square red?"

"I have no plans for meeting old friends, or acquaintances." Natalie promised.

"What the hell did you do?" Barret asked, more surprised that accusatory.

Cloud however, "You knew, that could endanger us trying to get Aerith back!"

"Could have, but it's not, thanks to this guy." Natalie gestured at the mayor. "It was a risk assessment. Coming back here. And I didn't know ShinRa wanted me so badly." She pointed a finger at the nearest screen and the little red flag next to her face.

Tifa was looking for something in the screens, but other than the red flag, there was no additional information on Natalie. "What could ShinRa want with you?"

Natalie shook her head, "There's no time. Not to go into the whole thing. Or how I found out." Lee grasped at a straw, "Later though. Let's get Aerith out and I can explain later."

Domino was looking at Natalie curiously.

"Long story, short. I have qualities that go beyond being an ex-SOLDIER. Qualities that Hojo values. So I have reasons, beyond helping Aerith. To get ANYONE out of that lab that went in there." She had shouted that word. "It was worth the risk of coming back if it got Aerith out." She threw a glance at the mayor. "If you have the clearance to find out, go digging into my dossier on your own time."

"Hmph." Domino looked a little insulted for being given something that sounded like an order.

"If'n you get thrown in with Aerith. We'll get you out, Lee." Barret reassured Natalie.

Natalie nodded at him.

"Just be warned," Domino reminded them, "if a troop of Public Security. Or some Turks show up. I can't fix that from here."

"Yeah, don't make a racket getting to Aerith. Check." Natalie looked a the others she had come with. "Are we good to go?" Natalie was feeling antsy. She had thought she had been dwelling on the past earlier. That was nothing to all the laundry that had just been nearly aired out. Her head was swimming with memories now.

Domino showed the group the door. When outside, his personal assistant Hart offered to give them details on the person they were looking for in return for a bribe. After Natalie easily paid the man, Hart then told them where they might find the contact on the Sixty-third floor, sending them off.

Natalie didn't like the way she felt the other three's eyes were on her back as she led the way out of the archive.

"Later! We can talk later!" She snapped at them. Cloud was the only one who didn't flinch at the noise, in the quiet archive.

Natalie stopped to take a slow breath. "Sorry. It's- I have some shit wrapped up in this place." She spoke more calmly this time. "Later, ask me after we've gotten Aerith out."

Cloud had that 'I don't want you to know what I'm thinking look' with his face smooth and unreadable. Barret nodded, accepting the apology. And Tifa had the most sympathy written all over he face, that hurt the most.

Natalie remembered when she had taken the name 'Sam' for a brief while. Screaming at Zangan to go ahead and get Tifa out alive. And clearly he had. No, her history with this building, and getting out of the SOLDIER program was a long story she never wanted to repeat. And definitely not now, in HQ and in the middle of a rescue mission.

Natalie turned on her heel and stalked out of the archive. Being in Nibelheim and being physically blocked from intervening, hurt more than almost everything that had happened other than her heart being broken. She had been stripped of the power to help. And here she stood, helping and not being stopped. There were no whispers in the room to be seen.

The four of them headed to the next escalator.

They passed an office with people working overtime on the messes ShinRa had made of the city. In the atrium beyond that, the man they were looking for was standing outside it. The collaborator they found only wanted them to defeat a certain combat in the VR suite to earn his trust that they were capable enough.

"You train in any of these?" Barret asked Natalie and Cloud.

"All the time," she told him. "Looks like they've upgraded. Or I've never been on this floor or both."

Once the monster was easily trounced by the four of them, they went back to the contact for further instructions.

Their collaborator warned them about a board meeting coming up. So they went upstairs to try and listen in on Hojo and follow him to the sixty-fifth floor.

They crossed two infantry, Public Security, on patrol.

Natalie didn't recognize the chin or the name tag on either. Heidigger had no doubt recruited many more PS since she had left ShinRa.

The PS stopped them, "Cloud? you're Cloud right? Holy shit!"

Natalie froze, they were all hesitating.

"It's cool bro" One guard told the other. "We went through training together. Damn! So you still alive and kicking, huh?"

Natalie said nothing, Cloud looked more delicate than he acted. Seeing him freeze so thoroughly Lee didn't want to push or break Cloud by accident.

The guard continued. "Some of the guys heard you got smoked, but I told 'em it was all bullshit! Hey, sit tight man!"

Cloud started holding his head.

"I'mma go get Kunsel. I'll be right back."

Natalie remembered Kunsel, he would recognize her for sure. She remembered how sharp Kunsel had been. He would not be tricked by a pair of goggles and a haircut. And one of Zack's close friends in SOLDIER besides. She watched Cloud for a reaction.

He had stopped, leaned forward and held his head. Cloud was out of it and Natalie had no intention of pushing through her sudden migraine to get something out of Cloud in this moment. Not when she had her own secrets still.

Tifa shot Barret and Natalie a glance. Natalie looked back, Barret was only watching Cloud as the infantry members rushed off to get Kunsel.

Barret did not sound pleased, "Old buddy?"

Cloud was still holding his head.

"You ok?" Tifa asked Cloud.

It clicked for Natalie. The last time she had seen him, his first-class SOLDIER uniform had been immaculate. Between the Nibelheim incident and Midgar, he had lost one pauldron and replaced the other with his current, battered, looking piece of pitted-metal-pauldron. It had serviced him so far. Natalie didn't know why she hadn't realized it until now. In that time gap where Zack had vanished, Cloud had seen some shit. But as she kept her own counsel, and Cloud did not recognize Natalie from Nibelheim, she did not poke the bear.

Cloud shrugged off Tifa, "Yeah."

'What happened to you and Zack after Banora?' Natalie thought. But now was not the time to ask. There might never be a good time to ask about that.

Tifa kept asking, "But you were just-"

Cloud interrupted Tifa. "I'm good. Let's keep moving."

They made it to the conference room floor as the President was moving to the meeting.

Cloud stopped Barret from going after him. That wasn't what they were there for. He got them on track to listen in on the meeting to get as much intel as they could.

Making their way to the men's room. Cloud and Tifa ended up in the vent. It wasn't wide enough for Barret to go. He was tall, but he was very broad in the shoulders. Then there was the giant gun-arm. Natalie elected no too, she wanted to keep Barret out of trouble. As well the duct was not wide enough for her, Cloud and Tifa to listen.

'If I see Hojo, I might be tempted to kill him right there.' She thought. So much of what had gone wrong for her was his fault. But him remaining alive for a little while more could be the key to getting Aerith out of HQ.

After Tifa's feet disappeared over their heads. Barret started up.

"So."

"So."

"You were a SOLDIER here?"

"Hmm, for entirely too many years."

"It was lucky Biggs found ya and got ya to us." Barret said.

"Mm-hmm." Natalie did not want to elaborate how much luck was involved.

"I gotta say, at first I had you pegged for a Mako addict. Not a SOLDIER."

"Yeah, what changed your mind?" Natalie was curious to what had tipped Barret off that she had been a SOLDIER the whole time.

"Never met a Mako addict so clear headed. And that good at clearing the areas around Sector Seven of fiends."

"Hmmm."

Barret went on, "Then Tifa introduced me to Cloud. And I could finally understand that look in yer eye."

"You didn't say anything."

"You should know me better than to think I'd poke my nose in other people's business. I could tell you had quit them." He meant ShinRa.

"I never worked for them in the first place." Natalie told him.

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, the Turks recruit people into SOLDIER. Whether they want to or not."

"How the hell does that work?"

"Take a shower or get buried six feet under. A surprising amount of people say yes in the face of death. Or maybe it's not surprising."

"Is that what happened to you? Begging for life?"

"I didn't beg." She shook her head. "It's complicated. I got out when I could. I'm just glad that I had a very limited amount of field experience. So when there was a huge of wave of defecting SOLDIERs before the cease fire. I could get out and hide."

"That was what, five years ago?"

"Longer," Natalie corrected her slip. "I didn't take a calendar with me. It was during the war." She exhaled slowly, "I found somewhere to go to ground and kept my head down. Sometimes ShinRa lets 'assests' go their own way, but under a watchful eye. I don't think my 'special qualities' give me a chance for that sort of treatment."

"huh, so why'd you come back here?"

"That's another story."

"Man, you got any more surprises in yer pocket?"

"I'm a fucking onion of stuff. Hey, I can hear them coming back."

They looked up to see Tifa's feet stick out. To tell them about the meeting.

Natalie's blood ran cold at the news. Sephiroth had been spotted walking the building by other members of the ShinRa board of Directors.

All the hallucinations she had had so far, of Sephiroth. She felt haunted by him at this point. That combined with this sighting that had her more concerned. 'Why is he being spotted by more and more people? We can't all be going crazy. Could we?'

Now she knew, other people were seeing him. Even if it was only Palmer on the Board of Directors.

"They have plans for Aerith." Tifa told them. She looked sick. "They want to breed-" Tifa didn't finish.

"It doesn't matter, we're getting her out." Cloud told them.

Natalie felt sick herself, but she kept it from showing on her face. 'My period restarted.' Natalie thought with horror. 'What a time for that, when even Hojo won't hold back for his precious Cetra specimen.' If Natalie got stuck in Hojo's lab, she expected worse treatment from him than what he afforded for a Cetra. And if he was willing to go that far with Aerith…

Tifa and Cloud briefed Natalie and Barret on what they had overheard.

"But what SOLDIERs did Hojo mention?" Natalie asked.

"Something about different types."

"Hmm." Natalie said.

"Do you know what that means?" Tifa asked.

Natalie saw the studious look on Cloud's face, underneath his mask. She shook her head "Nothing that matters right now."

"Let's go." Cloud told them.

They found Hojo musing to himself on the way to the sixty-fifth floor. Mumbling to himself and slowly making his way to the door.

Something about arranging a meeting. Natalie did not like it. Hojo did not make Sephiroth accidentally. And now the scientists wanted a meeting with Sephiroth. Once he opened the door with his keycard, Cloud led them through while the door was still open. Natalie was taking up the rear, slipping through the door before it closed.

At the next door, Barret had the man at gunpoint and got Hojo to lead him into the lower chamber of his lab. Scaring off the staff that were working late into the night.

The man new no fear as he calmly led them, inches ahead of Barret's gun arm. Questioning them as they walked further into the lab. Hojo had figured them for AVALANCHE, assuming they were were there for the president's head.

'He doesn't scare easily, he thinks meeting Sephiroth as he is now is a good idea.' Natalie thought, while imagining stabbing Hojo in the back, if it came to that.

When Hojo finally got out of them why they were there, for Aerith. Hojo was convinced that his creations could kill them, and their bodies could be used to hurt Aerith.

Natalie hadn't had enough experience with Hojo, she had never met him personally. She wanted to kick herself for not noticing him palm a hand switch. Pressing the button summoned some bots. On his way further into the lab, he released the big thing in the big vat in that room. Delaying them even further.

Leaving to fight the bots and a giant monster.

After a rough fight, the moment the last creature rejoined the Lifestream Barret yelled. "Hey! Hojo's getting away." And they chased him after the elevator.

Natalie saw it from across the room. A red feline-canine looking creature had slept through the whole mess from within a pod.

It bothered Natalie in ways she could not describe to the others, she just let her unsettled feelings sit in the back of her mind. While Cloud led the way through battle and into a deeper part of the lab.

On the next floor, there was a security force between them and Aerith's pod. Hojo cackled at them over a PA system. Hojo was on an observation deck over this lab's floor.

"Very impressive." He told them with glee. "I really must thank you for providing me with such invaluable combat data."

Barret insulted him with one of his usual curses.

Natalie had her goggles up on her forehead. There was nothing to hide from anymore, it was also too dimly lit in the lab to keep them on any longer. It felt like all the disguises, and lamp-shading with scarves or goggles, she had used had been leading up to this moment. She only had to get out of the building with the others. It seemed a simple plan.

Hojo only gloated at them that the combat data he had so far would mean that he had enough public security elite members assembled to more than deal with them.

Cloud told him that they were taking Aerith back.

"Oh? 'take her back.' you say? Correct me if I'm wrong, but did the girl not come here of her own free will? Or do you mean to tell me that she is your own 'personal property'?"

Barret had the counter, "She only came here to save Marlene!"

"I'm afraid you misunderstand." Hojo told them, signaling the guards to attack.

Natalie did not like the math before her. But she did not have a choice. Forward and through.

Hojo finished, "But I really can't be bothered to explain. This facility is home to extraordinary specimens that will change the world as we know it. Do try to be considerate."

The one big monster downstairs, had been one big problem at a time. The spread of the guards with them was it's own problem. But the motley crew pulled through. Again, in far longer than Natalie liked. It took too many minutes to finish them off. She did not like long battles, it led to more injuries, that required more healing and took more resources.

As the last man dropped, Barret threw something out at Hojo, "Looks like your models got it wrong."

"Yes...," Hojo studied them, "an unknown variable perhaps."

"One or two." Natalie told Hojo.

"No matter, reinforcements will soon arrive."

Cloud threatened him, "But will they get here in time to save you from me?"

Hojo leaned forward at Cloud. "My, are you a SOLDIER?"

Natalie became concerned, "He's not the only one."

"Hrmm," He studied them both. "I don't-" hojo laughed. Talking to himself he said, "Yes, that could work…" He turned to Cloud "But no. Not quite. Oh, I recall now, my memory was mistaken. My boy, you weren't a SOLDIER..."

'Oh no.' Natalie thought. 'What if he's not ready for that.'

Cloud was grasping his head again.

Before Natalie could try anything, while her ehad started to pound, a flock of Wraiths appeared from behind the scientist and swarmed Hojo. Dragging him backwards and away.

"What? What is this fascinating phenomenon?" Hojo said one more thing before leaving the range of his microphone. "What's happening!? Where are you taking me!?"

"What are those things up to this time?" Barret asked.

Natalie was distracted. Hojo had never met her, but he knew her. Her DNA, possibly that Sephiroth had delayed her being shipped to this very lab. There were several reasons she would be valuable to Hojo. Her skin crawled, she wanted out of here.

"Cloud!" Aerith called.

"Barret." Cloud said.

"Got it. Stand back." Barret shot out the lock on the vat Aerith stood in.

The door sizzled and started to open. Aerith ran to Cloud, "You came for me."

"Yep." Cloud told her.

"You good?" Tifa asked Aerith.

"I'm great!"

Aerith's response was cut off by the reinforcements arriving.

Armored exo-suit heavies with melee weapons. They were going to get hurt. But now Aerith was out.

"Thanks for saving Marlene. I owe you one." He told Aerith.

"Save it for later." Cloud told him.

Natalie was just glad there was only two heavies between the four of them.

When the dust settled, Tifa and Natalie ran over to Aerith. "Aerith!" Tifa asked, are you ok?"

"Mm hmm. Thank you."

"It's been a while, Aerith." Natalie said.

"Feeling better?" Aerith asked Natalie

"Yeah, I'll feel even better soon." Natalie told the other woman.

"Let's get out of here." Cloud told them.

Natalie fell into the rear, keeping an eye on behind. She heard it first, something scratching and clattering from below. "Guys. there's something..."

Cloud and Natalie both had hands to swords, ready to pull them out.

That red feline creature pounced onto the space behind them, right in front of Natalie.

She was ready to defend herself, but defense only, even as she watched the feral gleam in his one yellow eye.

Another unfortunate creature was trying to escape Hojo's lab. Natalie was appaled to see the agression in the one eye. Ready to use Sleepel or other binding magic if she needed. This was no mutated slavering creation of Hojo.

The red feline gave another growl before leaping off and away, through the glass above them and running off.

'Is he running away from us? Or after Hojo?' As they all watched him vanish further into the lab.

"The hell was that thing?" Barret asked.

"We need to go." Aerith said, running off.

"Aerith!" Tifa called.

"What the-!?" Barret cried.

"We have to follow Aerith!" Natalie went after her.

Cloud told them. "Come on!"

Aerith was through the door, after the red feline? It was more canine or a blend of both, and Hojo.

They piled into the hall. Hojo was stumbling up into, yet another, elevator. The red creature was prowling, then running at the elevator. Jumping onto the closing door. It could only growl at the closed elevator door and turned around.

Still looking like a feral animal, he padded his way to Natalie's group. While Aerith had made it to the front.

'What is that thing?.' Natalie thought.

"What? You wanna go?" Barret started to ready his gun.

"Stop!" Aerith put out a hand to placate the group.

Natalie stood beside Cloud. Tifa was ready for a fight. Cloud was looking at Aerith for guidance.

Natalie did not make any sudden movements, yet. With her sword up, she was ready to snap out a sleepel. But she wanted to see what Aerith had in mind before starting her spell.

Aerith started to walk forward, "This child's a friend."

The canine-feline thing came to a stop and lowered itself into an even more aggressive stance, growling at Aerith.

'Sleepel, then a heal if it's needed.' Natalie thought, while she watched Aerith get too close to the feral thing.

Natalie was the only one to not lean forward in trepidation as Aerith got closer. She was already leaning forward ready to act if things blew up in Aerith's face.

They all saw the magic from Aerith as she lay a hand on Red's forehead. He continued growling but it bled away as whatever Aerith was doing started to work.

Natalie could see his stance go easy and the feral, angry, look in his eyes went away. Softening to something that looked more like a person looking out with their one good eye.

'Probably the normal way a whatever species it's called.' Natalie thought.

The creature opened it's eye, it's head moving back and forth as it regarded them all.

Natalie smiled at Aerith, even if the woman had her back to Natalie. Aerith had a way with people and animals as it were.

"Uhh," Barret started asking, "So what the hell is it?"

It licked his lips and spoke, "A fascinating question."

Barret and Tifa backed off. "Did it just talk?" Tifa asked.

The creature continued "You asked what 'it' is. Hmmm..." He, and the voice sounded masculine, padded forward and sat on his hindquarters. "I am that which you see before you. Nothing more."

Natalie played a tune in her mind's eye to relax her state of readiness. Now that the creature, the 'him' was not feral. Was no longer feral. But the tune slipped away as the conversation between the five of them continued.

He, it?, continued, "I'd appreciate it if we simply left it at that, agreed?"

"We need something to call you though," Natalie started. "Other than, hey you." He got up and moved around. A rough tattoo of 'XIII' clear on his front-left shoulder in his red fur.

He sat down again, "Red XIII, the name given to me by Hojo."

Natalie didn't know what to say so she remained silent.

"Then," Tifa offered, "You must have another name. What is it?"

Red ignored the question and looked to where Hojo had gone.

"He got away," Cloud said.

"I'm going to fucking kill him." Natalie said. She wanted to damn him to the Livestream for what he had done. Hojo continuing to live meant trouble for everyone.

Natalie watched Cloud walked forward stiffly towards the elevator.

Barret asked after Cloud, "So, we gonna get the sonofabitch?"

Cloud kept walking, like a man possessed.

'Possessed,' Natalie thought. 'By what?'

Everyone watched Cloud, they hesitated.

Natalie started feeling it in her own head. 'No…'

Natalie put a hand out against the wall. Her mind started to stab and the others around her gasped again.

"I'll come back to you." His voice, Sephiroth. With a memory of flames and Nibelheim.

Natalie was doubled over in pain.

"Mother," Sephiroth whispered. "Together we will reclaim our world."

Natalie could not remember where she had heard those words.

She squeezed her eyes shut. It hurt, she felt a little selfish relief that he wasn't being puppeted like Cloud.

She could feel his call though, to go forward to him, to Sephiroth. She gripped the rail, fighting it.

Her mind's eye was filled with the image of something that she had not seen before, but she could feel it. The vaguely humanoid form, the tubes, the tumorous growths, the cracked and blackened skin. Shapes that was vaguely of a nude woman, legs, arms, things coming out like tentacles. The form had a torso, arms and no head.

She had no idea what brought that image on, or where it came from. 'He can touch both of us.' She wanted to groan. To fight. She could see a green and gray blasted crags in her mind. Filled with people in black tattered rags. What had started as small hallucinations were growing in reach, to other people, growing urges. And now He could reach into Cloud and Natalie's mind at the same time. It made her want to weep or scream.

Cloud was no SOLDIER or Natalie would have thought that the Jenova cells in their bodies were the cause of this. But Cloud had no reason to have any of those.

Cloud mumbled something, then collapsed right before the elevator door.

Natalie had a thought 'I have to fight it. there's no other way.'

She heard the people behind her call Cloud's name before Natalie, standing behind the others, fell into black.