TWENTY

I heard the airship before I saw it. The roar of its engines filled the air as Cloud and I climbed higher and higher, and by the time we made it to the top, it was almost deafening, all but drowning out the cheerful fanfare playing all across town. When Cloud and I pulled ourselves up onto the tarmac of the Junon airport, we saw the huge airship hovering above us, sleek and beautiful, and my jaw dropped.

"Oh, wow!" I gasped.

I'd seen it about a year ago on a mural when I'd snuck into Shinra's aviation museum with Biggs and Wedge to steal some engine parts for the secret lift in Seventh Heaven, and I'd been impressed then. But that was nothing compared to seeing the real thing. It must've been at least two hundred feet long and maybe half that wide, held aloft by a pair of large horizontal propellers parallel to the ground with their drum-like engines beneath them. It also had two wings, one on each side halfway between the main body and the long, narrow nose.

Just behind the main body where the forward propellers were, the fuselage split in two, and each side stretched backward with a small tail fin and cubelike stabilizer below it mounted on the far end. Each of the stabilizers was divided into three sections. There was also a long, open deck suspended just below the main body, with a second, smaller set of propellers extended right behind it, and enclosed in front of it was the bridge with its clear, curved forward windows.

Cloud gazed up at the airship. "Pretty impressive."

"She's gorgeous!" I squealed. "I saw a picture of her back in Midgar in the museum last year, the one I told you about, remember? But that was nothing compared to this! How cool!"

He nodded. "Yeah. When you stole those engine parts."

I giggled. "Right. That was a fun mission."

"And now we're here with the real thing, Jessie," Cloud murmured. "She's really big. What was her name again?"

I thought for a moment. "Um… Highwind. That's it."

He glanced at me. "You sure?"

"Yeah," I said. "It was on the mural. Damn, I'd love to go inside and take a peek at those engines! I wonder how fast she can go? How much fuel she takes? What her cruising altitude is? I—"

"Excited much?" Cloud asked.

I laughed. "You bet! Oh, I wish I could fly on her someday, Cloud. Wouldn't it be great? Speeding through the clouds together? The others could all be there with us, too! It'd be so much fun!"

"Yeah, it would," he agreed.

"Seems such shame for her to be stuck here," I sighed. "I guess her pilot hasn't gotten her back yet. I met him once, actually. When I was at the museum pulling off my little heist."

Cloud looked at the airship again. "I remember. Older guy with an attitude, right? Cranky and likes to smoke?"

"That's him," I chuckled. "He's alright underneath all that, though. Got me out of a jam that day and kept me from getting caught. He's not from Midgar, so maybe we'll run into him sometime."

"It's possible," he said.

I went on as I gazed lovingly up at the Highwind. "And who knows, Cloud? He wasn't happy with Shinra shutting down the space program, so he might even help us if we can talk him into it."

"Maybe, but right now we need to get going," Cloud reminded me. "We've gotta get to the cargo ship, remember?"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that!" I gasped.

He smirked. "Obviously."

Giggling sheepishly, I followed Cloud as we hurried off the tarmac. There was a large lift nearby, and we rode it to the airport's lower level. From there, we slipped inside a corridor with shiny metal walls. It bent to the right, but we saw another door ahead of us and on our left across from where the hall turned. Just as we reached it, we suddenly heard a voice behind us along with booted footsteps.

It was a Shinra officer. "Hey, rookies! Get over here! Now!"

"Shit!" I swore under my breath.

"Just play along," Cloud whispered. "It'll be fine."

I nodded and followed him over to where the officer and two other soldiers were standing. They had walked up the hall from the opposite direction and had spotted us before we could get out of sight. We stood in front of the officer and snapped to attention.

"We don't have a lot of time, so follow me over to the break room!" he barked. "It's just down the hall. Now move it!"

"Yes, sir!" we replied.

We made our way there as fast as we could, hurrying down the hall to a door at the far end. Inside was a single room with a row of lockers lining the wall on the other side. There were also a few long tables with chairs, and to the right was a large wooden desk, likely for the sergeant. We all lined up in a row as he looked us over.

"Today's the big day, everyone!" he told us. "It's our job to welcome President Rufus to Junon. The parade's gonna start soon, and you'll be marching your happy asses in it all down the main street! But first, let's go over the greeting procedure. You two know it?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, sir."

After I did the same, the officer grimaced. "Thought as much. That vacant look on your faces said it all. So watch real close while your pals give you a little demonstration, understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Cloud and I nodded.

"Go grab yourselves each a rifle while you're at it," he added, taking out some keys. "They're in the lockers there."

Once we'd retrieved our weapons, we watched closely as the officer and the other two soldiers showed us the greeting procedure for when we'd be marching in the parade. It was just marching while shouldering our rifles, but I did my best to learn how it was done. Once the soldiers had finished, the officer looked us over.

"Alright, now you do it," he told us, waiting expectantly.

So we did. I struggled a little, as I didn't really have experience with this sort of thing, but Cloud's whispered instructions and soft words of encouragement helped me get through it. Once we had run through it a few times, the officer nodded in approval.

"Good! Now you'd better do just as well in the real thing!" he said. "It's gonna be broadcast all over the world on the Shinra news, so don't mess up or you'll embarrass the whole Junon army. If you do, I'll take it outta your sorry hides myself! Am I clear?"

Cloud and I nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Then the officer glanced suspiciously at me. "Hold on… aren't you a little short to be a Shinra trooper?"

"Um, well maybe," I answered, doing my best impression of a man's voice. "Just an inch or two below regulation. But I really wanted in, sir. And I can keep up with everyone, don't worry."

"Fair enough," he grunted.

Just then, another trooper hurried inside. "President Rufus is here, sir! He just arrived a few minutes ago."

The officer turned to us. "Showtime! Move out!"

With that, we all left the break room and hurried down the hall in a line. When we got to the end a moment later, we quickly made a right and marched through the rest of the Junon airport as the parade music grew steadily louder in our ears. I stayed close to Cloud, not wanting to get separated from him, and after we got outside, we hurried down the road with our boots clomping on the concrete.

But when we got to the main street, it was empty and covered with colorful scraps of tickertape. In the distance, we could hear the parade music moving away from us. It looked like we'd just missed it. It didn't sound like it was that far off, though, so we could probably catch up to it if we hurried. I glanced at Cloud through the scanners on my helmet and shrugged, not sure what else to do.

"Damn! There's nobody here!" the officer swore. Then he glared at Cloud and I. "It's all your fault, rookies! If you two hadn't been running around, we'd have gotten here a lot sooner!"

One of the other soldiers pointed at a nearby alley. "Sir! I think we can take a shortcut right through here!"

"Good idea!" he agreed. "Move out, people!"

We did as he ordered, hurrying into the alley. As we made our way closer to the parade, the music grew louder, a cheerful fanfare of horns and drums. There was also the murmur of the crowds watching it from the sides of the street or the windows of the tall buildings above us. We came into sight of the parade only a minute or so later, rows of soldiers marching down the road in perfect formation. And there in the middle of it was Rufus Shinra, sitting in the back of an open convertible while he smiled and waved at the cheering crowd.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," I whispered to Cloud.

He nodded. "I know the feeling."

One of the soldiers motioned to us as we crept up to the side of the parade. "I'll go first. Just watch real close and do as I do, alright? Sneak into the back of the line when you see an opening."

"This parade's being broadcast live all around the world, and if you look bad, so will the whole Junon army," the officer added. "Remember that and don't screw up. You got that, rookies?"

"Yes, sir," Cloud and I saluted.

He nodded. "Good. Jump in when I give you the signal."

As we waited in the alley, row after row of Shinra soldiers marched by in front of us. The two troopers who were with us darted into line as soon as the officer gave the order, going one after the other and sliding effortlessly into formation. As I watched, an uncomfortable possibility suddenly occurred to me, and I turned to Cloud.

"What if we get separated?" I whispered.

"I'll find you," Cloud assured me. "Just stick with the soldiers. The parade's pretty much a straight shot down the main street, so when you get to the end, stay there. I'll be waiting for you."

I nodded. "Alright, but… how are you gonna find me?"

"Like the officer said, you are a little short for a trooper," he teased. "Shouldn't be all that hard to spot you. Just keep up the act and try not to draw attention to yourself. You'll be fine."

"Okay," I giggled.

The officer pointed. "You're up, rookies! Go!"

Cloud went first, hurrying out behind one of the rows of marching soldiers and slipping into line before he could be noticed. By the time I took my turn, his row had already moved past the alley, so I swallowed nervously and ducked into the next one, shouldering my rifle the best I could and marching the way I'd been shown. I only hoped we'd be able to find each other when this was all over.


"We about ready?" I asked.

Aerith nodded as she adjusted her helmet. "As we'll ever be, Tifa. I think Cloud and Jessie should be topside by now."

"I'm certain they are," Red agreed.

We were downstairs in the inn's common room, waiting for Barret and Yuffie to finish putting their disguises on and join us. Aerith, Red, and I were already in our Shinra uniforms. I was surprised at how well Red's managed to fit him—the extra large gloves we'd found for him in Fort Condor hid his paws really well, though he couldn't pick anything up since the fingers were empty. And the boots covered his hind paws, so only part of his furry face was visible under the helmet. There wasn't much we could do about his tail, though.

In one corner of the room was a small TV showing the parade, and on the screen, rows of soldiers marched down the main street of Upper Junon in perfect formation. I wondered if any of them were Cloud and Jessie. It would've been a good way to get to the docks unnoticed. Hide right out in public, as the old saying goes.

Just then, Yuffie came bouncing down the stairs in her sailor outfit. White with dark blue trim and a bright red scarf tied around her neck. Her flat, round white hat sat easily on her head, and she stood with her hands on her hips and a proud grin on her face.

"Well, whaddya think?" she laughed. "Sailor Yuffie! Only the most gorgeous young mariner to ever grace the seven seas!"

"Lookin' good!" Aerith cheered.

I smiled. "Yeah. Now we're just waiting on Barret."

She giggled. "You'll love it, trust me!"

A few minutes later, Barret stomped down the stairs, all decked out in his own sailor uniform. It was a lot like Yuffie's, but it did look really cute on him. I'd never really seen him in anything other than his usual clothes aside from the suit he'd worn to Katie and Tom's wedding in the Midgar slums months ago. Like Jessie, I'd been one of the bridesmaids, and it had been a wonderful day. So much had changed since then, but it was nice to have these little moments of fun amidst all the madness. I think it helped us get through the harder times.

"Oh, you look great, Barret!" I laughed. "Too cute!"

"What'd I tell ya?" Yuffie smirked.

Barret grumbled as he carried a bag holding all our gear along with Cloud and Jessie's. "Shit… knew you guys'd all laugh it up. Now I know how Cloud feels 'bout havin' to wear that dress."

"Wait, what?" she gaped. "A dress, really? Cloud!?"

"It's a long story, but yeah," Aerith grinned.

I chuckled. "We'll fill you in about it later, Yuffie. But for now, how about we admire Barret in his sailor suit instead?"

"He does look kinda cuddly in it," Yuffie snickered.

"Cuddly?" Barret snorted.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Of course! But I suppose we'd better get going. We don't wanna miss the ship."

"We'll snuggle up with you later," Aerith teased.

"Ah, hell…" Barret muttered.

Then we left, hurrying outside and making our way through town to the huge elevator tower at the north end. The guards were still there, standing on either side of the double doors, and when we approached, one stuck out his hand and shook his head.

"No admittance until—oh, sorry, I didn't see the uniforms at first," he said. "Still, I'm not supposed to let anyone through. I'm afraid those are my orders. Security reasons, you understand."

Barret nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya. Been here a while?"

The soldier grimaced. "Since daybreak, and my feet are killing me. Just wish I could sit down for a bit, maybe have a drink or two. But I've still got another three hours left on my shift."

"We'll take it for you," I offered, doing a halfway decent impression of a man's voice. "I know it must be hard."

"Really?" he asked.

Barret gave him a small pouch of gil. "Sure thing, man. Go on and take a break, kick back with them drinks for a while. We'll keep an eye on things here. Won't let no one through."

"Well, I guess so," the soldier said. "Thanks, guys."

As soon as he and his partner left and were out of sight, we hurried into the elevator tower. The lift was right inside, and pressing a button on a nearby console got it moving with a low hum and a flash of bright yellow lights. It didn't take long for us to get to the top, just a minute or two, and once there, we went outside and found ourselves in the Junon airport. Through the large windows across the hall was a broad tarmac full of planes and helicopters, and to the right, hovering by itself above an elevated section of it, was a huge, sleek airship.

"Wow!" Aerith breathed, moving up to the window for a moment. "That's the airship? It's bigger than I thought!"

"Impressive," Red agreed.

I nodded. "Yeah. The TV at the inn didn't do it justice."

"Wonder what it'd be like to fly in it?" Barret said. "Speedin' across the sky, clouds all 'round us, engines roarin'…"

Yuffie's face went green. "Oh, I don't wanna know…"

"I'm sure it'd be fine," I chuckled.

"Can we just go now before I hurl?" she sighed.

Aerith giggled. "Sure, Yuffie."

We moved on, leaving the airport after a few minutes and heading into the street. In the distance, we could hear the parade music playing a cheerful fanfare. It was moving steadily away across town toward the docks, so I led the others into a nearby alley. If we could cut through a few of these back streets, we'd be able to reach the ship ahead of Cloud and Jessie. Then we'd just get on board and wait for them. Junon was a long and narrow city with elevated sections built on a rising slope, and we were on the bottom level as we hurried on.

After about ten minutes or so, we caught a glimpse of the parade as it approached the huge mako cannon that rested overhead. If there was a bigger symbol of Shinra's pride and ruthlessness, I didn't know it. The cannon pointed west, its shadow covering the street below for almost a hundred yards, and underneath it was a large, enclosed elevator trolley decorated with a bright red banner. The lift could go up to the top level and the Shinra offices sitting above the cannon.

"That's one big gun!" Aerith whistled.

Barret shook his head. "Damn Shinra… they jus' ain't no good."

I couldn't argue. "Yeah… not at all."

We moved on, hurry past inns, shops, and more on our way to the docks. It didn't take long, and there, floating in the harbor, was a cargo ship. It was huge, with a thick steel gray hull. The bay doors were open as soldiers and sailors alike helped load stacks of wooden crates full of supplies and other goods onto the ship.

"Looks like we can jus' slip right in an' no one'll know we're there," Barret whispered. "Jus' a few more hands on deck."

"Good idea," I agreed.

Aerith glanced at us. "But what about Cloud and Jessie? We should have someone stick around here to watch for them and make sure they get aboard. We don't want to leave without them."

"I'll do it," Red offered. "The rest of you go inside."

I nodded. "Alright. Let's go, guys."

The rest of us walked onto the loading area as casually as we could, doing our best to blend in and keep the soldiers and sailors busy while Red slipped aboard the ship first. He hid off to the right behind a stack of crates that he could just see over, and from there, he'd be able to spot Cloud and Jessie as soon as they arrived. Once he was in place, the rest of did what we could to help load the remaining cargo so as not to look suspicious, then we went on board as well.


The parade ended in the shadow of the mako cannon. As soon as it was over and we were allowed to break formation, I turned and started scanning the soldiers milling about on the street, looking for Jessie. She had to be here, but I didn't find her at first. So many blue uniforms and metal helmets. Everyone was waiting for Rufus and Heidegger to arrive and say a few words before moving on.

I was just starting to get worried when I spotted a short trooper off to one side watching the crowd as if he were looking for something. Or someone. I made my way toward him, moving as casually as I could to avoid drawing attention, and when he saw me coming, he straightened a bit but didn't do anything else. Once I was close enough, I stood next to him and relaxed so we'd look like just two more soldiers talking and waiting to be dismissed or given new orders.

"Jessie?" I asked quietly.

She sighed in relief. "Cloud! I was hoping that was you."

I couldn't quite hide my own. "Same. Told you I'd find you. Now all we've gotta do is get to the docks and onto the ship."

"Think the others've made it yet?" Jessie whispered.

"Probably," I answered.

She nodded. "Should we just try to sneak out before Rufus and my father show up? There's a pretty big crowd here, so we might be able to slip away without anyone noticing us."

I thought so, too. "Yeah. Don't run, though. Walk."

"Got it," Jessie agreed.

So we moved out, as calm and nonchalant as we could, heading for a nearby alley. But just as we started to get close to it, we heard a shout from behind us and the thud of rushing footsteps. Jessie barely stifled a groan as we heard a familiar voice calling to us.

"Hey!" It was the officer from earlier. "Now just where do you two rookies think you're going? Off to a get a drink?"

"Shit…" I muttered under my breath.

He waited expectantly as we turned around. "Well?"

I sighed. "Yes, sir. Just a little thirsty."

"I thought so," he grunted. "Well, that'll have to wait. The president and the general are gonna be here any minute now, so line up and shut up! And don't make a move! Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Jessie and I saluted.

Just a moment later, Rufus and Heidegger strode into the area and headed toward the diagonal lift leading to the huge Shinra office tower sitting above the back of the mako cannon. At the commander's order, me, Jessie, and the rest of the soldiers present all immediately snapped to attention. Heidegger looked us over with a sneer as he stood next to Rufus. I had to fight the urge to strangle him.

"Hmph!" he snorted. "Pathetic."

Rufus looked at him. "What's the status of the airship?"

Heidegger stroked his beard and laughed like a drunk horse. "Still being worked on, sir. The crew has been stubborn and difficult to deal with. Still loyal to their former captain, I assume."

"I may have to pay him a visit, then," Rufus said. "It seems he needs to be reminded where his loyalties lie."

Heidegger nodded. "Agreed. He's a volatile one, certainly."

Rufus went on. "What of the Gelnika?"

"Three of the cargo planes are currently undergoing maintenance," he answered, still snickering. "They won't be flying anytime soon. The fourth has been set aside for a special project. There's also a B-90 scout plane, but it's missing quite a few engine parts."

"Knock off that stupid laugh," the president snapped. "Now. Things are different than when my father was in charge. As for the plane, how did you ever allow such a theft to take place?"

Heidegger huffed. "It must've happened back in Midgar, sometime before I had it moved here to supplement our fleet. Better than leaving it to rot in that aviation museum. Those idiots in charge of security let it happen right under their noses, apparently."

"How long was the plane in there before you had it moved?" Rufus asked. "That place is buried underneath the wreckage of Sector 7 now. Quite fortunate that the B-90 was already here in Junon when the plate fell. Saved us the time and expense of replacing it."

"Indeed," Heidegger replied. "At least a year, sir. But since the plane was just an exhibit for most of that time, the theft was never discovered until after I'd had it moved here to Junon."

Rufus glared icily at him. "You're telling me you allowed that plane to just sit there disabled for that long? Someone just walked in, took all those parts, and then walked right out again?"

Next to me, Jessie barely suppressed a giggle, and I had to give her a little nudge with my elbow to make sure she kept a straight face. But I couldn't deny feeling some satisfaction at seeing Heidegger getting torn a new one by Rufus over his daughter's theft. He didn't have any idea it had been her, of course. She'd gotten away with it.

"Um, well…" he stammered.

Rufus didn't let up. "Also, your performance at Fort Condor was as underwhelming as I anticipated. You truly are incompetent, Heidegger. Only you could take a vastly superior force and still find a way to lose. That daughter of yours'll be the death of you."

"We'll take that place, sir!" Heidegger growled. "They were just… a bit more prepared than I'd expected. Intelligence failures on our end, to be sure. I assure you, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Rufus ordered, his voice laced with steel.

Heidegger swallowed. "Yes, sir. And about the Gelnika planes, they are being worked on and repairs are being made. The first three should be fully functional in a few weeks. My men are stocking the fourth one up with some new equipment and materia for use against Sephiroth as well as a collection of Hojo's more advanced and dangerous specimens. They'll surely destroy him! No doubt about it!"

"What of the cargo ship?" he asked.

"It's being prepared as we speak," Heidegger answered. "We should be able to leave whenever you're ready."

Rufus nodded. "Very well. I have to stop by the office first to make a few arrangements, so meet me at the docks in twenty minutes. If you don't, the ship leaves without you. Am I clear?"

"As crystal, sir," he said.

With that, Rufus went into the lift, and then it rose up the slope of the city toward the Shinra office tower. Tall, rocky brown cliffs flanked the building on either side and loomed over the rest of Junon. Once he was gone, Heidegger turned to us and scowled darkly, clearly pissed at being smacked down in front of his men. When he clenched his fists, I braced myself, knowing what was coming.

Heidegger growled and started swinging, punching Shinra soldiers left and right to try and take out his frustration on them. As he bashed and smacked his way through the ranks, I saw he was heading straight for us. Jessie did, too. She stiffened but didn't move, staying still just as the other troops had done. When her father's tantrum finally got to us, he swung at her, not even knowing who she was. Jessie flinched in spite of herself, but before the blow landed, I darted in front of her and took it myself, grunting as Heidegger's fist hit my jaw.

"Sir, stop!" I said, hoping he wouldn't recognize my voice.

"A tough one, aren't you?" he muttered, coming to his senses as he caught his breath. "Fine. But get in my way again, and I'll have you and your friend up on charges for insubordination!"

I nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Better tell your friend to put on some weight and a few inches," he snorted. "I didn't know there was anyone so puny in my army. Looks as if our recruiting standards need an overhaul."

Once he left, the officer turned to everyone. "Dismissed!"

Jessie relaxed. "Whoa… that was close."

"Too close," I agreed.

"Hey, rookies!" the officer glared at us. "I saw what happened back there. When the general goes off on one of his fits like that, we're not to get in his way! You trying to mess with the army?"

I shrugged. "Who cares? I was just helping my friend."

"Still, you were outta line," he insisted. "No break for either of you! You're gonna send off President Rufus at the docks. Those are you new orders, and you're gonna follow them!"

"I'll help, sir!" another soldier said, hurrying over.

A second joined him. "Me too, sir!"

They were the same men who had come with us from the airport. I could tell from the squad logo on their uniform shoulders. Jessie and I shared a glance and nodded, knowing this was as good a way as any to get to where we needed to go. The corner of my mouth still hurt where I'd been hit, and I could taste blood, but there wasn't anything either of us could really do about it at the moment.

"Very good, men!" the officer said. "I guess I can't really blame the rookies for acting out, though. Everyone's been a bit on edge lately with all that's been going on over the past few days."

"Yeah, Heidegger was really irritated…" the first soldier agreed. "It might be more than just what the president was saying, though. There's also been a man in a black cloak roaming the city."

I glanced sharply at him. "A man in a black cloak?"

"That's right," he replied. "Showed up two or three days ago, killed a few of our men, and then disappeared."

The other soldier shivered. "Some people say it was Sephiroth."

"Really?" Jessie asked, pitching her voice low to sound like a man's. "Are you sure? I thought he was dead."

"It's all just rumors," the officer waved it off.

The first soldier shook his head. "Well, I don't know…"

"Hey! Enough about that!" the officer said. "We're wasting time. So let's go over the send off procedure again."

While we spent a few minutes working on our moves—turns, rifle movements, that sort of thing—I thought about what I'd just found out from the soldiers. Sephiroth was in Junon, or had been. So we were on the right track. He'd left us a trail of bodies to follow, and I was sure he would find a way across the ocean before long. If we could get ahead of him, though, that could work to our advantage.

Once we were finished, one of the soldiers looked questioningly at the officer. "What's today's special pose, commander?"

"Hmm?" he said. "Oh, I don't know."

"Any ideas?" the other soldier wondered.

The officer turned to me. "Rookie! Looks like you get to decide. So show me your best move. If it's any good, we'll use it."

"My best move…" I thought aloud.

After thinking it over for a minute, I lifted my rifle above my head with one hand, twirled it in a circle a few times, and then shouldered it again. I didn't think it was anything that special, but the Shinra soldiers and even Jessie seemed to be impressed.

"Whoa!" one of them exclaimed. "That's awesome!"

"Nice!" Jessie added in her man's voice.

The officer nodded. "Alright. That'll be today's special. You'd better practice it, but don't take long. Meet me at the docks in ten minutes or you'll be on potato duty for the next month!"

"Yes, sir!" we all replied.

Then the officer and one of the soldiers left. The other one started to as well, then stopped and glanced at us for a moment. When I took a closer look at him, I realized I'd seen him before, in Midgar when Tifa, Barret, and I had infiltrated the Shinra Building in order to save Aerith and, through her, Jessie. It was in his build and what little I could see of his face under that metal helmet. I still didn't remember him outside of that or know how he'd recognized me, though.

"See you guys at the docks," he said. "Oh, and I wouldn't worry too much about the commander. He's just a bit tense what with everything that's been going on. Don't take it personal."

"We won't," I assured him. "Were you at Fort Condor?"

He shook his head. "No, I got transferred here from Midgar before all that went down. Hard to believe we lost, but I get why those people did what they did. Protecting that huge bird and their homes. Don't tell the commander, but sometimes, I'm not sure what this uniform means anymore. The things Shinra does these days…"

I couldn't argue. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

"Well, we'd better—" he began, then blinked in surprise. "Wait just a minute… you look familiar. Cloud? Is that you?"

I shook my head. "What? No, you've got me mixed up."

He didn't buy it, though. "I don't think so. Wasn't sure at first, but I am now. But don't worry. I won't blow your cover."

"Thanks," I told him.

"Who's this?" Jessie asked me.

I glanced at her. "A friend… sort of."

"You don't remember, do you?" he grimaced. "Man, whatever went on during that mission all those years ago must've done a real number on you. Glad you're okay, though. Had me worried."

Jessie looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He smirked faintly. "You forgot to lower your voice, miss. So that's why you're so much smaller than the rest of us."

"Yeah…" she giggled.

"Didn't know you had a girlfriend, Cloud," he quipped.

I gaped at him. "I, uh…"

"Neither did he," Jessie teased.

"So I'm guessing you're both with Avalanche now," the soldier went on. "Heidegger's got your descriptions along with those of your friends posted everywhere this side of the ocean."

I'd thought as much. "Won't be a problem for long."

"You're sneaking onto the ship, aren't you?" he said. "In that case, I think I can help, at least a little. Kunsel's a friend of mine, too, just as he is of yours, and he'd pass me information from time to time about what Shinra's up to. Seems Rufus has a plan to attack you guys from within. I don't know what it is, but I wanted to warn you."

"Thanks," I said. "Anything else?"

He frowned as we got moving. "Kunsel said something about a spy, but I don't think you've run into whoever it's supposed to be yet. That's meant to happen later. I think Rufus expects you guys to make it across the ocean. He tends to plan ahead a lot."

"Yeah," Jessie agreed. "We'll keep our eyes open."

He reached into his front pocket as we went into the alley we'd seen earlier. "Good luck, guys. Here, something to make your trip go a little more smoothly. You always did get bad motion sickness, Cloud. Boats, cars, trucks, didn't matter. Hit you every time."

"I've never had—" I tried to say, then winced as my head suddenly throbbed with pain and I sagged against the wall. "Damn…"

Jessie took my shoulder. "Cloud?"

I tried to shake off the pain. "I'll be fine."

"Better hurry," the soldier said, giving us a handful of tranquilizers. "You've only got a few minutes to make it to the docks, so pull yourself together, alright? You don't want to be late."

"We'll be there," I told him. "Just go on ahead."

He nodded. "Alright. But you know, Cloud, I never thought I'd see you in uniform again. You were so proud when you first put it on back when we went through basic training together."

I grimaced as the pain deepened. "When was that…? I never wore this thing before today… can't stand it."

"Uh, nevermind," he said. "See you at the docks."

Then he left, and Jessie and I were alone. After a moment, the pain faded and disappeared. Why did that soldier think I'd been one myself before? I knew I hadn't. Jessie didn't say anything. Instead, she took out a small cloth from her pocket and gently cleaned the blood off my face where Heidegger had punched me earlier.

She smirked and moved a little closer. "There, I think that's all of it. Now to kiss it and make it all better!"

"Jessie…" I began.

Her lips prevented me from finishing, but I didn't really mind. The sweet moistness felt good and tasted even better. I held her in my arms for a moment, returning the favor, then let go before anyone could see us. She stepped back and put the cloth away, giggling a little as she did before regaining her composure again.

"Cloud," Jessie said as she picked up her rifle. "Try not to think too much about what your friend said, alright? I know it doesn't make a lot of sense right now. We can figure it out later."

"Yeah," I agreed.

She went on. "And also, thanks for stepping in back there when my father went after me. Probably saved us from being discovered. I doubt my helmet would've stayed on if he'd have hit me."

I'd thought as much. "Sure. Didn't want you getting hurt."

"Always my hero," Jessie teased.

"You bet," I agreed. "Now let's mosey."

Together, we hurried down the alley, side by side.