"Breaking news. Monsters breached -"

"Ah!"

"Shit, get everyone out. For anyone watching, please - please just evacuate to safety -"

[Technical Difficulties. Please stand by.]

XXVIII. Unchained Night

Vincent didn't know how to cry anymore. More than twenty years of lamentation, trapped only with the demons in his mind, could do that to a person. Even so, he wished he could as he left Veld behind.

Is this another sin I must add to the ledger?

Something stirred in the back of Vincent's mind. Against the cacophony of other voices, Chaos's deep guttural purr rang clear.

"Humans and your regrets."

Chaos had been a new development in the grand scheme of things. He was happy to linger behind the other voices in Vincent's mind for years. Then, he suddenly drowned out all else. Vincent has long since given up on forcing his silence. In this, at least, they made a truce.

The halls around them were eerily quiet. The earlier activity had died. Bodies, man and beast, littered the floor. The alarm lights lit and dimmed, unanswered by those it was meant to warn.

Vincent paused in front of the doors to the final elevator. He took a deep breath as he waited for it to descend. He expected Chaos to say something more, but the monster under his skin sensed his mood and, for once, decided against picking a fight.

Waking up from his slumber eight years ago only to find Chaos suddenly there and unrepentantly chatty had been a shock. Chaos rebuked him, telling him he was holding them back. From what? Chaos tried to explain, but Vincent could never understand. The confusion only intensified when Chaos (without so much as asking for permission) took over Vincent's body to break out of Shinra's basement, only to run into a wide-eyed child right outside.

After that, Vincent felt like a guest in his own body on the worst days.

A ding alerted Vincent to the elevator's arrival. He tensed. Death Penalty pointed ahead as the elevator doors slid open. The car was empty. He stepped in and let the cheery melody wash over him.

Veld had smiled when he heard it.

Vincent tried hard not to think about his last glimpse of his partner. A gaunt face bearing a scar that wasn't there thirty years ago, blood trickling out the corner of his mouth. The face of a man aged beyond his years. Instead, he tried to remember the young man who taught him to be a Turk. Only a little older and already tapped to be the Director's successor.

Chaos stirred. Vincent frowned, not in the mood to hear it.

"Don't." Chaos grumbled and settled. Vincent watched the numbers tick down slowly. B28…27…

Before the digital number could tick to twenty-six, the elevator lurched and shuddered to an abrupt stop that threw Vincent off his feet. He heard the screech of the emergency breaks. A loud bang echoed up the shaft, and then silence.

Vincent allowed himself to close his eyes. He knew it in his heart. He was gone.

Did you get what you wanted in the end?

Anger washed over him.

Hardfought battle into Deepground. And for what? They found nothing. The control room was gone, and he did nothing to thwart Hojo. Nothing to save Veld. All in vain.

What use are you? Chaos growled in response.

"In vain? Your partner bought you time. You know what's in vain?" Vincent could feel Chaos shifting in his mind. "You. Wasting the time he bought you. If you want to wallow, do it later."

Vincent bit the inside of his mouth. It kept him from shouting back. Chaos was right.

"Besides, we confirmed one thing. Jenova is not here."

It wasn't the comfort Chaos might have thought.

Vincent's eyes snapped open as he looked around the car. Stuck between two floors was the worst place to be. He sighed in his mind. He hated to ask.

"So much reluctance."

Chaos didn't wait for Vincent's response before a clawed hand reached out. The top of the elevator became shredded steel, leaving a hole big enough for Vincent to slink through. Standing on top of the car, Vincent could see shredded cable. The explosion had knocked the car askew just below the following floor.

With a grunt, he leaped to the wall, grabbed onto the access ladder, and began to climb. The first set of doors was closed tight. The next level above showed more promise. The metal doors were still functional but stuck, opening and sliding back closed against a piece of metal obstructing the panels. Vincent jumped up and looked at the floor beyond.

The reason for the malfunctioning door became clear. The floor labeled B25 was a bloodbath.

Deepground Soldiers, Shinra troopers, and monster corpses mingled amongst damaged mechs. It looked like a battle took place. But there was no way to determine who fought who or which side won. Vincent cautiously picked his way around the bodies, but no sign of life lingered.

If the elevator was out, there must be another option.

"What's this?"

Vincent heard the gasps before he saw the figure. A woman dressed in red. She would be out of place amongst the corpses if he hadn't heard about her. Blue eyes locked on red. A conventionally beautiful face twisted into pure hate as a stream of blood spilled from her crimson lips.

"Which… of Hojo's… labs…did you come…crawling out from," she spat. Her breath was rapid and faint. The scent of death surrounding them nearly drowned out the smell of the dying. The disgust was Vincent's, but the muscles that pulled his mouth into a snarl were pure Chaos.

"Better than this dump," both of them said. "Explain quickly." Scarlet let out a pained laugh that turned into a half-choked cry. Vincent knelt to examine her. It wasn't clear what got her first. Bullet holes marred her dress. Her side bore a deep laceration, almost wholly separating her arm from her body. While blood coated the ground around her, the wounds bled slowly.

She was running out of time.

"Hojo…that f-fucking backstabber…." she coughed, and a fresh gush of frothy blood spilled from her mouth, coating her front.

"Tell me how to stop this," Vincent said. Scarlet coughed.

"…Rufus locked down the controls…to keep Hojo from doing more…locked out the c-containment commands…fucking idiots all of them…"

"You want revenge," Vincent observed calmly. Scarlet let out another huffed laugh.

"President's office…Burn…it…all down. Fuck them…Fuck them…" Then she breathed no more. Vincent stared at sightless blue eyes. With a sign, he ran a hand across her face, closing them to the carnage around her. He reached down to Scarlet's side. When he stood back up, a bloodied badge was in his hands.

Vincent could almost hear Chaos laughing. He grasped the badge tighter in his hand. Between Veld and Scarlet's access, maybe he could do something.

He couldn't let Veld down.

"'Outing with my friends,' my ass," Clay grumbled to himself grumpily again as he made his way to the job site.

Retirement from the war only meant picking up the Gainsborough mantel. Once again, Clay was thrust into rallying the men and, as Elmyra reminded him, being a father to a rebellious teenager.

Thinking about the deed on the kitchen table, Clay felt another surge of anger. When Aerith returned with that slip of paper, Clay couldn't see straight. She had been indignant. ("I solved it, didn't I?") Clay said some things he regretted. Elmyra told them to cool it but agreed with Clay that Aerith wouldn't leave the house for at least a week.

It didn't feel as good as Clay thought it would. Clay hefted his rifle higher as his men trailed behind him. Being on guard in Midgar felt strange. It was supposed to be safe—the home he defended. But if not Corneo's men, disorganized and in disarray lately, then the uptick in monster activity still threatened the site.

And something hadn't felt right in days.

Clay held up a hand, and the group paused. They were still some ways out from the main section of the collapsed causeway. He looked at the ground. The pebbles shook. Something bellowed from beyond the debris. Something large.

Clay swore as he aimed his rifle forward. Another bellow answered.

"Find cover," he commanded. The third sound wasn't from a monster. Instead, there was the sound of an explosion that reverberated in Clay's ear. The entire ground underneath his feet heaved. Before Clay could move, something metal fell next to him with a loud clang. Looking down, he could see the manhole cover. "Midgar Sewer" was still written clearly on twisted metal.

Clay ducked under a slab of concrete and rebar. A third roar punctuated the sound of raining steel.

Clay's fingers tightened around his rifle, and he looked at his men. Their wide eyes stared back. None of them had seen the horror of Wutai, but something told Clay they were about to get a taste.

Zack blinked as they stepped out of the Shinra manor. The sudden brightness of the sun overhead temporarily blinded him as he walked through the gates. As Cloud warned, their adventure netted a big zero for leads. Even so, the mansion was an interesting relic of his friend's (and the town's) past.

"Sir," a familiar voice said ahead of them. The trooper guarding the town gate had come to find them at Shinra manor.

"Report?" Sephiroth commanded.

"Attack in Midgar, Sir. Orders to return." Sephiroth turned to Zack and Cloud and raised a brow. Cloud pursed his lips.

It's rare to be called back for a monster attack. It was either because Shinra needed their favorite poster boy again or something dire happened.

"Nothing else left here." Cloud shook his head.

Sephiroth nodded and turned to the trooper. "Get the truck ready. We leave as soon as everyone is loaded." The trooper saluted back.

"Yes, sir!" He scrambled back down the steps that led to the town square. Cloud stopped at the top of the stairs.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said pensively, "We should get back as soon as possible."

Sephiroth smirked knowingly, "And you have a faster way than by boat?" Cloud cocked a head.

"I used to work as a mechanic to earn passage to Midgar...How do you feel about flying?" Zack was bamboozled by the apparent non sequitur, but Sephiroth looked amused.

"Lead on then."

"Sir, we lost contact," Tseng said. His heart sank, and his knuckles were white from how hard he grasped his cell phone. Each update held less and less hope.

He barely flinched as a crystal tumbler sailed past him. It shattered against the dark marble column behind him, and its contents dripped onto the red carpet.

In front of him, Rufus sat at his desk. The coaster that held his drink was empty. A mess of papers and pills was scattered across the desk before him. Beside him, Dark Nation snarled at some imagined foe, reflecting its master's dark mood.

The screen before him showed footage Tseng was already familiar with.

He thought about the calls he had made. To a place he didn't know existed even after years of working at Shinra, right beside Rufus. A place right below his feet. Shinra's secret weapons research facility. And now it's its greatest liability.

Parts of the Tower turned into a war zone, above and below ground (just how far below?). Unfamiliar Soldiers used R&D's specialized elevators to penetrate the tower's highest floors.

"Sir," Tseng coaxed again, "We need to go. If Deepground is rebelling, it's a matter of time before they make it here -"

"Tseng, do you know what I value most?" Rufus asked, not seeming to have even heard him.

"Sir?" What Rufus valued most? Tseng couldn't imagine an answer other than profit. But he didn't think that was the answer Rufus sought, so he kept quiet. Rufus picked up the bottle beside him. His blue eyes trained on the amber liquid inside, and he swirled it once, letting liquor splash against the thick glass.

"Growing up, I would have given anything for my father's approval. I did. Become smarter. Stronger. Anything that I thought would make my father notice me," Rufus said as he unstoppered the bottle again. "As I grew older, I realized it was a fool's errand. He didn't care about anything but profit. And so, I thought to surpass him."

Rufus held the bottle to his lips and took one long gulp. Tseng's fists tighten behind his back. The phone in one hand dug painfully into his palm.

"People are dying. We need-"

"Loyalty, Tseng," Rufus's voice cut in. "I realized that in my quest to surpass my father, I needed people loyal to me alone, not to him, the company, or anyone else." Bright blue eyes turned to Tseng, and for a moment, they looked like they glowed. "After my father's death, the herd flocked so easily. Alliances shifted so quickly. Everyone acts in self-interest. Then I realized. Everyone had a price."

Rufus swished the bottle again. Tseng clenched his jaw and said nothing more, waiting for this man. The president of Shinra. Waiting for Rufus to air his grievances.

"Hojo. Hojo, Hojo, Hojo." Rufus shakily stood and strode to the large windows overlooking Midgar. The bottle was still loosely grasped in one hand while the other hand came up to block light from his no doubt over-sensitive eyes. "We were united in a single purpose. To find the Promised Land. I thought that was the price. After all, who can give him what Shinra could not?"

Tseng could see Rufus's reflection in the glass, sightlessly gazing out. Beyond, an ominous shape rose.

"Rufus—" Staring back at them beyond the glass, a mutated Zu screeched. Its eyes glowed violet. Dark Nation growled back. Sounds of gunfire, loud enough that not even the Tower's thick bulletproof glass could fully deafen, echoed across the city in tempo with Tseng's racing heart.

"No, you won't," Zalinka said, standing between Hojo, the two Soldiers in strange uniforms flanking him, and Rayleigh.

"My department," Hojo said, arms crossed as rifles threateningly pointed at the two other scientists, "My rules, hm?"

"Sorry," Zalinka shook his head, "Patient privacy. If you see it, it'll be because we got permission to publish a study later." Never.

"That's too bad," Hojo gestured at the Soldier beside him, "We aren't a university."

Zalinka looked from Hojo to the approaching Soldier, then to the pile of materia fragments, still labeled "Hazardous" in Cloud's penmanship.

"Rayleigh," he said calmly, "You need to stay out of this." Rayleigh's pale, fearful eyes caught Zalinka's gaze, and he smiled with more courage than he felt, "It'll be okay."

Rayleigh, binder in arm, sprinted toward the doors, which obligingly hissed open. She ran with such speed she fell and rolled as she entered the corridor outside. Hojo laughed as he watched.

"What futility."

"Not another step," one helmeted Soldier said while the other turned to train his rifle on Rayleigh. It was the distraction Zalinka needed.

The thing about unstable crystal structures was in the name. They were unstable. Cloud and Rayleigh both lectured him repeatedly about keeping a pile of them in the lab, where they could combine with other volatile experiments. They could and have (as they reminded Zalinka) set things on fire or, worse, explode.

It was precisely what Zalinka wanted to happen when he cast fire at the cardboard box on the floor next to the desk. Zalinka held his arms up as bright light momentarily blinded him. The chain reaction was nearly instant and fast enough that neither Soldier had any chance to react before the shockwave hit. The lab doors slammed shut on Rayleigh's horrified expression, as they were programmed to do in the event of accidents.

As the materia-fueled inferno burned, the Soldiers who moments before threatened Zalinka began to writhe on the floor in agony, their bodies contorting beyond their limits. Their suits were on fire as if someone had dumped gasoline on them.

Oh. Their suits were laced with mako. Mako, that was now reacting.

Inside the lab, the fire blazed as the alarms went off. Hojo screamed as he hid his face.

Zalinka looked down at his charred hands. Oh. Zalinka felt calm. Rational. He assessed the damage.

Instant third-degree burns. They must have burned his nerves straight off. It will be a matter of time before shock sets in.

Hojo screamed and cursed at Zalinka, his words twisted into unintelligible noise. As he removed his hand from his face, Zalinka realized what was wrong. Half of it was melting, the skin hanging limply.

Zalinka considered his options. With the fire still burning, the lab doors would be sealed shut to contain it and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the building. However, there was one more door. With his hands incapacitated, Zalinka slammed his foot into Hojo. The man dropped with a whimper. Zalinka didn't check to see where Hojo landed as he ran to the opposite wall. His hands, no longer functioning, fumbled with his badge.

The doors to the materia closet opened, letting Zalinka through. He ran into the drawers, knocking several green orbs onto the floor. He looked back to meet Hojo's one remaining eye, filled with hatred, as the skin on his face seemingly began to knit back together. The closet door closed with a soft hiss, casting everything into darkness.

Materia storage was well shielded to prevent materia interactions from damaging the lab. It had thick doors and a separate circulation system. Zalinka hoped it would be enough. He slowly dropped to the ground, his breath labored. He bought time. Now, it was up to Rayleigh.

"Get another squad over here," Clay called. He didn't hear confirmation over bursts of gunfire. After the tremors stopped, monsters streamed into the sector. His men fell back into Sector Five and set up a defensive line there with anyone they could get.

In a strange twist of fate, the weapons stockpiled to fend off Corneo's raids were used against the emergent threat.

"Damn, monsters breached the wall," Carlos grumbled next to him, "Where do you think they are coming from?"

"We'll figure that out after they're dead," Clay said as he stood up, his rifle in hand.

"C'mon, the boys can handle it. We need to push toward the wall."

Carlos followed closely as they ran through the central market towards the crumbling wall that separated Sector Five from Sector Six. Barricades quickly sprung up against the monsters that scrambled through the openings that used to connect the two sectors.

"Damn it," Carlos cursed again, "Say what you like about Corneo, but with him gone, Sector Six fell quick."

"Yeah, well, good riddance," Clay said as he ducked behind a barricade made of crates. The man hiding behind it grunted at him. "Report?"

"We might run out of bullets before they let up," he said, "Ya think Wall Market is overrun?"

Clay peered out at the swarm of monsters, mutated as severely as the ones in Wutai.

"Probably," he said grimly, "We can't let that happen here. Make every shot count." Clay lined his sights at a flying monster and squeezed the trigger.

"This way," Elena waved. A few classmates followed, all crouching low and out of the worst smoke as they scrambled toward the exit.

Evening class turned into a nightmare. It felt as if the building was attacked from every direction. Each hallway they tried was dangerous, many putting them in the middle of a firefight.

Elena clutched the rifle she looted from a corpse to her chest harder, trying not to think about the blood that now stained her Academy uniform. She tried hard not to think about Gun, who hadn't picked up and was probably in the thick of the fighting.

There would be time later to pick up the pieces. Right now, they needed to survive.

"Get Rufus on the line. Hojo. Anyone!" Heidegger bellowed. Palmer cowered as he watched the window just outside of the boardroom. Flying monsters streamed past, dodging bullet fire from circling helicopters.

Scarlet was unreachable. Hojo picked up but simply laughed. The Turks locked down the president's suite, and Rufus was nowhere to be found. They had barricaded themselves in the windowless boardroom with a small squad of troopers when the unfamiliar Soldiers attacked (Deepground. Shinra hides secrets even from its most senior Directors, and Reeve couldn't say he was shocked.)

The entire tower was in disarray.

Midgar had its share of monster infestations, but Reeve had never seen something like this. It was a full invasion.

How did they even get past the perimeter?

"Damn it," Reeve said. He monitored his phone, watching Cait's slow progress through the lab's ventilation shaft. It was the last thing he assigned Cait before he stepped into the boardroom. Hopefully, Cloud's friend made it in time.

He tapped a few buttons on his phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Sir?" his assistant's familiar voice shook as she picked up the first ring. In the background, Reeve could hear shouting.

"Where are you," Reeve asked urgently, "Are you safe?"

"Fine," was the answer, "They headed up - didn't even try to come into the offices." Reeve sighed in relief. At least the department was safe.

"Organize whoever you-" Reeve was interrupted by Heidegger snatching the phone from his hand. Reeve opened his mouth angrily but closed his lips with a click at Heidegger's next words.

"Mobilize the entire force. Anyone you need to. Heidegger's authority."

Whatever was said on the other end was to Heidegger's satisfaction. He handed the phone back to Reeve. Reeve watched, shocked as Heidegger pulled out his own phone and headed toward a side meeting room. He was already barking orders into it as the glass doors slid closed behind him.

"Sir?"

"Uh, yes, work with the public security team to identify safe areas and evacuate the vulnerable..." They devised a decent plan, and Reeve trusted her to execute it. Reeve looked at his phone and dialed a different number.

"Damn it," Reeve said as the dial tone continued, "Pick up, pick up…" The phone at the house rang until an answering machine sounded. As Reeve hung up, he thought again of his mother. His texts went unacknowledged. Calls unanswered.

Where are you?

Lazard slowed as he ran into another dead end.

Just what is going on?

He had been trapped under house arrest, counting down days and believing Rufus would keep him in confinement until his last days (not that he had much left).

He hadn't been able to contact Hollander in weeks, and Lazard was certain his communications were closely monitored. The entire apartment was under twenty-four-hour guard until hours ago, when Lazard heard the commotion outside and opened his door to check. He discovered that all the troopers assigned to keep him prisoner had abandoned their post.

Instead, monsters had taken over the streets. Troopers scattered, some providing cover fire while others herded people inside.

Lazard stopped by the body of a trooper. Already gone. Next to the body was a rifle. Lazard picked it up and checked the cartridge. It was half full.

"Ah!"

Lazard watched a woman fall on the sidewalk. Her white hair spilled from her bun.

"Stay down," Lazard shouted as he shakily raised the rifle. When he squeezed the trigger, the resulting burst of fire and recoil almost ripped the gun clean out of his hands. But thankfully, the woman heard him. The bullets flew overhead and sprayed the grashtrike. Lazard watched it scurry away before he ran up to the would-be victim.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he offered a hand. She grasped it gratefully. "Come on, let's find a safe place."

"This way!" a trooper waved them over. Lazard helped the woman, still hobbling, over to the helmeted man. When they got closer, he pointed toward the south, "We cleared the corridor to the Seven-Six annex. Hurry!"

The old woman gasped.

"You should leave me- oh!" Lazard slung his newly acquired rifle across his back and stooped down, picking her up by her shoulders and knees. His joints groaned in protest. His lungs burned. But all he did was run as fast as he could down the main street. Charming houses turned into identical single unit homes characteristic of Shinra's employee housing. Ahead, the annex was lit with floodlights and demarcated by two mechs guarding heavy blast doors, thrown wide to accept refugees from all over the Sector.

"Just…a…bit…more," Lazard huffed as they drew close. Behind them, gunfire rang through the streets, echoing off walls.

"Monsters br… through …north… barricades," a distorted cry came through a trooper's radio. Lazard cursed and pushed himself to run faster. Behind them, something bellowed. The mechs became active. As Lazard ran past them, the machine gun turrets equipped on the two sweeper units began to shoot. The noise drowned out anything else, and Lazard's ears rang. Ahead of them, the thick metal doors began to close.

"Shit!" he gasped, pumping his legs past the point of exhaustion. He rolled forward the last few inches, hugging the old woman to him and taking the brunt of the impact with his back. With a pained groan, he pushed himself back up to watch the doors slide close behind him. Tinnitus prevented him from hearing the full horror of the screams as the troopers outside were picked off. The machine gun fire stopped, and for a while, there was only the ringing sound in Lazard's ear.

Then, a dull pounding sound resonated through the open courtyard packed with refugees. A dent appeared on the blast door.

"I can't believe you chose mako science of all things," Cid complained between a few muttered curses from his pilot seat. Next to him in the copilot seat, Cloud shrugged and replied, a bit of the country accent sneaking back in.

"Ain't got a proper aerospace program at the academy," he said, "When're you gonna start one?"

Cid scoffed, "The rocket's takin' up all my time. Just be glad I'm in the givin' mood, lettin' y'all have a lift for free. Fuel ain't cheap, ya know."

Zack watched the bickering with fascination while Sephiroth watched out the window with a slight smile. They soared over the ocean at a clip far faster than any ship. After the two quieted down, Zack dozed off to the sound of the whirring twin engines. He didn't know how long he slept. The next he knew, Sephiroth was shaking him.

"Land ahoy," Cid said loudly, stirring Zack further awake from where he sagged against the flight harness. Zack peered out a window to see the familiar coastline south of Midgar ahead. In the time he napped, the sun had set. Clouds reflected pale light on the horizon cast by the city below. Overhead, the sky was awash in stars.

As they approached the lit-up city, though, something was clearly wrong.

"It's swarmin' with monsters," Cid said. Then the Tiny Bronco jolted as something slammed into it. "Fuck, I won't be able to fly ya like this." Cid pulled a hard right, sharply turning back toward the plains surrounding Midgar.

"Find a close place to land," Sephiroth said, "We'll make the rest of the way by foot."

Cid looked out the side window, one hand guiding the steering as he looked around for a suitable area.

"Can't see shit. Only lit thing is the roadway. Hold on tight. It's about to get bumpy." It felt like the plane was dropping from the sky without warning. Zack grabbed any handle he could as he felt his gut push up while the rest of him dropped with the plane, still strapped in. "Oops. She's still finicky when transitionin' to hover."

"We'd just be happy to get here in one piece," Zack said nervously. Once again, Zack wish they had taken the airship instead of this so-called prototype. The Highwind sat quietly in the dock at Rocket Town when they knocked on Cid's door. But it was going through final checks and was a little conspicuous.

Cid just laughed in response. The plane steadied out again, moving like a helicopter as it gently lowered. The road lights appeared closer and closer while the lit towers above Midgard disappeared below the plates' jagged outer edges.

Cid jammed an unlit cigarette between his lips as he lowered the stairs to let them out. The propellers now whirred softly overhead.

"Thanks, old man!" Cloud said as he walked past Cid, ducking out the open hatch, "owe ya one."

"For the last time, I ain't old, kid," Cid grumbled. Sephiroth paused in front of Cid as well.

"Thank you," he said. Then he paused to think. "Don't forget to check the oxygen tanks." Zack watched Cid look to Cloud, who was already out and waiting on the road, then back to Sephiroth and threw up his hands.

"You and the kid. What is it with you and the oxygen tanks?" The cigarette moved in his mouth but didn't fall back out. He waved them off and climbed back into his cockpit. They walked a short distance away and watched the Tiny Bronco take off again, the downwash from its propellers blowing dust across the empty stretch of road.

"Now we walk, I guess?" Zack said as he stretched his arms over his head. His sword was a familiar weight back against his back.

"Or we flag down that truck," Cloud suggested. "It'll save us some time if they take us to the outskirts."

Closing in on them were bright headlights. Zack started waving.

"Oi!"

The truck slowed and then rolled to a stop in front of them. Zack cocked his head. A familiar logo was emblazoned on the side. His suspicion was confirmed when the truck honked at them, and a familiar face peeked out from the window.

"Need a lift?"

Zack grinned.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Sebastian grinned back.

"We saw an interesting aircraft land right outside Midgar. Figures it's you, arriving in style," Sebastian's face turned serious when he turned to Sephiroth. "Sir! Welcome aboard!"

"Oh! Sephiroth is here too?" Essai pushed Sebastian out of the way, "Uh, hi, sir! We're happy to let you commandeer this seaworthy vessel to uh- oof!"

Sebastian shoved Essai back, "Make some room!"

Zack laughed as he climbed in, accepting a hand up from Sebastian.

"What are you guys doing out here anyway?"

"Monster clearing out by Kalm," Essai answered from where he was seated next to another Soldier. "I didn't expect we would be called back to deal with Midgar's monster problem instead."

"Well," Sebastian said as he lifted the truck flap, "can't tell what's worse. Swarms in Midgar or the Midgardsormr back there."

Cloud's eyes widened.

"The what?"

Genesis let loose a flurry of strikes. The mutated behemoth roared, but the distraction was enough. Angeal's heirloom Buster Sword slammed into the monster, severing its head from its neck in a decisive strike. He reached back, and the sword snapped onto his holster with a soft click.

Genesis harrumphed. Trying so hard to look cool.

"I softened him up for you."

Angeal wiped the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand, then smiled cheekily at Genesis. "Thank you, dear."

It was all the time they had before another wave was upon them. The monsters had completely swarmed the tower's entrance. Genesis and Angeal ran out to fend them off with a small contingent of Soldiers, reinforcing the beleaguered Public Security forces stationed outside.

Genesis channeled again when another monster flew past but grimaced when he couldn't muster a spark.

"Tch."

"No luck?" Angeal asked as he blocked a swipe of claws with his standard-issue broadsword. Genesis shook his gloved hand, then ran his blade into another monster.

"I don't need magic to be effective." He swung the sword again, slicing off a wing from the downed creature. It shrieked in pain.

"You know," Angeal said thoughtfully, "This reminds me of when we fought together back during the early war days." Genesis huffed but didn't reply as he turned his attention to a pack of mutated wolves.

"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end," Genesis recited as he neatly dodged one wolf and slashed into the side of another. Angeal let out an exasperated sigh.

"And, of course, Loveless."

"The goddess descends from the sky, wings of light and dark spread afar." Genesis pulled his rapier out of the wolf and lifted one foot to kick it out of the way into another wolf. "She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."

The sound of breaking glass followed the sound of a loud boom. Genesis glanced up briefly before leaping further into the square in front of the lobby.

"Out of the way," he shouted, "Shield your heads." They fought to clear a wider perimeter around the building as glass rained down from overhead. Genesis's back hit a warm bulk, and he turned to see Angeal. He held the Buster Sword over their heads like an umbrella.

Angeal smiled. This close, Genesis could see hints of a dimple on his cheeks. He tried hard not to think about how much he wanted to kiss this man silly.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess, right?" Angeal prompted.

"Sir. I'm sorry. We tried to stop him, but-" Tseng sighed. In the background, over the howling wind, he could hear gunfire. From his vantage point, he watched the fleet of aircraft that left Midgar airspace unharassed by monsters.

"Maintain position for now." He ended the call and turned to Rufus as the other man sank another shot into the defeated Zu on the helideck.

"They couldn't hold off Deepground. Hojo left." Dark Nation's soft growl gave a hint of Rufus's mood.

Hard shards of blue peered back at him.

"Then we go after him."

As if punctuating his order, Rufus squeezed the trigger again. The Zu twitched and then became still.

Clay squeezed the trigger again, but the rifle clicked uselessly.

"Hey, get me another cartridge!"

An older teen ran toward him at the shout. Foolishly, he ran with an arm full of ammo without waiting for cover fire. It caught the attention of a drake. Clay pulled his knife out with a growl and threw it with deadly accuracy. The monster swerved and went down.

The young man slid next to Clay, reloaded cartridges still in his arms and his face pale.

"Damn it, boy, run only when they tell you," Clay lectured gruffly as he reloaded his rifle, "Grow some sense if you wanna keep your head on your shoulders."

Clay turned back toward the wall. Beyond the wave of whole eaters, some large sewer monster showed up. It was green and had a set of horns adorned with garish gold.

One o' Corneos'?

Clay crouched, watching the monster thrash. The fool boy stubbornly stayed put.

"Now git," Clay growled.

"Wait," the young man said, "I want to fight."

Clay sighed and looked at him. His jaw was set. A spark of recognition lit in Clay. The teacher at the orphanage. Clay reached to his waist with a sigh, and the pistol stowed there. He handed it to the boy.

"Don't lose that," Clay warned, "What's your name anyway?"

"Biggs."

Kunsel coughed as smoke blew across the ruined playground where they set up the defensive line. When the first calls came for aid to Sector Six, he didn't know what to expect. Nothing prepared him for the nightmare that poured out of every underground opening.

"This is worse than trying to flush Avalanche out of the caves," Luxiere grumbled next to him.

Someone screamed, and the sound echoed against the walls, making it hard to tell where it came from. Gunfire rang, and something screeched. Then the screaming stopped.

Kunsel looked around. What remained of the ostentatious Wall Market mansion was rubble. The tunnels underground in the urban development zone were a battlefield. Kunsel's team set up a perimeter, rotating people out as they grew weary. They tried to stem the flow, but the containment zone was porous. The sewers opened throughout the city.

What was left of Corneo's men held on for as long as they could. But they weren't even on the level of trained troopers. He turned to the civilian next to him.

"Hey, Kyle!" he called over the din of gunfire, "I know Corneo had a stash of illegal mechs around here. See if you can't get them running."

The grey-haired kid, face pale with fear looked at Kunsel and nodded. He sprinted away. Kunsel was fast enough to stop the mutated ahriman that floated after its new moving target, its single eyeball spinning wildly.

"Oh no, you don't!"

"Cleared!" Sebastian called.

They drove the truck as far as it would go. Midgar was in chaos. Burnt-out vehicles littered the expressway, and bullet holes pockmarked the street signs. When the wheeled vehicle could no longer navigate the rubble, the group leaped off and ran in on foot, following closely behind Sephiroth's distinctive form as they cut their way through the monsters.

As it turned out, Sephiroth, Cloud, and Zack formed an effective vanguard, cutting down whatever got in their way. Even Sebastian had to take a moment to watch appreciatively before he followed their lead.

Sephiroth, to no one's surprise, was a blend of deadly and beautiful. His swordwork was flawless as Masamune cut through monsters like they were butter. Zack, meanwhile, looked just like Angeal in his fighting style, a mix of brawling and powerful swordstrike, following in Sephiroth's wake.

The biggest surprise was Cloud. His style looked like a mix of the other two. Clean strikes from a slender form, deceptively powerful. He easily capitalized on opportunities created by the other two. It was interspaced with magic that Sebastian had never seen cast from any materia.

Either he has more materia equipped than anyone I've ever met, or the kid is getting more creative.

Not interested in being left in the dust, Sebastian brought up the rear with Essai fighting alongside. The Shinra tower grew steadily closer, as did the piles of monster corpses.

"This way!" Zack hollered as they passed a Wutaian takeout place, its windows smashed and storefront empty. They picked up the pace as they crossed a cobblestoned courtyard.

Something howled.

Sebastian looked up, "Shit, scatter!"

They rolled out of the way just in time for a human-shaped form to land, shattering the rock under their feet. It looked like the other mutated forms they fought along the way, but it was bigger—much bigger.

Sebastian raised his sword as they backed up slowly. Overhead, an ice crystal as big as a car grew from thin air. Its spikes stabbed mercilessly into the monster and it roared in pain.

"It's weak to ice, just like the smaller ones," Cloud said as he prepared to cast again. The monster turned toward the blond, but a long, sharp blade blocked the swipe of its claws. It reared back in pain as Sephiroth stepped between it and Cloud, still vulnerable mid-cast.

"Eyes on your opponent, hm?" he goaded. He shifted his pose to a braced position, the tip of his curved sword pointed down, and his hand was on the hilt, raised almost to his cheek.

Angeal blocked another blow with a grit of his teeth. The monsters were unending, pouring from the base of the tower. He was rapidly tiring. He could tell Genesis was slowing, too.

"Bereft of father! Bereft of mother!" Genesis continued to recite as another monster lay slain at his feet, "Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!"

Angeal didn't recognize it as any particular rendition of Loveless he'd ever heard from Genesis.

Maybe he ran out of content, Angeal thought wryly before focusing on guarding Genesis's back.

The hoard grew faster than they could cull. As troopers and Soldiers fell, their cleared perimeter grew smaller and smaller, a mere pocket between roiling masses and the dark steel walls of the Tower. The call to retreat was on Angeal's tongue when a flash caught his eye. A familiar blade gleamed among the monsters, cutting a path as a mixture of wind magic and ice sent more monsters scrambling.

"Angeal!" a familiar voice called. Angeal grinned. Zack's puppy grin was visible even as he was covered in monster viscera.

"Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!"

Angeal sighed as they drew closer, "He meant he's happy to see you."

"Damn it, wait!" Reno called uselessly. Gun was pulling ahead as she sprinted up the stairs.

When they reached the presidential floor, the door was locked. Gun swiped her keycard, and the terminal flashed red.

"Access denied."

"Tseng, open up," Gun said into her phone. There was a pause, and the door beeped again before sliding open. Gun sprinted through them, Reno following hot on her heels. The offices they passed were already emptied. Gun took the carpeted stairs two at a time, Reno following close behind.

The president's desk was vacated at the top of the wide stars. Visible through the window beyond, a helicopter was on standby, and a familiar white trenchcoat blew in the strong wind. Around him, troopers were firing into the air, fending off flying monsters that prevented the aircraft from taking off. Streaks of dark blood smeared across the Shinra logo printed on the helipad, trailing toward a mutilated Zu. Someone must have dragged it from where it died to allow the helicopter to land.

Tseng waited on the helideck, arms crossed and hair twirling around him, while Rude spoke to someone in a pilot's uniform. Troopers were scrambling around the lone helicopter. One trooper manned the helicopter's onboard machine gun, firing judiciously into the night sky.

When they approached, Tseng stepped forward to meet them. Gun ignored him and turned instead to the figure in white.

"Rufus!" Gun's voice was all anger as she exploded at them, "You started this. Stop this! Innocent people are dying!"

"Gun, stand down."

Reno was shocked as Gun pulled out her firearm and aimed it at Tseng.

"Move."

Tseng stood still. Reno froze as he looked across the deck to his partner. Rude brows were raised as he watched Reno, Gun, and Tseng. He slowly dropped into a defensive posture but stood frozen, his loyalties torn.

Rufus turned at the sound of his name and watched coldly from behind Tseng. Dark blood was smeared across one cheek. Dark Nation crouched at his side. It bared its teeth at them, but without Rufus's order, it did not attack.

"Tseng," Gun pleaded, "He's the reason for all these deaths. For Rod's death. He's been working with Avalanche this whole time. He fired on our own troops."

"You don't know everything," Tseng said. "Turks are loyal to the president and the company's mission. You don't necessarily know the whole picture." His voice was stern, but Reno could hear the slight quiver as Tseng tumbled over "loyal."

"What loyalty do we owe someone who has owed us none?" Gun asked angrily, "Veld was the one that plucked the Turks from the streets. What has Rufus done?"

Rufus scoffed, "Without Shinra, what will your lives be like? Unilluminated, primitive. That was the world before Shinra. And now, we are on the precipice of something more."

Gun growled and pointed her firearm at Rufus. Dark Nation tensed at the same time Tseng sprung to action, only to leap out of the way as shots fired at his feet.

"What are you-" Reno started to ask before realizing the shots were not from Gun. Reno traced the path of the bullet fire further up. A man was lit up by the slowly blinking lights at the very top of the tower. His crimson eyes shimmered as he stared down at them, his red cape billowing in the gust.

Angeal graduated from boyfriend to long-suffering husband so fast. Or he always has been.

Also, Rayleigh is a canon character from Before Crisis. Avalanche targeted her, and it was heavily implied in FF7 Remake that she ended up as a mutated experiment. Diabolic Creation enemies are named "Heretic Rayleigh" in Japanese.