Last major revision: 01/26/99
Last modified: 01/28/02

Here is the rough draft to part 7.  It has NOT been extensively
proofread so expect some errors. 

I know, I know.  It's been a VERY long wait, but I hope you'll find
that this part's worth it -- in size alone, if nothing else!  It's
about twice as large as any of the preceding chapters, but I couldn't
find a way to split it into smaller parts.  ^_^;

There's a lot going on and things might get confusing, so I'm
particularly eager for comments and suggestions.

Public and private C&C always appreciated!   ^_^

======================================================================
  CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:  
    A Final Fantasy VII fanfic by Madamhydra
======================================================================
    PART 7:  REUNION
======================================================================

---------------
Disclaimer:
  All rights and privileges to Final Fantasy VII and its characters
belong to Square Co., Ltd.  The characters of this series are used
without permission for the purpose of entertainment only.  This work
of fiction is not meant for sale or profit.                
  All original characters are the creation of the author.  All
copyright privileges to these characters are reserved for the author. 


---------------
Author's notes:

WARNING:  Violence, Adult language and subject matter.

This is a CONTINUATION - ALTERNATE REALITY Final Fantasy VII fanfic. 
It contains major SPOILERS for the game.

---------------
Text Conventions
  (  ) are character thoughts
  /  / and //  // and { } are mental dialogue of various characters
  [   ] are miscellaneous images or sound effects
    >----->----->-----> indicate the START of flashbacks/dreams
    <-----<-----<-----< indicate the END of flashbacks/dreams

======================================================================

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-1:  RESURRECTION ROAD
------------------------------------------------------

  Even deeply unconscious, Cloud became aware of a... presence.  It
was very, very faint at the moment, but he recognized it instantly. 
He knew it like he knew himself... perhaps even better.

  He twitched and softly whimpered, "Sephiroth...."

---------------------------

  Cid and the rest of the party stood at the entrance to the cave. 
Tucked underneath a large, overhanging cliff and surrounded by rocks
and greenery, the ten foot wide opening was well hidden from all but
the most thorough of searchers.

  The pilot grumbled, "I'm sure glad that Scarlet told us exactly
where to locate this damn entrance.  We could've searched these
canyons for weeks before finding the friggin' thing."

  "What about the Highwind?" asked Elena as she glanced skyward.

  "It'll stay here.  Hojo's guards are likely to spot it if it gets
any closer.  Once underground, we'll probably lose radio contact until
we hit the factory."  Cid paused a moment and glanced sideways at Cait
Sith, but the little cat robot looked totally unconcerned by the
possible loss of communication.  The pilot shrugged and continued,
"According to Scarlet, the weapon plant's located on a seaside cliff
that's about twenty miles that-a-way."  He gestured vaguely toward the
northwest.  "It'll probably take close to ten minutes for the Highwind
to reach us even at top speed.  Remember that, guys."  Cid looked
around and said, "Everyone ready?"

  "Yeah!" rumbled Barret, waving his arms.  "Let's do it, man!"

  Yuffie grinned nastily, twirling Conformer around her finger.  On
the Highwind, Cait Sith had dumped a bag full of new, unfamiliar types
of materia onto a table.  As everyone helped themselves like kids in a
candy shop, the little robot cat had murmured something about
'liberating' the stash from the Shinra research labs.  With a little
practice and some lab notes that Cait had thoughtfully supplied, the
ninja girl was prepared for serious mayhem.

  Vincent merely nodded.  It took every bit of his self-discipline to
keep his mind focused on their main goal -- rescuing Cloud and Reno --
but he could feel the darkness within him seething and quivering with
anticipation at the thought of tracking down Hojo and ripping the mad
scientist limb from limb.

  Cracking her knuckles, Tifa also nodded silently.  She was a woman
with a mission.  Anyone or anything that got between her and Cloud was
going to get hurt in a big way.  There was no way that she was going
to let Sephiroth or Hojo get their claws into Cloud again. 

  "I'm ready," growled Red with stark simplicity, his flaming tail
lashing.

  Cait Sith patted his Mog and smiled, exposing small, but
surprisingly sharp teeth.

  Elena, again dressed in a crisp blue suit, glanced at Rude and
replied for both of them.  "Ready to rock, guys."

  The pilot took a deep breath.  "Then let's move out!"

---------------------------

  As the hours ticked by, Reno began to sense a change in his
surroundings.  The air seemed to crackle with an unwholesome energy
that made his skin prickle.  His gut instincts told him that something
really big and really nasty was going down.

  The Turk's gaze drifted back to Cloud.  At first Reno had thought
that the young man had been as good as dead, considering the haphazard
way Hojo had slapped the bandage over Cloud's gaping belly wound. 
However, it seemed that the bleeding was actually slowing down despite
Hojo's sloppy first aid.  

  (Hmmm.  I guess that those rumors about SOLDIERs having super-fast
healing abilities were true.  Any ordinary person probably would've
died of blood loss and shock long ago.)  Reno grinned sourly as he
realized that this enhanced healing was probably why Cloud had always
managed to last long enough to kick the Turks' butts.

  But while Cloud was alive at the moment, he was still in pretty bad
shape.  No matter how physically 'improved' SOLDIERs might be, having
someone rummaging around in one's guts was a hell of a shock to the
system.  The kid may have stopped bleeding, but he was still
unconscious and looked deathly pale.  Nope, Cloud wasn't about to jump
up on his feet and hunt down Hojo.

  The familiar sound of approaching monsters made the Turk twitch
nervously, but the creatures hadn't come for him.  Reno felt a mixture
of relief and shame along with a hefty dose of dread as they grabbed
Cloud and hauled him away.

---------------------------

  "Hold up, Barret!" yelled Yuffie.

  "What!?"

  "Haven't you forgotten about those security checkpoints Scarlet told
us about?  It's been about a mile, there's that ribbony stalactite she
mentioned," the ninja girl pointed to a delicate stone formation
hanging from the ceiling, "so the keypad's got be somewhere around
here." 

  "You mean we've got to waste time looking for a hidden electronic
doo-hickey?  How do ya even know if that bitch's telling the truth? 
She could've be bluffing all along."

  Red shook his head.  "Unlikely.  There's no denying that Scarlet's
situation is desperate.  She would have instructed us to ignore the
checkpoints if at all possible."

  Yuffie sighted off the designated landmark, paced off the specified
distances, and started fumbling with an inconspicuous rock on an
elevated ledge.  

  "Ha!  Guys, I found it!"  The ninja girl started to rummage in her
pockets for the list of security codes.  Red had insisted that
everyone carried a copy just in case the team got separated.

  Elena said, "Don't worry, I've got it."  She quickly but precisely
typed in the ten digit code.  A green light flashed twice.

  "Yeah, c'mon!"  The ninja girl somersaulted off the ledge, landed
neatly on one foot, and trotted down the twisty cave path.

  "Show-off," muttered Cid.

---------------------------

  Getting repeatedly smacked in the face with a cold, slimy tentacle
was not Cloud's favorite way of being dragged back into
consciousness... then the pain throughout his entire body brutally
reminded him why he had been unconscious in the first place.  He
groaned softly and couldn't summon up the energy to open his eyes.

  "You're not that badly injured.  The poison gas wouldn't have
impaired your healing abilities that much," an insufferably smug voice
said.

  Cloud muttered wearily, "Damn you, Hojo."  He got another stinging
smack in the face for that comment.  "What do you want from me now?"

  "These creatures of mine certainly have their uses, but they simply
don't comprehend the finer points of my work."
  
  "You dragged me out of my cell just so you could have an
appreciative audience?" Cloud asked incredulously.

  "Of course.  You're intimately involved in all this.  It's only
fitting that you should see this.  Take a look at my masterpiece...
REBORN!"  

  Cloud finally managed to pry open his eyes.  Although his vision was
still refused to focus completely, he could easily make out the huge,
clear cylindrical tank before him.  Hojo has obviously wasted no time
setting his insane plans into motion.  To his horror, Cloud instantly
recognized the shape tranquilly suspended in the glowing green liquid
within the tank.  

  He could never forget that long silvery hair which drifted around a
face with elegant, yet almost feral features... the sleek, powerful
muscles....

  "Sephiroth...," Cloud whispered in a sick voice.  "No.  It can't
be... not this fast!"  

  Somehow, he had expected the whole process to take longer... MUCH
longer.  But the resurrection of Sephiroth was unlike any other of
Hojo's cloning experiments.  Actually, it seemed that the term
"reconstruction" was a more accurate way of describing what was going
on before his eyes.  Instead of growing from a baby into an adult, a
fully mature body was being assembled starting at the head and working
downward.  Cloud could literally see Sephiroth's body putting itself
together with uncanny speed from the inside out -- bones, then flesh,
followed by skin.

  "Oh, but it can!  All this has taken place in the space of three
short hours.  As soon as I placed the sample in this unit, his body
began to rebuild itself with no assistance or guidance from me...
almost like it has a will of its own, isn't it?  I just provided the
raw materials."

  Cloud whispered, "That's NOT what I needed to hear...."

  Three hours... in three measly hours, what had probably been a tiny
swatch of tissue no bigger than a fingernail had already rebuilt
itself into a recognizable person.  The head, neck, upper chest, and
shoulders were already complete.  At that moment, the skeletal arm
bones were being wrapped in muscle.  Indeterminate blobs of tissue
were coalescing, steadily gaining both definition and texture which
transformed them into recognizable internal organs that in turn
gradually attached and packed themselves into the body's abdominal
region.

  The sight unpleasantly reminded Cloud of seeing Sephiroth in his
chrysalis of Materia in the Northern Crater, just before he had so
obediently handed over the Black Materia....

  He tore his gaze away from the tank -- anything to avoid looking at
the monster growing inside - then blinked in astonishment as he saw a
familiar lethal shape lying on a nearby lab counter next to a pile of
equally familiar black clothing.

  "Sephiroth's Masamune!?"

  Hojo chuckled.  "Yes, indeed.  His sword, ready and waiting."

  "How... how did you....?"

  The scientist giggled.  "Pure luck... no, call it fate.  Sephiroth
was destined to return.  Why shouldn't his sword return to serve
him... just like you did."

  "You damn well kidnapped me!  I didn't have any choice in the
matter!" Cloud snarled weakly.

  "Really?  Oh, I think you would have been drawn here anyway.  I just
helped things along," Hojo hissed in a mocking voice.  "I confess that
I was quite surprised to find the sword.  Or perhaps it would be
better to say that it found ME.  Anyway, this is the first opportunity
I've had to analyze the weapon.  Metallurgy is hardly my strongest
area of expertise, but the things I've discovered...."  The scientist
rubbed his tentacles together with insane glee.

  "Analyze?  Why the hell did you need to analyze it?  I thought
Shinra gave the damn thing to Sephiroth."

  "Oh no.  He found it himself, although I'm not sure where.  I never
had a chance to examine it.  Sephiroth could be quite protective about
certain things... and certain people."  He leaned close to Cloud as if
conveying a great secret.  "Do you know that the Masamune is at least
as old as Jenova?  And that the metal is uncannily similar in
composition to other metal fragments discovered near Jenova?  How does
THAT grab you, hm?"

  Cloud shook his head in an effort to stay conscious.  "That's
crazy...  You're trying to tell me that sword's over 2000 years old?"

  "Yes!  Think of it.  It probably came in the very same space vehicle
as Jenova.  It could have been Jenova's very own weapon!"  Hojo burst
into triumphant giggles.

  Cloud thought, (That might explain why Masamune's proportions and
its balance are so weird... and it might explain why Sephiroth's the
only person who could effectively fight with the damn thing.  The
sword's as awkward as hell to lift and nearly impossible to use.  I
bloody well should know....)

  His thoughts abruptly trailed off in a tangle of confusion.  (But...
but HOW should I know that?  I've never picked up Sephiroth's sword
before... I think....)  Cloud was sidetracked as Hojo continued with
his little story.

  Waving his tentacles wildly in the air, the scientist burbled, "When
I found this sword -- or when it found me -- it was a sign... a sign
that I would finally succeed in resurrecting Sephiroth himself!  Not
just a Sephiroth clone -- mere facsimiles, however superior they are
to ordinary humans -- but the real thing!"

  Hojo smirked, then added in a pensive voice, "How strange that such
a great and dedicated scientist like myself would end up believing in
destiny and fate."

  "Don't break a tentacle patting yourself on the back," Cloud
growled.

  Hojo ignored the insolent comment and muttered to himself, "I can't
wait to see how Sephiroth will react to meeting the TRUE Jenova...
Jenova-CORE!"

  (The WHAT!?)  Cloud's eyes widened in shocked dismay.  He wished
that he was just imagining things, but he knew that he'd heard Hojo
all too clearly.  

  "Jenova-CORE!?  But that can't be!  Jenova's head was destroyed in
the Lifestream...."  

  Then Cloud remembered....

  (No, not destroyed.  It was merely LOST in the Lifestream.)  

  And Cloud knew first-hand that whatever the Lifestream swallowed,
the Lifestream all too often spit back. 

  Hojo gave Cloud a sly look.  "Oh, so you know about Jenova-CORE, hm?
 Of course.  You must have found a copy of my notes at Nibelheim."

  "You... you're trying to rebuild Jenova also...."

  Hojo snort in contempt.  "That female alien body that was found
thirty-one years ago was merely a shell, a conveniently sized host for
Jenova-CORE."

  Cloud whispered, "You mean that Jenova's really some sort of... of
parasite?"
 
  "Not JUST a parasite!  The true Jenova -- Jenova-CORE -- is an
entity of unknown shape or form.  When it landed on this world, the
body in which it was residing was entombed by those meddling Cetra! 
After 2000 years of interment, only a fraction of the original
Jenova-CORE was left, mostly concentrated in Jenova-host's brain. 
Some of the Jenova-CORE cells were extracted by Gast and went into the
creation of Sephiroth."  The reminder of his rival make Hojo scowl
irritably before he continued speaking.

  "You thought you and your pathetic pack of hoodlums had destroyed me
on the Sister Ray, but you were wrong!  The important part of me
survived and escaped!  When I found the head, I realized the truth and
I knew what I had to do.  And now the day of my triumph has arrived!"
  
  Hojo might have said more, but a loud siren suddenly went off.  An
electronic voice over the building's loudspeakers blared, "WARNING. 
Primary interlock failure.  Mako inflow rising to critical levels. 
Possible reactor breech.  Secondary safety interlocks initiated. 
Shutdown will occurred in two minutes."

  The mad scientist swore furiously.  "NO!  Stupid computer!"  He
flung Cloud aside and stormed over to a computer terminal.  After
angrily punching in a series of commands, the scientist waited
impatiently, then hissed, "What do you mean that the interlocks can't
be disabled from remote terminals!?  The Mako flow must not be
interrupted at any cost!  I won't have it, you hear me!?"  

  The flat synthesized computer voice was suddenly replaced by a human
female's voice, dripping with cheerful malice.  

  "Too fucking bad, sucker face.  Have a nice day."  

  "Scarlet, you bitch!"  With a howl of rage, Hojo stormed out of the
lab.

---------------------------

  When Hojo had thrown Cloud aside like a rag-doll, the resulting
impact tore open the young man's wounds.  He soon found himself on the
floor amid a growing pool of blood.  But all his physical pain and
weakness was nothing compared to his mental and emotional agony.  From
his position, he had a clear, unobstructed view of the tank and the
steady progress of his arch-nemesis' reconstruction.  He knew he had
to do something and do it soon.  In a few more hours, Sephiroth would
be back.

  To confront Sephiroth again....

  (Oh god.  Isn't killing him not once, but TWICE enough?  I can't do
this again....)

  But as he slid inexorably into unconsciousness, a grim resolve
slowly took over Cloud's mind, crowding out fear, anger... even
hatred.

    // Yes, I can. 
    // I have to.
    // I promised him that night....
    // I swore that I'd do whatever needed to be done.... 
    // Whatever it took..... 
    // Whatever the cost....
    // I PROMISED....
    // ....to set him free....//

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-2:  GIRL TALK
------------------------------------------------------

  In a way, Red was glad that he and his companions were required to
stop at regular intervals to deal with Scarlet's overblown security
system.  The constant pauses forced his friends to pace themselves. 
Otherwise, he was sure that Tifa and some of the others would have
charged ahead recklessly and ended up in deep trouble.

  "Yo, Red!  How much further we got?" rumbled Barret.

  "We're just a little more than halfway there, I believe."  In the
darkness of the caverns, the beast was the easiest to identify with
his flaming tail tip.

  Cid muttered, "Ten miles in three hours.  Not bad, considering the
terrain, the darkness, and all the damn stops we've had to make."  

  By the light of her lamp, Yuffie could see that no matter how
quickly they moved, it was much too slow for Tifa.  The dark-haired
young woman paced impatiently as the Turks looked for the concealed
security keypad.  The ninja girl reached out and grabbed her tense
shoulder.  

  "Hang in there, Tifa.  We'll get him out of there."

  Tifa has said almost nothing over the last several hours, but now
she leaned back against the cave wall and said flatly, "I keep telling
myself that."  Smacking her fist into the palm of her other hand, she
muttered, "Hojo's dead meat."

  Yuffie glanced at Vincent, who perched on a pile of rubble as he
waited for the security checkpoint to clear.  The ex-Turk had always
been a man of few words, but ever since the recent discovery of Hojo's
unsuccessful attempts to breed more creatures like Sephiroth, the dark
man had been even more silent and withdrawn than usual.  

  "Uh, I hate to say this, but I think Vincent might just beat you to
it," whispered the ninja girl.

  Tifa shrugged.  "Actually, I don't really care WHO kills Hojo.  I
just want to see him finished, once and for all."  She sighed heavily
and muttered, "I can't lose Cloud... not after all we've been through
already."

  As they both watched Rude and Elena scrambling through the rocks,
Yuffie said, "Cloud's tough.  I mean, he's not going to give in so
easily."

  "Yes, but...."  Tifa's voice trailed off. 

  (But when monsters like Sephiroth, Hojo, and Jenova are involved,
he's in more danger than any of us, Yuffie.)

  Tifa shook her head sharply.  "It's just that... I don't want things
to end like this.  I don't want his last memories of me to be.....  Oh
hell."

  Turning away from Yuffie, she paced in a tight circle.  Thinking
about her behavior on the outcrop just before Cloud's abduction, Tifa
was forced to realize that the stalled relationship between her and
Cloud was as much her fault as it was his.  Actually, she was starting
to think that most of the blame was hers.

  (Maybe he didn't say or do anything to let me know how he felt...
but was it because he didn't want to... or maybe it was because I
didn't give him the chance?)  

  On the cliff, Cloud was trying to tell her something, but she'd cut
him off as soon as he mentioned Aeris.  And that hadn't been the first
time she had acted that way.  Was it any wonder that he had become
reluctant to bring up the topic of their relationship, such as it was?
 In her attempts to protect herself, had she ended up driving him
away?

  (Me and my stupid....  I'm such a sniveling coward.  Oh, I'm
certainly brave enough about physical stuff, but about other things...
I'd rather bury my head in the ground and ignore the truth.  I just
can't seem to deal with the possibility that he doesn't return my
feelings.  And every time he mentions Aeris....  I wish I could've
hated her... but I can't.  God, I sound absolutely pathetic.  She's
dead, I'm alive, and I'm still jealous of her.)

  Jealousy.  She was jealous of what Aeris and Cloud had together,
jealous of how the other girl could just open herself up.  There was
no secret how Aeris felt... how much she cared.  Tifa closed her eyes.
 

  Aloud, she muttered softly, "I could never get up the courage to
tell Cloud how I felt about him."

  Over the last year, Yuffie had been alternately pestering and
teasing Tifa about her relationship with Cloud, but now the ninja girl
had the unhappy feeling that she was getting in over her head. 
However, she doggedly plunged forward.  

  "I'm sure he knows that you care about him...," Yuffie said a bit
awkwardly.
 
  "Does he?  Or does he just think of me as a childhood friend... no,
a childhood acquaintance?"

  Yuffie blinked in confusion.  "Huh?  I thought you guys grew up
together.  Childhood sweethearts and all that."

  Tifa shook her head sadly.  "Over the years, I basically talked
myself into believing we were close friends when we were kids, but
that just wasn't true.  I saw him around, said 'hello' to him
occasionally, and ignored him most of the time.  Looking back, I now
realize that the other kids really gave him a hard time.  It was a
small town and they bullied him a lot."  

  The ninja girl snorted.  "It's kinda hard to imagine someone pushing
Cloud around."

  "Oh no.  Things were really different when we were kids.  When he
was young, he was on the small side.  A bit sickly... sort of shy and
withdrawn, but...."  Tifa smiled wistfully, "He was really cute, with
that little blond ponytail of his."

  (I wish I'd said something back then.  I wonder... would a few kind
words have made a difference?  I guess I'll never know....)  

  A grim look crossed Tifa's face.  "And now that I think about it,
the adults were even worse than the kids. "

  "No kidding?"

  "Yeah.  Nibelheim was a small town.  Everyone knew everybody.  But
Cloud and his mother were always outsiders.  She just showed up one
day with a baby in her arms.  I don't think my parents or the other
townsfolk really believed her story about being a widow.  There were
all sorts of dirty rumors.  And when Cloud was growing up, he usually
got blamed every time something bad happened -- stuff got stolen or
broken, that sort of thing... even the weather!  My dad was probably
among the worst.  I can remember Dad blaming Cloud for some broken
windows... as if a nine year old kid had anything to do with a
hailstorm!"  

  Tifa shook her head wearily.  "It's no wonder that he wanted to get
away from Nibelheim... no wonder that he wanted to show everyone just
how wrong they were about him.  My father and the other townspeople
pretty much drove him away to Midgar... and look what happened."

  "Tifa, you can't blame yourself if other people acted like total
jerks.  It wasn't like you did anything nasty to him."

  (But don't you see, Yuffie?  It's not the things I did, but the
things that I DIDN'T do.  Sure, I wasn't cruel to him, but I wasn't
nice to him.  I didn't try to stop the other kids from picking on him.
 I didn't try to defend him when the adults blamed him for things I
knew he didn't do.)

  Aloud, Tifa quietly whispered, "Sometimes the sins of omission are
just as bad as the sins of commission, Yuffie.  I could have... I
could have done a lot of things...."

  The ninja girl said nothing as Tifa stared up at the rocky ceiling
of the cavern and sighed.  

  (Cloud wanted me to notice him.  It was so stupid of me, stringing
him along with that damn promise!  I made him think that he HAD to
become a SOLDIER in order to impress me!  I'm sure that promise only
made things worse when he didn't make it into SOLDIER.)  Tifa scowled
and kicked at a harmless rock.  

  Not sure how to respond to her friend's angry gesture, Yuffie
settled for a noncommittal, "Umm...."  After a moment, she brightened
up and said, "Didn't you say that he saved your life back in the Mount
Nibel reactor, after Sephiroth hurt you?"

  "Yes... but...."

  "Well, if he was willing to go after Sephiroth, that's gotta mean
that he cared about you and that he didn't hold any of those past
things against you.  And it's pretty clear that he still cares about
you and you're obviously crazy about him.  Now the trick is to tell
him!" Yuffie said cheerfully.

  Tifa glared at Yuffie.  "It's not that simple!  Don't you think I
wanted to?  But there are other... things involved here."  

  Yuffie sighed and gave up.  She'd tried the blatant approach and
she'd tried the subtle approach, but it seemed that Tifa was going to
keep ducking the whole issue and not tell Cloud how she felt. 

  "Tifa...."

  "Yeah?"

  Yuffie bit her lip, then shook her head.  "Oh... nothing."

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-3: RHAPSODY IN GREEN: SECOND CHANCES
------------------------------------------------------

  There was someone... someone very important to him... someone very
close... that person was desperately trying to warn him about
something, but he couldn't hear him.  It was like there was a thick
sheet of glass between the two of them, blocking off any sort of
communication... or emotion.  

  And after a while, it was no longer a matter of 'could not hear',
but rather he *chose* not to hear.  

  Eventually, the other presence went away, but he didn't care.  He
had more important matters to attend to.  After all, a god has more
important things on his mind than the inane chatter of an
insignificant human insect.

  At least, that's what he told himself.  But something deep inside
him ached with guilt and sorrow... loneliness and grief....
  
  Now that special person was back.  The mysterious barrier no longer
stood between them and he could sense the familiar, cherished
presence.  But as his consciousness drifted away, he realized that
there was something wrong with that presence... terribly wrong. 

---------------------------

  Some unknown time later, he awoke and sensed chaos, both inside and
out... and since he abhorred chaos, he set about imposing some order
on his surroundings and himself.  Gradually, things began to make
sense and memories gradually fell into place....  But still, there was
a part of his mind that refused to accept order, no matter how much he
tried.  And that portion tried to devour him, to drown him in chaos
and madness.  Like the pull of quicksand, the more he tried to resist,
the worse the pull seemed to be.  His anxiety steadily grew until....

  {Let me help....}
  
  It was just a wisp of a female voice... soft and gentle.  He wasn't
sure whether it was an actual sound he was hearing or whether it was
just in his mind.  

  "Who are you?" he demanded, his ice green eyes narrowing warily.

---------------------------

  His mind-voice was cold, almost brutally sharp, just as she imagined
him to be... just as sharp and piercing as that great long silvery
blade he had used when he....  

  Her lower chest seemed to burn and tingle as she shuddered at the
unpleasant memory.  She hesitated briefly and wondered if she was
doing the right thing.  It was a huge gamble which could end in utter
disaster.  But it was a gamble she had to take.  

  It was her love's only chance for becoming whole... complete.

---------------------------

  {There... is that better?}
  
  "Yes."  

  Surprisingly, it was.  He sensed the chaotic, twisted jumble in his
mind receding into the background, its seductive pull weakened.  A
long pause followed before he added, somewhat reluctantly, "It's still
there."  

  {It's a part of you, no matter how much you despise it.  You can't
just cut it out and throw it away.} 

  The voice acquired a gentle warning tone.   

  {I've only managed to temporarily block its effects, but I can't
cure the madness or make it go away forever.  The protective barrier
isn't permanent.  It can be broken, either by you or by... other
things.  It's only a temporary buffer... something to give you enough
time to gradually face and deal with your memories with a balanced,
rational mind, instead of a mind overwhelmed and drowning in its own
chaos.  Once you've understand what's happened in the past, then you
can unravel that knot of madness yourself and destroy it for good.}

  "Who are you?"  With one distraction gone, he could now sense
something else calling him... tugging at him.

  {I'm just... a friend of a friend,} was the wistful reply.

  "Who are you?" he demanded again.

  The voice didn't answer in words.  He got a fleeting impression of
gentle, dark green eyes and an image of a strangely familiar yellow
flower.  Her mental words were soft and terribly sad.  

  {In all the time I knew him... years, but still so short... he never
talked about you.}

  She hesitated for a long moment before continuing.
 
  {I sensed you in him, all those years ago, but you were so much a
part of him, I never realized you were there... that there was another
PERSON involved.  And when I met him again, I was so confused.  The
face and body were totally different and yet....  Part of him felt so
familiar but there was so much pain... he seemed so incomplete....  I
wanted to help, but I didn't know how.  Back then, I didn't recognize
him....  But now... now I know who he really is.  And since I've met
YOU... the real you... I also know what's been missing in him all this
time....}

  He tersely said, "You're not making any sense."  

  {Please go and help him.  He needs to be whole.  YOU need to be
whole.  That can never happen until you two are together again.}  

  "Whole?  What are you talking about?"
  
  There was a sad sigh.

  {But it's going to be so hard... so very hard.  There's so much that
lies between the two of you... so much that's changed... yet so much
remains the same... you still need each other.}

  "I don't NEED anyone," he stated flatly, his cold green eyes
flashing. 

  {No, I suppose you don't.  Each of you could survive alone...
perhaps... but neither of you could ever be truly content or happy
without the other.  Don't you want more from life than mere
survival... more than just a barren, hollow existence?}

  He didn't reply, but in a way, his very silence was an answer in
itself.  Things were falling into place for him.  Gradually, he began
to understand what -- and who -- the voice was talking about.  The
brief mental images of the pretty, brown-haired girl and the yellow
flower abruptly clicked in his mind... bringing back memories of a
better time. 

  "The flower girl in the slums."  Very quietly he added, "Zack never
told me your name."

  {I made him promise and he kept his word.  I knew he would.  That
was the sort of man he was.}

  "Yes, I know."  A brief pause followed.  "Will you tell me your name
now?"

  {Aeris.  My name is Aeris.}

  The name suited her perfectly somehow.  In a thoughtful voice he
asked, "Why are you doing this, Aeris?"

  There was another surge of wistful sadness in her now fading voice.

  {For my first love.  Or perhaps, for my only love....}

  Just before his own consciousness faded, he heard her last words
echoing in the void.

  {Go find the other half of your soul... Sephiroth.}

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-4: PRELIMINARY STRATEGIES 
------------------------------------------------------

  After nearly four more hours of hiking, Cid and the others finally
reached the end of the natural cave tunnels and the beginning of the
two mile stretch of manmade tunnel that led into the heart of
Scarlet's weapons plant.  The tunnel section was very easy going
compared to the caverns, despite the security checkpoints.  When they
reached the end of the tunnel, they found Vincent waiting for them,
his reddish eyes glittering in the subdued lighting.  He said nothing,
but they could all sense his impatience.  Beyond that small, yet
massive steel hatchway was the weapon facility, their captured
friends... and Hojo.

  A final series of codes and the door opened soundlessly into the
back of a medium-sized storage room.  Yuffie slithered around the
crates and was about to open the other door in the room when a sharp
female voice hissed, "Get back in here!"

  The ninja girl jumped and clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle
a shriek of surprise.  They all whirled to see Scarlet peering out of
an large air duct, shotgun in hand.  Under other circumstances, it
would have been a hilarious sight.  Scarlet was still dressed in the
same tasteless, sequined evening gown that she had been wearing during
her earlier video transmission to Reeve.  However, on her feet was a
pair of sturdy combat boots that was low in style, but high in
utility.

  "Damn it!  You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Cid growled in a low
voice.

  Scarlet merely sniffed and said, "What took you so long?  I've been
keeping Hojo busy by screwing around with the computer system, but I
was running out of things to do."

  Tifa said angrily, "We would have been here sooner if it wasn't for
your stupid security!  And what kind of idiot designs an escape route
twenty-two MILES long?"

  Scarlet curled her lip in contempt.  "Well, it got you in here
undetected, didn't it?"

  "Why you...!"

  Red said gruffly, "We don't have time to waste arguing.  Scarlet, do
you know where Cloud and Reno are being held?"

  "I know where Reno's stashed.  He's fine, just really pissed off. 
Your friend Cloud's been dragged off to one of the high security labs.
 I know which lab but I've got no idea what's going on inside."  She
shrugged.

  "So what's the plan?" muttered Barret.

  Cid said, "It's pretty simple.  Rude, Elena, and Yuffie will go grab
Reno.  The rest of us go after Cloud."

  Vincent said evenly, "What about Hojo?"

  "And Sephiroth?" Yuffie added uneasily.

  Red shook his head.  "Let's worry about rescuing our friends first. 
The Turks will catch up with us after freeing Reno.  Once we're all
together, we'll assess Reno's and Cloud's condition.  If they are all
right or if all they need is some healing spells, we can then try to
find out what Hojo's up to and do our best to stop him."  The beast
hesitated, then continued, "If there's something wrong with Cloud that
can't be readily cured, then we'll need to decide how best to
distribute our forces."

  Cid said, "All right, Scarlet.  Where do we need to go and what's
the fastest way there?"

  Scarlet hauled a small backpack out of the air vent and rummaged
around.  She pulled out a sheet of paper and spread it on a nearby
crate.

  "Okay, this is a floor plan of the lab level.  Reno's being kept
here."  With a long, dagger-like fingernail, she jabbed at a green 'X'
on the map.  "He's locked in a cell, but there are no guards as far as
I know.  Cloud was dragged off to THIS lab."  Scarlet gestured to an
large area bordered in red.  "That's the same place where Hojo
installed a whole bunch of his special equipment."  She folded the map
and tossed it over to Rude.

  Cait Sith said, "You mentioned something about a lot of activity
going on in the lowermost levels?"

  Scarlet bit her painted lips, then reluctantly said,  "Yes.  Hojo's
creature goons have stopped bringing in the fresh bodies, but the
computers show that literally tons of Mako are being pumped into that
area, but nothing's coming out.  Listen, guys, I agreed to help you
get your buddies out of here.  I certainly didn't sign on to lead a
strike team into Hojo's pet project, okay?  I just want to get the
hell out of this place alive!"

  "You stupid bitch!  Don't you realize that if we don't stop
Hojo...!" bellowed Barret.

  "SHHHHHH!!!" several people anxiously hissed.

  Cid ground his teeth.  "We can't do anything about it now.  With
that horde of Hojo's creatures crawling around, we can't afford to
split up too much. C'mon, guys!  Time's a-wasting."

  Examining their copy of the floor plan, Elena said, "Our target is
just down the hall.  We'll see you later."

  Red nodded.  "Good luck.  We'll be waiting for you or meet you on
the way.  Do you need any more help?"  The beast glanced at Vincent.

  The blond Turk shook her head.  "No.  I think we're okay."

  Tifa whispered to Yuffie, "You okay about this?  Going off with the
Turks by yourself?"

  The ninja girl grinned and whispered back, "Hey, it's cool.  You
just worry about Cloud."

  Scarlet called out to Elena.  "Oh, by the way, you might need this,"
and tossed something to Rude.  He caught it and stared in confusion at
the familiar pair of men's shoes dangling from his hand.

  "...."  

  Rude then silently handed the shoes to Elena who muttered irritably,
"What the hell are those for?"

  Scarlet smirked as she turned away.  "You're a smart girl.  Figure
it out."

  "C'mon, guys!"  Yuffie peeked out into the hallway, then disappeared
through the door, followed by the Turks.

  A moment later, the storeroom was deserted as Cid and his party, led
by Scarlet, headed toward Hojo's new workshop.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-5: LIBERATION 
------------------------------------------------------

  When the door to the lab burst open, the startled Reno saw Yuffie
standing in the doorway and jumped to his feet, forgetting that he
wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing.  The young ninja girl
blushed and whistled with distinct appreciation.

  "Oh man, what a bod!"
  
  Before Reno could think of a suitably sarcastic reply, Elena ran in,
snapping, "Girl, keep your mind on business!  What the hell are you
staring...."  The blond then noticed Reno standing in a transparent
cell, stark naked.  

  "....at?"  Elena blinked, then stared in mild astonishment. 
"Reno!?"
  
  Normally, the red-haired Turk probably would have enjoyed the idea
of having two pretty females ogling him.  However, he was in no mood
for fun and games.  Reno flung up his hands and screamed, "Will you
two stop admiring the view and GET ME HELL OUT OF THIS GODDAMN FUCKING
CELL!?"

  "Oh... right!"  Elena shook herself and hurried over to blast the
latch open.

  Reno jumped out of the cell and muttered, "Shit, it's cold!  I'm
freezing my ass off!"

  Yuffie said mischievously, "But it's such a cute ass!"

  "First that bitch Scarlet, now the ninja pip-squeak has to make
comments about my anatomy," Reno snarled as he gave Yuffie a deathly
glare.  He then whipped around and growled at Elena, "And if YOU say
anything, I'm going to *hurt* you."  

  Elena flung up her hands in an innocent 'who me?' gesture and
scurried off to locate some clothing for Reno.  All she managed to
find was a semi-clean lab coat.  Reno was not impressed and said as
much. 

  "Beggars can't be choosers.  Here!" the female Turk snapped,
thrusting the garment into his hands.  Under her breath, she muttered,
"What a baby!"  She then handed him the pair of men's shoes slung over
her shoulder.

  "Where the hell are you doing carrying my shoes around?"

  Elena grinned and said, "Scarlet gave them to me.  She said that we
might need them, but didn't say why."

  Reno, who was just about to put the shoes on, froze and suspiciously
double-checked the shoes before warily slipping them on. 

  "That sly bitch!  She knew damn well I was stark naked.  If she got
a hold of my friggin' shoes, she damn well could've gotten my clothes
as well!  When I get my hands on her...."

  He continued to mutter obscenities under his breath as he slipped
the labcoat on.  However, his mood immediately improved as Elena
started handing over various pieces of weaponry, including his
favorite Nightstick.

  "Where's Rude?"

  "Out in the hall, keeping watch.  Here," Elena said, handing over
several grenades.

  Reno happily noted that the Nightstick was fully charged.  After
checking out his weapon, he said, "Now what?  If the brat's here, the
others are sure to be here, too."

  Yuffie, her cheeks still slightly pink, hastily said, "They're
looking for Cloud.  Come on!"

-----------------------------------

  Cid and his team came very close to reaching the lab without
incident, but the pilot regretfully remembered that 'close' only
counted in horseshoes and hand grenades.  They turned the last corner
and skidded to an abrupt halt when they saw the shambling masses of
vegetation guarding the doorway.  Ducking back around the corner, Cid
muttered, "Shit!  That's blown it!  We're going to have to take those
things out."

  Red sighed, "So much for the element of surprise.  If Hojo's
mentally linked to his creatures, he'll know the instant we destroy
those guards.  Scarlet, is there any other way in there?"

  "No.  It's a sealed laboratory.  It's even got its own independent
air handling system.  The air ducts in that lab doesn't connect with
the ducts in the rest of the complex."

  "Great.  Just great."

  The red-furred beast said, "I'll try a sleep spell.  If that doesn't
work, we'll just have to use brute force and hit them hard."

  "Okay.  It's your...."

  At that moment, an alarm started to bleep and yellow caution lights
started to flash just above the laboratory's doorway.

  "Oh, to hell with sneaking around!  Red...!" shouted Cid.

  The beast was already in the process of toasting the monsters into
charcoal with a fire spell.  The group raced down the hall, led by
Cid. 

  "What the hell's that?" Tifa yelled in Scarlet's direction.

  "It means someone's initiated some sort of emergency procedure in
the lab!"

  "Like what!?"

  "How the hell should I know!?" Scarlet snapped angrily.

  They skidded to a stop in front of the imposing steel door.  Scarlet
hastily punched in her override code just as Reno -- dressed in
nothing but a pair of stylish men's loafers and an oversized labcoat
with pockets bulging with weapons and other implements of destruction
-- approached from the opposite end of the hallway, followed by Yuffie
and the other Turks.
 
  Barret stared at Reno's bare legs and smirked.  

  The red-haired Turk snarled, "Not a damn word, Barret!  Not a
fucking word!"

  The lab door slowly swung open with a soft whoosh of air.  They
charged into the lab and received an very unpleasant surprise.  

  A badly wounded Cloud wavered unsteadily on his feet... staring eye
to eye with Sephiroth.

  "Oh shit...."

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-6: REUNION REDUX  
------------------------------------------------------

  Something jolted Cloud back into consciousness.  Even before he
forced his eyes open, he knew he was running out of time.  He could
feel Sephiroth's presence -- that unmistakable aura of power that
always surrounded the man -- steadily growing in strength.  

  (How long have I been out?  If it's been more than an hour, then I'm
in real trouble....)

  One look at the tank confirmed his fears.  Sephiroth's new body was
already complete.

  (Damn it!  No time to waste.  I've got to do something NOW, while
he's still helpless and vulnerable.  Otherwise....)  He didn't want to
think about what might happen if Sephiroth regained consciousness.

  Cloud slowly crawled over to a nearby cabinet and used it to haul
himself to his feet, fighting to stay conscious every inch of the way.
 Once upright, he glanced around the lab, looking for something
suitably deadly.  Unfortunately, the only thing that fit that
description was the Masamune.

  Gritting his teeth, Cloud staggered over to the sword, ignoring the
large splotches of blood he left in his wake.  He stared at the blade
for a minute or two, trying to gather the courage to pick it up. 
Cloud wondered at his own audacity in daring to use Sephiroth's own
sword against him, even as he recoiled from handling the weapon that
had slain Aeris so effortlessly.

  But there was nothing else he could use and he didn't have the
strength or the time to look elsewhere for a better weapon.  And if
there was one thing he knew about Masamune, it was that the sword
excelled at killing.

  Cloud reached out and picked up the long elegant sword.  He wasn't
sure what he was expecting -- perhaps a lethal zap of energy or some
sort of mental attack -- but nothing happened.  Masamune simply felt
like a fine, but very awkwardly balanced piece of steel.

  But it was also a familiar sort of feeling.

  (I've held this weapon before.  I know it.)

  He shoved that thought aside and slowly made his way over to the
tank, blade in hand.  As precious seconds ticked by, he scanned the
nearby control console before finding the switch he was looking for --
the big yellow striped one labeled 'EMERGENCY FLUID DUMP'.

  Cloud took a deep breath and punched the button.  An alarm started
bleeping and yellow lights began to flash.  He ignored them, focusing
every bit of his attention on the tank's contents.  At first nothing
happened, then there was a sucking noise like a uncorked bottle.  The
glowing green fluid seemed to ripple, then it quickly began to drain
away.  As the liquid level sank lower and lower, so did Sephiroth's
body.  Cloud tensed anxiously as the body came to rest on the bottom
of the tank, but nothing happened.  Sephiroth's eyes remained closed. 
The body remained limp and unmoving.

  (I think I made it just in time.  God, I hope so.)

  In less than a minute, the large tank was empty.  Gritting his
teeth, Cloud hit the OPEN button. In a swift, silent motion, the tank
walls slid upward and disappeared into the ceiling, leaving
Sephiroth's motionless body sprawled on the damp grating that formed
the tank bottom.  

  With one hand clutching Masamune and his other arm wrapped around
his torso in a futile effort to slow the bleeding from his stomach
wound, Cloud carefully walked toward the unconscious body.  He winced
as he splashed through the few remaining puddles of glowing liquid. 
The concentrated Mako in that liquid made his skin burn and brought
back flickers of excruciatingly painful memories.  

  But even as he came within a few yards, the silver-haired body
twitched.

  "No, damn it...," hissed Cloud under his breath.  He watched, frozen
in dismay as Sephiroth slowly pulled himself to his hands and knees. 
With damp, silvery hair streaming over his face, Cloud's dreaded enemy
began to hack and cough as he struggled to clear the liquid from his
lungs.

  Cloud had no sympathy for Sephiroth's discomfort.  This was no time
to falter.  He clenched his teeth, wrapped both hands around Masamune,
and stepped forward to the attack.  As the blood continued to ooze
from the deep wound in his side, Cloud awkwardly hauled the long,
ill-balanced blade of Masamune over his head... then froze.

  He couldn't do it.

  / KILL HIM!  KILL HIM NOW! /  
  
  / WHATAREYOUWAITINGFORYOUFUCKINGIDIOT!!! /

  While one part of Cloud was screaming for him to bring the sword
down and cut Sephiroth in half while the bastard was still helpless,
another part of him hesitated.  Not because he sensed something wrong,
but because he finally sensed something... RIGHT.

  Even as Cloud stood, paralyzed with conflicting emotions, Sephiroth
suddenly turned his head and stared up at him.

---------------------------

  Glowing sky blue eyes stared into glowing ice green eyes.

  SANE ice green eyes.  

  The eyes had the same cool arrogance as they had always possessed,
but the sinister haze of obsession and madness was no longer present. 
Something deep inside in Cloud -- an instinct or feeling that utterly
refused to be denied or quieted -- told him in no uncertain terms that
this was NOT the monster who had nearly destroyed the entire Planet.  

  THIS was the real Sephiroth.

  // You're back.  Oh god... Seph.... //

  And even as Cloud stared blankly at the man who had been the source
of so much pain and misery for so many people, the subdued sense of
grief and loss that had haunted the young man almost continuously for
nearly a year quietly faded away.  

---------------------------

  But somewhere in a distant, hidden place, there was no rejoicing. 
Something dark and twisted unleashed a maddened howl of fury, rage,
and frustration.  

  It was a dire promise of mayhem and vengeance to come....

---------------------------

  His eyes widened in growing horror as Cloud realized that he was
actually *glad* to see Sephiroth alive again.  So much of the quiet
but persistent sadness that had haunted him this past year....  He had
thought it had been for Aeris.  

  Wrong.

  It has been for Sephiroth all along.

  (No...no, it can't be.  It CAN'T!!!  How could I possibly... after
what he's done to everyone... done to ME... how...!?)  

  ....fear... and elation....

  Cloud shuddered as a naked Sephiroth gracefully rose to his feet. 
As the other man dragged his long, damp silvery hair back from his
face, those unforgettable, icy green eyes seemed to bore right through
Cloud as they warily assessed him.

  Behind Cloud, the door to the lab swung open as Cid and the others
charged into the room.  But their presence and shouts went unnoticed
by the two men who stared at each other.

  ....rage... and joy....

  The Masamune in Cloud's hands sank lower and lower as he continued
to gaze at Sephiroth with a stunned expression.  The blade finally
slipped from his numb fingers and hit the floor with an almost musical
chime.

  ....hatred... and friendship....

  ....and so much more....

  The onslaught of so many conflicting emotions, on top of his
numerous physical injuries, was simply too much for Cloud.  Without
fanfare or warning, he silently passed out and collapsed neatly into
Sephiroth's arms.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-7:  RUDE AWAKENINGS
------------------------------------------------------

  Sephiroth felt like he was drowning... a painfully familiar
sensation.  He hacked and coughed as he struggled to clear the liquid
clogging his lungs.
  
  (Hojo, damn you....)

  He wasn't sure what was going on.  All he knew at the moment was
that Hojo had to be responsible somehow.  After all, he'd been through
all this before... as a child.
  
  But staring down at the elegant bones of his hand... an adult-sized
hand... he realized that he wasn't a child any more.  So how did this
happen?   When he had joined SOLDIER, he had sworn to himself that he
would never ever submit to Hojo's authority again.  

  Never.  No more poking and prodding.  No more experiments....

  So what was he doing naked, shaking, and dripping wet... again? 

  Fragments of a dream hovered at the corners of his mind... a young
woman's voice... a yellow flower... something lost that had to be
found and reclaimed... but he couldn't quite remember what the dream
was about.  All he knew was that it involved something terribly
important to him.

  Sephiroth then realized that he was not alone.  Someone was standing
over him.  He glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of sturdy
military boots and dark blue pants, all freshly soaked with blood. 

  He took a deep breath, then hauled himself to his feet in one smooth
motion to face the person hovering over him... and found himself
staring into the face of a young man with spiky blond hair and glowing
blue eyes that were wide open in shock.  In the young man's upraised
hands was his own sword, Masamune.  But before Sephiroth could react
to the obvious threat, the other man slowly lowered the blade before
letting it slip out of his hands to the floor.

  With those glowing eyes, Sephiroth knew the young man had to be a
SOLDIER.  He seemed familiar -- almost painfully familiar in many ways
-- but it took a few seconds before a name surfaced in his still
sluggish memory.

  (Strife.  Cloud Strife.)  

  But Strife wasn't a SOLDIER.  Strife was just an ordinary trooper. 
In fact, he couldn't remember ever meeting anyone less suited to
becoming a SOLDIER.  

  As Sephiroth struggled to understand what was happening, he was also
unhappily aware of the howling mob of extremely hostile people
converging on him.  Just as he was judging the distance to his sword,
Strife's eyes suddenly closed and he quietly crumpled forward in a
dead faint.  An odd impulse made Sephiroth to catch the unconscious
young man instead of stepping aside and callously allowing Strife to
land flat on his face.  

  (Nibelheim.  The last thing I remember clearly is arriving at
Nibelheim.  But what happened after that?  How did I end up here? 
What has Hojo been doing to me?)

  His eyes abruptly focused on the belt around Strife's waist.

  (What the...?)  

  He knew that belt.  He knew every little nick and scratch on it,
just as he knew every inch of Masamune.  

  (What is this man doing with Zack's belt?)

  Then perhaps the most disturbing question of all.

  (And where IS Zack?)

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-8:  THE ONE YOU DON'T SEE....
------------------------------------------------------

  Cid and the others all watched as Cloud stood there, Masamune in
hand, confronting an unarmed Sephiroth.  But to their mutual dismay,
instead of striking his enemy down while he had the chance, Cloud
slowly lowered the blade before letting it fall to the floor.

  "You stupid jerk!  What are you doing!" Barret bellowed in fury.

  At that moment, Cloud suddenly went limp and collapsed into
Sephiroth's arms.

  Red growled in frustration.  With Cloud so close to Sephiroth, there
was no way to use their most potent attacks without injuring Cloud as
well.  However, they couldn't afford to hesitate, either.  If they
allowed Sephiroth to collect his wits, they could all very easily die
for that mistake.

  Heedless of her own safety, Tifa charged forward, screaming, "You
bastard!  What did you do to him!?"

  Sephiroth had been staring down at the blond man in his arms with a
thoughtful expression on his face, but when he heard Tifa's cry, he
lifted his head and coldly surveyed the group confronting him.  His
eyes abruptly narrowed.  In one smooth motion, he heaved the
unconscious Cloud in Tifa's direction, then dove for the Masamune.

  Even as Tifa instinctively caught Cloud's limp, blood-covered body,
Cid shouted, "Shit, somebody stop him before he...!" 

  But it was too late.  With an impressive show of dexterity and
skill, Sephiroth scooped up his sword and started spellcasting in one
fluid movement.  Tifa, clutching Cloud to her, prepared herself to be
blasted into oblivion as one of the materia orbs on Masamune began to
glow.

  Cid and the others fully expected to get pounded by some massive,
devastating attack.  What they got was something else entirely.

  Sephiroth did indeed cast a spell, but to everyone's utter shock, it
was NOT an offensive spell.  In a blink of an eye, he had slapped a
protective barrier spell not just on himself, but on the entire group.

  "What the hell...?" a totally confused Reno muttered.

  Vincent was the first to realize that perhaps Sephiroth had seen
something that they hadn't....  Cursing himself for being so easily
distracted, he spun around.  Only his lightning swift reflexes enabled
to get off a shot at the monster lunging toward him.

  Sephiroth glared furiously at them and snarled, "You fools!  Behind
you!"  

  Red whirled.  All his hair bristled on end as he saw the seething
horde of monsters clawing their way through the doorway toward them. 
They had been so preoccupied by their confrontation with Sephiroth,
none of them had noticed the monsters creeping up behind them.

  "CRAP!" swore Cid as his head swiveled back and forth.  It didn't
look good.  They were trapped with Hojo's pet monsters on one side and
Sephiroth on the other.
 
  Sephiroth spoke in a low, threatening voice.  "Don't just stand
there.  If you're not going to fight, then get out of my way and let
me handle them."

  Yuffie shrieked at him, "Fight those creatures?  Aren't they under
YOUR control!?"  But even as she was protesting, she was busily
slicing away at tentacles that were trying to grab her.

  Sephiroth glared at the ninja girl.  "What makes you think I have
anything to do with them?"  

  By this time, Red, Cait Sith, Vincent, and the Turks had already
decided on their course of action.  They were busily doing their best
to drive back the apparently endless stream of monsters who were
determined to force their way into the laboratory.  With Tifa fully
occupied with her attempts to keep Cloud from bleeding to death, that
left Barret, Yuffie, Cid, and Scarlet to worry about Sephiroth.

  Yuffie tightened her grip on Conformer and yelled, "Past history,
maybe?  Who else pulls crap like this!?"

  Sephiroth snapped, "I don't know what you're babbling about, but I
suggest you worry about getting rid of those beasts first."

  Cid tightened his grip on Venus Gospel and shouted, "And you expect
us to trust you behind our backs!?  Like hell!"

  "I could say the same thing.  I may also point out that YOU were the
ones screaming for my blood, not the other way around," Sephiroth
retorted sharply.

  Elena gasped out, "Hey, you guys, we could really use some help
here!  Rude, watch your left!  Damn it!"  She ejected an empty clip
from her pistol and slammed in another one just in time to blow the
head off some bizarre snake creature.

  "Argh!"  Barret gave Sephiroth a final, furious glare before turning
to add his firepower to the fray.

  Despite the added presence of the Turks, Red and the others were
barely holding their own in face of the sheer number of attackers. 
Wave after wave of monsters clawed, hopped, or slithered over the
corpses of their predecessors in a blind frenzy to reach their prey. 
But a greater threat developed as the creatures began to rip at the
reinforced doorway to the lab.

  (Shit!  If they manage to enlarge that opening, they'll swamp us for
sure!), thought the pilot.

  Cid smacked himself on the head and resigned himself to dealing with
the more immediate, if not lesser, evil.  He turned to Sephiroth, "You
don't do a damn thing.  If you so much as twitch, we'll take you
apart!  Got it?"
 
  Sephiroth's only response was a faint smirk accompanied by an
arrogant shrug.

  "Yuffie, don't take your eyes off him!  And make sure Scarlet
doesn't get any weird ideas!"  

  "Highwind, you jerk!" huffed the former director of Shinra's weapon
division.

  "You just watch your own butt, old man!" the ninja girl snapped.

  "Screw you, brat!" the pilot muttered as he turned to help his other
friends.

---------------------------

  Red distastefully shook the slimy gore from his mane and considered
their choices.  In the tight confines of the building's interior,
their offensive options were limited.  And even if they didn't have to
worry about getting caught in the backlash of a spell or summoning,
they would probably lose what little structural protection they had. 
No, they had to use physical firepower and lower level magicks to
force the creatures back... THEN they could unleash their more potent
attacks.

  As he paused to catch his breath, Red glanced back at Sephiroth, who
stood on the platform at the rear of the lab, Masamune still in hand
and still stark naked.  He look almost bored, but Red was certain the
ex-Shinra general was not missing a single detail of the ensuing
battle.  

  (He's not just watching the monsters, but he's also observing us. 
He's analyzing our fighting styles... identifying our strengths and
weaknesses.  We can't afford to underestimate Sephiroth's combat and
tactical skill.)

  (And despite our numbers, we're at a disadvantage.  We HAVE to win. 
On the other hand, Sephiroth merely has to avoid actual defeat.  If he
escapes, we still lose.)
  
  The beast frowned.  (But will it come to mortal combat?  Somehow, I
don't think so.  This isn't the same Sephiroth we confronted
before....)
  
  At every previous encounter, Sephiroth's presence had felt repulsive
and overwhelmingly wrong to Red, almost like the lingering stench of a
rotting corpse.  But the impression he got from this particular
silver-haired man was very, very different.  Unlike the sickening,
unclean sensations of before, this Sephiroth reminded Red of a
mountain stream -- almost brutally cold, tremendously powerful, and
yet somehow... clean.

---------------------------

  Elena was gasping for breath when Reno finally pulled her out of the
front-lines.  The female Turk was too tired to protest as Cait Sith
and his Mog took her place.

  "Where are... all these... things coming from!?"

  Reno shrugged as he kept a wary eye for stray monsters.  "Who knows?
 Hojo's probably got a cute little factory that's been chugging out
the friggin' things for god knows how long."

  "I meant to ask you... are you okay?  I mean, Hojo didn't...." 
Elena's voice trailed off and she made a vague gesture as she gave
Reno a worried look.

  "No, he didn't do anything to me."  The red-head gave her a twisted
grin.  "Not for lack of interest, though.  He came fucking close to
turning me into one of his damn experiments.  Fortunately, Hojo had
more important things on that half-baked brain of his.  And after he
grabbed Cloud...."  He shrugged.

  Tifa had just finished healing Cloud's physical injuries and
clearing up the residual damage from Hojo's poisonous gas.  Hearing
Reno's comments, she turned and called out, "Well, I've done what I
can for him.  But it's the stuff I can't see that really worries me. 
Reno, what happened to Cloud after he was brought here?"

  An oddly hesitant look appeared on Reno's face.

  "Well... I...." 
  
  Before Tifa could press the Turk for answers, a sudden yell from
Rude caused Reno to dash off to his friend's aid.  Tifa was forced to
settle for glaring furiously at Sephiroth, who calmly watched the
battle, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had his sword and
nothing else.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-9:  SURVEYING THE TERRAIN
------------------------------------------------------

  As he carefully watched the ongoing fight, Sephiroth also took the
opportunity to identify and sort out the combatants.  To his surprise,
he realized that he recognized a fair number of them.  He had
instantly identified Scarlet, along with Reno and Rude of the Turks. 
The blond woman in the blue suit was most likely a Turk as well.  It
took him a moment or two to identify the man expertly wielding that
shimmering, oversized spear as Captain Highwind.  

  Sephiroth's eyes focused on the 'XIII' tattoo on the red beast's
shoulder.  The marking was all too familiar.  He had seen similar
tattoos on Hojo's other experimental subjects.  And from what he
observed, the creature was obviously sentient.  In fact, it spoke and
behaved more intelligently than some of the other members in the
party.

  He then allowed his gaze to drift toward the Wutai girl who was
watching his every move.  Something about her face was familiar, but
he was quite sure he had never actually met the young girl before.

  Sephiroth knew or recognized many of them, but there were also
others who were completely unfamiliar to him -- the large black man
with the gun grafted on his hand, the dark man in the reddish cape and
the disturbing aura, the ridiculous looking little cat on top of an
blatantly artificial stuffed Mog....

  It was a motley, oddly assorted group.  The pieces didn't quite seem
to fit together.  Scarlet, the Turks, and Highwind were all Shinra
personnel, but they were clearly not working together.  In fact, the
Turks and Highwind were nearly as suspicious of Scarlet as they were
of him.  And there was something else that united this strange crew.  

  They feared and/or hated him.

  It was nothing new.  He was used to it.  It was just another thing
to be noted and put aside... but not forgotten.  

  Never forgotten.  

  However, the sheer intensity of fear and loathing WAS unusual.  And
the most intense feeling came from the young, dark-haired woman
hovering over Strife.  

  That was another troubling puzzle.

  (He's matured.  I remember him as a teenager, but now he's a young
man.  And as for her....)  Sephiroth remembered seeing the picture of
a dark-haired teenage girl in the briefing file for the Nibelheim
mission.  But just like Strife, Tifa Lockheart was now a young adult,
probably in her early twenties.

  (If these two people ARE Strife and Lockheart, then at least five
years have elapsed since my last clear memory.)  He could think of
several possible explanations, most of them disturbing and nearly all
of them involving Hojo in some highly unpleasant manner.

  Sephiroth turned his attention to a more solvable problem --
clothes.  After years of playing lab rat, he had lost most of his
body-shyness.  However, he certainly didn't enjoy being naked --
people always assumed that a naked person was weak and vulnerable,
even if it wasn't true.  Coolly ignoring Yuffie, Sephiroth quickly
looked around, then headed for a familiar-looking pile of black
clothes sitting on a nearby counter.

  "Where the hell do you think you're going!?" she yelled.

  "I'm going to find something to wear."  He calmly stared at her. 
"Do you have a problem with that?"

  Yuffie took a quick look around, but all her friends were busy
either fighting or healing themselves.  Scarlet was busy typing
something at a computer workstation. 

  Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and said, "Well?"

  The ninja girl snarled, "Fine.  You do that.  Just watch yourself. 
One wrong move and you're toast!"  She neatly flipped Conformer and
brought it up to a ready position.

  Sephiroth didn't make the mistake of underestimating the Wutai girl.
 She might have been young and cocky, but the easy, confident way she
handled her weapon told him that she was an expert fighter.  The large
number of materia slots on the over-sized throwing star also told him
that it was no ordinary weapon.

  Somehow it didn't surprise him in the least to realize that the
clothes on the counter were a perfect fit.  Black pants, gloves,
boots, trenchcoat, shoulder armor... the whole ensemble.  As he
slipped it on, an old memory resurfaced....

  >----->----->-----> 

  In the rattling troop carrier as it slowly drove through the
mountains to Nibelheim, Sephiroth watched Zack doing a steady series
of squats.  One of the troopers was sullenly hunched in his seat,
looking nauseated and ill.  
  
  (My instincts were right.  Strife's turned out to be nothing but
trouble.  And he gets motion-sick as well.  Useless fool.)

  Turning back to Zack, he said, "How's the leg?"

  "It's fine.  Just a little tight from all that sitting."

  "Maybe you should have listened to Savois and remained in Midgar for
some more observation."

  "I don't know why.  The wound wasn't that bad," Zack cheerily
replied.

  "She informed me that the creature that bit you was probably highly
venomous, especially after its exposure to Mako." 

  With a casual shrug, Zack said, "I'm feeling okay."  He then glanced
at Sephiroth.  "You don't like her much, do you?"

  "No, I don't.  But she's very good at her job.  That's all I care
about."  He didn't have to say that the distaste was mutual.  Zack was
too sharp not to notice that.

  His friend grinned.  "She can be quite charming once you get her out
of the lab."

  "If you say so.  I'm not particularly interested in finding out for
myself."

  Zack was about to reply when a loud bang rocked the truck.

  <-----<-----<-----< 

  Sephiroth's thoughts may have been racing, but no sign of
uncertainty or confusion appeared on his face.  He could not afford to
show the slightest weakness in the eyes of these obviously hostile
people.  He was fairly certain that he could handle them in groups of
three or four, but not all of them at once.  And he had no doubts that
they would gang up on him at the slightest provocation.

  He noted that the Turks were fighting with their usual competence,
then his gaze moved on to the other members of the group.  They might
have been an odd assortment, but they were good.  Very good.  Not only
were powerful and experienced, but like the Turks, they knew how to
fight together, how to compensate for individual weak points, and make
the most of their strong points.

  He frowned slightly.  Highwind appeared to be the nominal leader. 
The pilot undoubtedly had leadership ability of a rough sort, but the
way this group fought together had an oddly well-honed edge to it. 
Someone with experience had taken the time and effort to forge these
people into an unified team.

  At that moment, he would have given a great deal for Zack's
supportive presence.  Someone to watch his back....  That led
Sephiroth's thoughts back to the troublesome question that he had been
avoiding.

  Where was Zack?

  His friend was alive.  He sensed that with absolute certainty, just
as he knew that he was holding the real Masamune.  It was said that
good leaders had a certain 'feel' for their men.  He had never known
what that had meant until he met Zack.  And in the years that
followed, he had come to rely on his friend's steady and reliable
presence.

  But there was also something very wrong.  The 'feeling' he got from
Zack was strangely weak.  It was muddled, unclear... tainted, almost. 
Even worse, Sephiroth had absolutely no idea about Zack's current
physical condition or location.  That was unusual, but he wasn't sure
whether the problem was with him or with Zack.

  Compounding Sephiroth's uneasiness was the feeling that his body was
somehow too small for him.  It was an awkward 'fit', like a new
uniform never before worn.  His body worked perfectly, but it didn't
feel quite comfortable...  The sensation was fading, but it was just
another disturbing thing among all the others confronting him.
 
  Sephiroth glanced back to Strife.  Strife was the key.  He had a
great many questions and it was clear that Strife had at least some of
the answers.  He would get his answers out of the young man, one way
or another.

  The little information Sephiroth had on Cloud Strife did not impress
him.  He could tolerate a certain degree of arrogance and attitude in
talented subordinates, but Strife's performance could only be
categorized as barely adequate at best.  Personally, Sephiroth would
have bounced that teenager out of Shinra and back into the slums long
ago, but the regular army was apparently less discriminating.

  (So when and how did a bumbler like Cloud Strife manage to become a
SOLDIER?  And what is he doing with Zack's gear?)  

  The uncanny similarity in Cloud's current style of dress and Zack's
did not escape Sephiroth's notice, either.

---------------------------

  Tifa shivered and edged protectively closer to Cloud when she
noticed Sephiroth's intense gaze lingering on the unconscious man
protectively cradled in her arms.

  (What the hell does he want now?  What is Sephiroth up to?)

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-10:  BRIEF RESPITE  
------------------------------------------------------

  They gradually managed to force Hojo's army away from the lab and
down the hallway.  It wasn't easy.  They sweated and bled for every
foot of distance they gained. 

  As they pushed the creatures back to the intersection at the end of
the hall, Red readied himself.  He had to time the spell perfectly or
risk toasting his comrades.  

  "NOW!" he roared.  Everyone dove for cover.

  There was a flash of incandescent green and the whole building shook
as the Ultima spell roared through the hallways, followed by the
rumble of cascading rubble.

  His sensitive ears ringing from the confined explosion, Red shrugged
off a fallen light fixture and took a cautious peek into the ruins of
the hallway.  

  Cid crawled out from under a counter and muttered, "Well, did it
work?"

  "I think so.  Even if it doesn't stop them permanently, we've bought
ourselves some time."

  "Gotcha.  Yo, Scarlet, get your butt over here!"

  She gave Cid an infuriated glare, but she didn't argue.  Being an
extremely practical woman -- especially when her own survival was
concerned -- Scarlet knew this wasn't the time to start a fight with
her rescuers.  But when they got out of this hellish mess though....

  (Just you wait, Highwind!)

  As everyone dusted themselves off, they turned to deal with their
other big problem.  

  Sephiroth.
  
---------------------------

  The sound of the bone-jarring explosion apparently was enough to
bring Cloud back to consciousness.  As he slowly opened his eyes, Tifa
held her breath.  For a long moment, he stared blankly at her.  She
then nearly cried in sheer relief as she saw recognition dawning in
those beautiful, sky blue eyes of his.

  (He... he seems to be okay!)

  But a nasty voice in the back of Tifa's head snidely wondered
whether she had any way of knowing IF there was something wrong with
him or not.  After all, hadn't Sephiroth manipulated Cloud like a
puppet right under her nose?  She hadn't noticed then.  

  Why should she notice now?

  (No.  If I believe that, then Sephiroth's already won.)

  She shoved those thoughts aside and gave Cloud a shaky smile.

---------------------------

  As he slowly awoke, Cloud gradually realized that he was feeling
better than he had in a very long time.  The searing pain that he had
endured was finally gone.  And in a weird way, his mind was both
clearer AND more muddled than he could ever remember.

  Feeling a pair of arms gently supporting him, he looked up into the
face of a beautiful, dark-haired woman.  She stared down at him, her
eyes glittering brightly.  For a brief instant, a variety of fierce,
contradictory emotions sloshed wildly around in his brain before
subsiding.

  "Cloud?"

  "Tifa...?" he whispered.
  
  "Are you... are you okay?"  She gazed into his eyes as if searching
for something.

  With a sigh of relief, he murmured, "Yeah."  

  Cloud suddenly felt Tifa's arms tighten around him.  As her
shoulders shook, she whispered harshly, "God, I thought....  When Hojo
grabbed you....  I'm so sorry...."

  Cloud blinked in bewilderment at Tifa's sudden and quite
uncharacteristic display of emotion, then said in a soothing voice,
"Hey, it's okay.  I'm fine.  Really I am."

  "Are you sure, Cloud?"
  
  A faint grin flashed across his face.  "Well... I can truthfully say
that I'm feeling better than I was before."

  She gave him a weak smile in return.  

  "I'm so sorry...."

  He stared up at her in confusion.  "Sorry about what?"
  
  "Sorry about... about fighting you.... about not trusting you.... 
If I hadn't been...."
  
  Cloud shook his head and said firmly, "Tifa, it's not your fault. 
Hojo's creatures' probably would have caught us no matter what.  His
creatures had probably been following us around for the last several
days, just waiting for the right moment to ambush us.  And it was
partially my fault for not noticing sooner.  I'm just glad I managed
to get you out of the way."

  Before the conversation could continue, a cold, sharp man's voice
made Cloud sit bolt upright.

  "No...," he whispered.  "Damn it, I didn't manage to...."  Cloud
glanced quickly at Tifa.  "What's going on?  What's HE still doing
here?"

  Tifa glared across the room at Sephiroth.  "We got to the lab just
in time to see you pass out practically at Sephiroth's feet.  While we
were trying to figure out how to get you out of the way, a horde of
Hojo's monsters attacked us from behind."

  Cloud grimaced and he involuntarily rubbed at his stomach at the
reminder.  

  "I can't believe I was carrying around a piece of him all this
time...," he whispered in a distant voice.

  Tifa nodded grimly.  "Yeah.  Our best guess is that Dr. Roissy was 
just using you as a temporary hiding place, but then you and Zack
escaped...."

  Cloud flinched slightly at the mention of Zack's name.  Tifa
squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and continued, "There were so many
monsters, we couldn't spare anyone to finish off Sephiroth as well. 
We managed to drive the creatures back, then Red blasted the hallway
down on their heads.  But the rubble won't keep them back forever."  

  She scowled angrily as she watched Cid and the others confronting
Sephiroth.  "I don't know why they're even bothering to talk to him. 
He's a monster.  We should be getting rid of him while we still have
the chance!  There's no way we can trust him!"

  Cloud stared at Sephiroth with tense concentration, then he
murmured, "We may not have a choice."

  "What!?"  Tifa reared back and stared at him anxiously.  "Cloud, are
you sure you're feeling...."

  He gave her a grim look.  "Our problems have only just started. 
Resurrecting Sephiroth was only one part of Hojo's grand scheme.  And
if he has as much success as he did in reconstructing Sephiroth, we're
in really serious trouble."  As Tifa opened her mouth, Cloud shook his
head and slowly pulled himself to his feet.  "I'll explain later."

  Cloud glanced at the tall, silver-haired man coolly facing down his
friends and couldn't suppress a shiver.  It wasn't exactly fear, but
rather a complex tangle of emotions that he couldn't begin to
understand.  It took every bit of discipline and control that he had
learned in SOLDIER, but he managed to shove all his worries and
uncertainties aside -- for the moment.  He would have to deal with
Sephiroth and his own feelings later when there was time.  

  (Hold it....  Learned in SOLDIER?  Damn it!  There I go again. I was
never in SOLDIER.  It was Zack who was the SOLDIER, first class.  Not
me....)

  Cloud shook his head slightly.  He couldn't afford to let his
attention wander.  Right now, his other friends needed him and he
wasn't about to fail them.  No matter what his 'feelings' toward
Sephiroth were, he would not betray his friends... not like before.  
No, this time, he would do everything it took to get them all out of
this mess.  And if that meant working with Sephiroth, that's what he'd
do. 

  Tifa stepped next to Cloud.  "Are you... all right?  You've really
taken a beating and you're not nearly a hundred percent...."  Her
voice trailed off uncertainly.

  Cloud closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead wearily.  "Tifa, right
now, I'm focusing on just getting all of us out of this situation.  If
I'm going to have a nervous breakdown, I'll have it AFTERwards."
  
  Tifa did not look the least bit reassured by Cloud's words, as he
took a deep breath and headed toward his nemesis.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-11:  RENEWED ACQUAINTANCES  
------------------------------------------------------

  When he noticed that Sephiroth was now dressed in his familiar black
clothing, Barret bellowed at Yuffie, "Girl, you were supposed to watch
him!"
  
  "I was, you jerk!  You said to make sure he didn't go anything
suspicious, okay?  All he did was get dressed."  She stuck out her
tongue at the big black man.

  Reno sarcastically muttered, "I'm surprised you let him cover
himself up.  After all, you could barely peel your eyes off of MY
butt."

  Yuffie shuddered and yelled, "Ewww!  That's completely different,
Reno!  At least you're human!"
  
  Red flicked a glance at Sephiroth.  Aside from merely raising a pale
eyebrow, the ex-general did not react visibly to Yuffie's words. 
However, the beast thought that it wasn't exactly the most tactful
thing for Yuffie to say at the moment.  Comments like that could only
make Sephiroth feel even more emotionally isolated than he already
was.  

  (If my instincts are right, we have an opportunity here to resolve a
major problem without fighting.  Or is that just wistful thinking on
my part?  Perhaps, but we certainly don't need to alienate him more
than necessary.)

---------------------------

  As he stared at their OTHER enemy, Cid chewed on the remnants of his
cigarette and muttered, "Now what the hell do we do with you?"

  "And what makes you think that it's your decision?" Sephiroth coolly
retorted.

  "Oh... I'd say that odds of eleven to one might have something to do
with it, bucko."

  Sephiroth didn't seem the least bit impressed.

  Without taking his eyes of the black-clad man in front of him, the
pilot called out, "Hey Tifa, how the hell is the kid doing?"

  "Why don't you ask me yourself?" a familiar voice said behind them.

  "Cloud!" exclaimed everyone.

  He gave them a lopsided grin as they all spun around to stare at him
with a mixture of surprise and relief.

  With his usual bluntness, Barret muttered, "Well, he looks okay,
anyway."

  As Cloud approached, Red was fascinated by what he saw in his
friend's eyes.  Suspicion... yes.  Tension... yes.  But there was a
curious lack of hatred or anger.  Unlike Tifa, Cloud didn't seem ready
to tear his archenemy limb from limb.

  Sephiroth gave Cloud a cool stare, then said, "Strife...."
 
  Cloud's glowing blue eyes abruptly narrowed as he snapped, "Don't
call me that.  The name's Cloud."  His voice was low and unexpectedly
harsh.
  
  Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the sharp words.  In a sardonic voice
he said, "That's quite an attitude change for you.  You were extremely
insistent that everyone call you 'Strife' when we last met."

  "When we last met....?" Cloud replied, his look of suspicion
intensifying.
  
  Sephiroth smiled coldly.  "On the truck to Nibelheim.  Or have you
forgotten?  If you hadn't become hopelessly motion-sick, you would
have ended up in a brawl with the other troopers simply because they
refused to call you by your last name."

  Cloud's face went strangely still and distant, as if searching for
elusive memories, then he spoke in a soft, almost empty voice.

  "I was a different person back then."

  Red watched Cait Sith shudder faintly and wondered why Cloud's words
should bother the little cat -- or rather, why they should bother
Reeve so much.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-12:  REEVE'S INTERLUDE: ALTERED EGOS  
------------------------------------------------------

  Knowing what he did about Cloud's early days as a Shinra trooper and
the circumstances of Zack's death, Reeve had plenty to be bothered
about.  The entire conversation between Sephiroth and Cloud was like
waltzing in a mine field -- one never knew when a few simple words
would end up blowing up in everyone's faces.

  Over the past few days, Reeve had become absolutely convinced that
Sephiroth and Zack had been closer than anyone had ever suspected.  It
wasn't obvious -- that wasn't Sephiroth's style -- but there were
definite clues if one knew what to look for.  Just how close the two
men were remained to be seen and Reeve didn't feel like tackling THAT
particular issue yet.  However, it was clear -- to Reeve, at least --
that the two men had been the best of friends.  Despite Sephiroth's
ice cold demeanor, something told Reeve that there would be hell to
pay if he ever found out that Cloud was in all likelihood Zack's
murderer.  The fact that Cloud had been totally insane at the time
would be absolutely irrelevant.

  (Didn't Cloud say, 'I was a different person back then'?  Oh yes, no
truer words were ever spoken, my friend.)

  That single statement -- so innocuous on its surface -- took on a
whole new depth of meaning if one knew the real facts of Cloud's past.
 At first Reeve had simply thought that guilt had caused Cloud to blot
out the memories of killing his friend Zack.  Amnesia about traumatic
events wasn't at all uncommon.  But the more he thought about it, the
more likely it appeared that Cloud taken a much more drastic course of
action in an attempt to utterly disassociate himself from Zack's
death.

  It wasn't a matter of simply losing or suppressing a few memories...
it involved assuming a different name... manifesting a different
personality... anything that could distinguish this person now called
Cloud from the tormented young man who had committed an apparently
unforgivable crime.  In the end, only the physical body had remained
the same. 

  Reeve had the vaguest recollection of his college psychology
courses, but he remembered his professor saying that the human mind
could delude itself into believing practically anything in order to
survive.

  (Were your memories so unbearable that you had to completely remake
yourself, Cloud?  Was that the only way you could find to live with
yourself?)

  And if one added in the notorious side-effects of intensive Mako
exposure, implantation of Jenova cells, and years of Hojo's torturous
experiments....  

  Back in the relative safety of Midgar, Reeve shivered.  Not because
he couldn't understand the terrible possibilities opening up before
him like a bottomless pit, but rather because he could understand
those impulses all too well.

  It was disturbingly easy for Reeve to sympathize with Cloud.  He was
doing the same sort of thing with Cait Sith -- becoming a different
person, someone he considered much more likable.  The only real
difference between him and Cloud was in the matter of degree.  Maybe
that's why he had always felt a particular sort of empathy with Cloud.
 Although he never mentioned it to his friends, Reeve was haunted by
his own share of unforgivable actions.  

  Or in his case, it had been the lack of action.  

  Sector 7 had simply been the final straw which broke the chocobo's
back.

  But his theories were just that... only theories mixed with a hefty
dose of guesswork and conjecture.  He needed to talk to an expert to
be certain, but who could possibly....  Reeve shook his head and
grimaced.  There was only two people still alive who has any real
expertise with the effects of Jenova and Mako exposure.  And Hojo was
definitely out of the question.

  (The next free moment I have, I need to have a long and very
thorough talk with Dr. Savois).

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-13:  CHANGES IN PERSPECTIVE  
------------------------------------------------------

  Sephiroth stared at Cloud for a long moment, then cocked his head
slightly.  

  (Different....  Yes, I'm beginning to see that, Strife....)

  There was a long silence, then Cloud slowly said, "You don't
remember what happened in Nibelheim."  From his tone, it wasn't a
question.

  "The Nibelheim mission...."  Although his face showed no particular
emotion, the way Cloud mentioned Nibelheim made Sephiroth's guts knot
in dread.
  
  "Yes... Nibelheim.  You were there.  I was there.  And Zack...." 
Cloud's voice trailed off.
  
  "And Zack was there," said Sephiroth, finishing off Cloud's
sentence. 

  Cloud looked away.  "Yes... Zack was there, too."

  "Because where Sephiroth goes, his shadow naturally follows," said
Yuffie in an oddly somber voice.

  Cloud froze and went very pale.  Everyone else turned to stare at
the ninja girl.

---------------------------

  As he listened to Yuffie's words -- words that seemed filled with
ominous double or even triple meanings -- Cid felt a chill run down
his spine.  He glanced quickly at Barret and could see the same
unnerved reaction in the black man's eyes.  Both of them remembered
all too well their conversation long ago outside the clinic at Mideel.

  The pilot thought, (Isn't that what Barret said about Cloud when we
first found him in Mideel?  Sephiroth's shadow?  How the hell does
Zack fit into this 'shadow' business?)
  
---------------------------

  As everyone looked at the ninja girl in astonishment, Sephiroth
glared at her and asked sharply, "Who are you?"

  Yuffie tossed her head and replied in a curiously dignified way.

  "Yuffie Kisaragi."

  She stared up at the silver-haired man who had brought the
millennia-old warrior tradition of Wutai to its knees.  She fully
expected to hate his guts for what he had done to her father, her
nation, and her friends... but she didn't.  She wasn't sure what she
was feeling, but the closest description would be a sort of wary
respect.

  (I guess I picked up more of Dad's lectures on honor and 'the
warrior's code' than I thought.)

  It was so strange.  Sephiroth had never had this sort of effect on
her before, back when they had been trying to stop him from destroying
the world.  Then again, Sephiroth had been a raving lunatic at the
time.  So in a way, it made perfect sense.  This was the first time
she had really met the person who masterminded the conquest of Wutai. 
And say what you might about Sephiroth, but there was no denying that
he was a military genius and a kick-ass fighter.

  After a brief pause, Sephiroth said quietly, "Godo's daughter and
heir."

  She nodded curtly, then said, "The old-timers on Wutai still tell
stories about you."

---------------------------

  The odd conversation between Yuffie and Sephiroth might have
continued further, but Tifa broke the mood by hissing furiously, "So
you're saying that you don't remember anything that's happened in the
six years since your mission to Nibelheim?  My, isn't THAT convenient?
 You conniving bastard!  I have a mind to...."

  Sephiroth gave her a chilling stare.  "To do what, Lockheart?  Kill
me?  You seem to have conveniently forgotten that if I hadn't put up
that barrier spell when I did, those monsters would have probably torn
a few of your friends into shreds."

  "Like hell!" an infuriated Barret roared.

  But even as the large black man began ranting and raving,
Sephiroth's thoughts were racing.

  (Six years?  Six YEARS!?  How can that be?)  He had deduced as much
on his own based on the changed appearance of Strife, Lockheart, and
the Yuffie girl, but to hear it spoken aloud.... 

---------------------------

  Cid leaned over to Yuffie and muttered, "What's all that crap about
'Sephiroth's shadow'?"

  Caught up in her own thoughts, she jumped, then muttered back, "It's
what they called...."

  "Him.  Zack, I mean," Cait Sith said, poking his nose into the
conversation.

  "Say what?" said Cid.

  Yuffie stared at the pilot impatiently.  "That's was Zack's nickname
with the other SOLDIERs.  They called him 'Sephiroth's Shadow'.  You
know, because when Sephiroth was around, Zack was always with him,
lurking inconspicuously in the background.  Not to mention the dark
hair.  You know, light and dark... Sephiroth and Zack... that sort of
thing?"

  Red grumbled pensively, "Fascinating."

  Cid muttered, "That's NOT what I would call it.  I'd call it pretty
damn creepy."

  Almost as one, they all slowly straightened up and turned to stare
at Cloud, who stoically watched Tifa and Barret as they yelled
furiously at an indifferent Sephiroth.

---------------------------

  After the Turks eavesdropped on the whispered conversation between
Yuffie, Cid, and the others, Elena took the opportunity to ask Reno a
troubling question.

  "Reno, why didn't you want to tell Tifa what happened with Cloud?"

  The female Turk was startled to see Reno's expression tighten.

  "What's wrong?" she blurted.

  Reno was surprisingly reluctant to answer.  "I... He started
hallucinating from that stuff Hojo used on him."  His voice ground to
a momentary halt.  "At least... I hope he was just delirious and
imagining stuff instead of remembering things that actually happened."

  As Elena and Rude stared at him in confusion, Reno ran his hands
through his bedraggled hair and muttered, "Aw hell, what am I saying?"
 

  Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Well, it seems that Cloud and
Hojo have some past history.  Really ugly history.  From what I could
pick out, several years ago, Hojo used Cloud for some of his wacko
experiments and basically totally fucked up his head.  I had to listen
to Cloud scream about all this crap for hours and THAT was bad enough.
I don't even want to even think about how bad actually living through
all that shit must have been like.  I can't help feeling sorry for
him.  I wouldn't wish that sort of nightmare on my worst enemy."    

  Elena barely managed to control her facial expression as she
mentally babbled to herself, (Oh god.  How are we supposed to tell him
that... that his own sister... his TWIN sister... that Hojo
probably....)  

  Unnoticed by the distracted Reno, Elena gave Rude a frantic look. 
The bald Turk maintained his usual silence, but couldn't help wincing.
  
---------------------------

  Cloud stood off to the side as he watched Tifa and Barret blow off
some emotional steam.  He felt no impulse to join in the fray.  It
wasn't because of an absence of emotion, but rather there was too much
emotion... feelings that seemed to pull him in a dozen directions at
once.
  
  (I should hate him.  I have every reason to hate him.  I DO hate
him.  But I don't....  What the hell's wrong with me?)  He couldn't
help wondering whether Sephiroth was playing around with his head
again.

  But as soon as Tifa took a threatening step toward Sephiroth, Cloud
stepped in and caught her arm.  She stared at him and protested, "You
can't possibly believe that crap about Sephiroth not remembering all
those horrible things he's done to me, you, and the whole Planet." 
She hesitated an instant, then plunged on.  "And don't tell me you've
forgotten what he did to Aeris!?"

  The brief flash of old pain in Cloud's eyes told her that he had
most definitely NOT forgotten about Aeris.

  As he searched for a way to explain the difference he sensed in
Sephiroth, Red unexpectedly came to Cloud's rescue by quietly saying,
"None of us have forgotten, Tifa.  But I don't think we're facing our
old enemy... not yet, at least."

  "What are you talking about!?"

  In gentle but firm tones, Red stared up at the angry young woman and
said, "Can't you feel it?  There's something different about this
man...."  The red beast tipped his head in Sephiroth's direction.

  Yuffie nervously tossed Conformer from hand to hand as she said
uneasily, "The vibes aren't the same, if that's what you mean, Red."

  The beast nodded approvingly.  "That's very well put, Yuffie."  His
one-eyed gaze raked over Scarlet, Cait Sith, and the Turks.  "I'd
appreciate your input.  You would have known him best from before
Nibelheim.  Scarlet?"

  "He certainly acts like the Sephiroth I knew," she said with a sour
twist to her painted lips.  "An arrogant, cold-blooded bastard, but
definitely a sane one."

  Sephiroth gave her a slight mocking bow in return.

  Cait Sith adjusted his hat with a paw and nodded slowly.  Reno and
Rude exchanged quick looks before Reno said, "Hell, it's not like we
really knew him or anything, but he sounds like he's got his head
screwed on pretty straight."  

  (Especially compared to a certain other person I could mention...,)
the red-haired Turk mentally added without looking at Cloud.

  As Elena opened her mouth, Reno gave her a sharp glance and said
flatly, "And no, I haven't forgotten what happened to Tseng."

  Barret snarled, "Like the words of some Shinra goons are supposed to
convince me that everything's all hunky-dory?"

  Red shook his head.  "Tifa, Barret, I fully understand your
concerns, but we cannot afford to waste our energy and resources on
what promises to be a very costly, but unnecessary battle.  Don't
forget that Hojo and his army is still out there, waiting for us."

  Tifa inhaled and exhaled slowly as she fought to maintain her
self-control.  Giving way to her impulse to scream in sheer
frustration wouldn't help her convince anyone of the danger she was
sure Sephiroth represented.  

  When she was sure she could speak with reasonable calm, she said, "I
know that, Red.  Maybe you and Yuffie are right.  I'm not saying that
you are, but let's assume that you are.  We still can't trust him!"

  Red blinked and settled back on his haunches.  "I never said
anything about trusting him, Tifa.  But it might be possible to come
to some sort of workable arrangement.  An armed truce, you might say."

--------------------------- 
  
  Cloud listened tensely as his friends and allies debated how to deal
with Sephiroth, but remained silent.

  (He's... he's different.  Somehow, I know that.  But will they
believe me?  SHOULD they believe me?  No.  Best to let them come to
their own conclusions.)

  It seemed to be the most reasonable course of action for him, but
Cloud couldn't help feeling that he was also taking the easy way out.

    / That's right.  
    / You're really good at ducking responsibility....
    / Leaving someone else to do your dirty work....
    / ....aren't you? /

    / Someone like me.... /
  
  Deep down inside, Cloud wondered what he would do if his friends
decided to turn on Sephiroth.

    / Yes yes yes! /
    / Kill the fucking bastard! /

  (I should be glad to get rid of the monster....)

    // He's no monster. //

  But Cloud had a sickening feeling that he wouldn't be happy at all.

---------------------------

  Cid rubbed the back of his neck and scowled as everyone turned to
stare at him.  They clearly expected him to make the final decision. 
He glanced irritably at Cloud who met the pilot's gaze for only a
brief instant.

  (Why the hell are they looking at me for!)

  But Cid knew why.  With Sephiroth involved, Cloud's judgment was in
serious question and Cloud knew that better than anyone.  It was no
surprise that Cloud had decided to keep his mouth shut while he let
his teammates come to their own decision.
  
  "Aw, crap...," the pilot muttered.

  Red was making a lot of sense. This Sephiroth was one arrogant
son-of-a-bitch, but he just wasn't acting like the raving lunatic they
knew and hated before.  Scarlet, Reeve, and the Turks all agreed that
he was acting normally enough.  Cid didn't have any doubts that they
could take out Sephiroth if they had to, but even with odds like
eleven-to-one -- twelve-to-one if he counted Scarlet -- it wouldn't be
a cheap victory.  

  And then there was Hojo and his pets still slithering around.... 

  The pilot glanced at Vincent who had been characteristically quiet
during this whole argument.  But the dark man remained silent as he
watched Sephiroth with a frightening intensity that missed nothing.

  (I wonder....  What is Vince seeing?  What is he looking for? 
Traces of Lucrecia?  Or is he looking for traces of Hojo?)

  The pilot could tell from Tifa's tight, angry expression that she
wasn't buying any of their arguments.  That was no surprise. 
Sephiroth had killed her father, toasted her hometown, and caused her
no end of misery.  She would hate Sephiroth's guts to the end of time
and that was all there was to it.  And Barret was being his usual
stubborn, hard-assed self about the whole thing.  That was only to be
expected.  Barret and Tifa had been friends long before the Meteor
crap got started.

  But he could understand Tifa's and Barret's viewpoint.  Like Tifa
said, it's so damn convenient that Sephiroth's memory ended so
precisely at Nibelheim. Almost TOO convenient....  He'd feel a lot
better if the guy's memory was a lot more screwed up. 

  (Maybe he's really doesn't remember a damn thing of massacring an
entire town and trying to blow the shit out of the Planet.  Or maybe
he's pulling one hell of an act and he's planning on plunging that
goddamn sword of his into our backs just like he did to Aeris.)

  He gave Sephiroth a dirty look.  Throughout the discussion, the
former Shinra general had remained silent, but Cid had no doubt that
the guy was filing every scrap of information away for future
reference.

  And Cloud....  Now that was the strange thing.  He would've expected
Cloud to be right beside Tifa yelling for Sephiroth's blood... but he
wasn't. Sephiroth and Cloud were both playing the exact same waiting
game, letting everyone else argue the pros and cons.  Cid found that
downright unnerving.

  Tifa opened her mouth to voice her objections again, but before she
could say anything, Cloud finally stepped in.  He said firmly, "Guys,
we could go on about this forever, but we need to come to a decision
NOW.  Like Red said, we have other problems to worry about and we're
running short on time."

  "What are you talking about?" growled Barret.

  Cloud jerked his head in the direction of the collapsed hallway. 
"Aside from being surrounded by Hojo's little army...."  He took a
deep breath before continuing.  "Hojo's recovered the... um, Core."

  "The what?" said Tifa and several others.

  "The Core."

  "WHAT bloody core?" grumbled Cid.

  Cloud's eyes flicked briefly toward Sephiroth.  With exquisite care,
he said, "Some time ago, Hojo found the head of a certain... space
alien."

  Barret blinked, then said, "Oh, you're talking about Je.... OW!!!" 
His words turned into a sharp yelp as Yuffie jabbed him with her
weapon.  He whirled around and bellowed, "Why the hell did you do
that, girl!?"

  "You JERK!" the ninja girl hissed furiously, making little pointing
gestures in Sephiroth's direction.

  Barret scratched his head as he muttered, "Oh... yeah.  That's
right."  He coughed, then said with exaggerated tones, "Oh, THAT space
alien."

  It wasn't the most graceful or subtle of recoveries, but it was the
best any of them could do under the circumstances.  

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-14:  INSINUATIONS  
------------------------------------------------------

  Suddenly one of the large video monitors in the lab sprang to life. 
On the screen, Hojo scowled angrily and whined, "No, no, no!  What the
hell are you doing out of the tank already?"

  Sephiroth froze just an instant in surprise as he took in Hojo's
altered appearance -- the green scaly skin, the protruding bug-eyes,
the sucker mouth, and the long tentacles.  But he quickly regained his
composure and said coldly, "Hojo.  I see your exterior at last
accurately mirrors your interior."

  On the screen, the scientist gnashed his needle-like teeth and
glared at Cloud.  "This is all your doing, no doubt!" he hissed
furiously.  

  Surprisingly, Cloud did that casual little shrug of his and gave
Hojo a wolfish grin.

  "You're getting sloppy in your old age, leaving me unsupervised and
unrestrained like that, Hojo.  Did you expect me to lie around doing
nothing?  After all this time, you should know me better than that,"
Cloud calmly retorted.  It was no boast, but rather a bland statement
of fact.

  His words produced two very interesting reactions.  Sephiroth
stiffened, then snapped his head around to stare at the young blond
man standing beside him, unable to hide his astonishment.  The choice
of words, the tone, the body language... even that careless shrug...
all those things were quintessential Zack. 

  At the same time, on the monitor, Hojo twitched nervously.  It took
the scientist a few seconds to recover his smug composure.  Turning
back to Sephiroth, Hojo muttered, "So you don't remember...."
  
  "Remember what?" Sephiroth snapped, jerking his attention back to
the monitor, even as he sensed Cloud suddenly tensing beside him.  The
ex-Shinra general didn't like the sly malice filling Hojo's voice.
  
  "About what you discovered in Nibelheim."
  
  Sephiroth didn't bother to reply.
  
  "Well, it's obvious that you don't.  In that case, you're probably
wondering what's happened to your good friend Zack, eh?"

  With no particular expression on his face except for cold contempt,
Sephiroth said neutrally, "What about him?"

  Hojo giggled, "Why don't you ask Strife about that?"
  
  Before Sephiroth could respond, Cloud stepped forward.  He spoke in
a soft, but perfectly audible voice.

  "Don't EVER call me Strife."

  Hearing the tightly controlled anger in Cloud's voice, a sly look
came over Hojo's face.

  "But that's your name...."  The scientist's voice suddenly turned
thoughtful.  "Or is it, hmm?"

  Vincent silently stalked forward to stand on the other side of
Sephiroth.  The rage that hovered around the dark man like an ominous
haze made even Sephiroth discreetly edge away from him.  With stark
simplicity, Vincent spoke to the creature who had destroyed so much in
the former Turk's life.

  "You're dead, Hojo."
  
  The appearance of his old enemy seemed to actually boost Hojo's
self-confidence.  With his usual arrogance, he smirked and said, "Idle
boasts, Valentine.  You'll fail, just as you've always failed when
you've tried to challenge me." 

  "You weren't satisfied with destroying Lucrecia, were you?  How many
women did you murder in your attempts to create another Sephiroth?" 
Vincent's voice grew rougher, more animal-like with every word.

  On the screen, Hojo shrugged carelessly.  "Oh, I can't remember off
the top of my head.  Ten?  Twenty?  Thanks to Gast's secrecy and
sabotage, the whole experiment turned out to be a massive waste of my
valuable time.  Although...."  He chuckled viciously.  "I did come
very close to success with dear Regis.  What a beauty she was!"

  Elena uttered a horrified, "Eep!" as Reno abruptly stiffened.  He
caught a brief glimpse of the appalled looks on Elena's and Rude's
faces before the Turk whirled around and angrily shoved his way past
Barret and Yuffie toward the screen.

  "What did you say, asshole?" the redheaded Turk demanded in a low,
furious voice.

  "Oh, that's right.  Regis Donovan is your twin sister, Reno. Or
should I say, WAS your twin sister."  Hojo said in mock sympathy, now
back in full gloating mode.
  
  "Don't try fucking around with me, Hojo!  She died in a railroad
crash in Midgar over four years ago," Reno ground out.
  
  "Well, she didn't die then and she didn't die there, but she's
certainly dead now," the mad scientist said with a crazed little
giggle.

  "WHAT DID YOU SAY???"

  Cloud interrupted sharply.  "What do you want, Hojo?"
  
  The look of pure malice on Hojo's inhuman face sent a shiver down
nearly everyone's spine.

  "Well, I had hoped to introduce Sephiroth under more controlled
conditions, but due to your bumbling interference, I've had to move up
my timetable somewhat.  Sephiroth, are you ready to meet your mother?"

  "My... what...?"  Sephiroth involuntarily retreated a step and
nearly backed into Cloud.

  Hojo's mouth contorted into an even wider grin as he purred, "Your
mother... Jenova."

  (Well, so much for keeping THAT little secret,) thought Yuffie.

  As Sephiroth went frighteningly still, Cloud lunged forward and
shouted at the monitor, "No more of your damned lies, Hojo!"  He
couldn't explain the overwhelming sense of fury that seem to consume
him at that moment.  All he knew was he couldn't let Hojo OR Jenova
win... not this time.

  "Oh, but I'm not lying...," the scientist replied smoothly.

  "Yes, you are," growled Vincent, his crimson eyes glowing.  "You
forget to whom you're talking to.  We know you.  You would do anything
to accomplish your own twisted purposes.  If you're not spewing forth
filthy lies, you're warping the truth beyond recognition.  You've
always had a talent for stabbing people where it hurts the most."  

  Hojo snorted.  "You're pathetic, Valentine.  Your pain and a few
paltry lives means NOTHING when compared to the glory of the
discoveries I've made!"

  "Glory?  GLORY!?  You corrupt and taint everything you touch!"
Vincent snarled, his red eyes smoldering in fury.  Metal scraped
against metal as he clenched his claw into a fist.

  "One man's corruption is another man's exaltation," the scientist
retorted with a mad giggle.  Hojo rubbed his tentacles together with
glee, then peered through the monitor at Sephiroth.

  "Jenova is the only true power.  I realize that now.  Come,
Sephiroth.  The path to divinity awaits you.  All you have to do is
take your rightful place by your mother's side."  The scientist's
voice was a twisted, paternal croon that sickened everyone who heard
it.

  Sephiroth's blank expression and ominous silence had several people
stealthily reaching for their weapons.

  Apparently confident that his words had struck home, Hojo turned his
attention back to Cloud and the others.

  "I find it wonderfully ironic that I spent so much time and effort
studying the Cetra when true power in the form of Jenova lay in my
hands all along.  But never fear.  All that research will not be
wasted...."  

  Cloud glared at Hojo and snapped furiously, "Aeris and her mother
weren't specimens for you to dissect as you please!  They were human
beings...!"

  Hojo interrupted angrily, "Human beings?  Bah!  YOU're a fine one to
talk about human beings!  The Cetra are aliens to this planet, just
like Jenova.  They had no greater right to be here simply because they
arrived on this Planet first.  The Cetra were weak and deserved to
lose to the greater power!  In the end, these so-called Ancients and
their puny achievements will end up serving Jenova's will just as
everyone on this miserable Planet.  And Jenova's spawn will lead the
way!  Won't you, Sephiroth?"  

  Almost as an afterthought, the scientist glanced at Cloud and hissed
maliciously, "And you too, Strife."  

  Flinging his tentacles wide like a street preacher, Hojo shouted,
"The true Jenova has returned!  PREPARE TO FEEL HER GLORY!"

  The screen exploded into junk as Barret sprayed the screen with
gunfire.  As Sephiroth whirled to glare coldly at the black man,
Barret shrugged and said, "We ain't got time to listen to any more of
his bullshit."

  Red thought to himself, (For all his bluntness, it is at times like
this when I realize that Barret has a wisdom all his own.)

---------------------------

  Livid with rage, Reno stormed out of the lab and into the hallway,
before whirling toward his fellow Turks who were warily trailing
behind him.  He hissed, "What's going on?  What the fuck's Hojo
talking about!?"

  A white-faced Elena said in a strangled voice, "Reno... when we were
searching in Nibelheim, we found... Hojo had been doing... experiments
involving injecting Jenova cells into pregnant women in order to
modify... the unborn human fetuses." 

  "And...?" said Reno in an ominously quiet voice.  He could already
guess how his sister Regis was involved, but he needed to hear it.  He
needed to hear someone say it aloud to make it real.

  Elena took a deep gulp of air before continuing.  "His experiments
were a total botch.  None of the mothers or the babies survived.  But
Hojo kept the bodies in specimen containers to...."  She simply
couldn't finish and turned away, her hand clamped over her mouth.

  Rude's face was impassive as usual, except for a faint tic in his
right cheek.  

  "I saw her body, Reno.  It was her.  Regis."  

  Cloud and his friends had seen Reno pissed off and in various stages
of annoyance before, but at that moment, they realized that they had
never seen him truly angry.  It was a frightening, quiet sort of rage,
simply because it was so different from his usual careless, cynical
attitude.

  Elena and Rude had caught a glimpse of this sort of anger before,
when Reno had found Tseng's body lying outside of the Temple of the
Ancients, but that emotion had been a pale shadow of the fury they saw
now in his eyes.

  Reno stood with his head bowed, his Nightstick clutched in a
white-knuckled grip, then abruptly turned to face Vincent, who had
silently followed them into the hallway. 

  With an inquiring quirk of an eyebrow, Reno asked, "What about you?"

  In a stark voice, Vincent simply said, "Lucrecia."

  "I thought you killed Hojo at the Sister Ray," Reno drawled.
  
  "I did.  He came back," was Vincent's equally calm retort.
  
  "Then I guess that I'll have to do a better job of it."
  
  "Not if I get to him first."

  Reno shrugged.  "Why quibble over shit like Hojo?  I guess we can
both share in the fun."
  
  The red-haired Turk and the dark-haired ex-Turk stared at each other
in a moment of perfect understanding as the same vicious, predatory
grin appeared on their lips.

  There was a brief pause, before Vincent replied, "I can deal with
that."

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-15:  DARKER IMPULSES  
------------------------------------------------------

  In the aftermath of the rather traumatic conversation with Hojo,
Sephiroth suddenly staggered.  At the same instant, Cloud collapsed to
his knees and clamped his hands to his head in a disturbingly familiar
gesture.  

  "What the hell...!?"
  "Cloud!"
  "Spike?"
  "Damn it!"

  As Tifa ran to Cloud's side and grabbed his shoulder, the others
became aware of something repulsive and alien in the air.

  Red reflexively shook his head in a futile effort to clear the
foulness from his sensitive nose, but he knew that what he sensed was
no simple odor.  It was actually a psychic 'stench' caused by the
unholy mental energy that was now permeating the entire area.  And
from Sephiroth's and Cloud's reaction, there could only be one source.

  "Jenova!" snarled the beast, fighting down the urge to howl
defiantly.

---------------------------

  His friends' frantic questions faded to a distant babble as Cloud
struggled to fight off the mental onslaught.  Instead of the brutal,
crushing force he vaguely remembered encountering before, this assault
was much more subtle... a soft, coaxing alien voice that he couldn't
shut out or ignore....

  It whispered terrible things to him... dark, hissing promises of
power and dominion.  All he had to do was surrender himself to Jenova
-- body, mind, and soul.  It would be so easy....

  A part of him jumped at the offer... the chance for revenge... the
chance to show everyone just what sort of person he really was... the
chance to make them all sorry for crossing him....

  The first to go would be that stupid bitch grabbing at his arm....

  (No, damn it!  Get out of my head!)

  The alien voice whispered more sinister promises as ugly, dirty
images fluttered through his battered brain.
  
  (Stop it!  I won't listen to you again!  Never again!)

  Then another voice joined in... but this voice didn't come from the
outside.  

  It came from somewhere deep inside of HIM.

    / Yes!  You know it's true! 
    / They laugh at you. 
    / They hate you. 
    / They hurt you. 
    / They all deserve to die.... /
  
  (No!  That never happened!  They're my friends, damn it!  They care
about me!  You're twisting things around, just like before!  You made
me... you made me kill....)

    / You enjoyed it! /
    
  (Shut up!)

  The two voices -- Jenova's alien voice from the outside and the
dark, inner voice from within -- hammered at him like some demented
choir hell-bent on driving him inexorably toward the bottomless abyss
of insanity.

  As the voices clawed at his mind, exposing unexpected weak points,
something in Cloud finally stirred and roared, (ENOUGH!) as something
within him refused to be manipulated any further.  Like a drowning
man, he grabbed for that steely resolve, using it as one might wield a
sword to slash through the maddening babble in his head.  A sudden
calm washed over Cloud's mind, driving the malignant voices far away.

  // Not this time, Jenova. //

  // I know your tricks now. //
  
---------------------------

  It had been easy for Sephiroth to dismiss Hojo's ravings.  He had
long since stopped believing anything the scientist told him, except
with a hefty dose of collaborating evidence.  The bastard had lied to
him too many times.  More importantly, Sephiroth knew from painful
personal experience how much Hojo enjoyed manipulating people with a
carefully calculated mixture of lies and half-truths.

  The fool had obviously gone stark raving mad, but the scientist's
comments of someone called Jenova being his mother had still given
Sephiroth a nasty jolt.  And before he could quite recover, there was
something even more disturbing for him to deal with.

  Yes, it was easy to ignore Hojo, but Sephiroth found it impossible
to ignore the strange voice that now slithered into his mind.  The
words were almost exactly the same as Hojo's, but this time the talk
of godhood, destiny, and power stirred something deep inside
Sephiroth.  

  It made a perverse, seductive sort of sense.  It made all the
differences that separated and isolated him from every other person in
this world understandable....  The loneliness and alienation that
constantly haunted him would have meaning and purpose.

  The hatred... the constant suspicion... the hidden and blatant fear
in everyone's eyes....  He wouldn't have to think about those things
anymore.  They wouldn't be able to hurt him anymore.

  Gods don't feel pain.

  It would be so easy....
  
  All he would have to do is let go and believe....
  
  Under Jenova's insidious assault, the barrier locking away the
memories of the last six years weakened ever so slightly.  Sephiroth
staggered as disjointed images flashed through his mind.

  ....staring at Zack through a roaring wall of flame as a small
mountain town burned....
  ....Masamune plunging deep into Zack's stomach....
  ....a long fall into green Mako fires that seared but did not
consume....
  ....blood-splattered hallways littered with corpses in Shinra
uniforms....
  ....glowing pale blue eyes filled with terror, horror, and shame....
  ....a swift plunge into the heart of a crystal city and the heart of
a brown-haired young woman....
  ....Strife's tortured screams of anguish and denial....
  ....a hellish red light and a huge glowing rock filling the sky....
  ....a barren, featureless place and a young man wielding a huge
two-handed broadsword in a complex, yet instantly recognizable series
of strikes that only one person knew and mastered....
  
---------------------------

  When Cloud finally managed to get his head back in working order, he
found himself swaying on his hand and knees on the floor.  At the
moment, he couldn't quite gather up the energy to stand up so he
wearily rolled over and propped his back against a nearby lab table.

  Cid squatted down next to him and muttered, "Please tell me that
you're not hearing little voices telling you to do bad things."

  Cloud rubbed his hand over his face before ruefully saying, "Do you
want me to lie to you, Cid?"
  
  "Uh, no...."
  
  As she knelt on the other side of Cloud, Tifa eyed him uneasily for
a few seconds before anxiously blurting out a question.

  "Cloud, does that mean that you ARE hearing voices?"

  "Well, I was."  He had only the haziest memory of those voices.  At
the moment, he couldn't quite remember what they had said, but he knew
that their words had both sickened and infuriated him.  Aloud, he
said, "I made them go away."
  
  "How the hell did you manage that?" said Cid.
  
  Cloud replied in an even voice, "I forced myself to stop listening
to them."
  
  The pilot blinked at Cloud's matter-of-fact tone, then said, "Well,
I guess that's one way to handle it."

  Although the mental battle had clearly taken a lot out of Cloud, Cid
observed with relief that his friend appeared... well, pretty much
normal.  The calmness wasn't that unusual either.  The pilot had
noticed before that Cloud tended to become more cool-headed and
decisive as situations worsened.
  
  Tifa put her hand on Cloud's shoulder and said worriedly, "How are
you feeling?  Is it... is it over?"
  
  "I feel like someone's been kicking the inside of my head, but other
than that, I'm feeling okay at the moment."  He looked away.  "But is
it over?  I don't know.  I doubt it."  
  
  Even as Cloud spoke, the others noticed that the intensity of the
oppressive, foul energy filling the air was gradually fading.  It
wasn't completely gone, but at least it wasn't as nearly as bad as
before.

  Red padded over and peered worriedly into Cloud's face before
asking, "Was it Jenova?"

  Cloud nodded slowly.  "Yes... and this time, I think it's the real
thing."
  
  The beast lashed his tail back and forth.  "You're saying that it's
not just Jenova, but rather Jenova-CORE -- this thing that Hojo calls
the true Jenova."
    
  "Yeah.  The head must have gotten ejected from the Lifestream when
Meteor nearly hit the Planet.  Hojo found it... or maybe it called
him.  Who knows?  Anyway, Hojo babbled something about reconstructing
Jenova-CORE as well as Sephiroth...."  

  Cid slammed the butt of Venus Gospel on the ground.  "Shit!  That
probably explains all the bodies!"
  
  "What bodies?" asked Cloud as he hauled himself back to his feet. 

  Tifa muttered, "The missing bodies from Nibelheim... and apparently
from other places." 

  Off to the side, Scarlet said sourly, "The crackpot's been hauling
hundreds of human corpses into the lowermost levels of the plant."

  Red growled, "Hojo probably used them as raw material to build or
create a new body for Jenova-CORE."
  
  "But hundreds of them?" asked Yuffie.  "Just how big is this
resurrected Jenova-CORE thingie supposed to be!?"

  "I'm almost afraid to guess," Cloud said quietly.  "But it could
easily be as big as the other incarnations of Jenova we've encountered
before."

  "Shit!" muttered Barret.
  
  Cloud suddenly realized that nearly everyone in the room was staring
at him, except for Vincent and the Turks who were still in the hallway
outside the lab.  That meant that no one was keeping an eye on....

  Cloud abruptly demanded, "Who's watching Sephiroth?"

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-16:  REDISCOVERY  
------------------------------------------------------

  The images had come and gone so quickly that Sephiroth could barely
grasp their meaning.  But he understood enough.  He now had a vague
idea why everyone hated and feared him so much.  He had been involved
in some insane scheme to destroy the world... and he had come
perilously close to succeeding.

  Sephiroth's first emotion was not regret or guilt for the people he
had killed or the havoc he had caused, but rather disgust as he
wondered what on earth had induced him to try such a monumentally
crazy thing like trying to blow up the world.

  Then he remembered the dark, alien presence that seemed to loom in
the background of all those fragmented memories....  It was the very
same presence that was now whispering to him, telling him to let go
and believe some crazed patchwork of lies just like he did before.

  ....like hell he would.

  He had foolishly listened to those whispers once before.  He had
allowed this alien voice -- this entity called Jenova -- to lure him
into some mad, illusionary world.  And even though his memories of the
resulting events were still unclear, Sephiroth somehow knew that his
mistake had cost him the one thing he had ever really cared about.

  Never again.

  As he resolutely shoved the alien voice away, Sephiroth began to
recall his strange, rambling conversation with the young woman called
Aeris.  She had offered him a second chance... a chance to find what
he had lost... an opportunity to make things right.  But unlike
Jenova, Aeris had made no promises.  She had even warned him that his
path would be anything but easy.

  The memory of Aeris seemed to trigger an awakening in another part
of his mind.  Sephiroth found that his awareness of Zack's mental
presence -- a presence that had previously been faint and almost
imperceptible -- had suddenly become much more acute. 

  And with his improved perceptions, Aeris' obscure hints and
everything else now fell into place for Sephiroth.  He knew exactly
where Zack was at this very moment... at least in mind, if not in
body.

  Sephiroth looked up and stared blankly at the blond, muscular young
man standing only a few yards away.  Because as preposterous as it
might sound, he KNEW that buried somewhere inside Cloud Strife was the
mind and the soul of his best friend.

  For a brief instant, Sephiroth wondered if this was all wishful
thinking on his part, but the longer he watched Cloud, the more
convinced Sephiroth was that his instincts were right.  The body might
look different, but the truth was in the details.  The way Cloud
stood, with one hand on his hip and one foot forward... the casual
shrug... the tilt of his head... the wry grin and quiet confidence...
even his way of speaking.

  Sephiroth took a deep, shuddering breath.

  While he could only recall fragments of the last several years, he
remembered enough.  When Aeris had warned him that his quest would be
difficult, she had massively understated the situation.  

  ....because of all the people on this Planet, Cloud Strife probably
had the most reason to utterly despise him.

  And at that moment, Cloud abruptly turned around and gave Sephiroth
a cold, suspicious stare.

---------------------------

  Yuffie muttered, "Whoa.  Check out the look on the guy's face."
  
  Cloud jerked around to see Sephiroth looking at him with an intense,
yet distant expression on his face. 

  Barret shifted nervously. "I think the dude's flaked out again."

  "Jenova must have taken him over," muttered Tifa, clenching her
fists.

  Red twitched his tail thoughtfully.  "Hmmm.  I don't think so."  He
muttered to himself, (I'd say he looks like a person who's just
received the shock of his life.)

  Cloud's first impulse was to stalk over to Sephiroth and... do what?
 Ask the man what was wrong?  Offer to help?  He couldn't believe that
he was actually thinking about doing any of those things....  It
wasn't because he felt sorry for the man -- there was something about
Sephiroth that refused to be pitied -- but Cloud was unable to deny
that he felt worried, not about Sephiroth turning on him or his
friends, but worried about the man himself.   

  Hell, he wasn't developing sympathy for Sephiroth, was he?  Sympathy
was very different from pity and a much more dangerous sort of
emotion.  The mere thought was faintly nauseating.  For an angry
instant, Cloud wondered if banging his head on a nearby countertop
would knock some sense back into himself.  However, he ruefully
realized that he would only make his already throbbing head hurt even
more, not to mention upsetting his friends.

  Unlike Tifa, Cloud really didn't care about revenge for his mother's
death or even Aeris' death anymore.  All he wanted was to be his own
person, to be free of Sephiroth once and for all.  He thought he had
succeeded after that final confrontation in the Northern Crater a year
ago... but now Sephiroth was back. 

  He couldn't help brooding about Hojo's description of the Sephiroth
Clone project.  The scientist had claimed that the process used on
Cloud and the other Sephiroth Clones had been designed to make them as
close to Sephiroth as possible, not just in body, but also in mind and
soul.  And if that was true....  Cloud dragged his thoughts away from
that depressing line of thought and concentrated on another topic.

  Reeve said that Sephiroth and Zack had been friends.  Was that
really true?  Or had Sephiroth, simply with his icy brilliance and
dark charisma, dazzled and overwhelmed Zack the same way the general
had dazzled and overwhelmed so many other people... like a certain
naive teenager named Cloud Strife?

  // Not bloody likely! //

  As he struggled to get a hold on his confused feelings, Cloud's
voice ended up sounding much colder and harsher than he intended.

  "Sephiroth."  
  
  In response to the sharp demand, Sephiroth stiffened.  His ice green
eyes seem to bore into Cloud, searching for things hidden deep within
the young man.  To most people, Sephiroth's expression might have
appeared unreadable, but Cloud could swear that he saw shock, mixed
with disbelief, on the ex-general's face.... 

  ....and perhaps even a little regret....

  He frowned and raked his hand through his spiky blond hair in
exasperation as he struggled to figure out what was going on with his
old enemy.  Enemy... Cloud was finding it surprisingly hard to keep
thinking of Sephiroth as his despised nemesis... the monster he had
loathed for so long.  

  Where had all the hatred and rage gone?

---------------------------

  The familiar hair-raking gesture made Sephiroth grit his teeth.  He
berated himself for not realizing the truth sooner.  The clues had
been right there under his nose all this time.  The young man standing
in front of him certainly looked like an older Cloud Strife, but he
acted so very much like Zack.  And it went far deeper than that.  Most
importantly of all, Cloud FELT like Zack to Sephiroth's reawakened
inner senses.

  Unfortunately, finding Zack was the easy part because Sephiroth's
discovery left him with far more questions than answers.  

  ....What exactly had happened?  
  ....How much of Zack was there in Cloud?  
  ....Just where did Cloud end and Zack begin?  
  ....Did Cloud and/or Zack have any idea of what was going on?  

  Then more painful questions began to present themselves to
Sephiroth.  He knew that he had hurt Zack terribly -- the image and
the sensation of Masamune sliding effortlessly into his friend's body
was all too fresh in his mind.  However, the physical injuries were
only the tip of the iceberg.  Other bits of memory told Sephiroth that
being stabbed by Masamune had been only the first of many deliberate
cruelties Zack had suffered at Sephiroth's hands.

  (Aeris said that there were so many things between me and Zack...
trusts broken... friendship betrayed... unforgivable acts....)

  Was there any possible way to make things right for Zack?  He didn't
know, but he knew he had to try.  As for forgiveness....  

  Sephiroth shoved that thought aside.  He wasn't looking for
forgiveness or redemption.  He didn't expect miracles... not any more.
 The reasons for his actions weren't really important.  He wasn't
trying to find excuses for what he had done.  Responsibility had to be
acknowledged and accepted.  

  The past was exactly that... the past.  It couldn't be undone or
ignored.  But now he had a chance to make restitution for the wrongs
he had committed against his friend.
 
  But where to start?  Sephiroth knew that he had to first remember
and understand what had happened in the six years that had supposedly
passed between the Nibelheim mission and his awakening on this day. 
And more importantly, he needed to know exactly what was going on with
Cloud and how Zack fitted into the whole tangled mess.  It promised to
be an excruciating experience, but Sephiroth was not about to let that
stop him.  He owed Zack, not just for the pain he had inflicted on his
friend, but for the priceless things that Zack had given him.

  Zack had been the one person who hadn't been afraid of Sephiroth...
not even at times when Sephiroth frightened everyone else, including
himself.

  >----->----->----->

  The meeting with the mayor and councilmen of the small coastal town
had been a total waste of time.  Fed up with their stupidity and fear,
Sephiroth stalked gracefully out of the meeting room, Zack discretely
trailing at his heels.  They didn't stop walking until they had
reached the hills just outside the town limits.

  Sephiroth stared out over the sea and muttered, "Those fools."
  
  "You scare the crap out of them, sir."
  
  "Zack... sometimes I scare even myself."  After a moment, he asked,
"So why aren't you frightened of me?"

  "Maybe I'm too stupid?" Zack said with a careless shrug. 
  
  Sephiroth snorted in rude disbelief.  He perched himself on a nearby
rock and continued to gaze at the ocean.  The minutes passed. 
Finally, he murmured, "Sometimes, I wish...."

  Zack patiently waited for him to finish.

  "....that I could be like other people.  Normal people."  There was
a soft echo of sadness in his voice.

  Zack quietly said, "I don't think you'd be happy being just one of
the crowd.  And normal people have plenty of problems, too.  Just
different ones."

  Sephiroth smiled ruefully.  "You probably think I'm exaggerating. 
Everyone thinks that their own problems are the worst."

  "My uncle used to say that the greater the gifts, the greater the
trials."  Zack murmured as he moved a bit closer.

  "Gifts!"  There was suppressed fury in Sephiroth's voice.  "I didn't
ask for any of this!  I didn't ask for Hojo's blasted meddling!  I
didn't ask to be poked and prodded, gawked and stared at!"

  "No, you didn't.  I knew exactly what I was getting into when I
joined SOLDIER.  You didn't have a choice."

  "No, I didn't.   Here I am, neither fish or fowl, as they say. 
Different enough so that people instantly notice, but human enough to
be bothered by their reactions."  Sephiroth sighed impatiently. 
"Well, I suppose I'll just have to deal with it.  Somehow.  Because if
I can't, I might as well cut my own throat and be done with all the
misery."

  Zack gave his superior officer an alarmed look.

  With a sour chuckle, Sephiroth muttered, "Don't worry, Zack.  If
anything, I'm a born survivor.  I think it runs in my blood.  If I had
really wanted to to kill myself, I would have done it long ago."  A
brief silence settled before Sephiroth continued.  "But sometimes it's
so hard to deal with... loneliness...."  The last words came out
slowly, reluctantly, like a person dragging a long hidden, shameful
secret into the open.

  With a faint smile, Zack held out his hand and quietly said, "But
you're not alone.  Not anymore."

  Sephiroth stared at the outstretched hand, then up at Zack's brown
eyes -- eyes which had a soft greenish-gold glow.  Then, for the first
time he could remember, he reached out, taking Zack's hand and all the
unspoken promises with it.

  <-----<-----<-----< 

  Zack had not broken the faith.  Zack had kept his promises... and
had paid dearly for his loyalty.

  No, it was he, the mighty Sephiroth, who had been the one to turn
traitor.  He had been the one to surrender... the one to give in to
Jenova's lies.

  But for the moment, all Sephiroth could do was keep his secrets to
himself and observe everything going on around him.  He knew he
couldn't afford to change his behavior too much.  If he became too
cooperative, Cloud and his companions would be certain to think that
he was plotting something devious... and in a way, he was.
  
  Sephiroth's thoughts had only taken an instant of real time.  With
carefully concealed effort, he slipped back into his usual cold,
sarcastic persona.  

  "What do you want?" he said, addressing Cloud in acid tones.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-17:  INSTRUMENTS OF DESTRUCTION  
------------------------------------------------------

  Before Cloud could reply to Sephiroth's demand, Cait Sith yelped,
"Guys!  We've got big trouble!"
  
  "Like we don't already have enough!?" muttered Yuffie.
  
  Bouncing frantically up and down on the Mog's head, the little cat
said, "We better get the hell out of here!"

  "What's wrong?" Cloud said quickly.

  "Sapphire WEAPON's suddenly changed course and is heading in this
direction!"

  The ninja girl smacked her hand against her forehand.  "Oh crap!"
  
  Red growled, "The Planet must have sensed Jenova-CORE reviving just
as we have.  It's sending one of the WEAPONs to destroy it!"

  Cait Sith said urgently, "It's really moving!  The thing's cruising
at over eighty miles per hour!"

  "What!?  How can anything so big move that fast through water?"
blurted Elena.  The Turks and Vincent had rejoined Cloud and the
others as soon as they heard Cait Sith's warning.

  The robot cat tossed up its paws and said, "Hey, don't ask me.  I'm
just telling you what the observers are saying." 

  Cloud took a deep breath and said, "How long before it arrives,
Cait?"

  "At its current rate of speed... about 10 minutes, Cloud.  That's
just a rough estimate, of course."
 
  "There's more bad news, isn't there?"

  The cat nodded quickly. "Yup.  You see, it's the Sapphire WEAPON,
all right -- there's no mistake about that -- but there's something
different about it, too.  For one thing, from the reconnaissance
pictures, this version is at least 20% bigger than the WEAPON that
attacked Junon.  And well,... all I can say is that it just looks a
hell of a lot MEANER."

  "Meaner!?  Are you trying to tell us that the damn thing's somehow
gotten more powerful?" shouted Barret.

  Scarlet snapped, "Well, it makes obvious sense.  Shinra and you guys
managed to destroy all of the original WEAPONs!  What do you do when
if a weapon fails?  You build a better one!"

  "But can the Planet modify the WEAPONs like that?  I mean, it's
supposed to be aware and all that, but can it actually do something
THAT sophisticated?" asked Tifa.

  Red shook his head.  "It may not be a conscious process as we know
it, but rather an instinctive reaction."

  Elena said, " So you're saying that when a WEAPON's destroyed, the
Planet automatically creates a stronger one in an attempt to deal with
the threat?"

  "Yes.  And it will most likely keep doing that until the threat is
eventually neutralized or the Planet itself is destroyed."

  Cid muttered, "Then why the hell didn't the blasted Planet do that
when Meteor was about to land in our laps?"

  The red-furred beast shook its head.  "Probably a lack of time.  Who
knows how long it takes to create something as powerful and massive as
a WEAPON?"

  Cloud frowned.  "If the WEAPONs have gotten more powerful, it also
means that the tactics we used before probably won't work again."

  "That's an unfortunate possibility," Red said.

  Scarlet shouted, "Now hold it!  I hope you idiots aren't planning to
stand around and fight that thing!  Because if you are, I'm outta
here!"  

  "Why are you worried?  We've handled WEAPONs before!" snapped Tifa
as she glared at the other woman.

  Cloud shook his head urgently.  "This situation is very different,
Tifa.  We fought those WEAPONs on open and stable terrain.  But if we
try to fight here, we'll have to worry about getting buried and
crushed by falling debris. Sapphire WEAPON can probably demolish this
place without breaking a sweat."

  Cid added, "Yeah.  Tifa, don't you remember what happened at Mideel?
 The entire town ended up at the bottom of a Mako sinkhole."

  "I'm glad at least a few of you guys recognizes the problem!  This
place is NOT a goddamn fortress!" snapped Scarlet.

  Tifa snapped, "You could have fooled me with all your stupid
security!"

  "What the hell does security have to do with it, you brainless
twit!?"

  "What did you call me!?"

  Cloud quickly interrupted before the argument between the two women
could degenerate into a physical brawl.

  "Tifa, what Scarlet means is that installations like Junon Fortress
are specially designed and reinforced to withstand heavy-duty military
assault.  That's why the first Sapphire WEAPON only managed to do
moderate damage, relatively speaking.  But this place is only a
research and manufacturing facility.  Its construction is primarily
designed to keep out small groups of more lightly armed intruders. 
Spies and that sort of thing.  Isn't that right, Scarlet?"

  Scarlet seemed rather surprised by Cloud's understanding as she
slowly nodded.  "A WEAPON could probably rip this place apart with no
problem.  And if it uses energy weapons or missiles... well, get in
its way, and you'll end up dead like Rufus."  Scarlet's lips thinned
and she looked away briefly.

  Sephiroth lifted an eyebrow at the mention of Rufus Shinra's death,
but said nothing.

  Red added, "Not only are we facing the WEAPON, but don't forget
about Hojo and Jenova-CORE.  I can't imagine that that Jenova-CORE
will stand around idly and allow Sapphire WEAPON to blast it into
pieces."

  "Man, talk about getting stuck between a rock and a hard place!"
whined Yuffie.

  "Yeah," muttered Barret.

  "What precisely is this Sapphire WEAPON you keep talking about?"
Sephiroth interrupted sharply.
  
  Cloud said evenly, "It's a superweapon created by the Planet.  One
of several.  It's about... I'd guess about 30 stories tall, Cid?"

  "At least.  You been to Junon Fortress, Sephiroth?"

  "Of course, Highwind."

  "Fine, then you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about.  I
don't know how friggin' long the damn thing actually was, but I do
know that when it was rearing out of the water, its head was pretty
much even with the top level of the fortress."  The pilot took a long
drag on his cigarette.  "Killing it took a point-blank shot to the
head with the Cannon.  And Cait says that the new version of Sapphire
that's headed in our direction is bigger and probably more powerful."

  "I see."   An image unfolding in Sephiroth's mind... a place
littered with rock and raw Materia... a glimpse of a massive,
serpentine creature locked behind a great wall of greenish crystal....
 
  "Do you think Jenova knows about the WEAPON's approach?" asked
Yuffie.

  Cloud replied, "More than likely.  I think Jenova-CORE gave up
trying to turn my and Sephiroth's brain inside out because it somehow
sensed the WEAPON's approach."

  "Well, I'm glad that there's SOMETHING capable of giving that stupid
space bitch a hard time.  Maybe we should just get the hell out of the
way and let the Planet deal with it," grumbled Barret.

  "I wish we could, but I'm worried that the cure might be as bad or
even worse than the disease...," Cloud replied quietly. 

  "What do ya mean?"

  "Remember what Bugenhagen said?  The Planet doesn't really care
about humanity's survival.  If the battle goes on for an extended
period of time or if the other WEAPONs join in or if Jenova creates
its own super-monsters...."

  Red nodded grimly.  "Who knows how much environmental damage could
occur?  In a worst case scenario, the resulting destruction could be
severe enough to make the world uninhabitable for humans."

  "Great.  Just friggin' great!" Barret muttered.

  Cid jerked his thumb in Sephiroth's direction.  "What about....?"

  Cloud smiled grimly.  "All our discussions about him are pretty much
moot at this point.  We're out of time.  You know we can't leave him
here in such close proximity to Jenova-CORE."

  "Shit.  I was afraid you were going to say that."

  Tifa protested, "Cloud, I know you think you're only doing what's
necessary, but have you really thought this through?  You've got to
realize just who we're talking about here!"

  "Tifa, believe me, I'm open to any other suggestions.  You know what
Jenova was capable of doing even when supposedly dead.  Can you
imagine what it's capable of now that it's fully awake?"

  She sighed and muttered, "Damn it.  You're right.  We can't afford
to leave him here, dead OR alive.  Even if we did kill him, there's no
guarantee that he'd stay dead, especially with that... that THING
around."

  In a voice brimming with sarcasm, Sephiroth murmured, "What a
generous invitation, Lockheart."  He had no intention of staying
behind, but it wouldn't do to appear too eager to join them.

  Tifa jumped to her feet.  "The only reason you're coming with us is
because you'd cause more problems if we tried to leave you behind!"

  "Dead or alive," he murmured, throwing her words back at her.  He
stared coolly at them.  "I'm willing to be... cooperative.  Not
because of your 'concern', but because I prefer to have nothing to do
with anything associated with Hojo.  And since Hojo is singing this
Jenova creature's praises, it's probably prudent to get as far away
from it as possible."

  Cait Sith said in a curious voice, "So you didn't believe Hojo when
he said that Jenova was your mother?"

  Sephiroth gave the little cat a cynical look.  "Believe Hojo on his
word alone?  Just what sort of fool do you take me for?"

  (Now isn't that interesting....)  Red flicked an ear.  (Was Cloud
right when he said that Jenova itself was largely responsible for
Sephiroth's madness?)

  Sephiroth's eyes narrowed ominously, "However, as soon as
circumstances permit, I want a full and complete explanation of what's
been going on."

  Cloud took a deep breath and said tersely, "Fine. I'll tell you the
whole story... everything... AFTER we get the hell out of here.  My
word on it."

  "Cloud!" Tifa objected.
  
  He shook his head and said urgently, "No more lies, Tifa.  That's
how Hojo gets his way.  I won't do that."  

  Fully occupied with convincing Tifa, Cloud failed to notice the
quick exchange of anxious looks between Cait Sith, Cid, and Red.

  "And what if he can't handle the truth and goes around the bend like
he did last time!?" muttered Barret.
  
  "Then it's better to find out sooner than later, isn't it?"  
  
  Red said thoughtfully, "Yes, it suppose it is."
  
  Cloud looked back at Sephiroth, his blue eyes hooded and wary. 
"Your cooperation in exchange for information.  Satisfied?"

  The ex-general smiled faintly.  "I'll suppose it'll have to do."

  Cloud felt a surge of relief as soon as Sephiroth grudgingly agreed
to accompany them.  He had been dreading the thought of trying to drag
an uncooperative Sephiroth out of the weapon facility.

  // Seph, you can be such a stubborn, stiff-necked ass at times. //

  Cait Sith's Mog quickly hopped over to Cloud's side and held out the
Ultima Weapon.  The little cat chirped, "You shouldn't leave valuable
stuff like this lying around."  

  With a faint grin, Cloud slung the massive broadsword over his
shoulder and said, "Thanks, Cait.  How much time have we got?"

  "About eight minutes.  We've got to get moving!"

  "Right."

  Yuffie called out, "Hey, Cloud!  Here!" and tossed something toward
him.  He caught it easily and stared in surprise at his familiar
Mystile bracelet.  He was more amazed to realize that none of the
Materia was missing.

  "Yuffie!?" 

  The ninja girl flushed bright red and stared nonchalantly at the
ceiling as she muttered, "Well, like the cat said, you shouldn't leave
valuable stuff like that lying around.  You're lucky I found more
interesting Materia to play with."

  Cloud shook his head and chuckled ruefully.  "Right.  I'll be sure
to keep that in mind, Yuffie."
  
  Red glanced up at his blond-haired friend.  Although Cloud looked
fit enough, the faint traces of physical and mental stress told the
beast that his friend was not fully recovered from his recent ordeal.
 
  Cloud answered Red's silent question.  "I'm okay for now.  Cid!"
  
  "Yo!  Just a moment!"  

  They could hear the pilot having a loud conversation with the crew
of the Highwind II.  He shouted into his phone, "No!  I want you guys
to stay the hell away from this area.  I'll call you in for a pickup
when we're a safe distance away.  That's a friggin' order!  This place
is about to become a goddamn battle zone and I'll have your asses if
you guys get yourselves blown up and make me walk all the way home!"

  As he hung up, they heard Cid muttering about 'those insubordinate
sons-of-a-bitch'.

  With everyone together, Cloud said, "Okay, guys.  Let's get ready to
move out.  We've got no time to spare."

  Vincent's low voice intruded with a question.  

  "What about Hojo?"

  Cloud turned and looked at the dark man and Reno.  Clenching his
right hand, he said, "Vincent, Reno, if I thought we had the slightest
chance of finding him before all hell breaks loose, I'd be after that
bastard this very moment.  Believe me, I want to take him apart as
badly as you guys do, but there's no way, not in the little time we've
got."

  For an instant, he was afraid that Vincent would go after Hojo by
himself, but after a few seconds of frightening stillness, the
dark-haired man slowly nodded.

  Reno muttered, "I'd really hate it if that damned WEAPON manages to
kill Hojo off," as he tapped his Nightstick impatiently against his
shoulder.

  Cloud said bitterly, "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that.  I
doubt he'll die so easily.  Like an infestation of roaches, he always
seems to come back." 

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-18: JOINT ENDEAVORS  
------------------------------------------------------

  Cloud shook off his angry mood, then turned to more pressing
matters. "Scarlet, what's the quickest way out of here?  We have less
than...."  He glanced questioningly at Cait Sith.

  "Estimated ETA for Sapphire WEAPON is... about seven minutes," the
cat chirped.
  
  Scarlet frowned.  After a few seconds, she said, "There's a shaft
near here that leads to a catwalk that runs the entire length of the
main manufacturing area.  It's a straight shot to the storage rooms
and the exit tunnel.  The problem is that this manufacturing area is
one big open room.  There's no cover once we hit the catwalk.  We'll
be dead easy targets...."

  "Don't you have anything better?" snapped Cid.
  
  "Not if we want to get out of here under seven minutes.  As it is,
it's going to be damn close," said Scarlet with a shrug.  "And if we
get bogged down in combat...." 

  Cloud said firmly, "Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen."
  
---------------------------

  As they quickly followed Scarlet, Tifa hung back and whispered to
Barret, "I don't like it.  Sephiroth's being too damn quiet.  He's
barely said a thing in the last couple of minutes.  All he does is
watch everyone else, especially Cloud."

  "Yeah, I noticed," her old friend replied.  "But we can't really do
anything about it right now.  Cloud's right.  We damn well can't leave
the bastard here in Jenova's lap.  It'll be better to have the freak
where we can keep an eye on him instead of letting him run loose."

  "I know, I know.  It's just that...."  Tifa gritted her teeth
unhappily.

  "Hang tough, okay?"  Barret gently thumped her on the shoulder and
urged her forward.

---------------------------

  Less than a minute later, they were all clustered around a hatchway
in the floor.  A narrow ladder extended downward nearly fifty feet to
a sturdy steel platform that connected to a broad walkway suspended
high above the floor of the manufacturing area.  The only problem was
that the platform was fully occupied by Hojo's twisted minions. 

  As they cautiously peered down the ladder shaft, Cid whispered,
"You've GOT to be friggin' well joking."  
  
  "Those buggers are creeping all over the place," Yuffie hissed
quietly.

  "I'm not blind, you twerp!" the pilot hissed back in annoyance.
  
  In a whisper, Tifa complained, "Scarlet, are you SURE this is the
only way out?"

  "Yes, unless you've got a real quick way of burrowing through
several hundred feet of rubble."
  
  "Down there!?" muttered Elena.
  
  Cait Sith murmured, "Guys, six minutes and counting."
  
  A few yards away, Reno paced impatiently.  Somehow he had managed to
shove the matter of his sister Regis  to the back of his mind for the
moment.  He knew that Cloud was right.  Hojo was probably going to
find a way to survive the upcoming battle between Sapphire WEAPON and
Jenova-CORE... and when the bastard popped up again, he and Vincent
Valentine were going to be waiting to rip Hojo's miserable mutated ass
to bits.
  
  Cloud had been silently observing the activity below.  He finally
whispered, "We've got to clear the area somehow.  They all look
reptilian so I'd guess that cold would have the most effect on them."

  "A Shiva summoning?" Red rumbled softly.

  Cloud murmured, "Not powerful enough.  We need to clear as much as
that room as possible.  We can't afford to stand and fight.  And our
ice Materia just doesn't have the range to cover...."  He drummed his
fingers silently on the edge of the hatchway, then abruptly stopped.

  "I know just the thing," said Cloud with a slow grin -- a cheerful,
yet wicked sort of grin.  He suddenly looked up at Sephiroth, then
made a slight twirling gesture with his right hand.

  Sephiroth's eyes widened in surprise, then a corner of his mouth
quirked upward in a secretive, half-smile as if he was sharing a
private joke with a close friend.  Which, in a way, was exactly what
he was doing.
 
  Cloud glanced at the confused faces around him.  

  "Stay out of the way, but get ready to follow us."
  
  "Out of the way of what?  What the hell are you planning to...?"
hissed Cid as he and the others backed away from the hatchway.
  
  Before they could ask any more questions, Sephiroth rose to his feet
and elbowed Tifa away from the hatchway even as he neatly dumped a
bolt spell down the shaft.  Almost before the crackles of lightning
faded, Cloud grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid downwards like a
stone.  He was followed almost immediately by Sephiroth.

---------------------------

  Before the survivors of the bolt spell had a chance to recover,
Cloud landed on the platform.  As soon as he touched down, he sprang
clear of the ladder while simultaneously casting the most powerful ice
spell he could manage.  A fraction of a second later, Sephiroth landed
beside him and started on his own spell.  

  The resulting combination stunned the watchers above.  Sephiroth's
perfectly timed wind spell transformed Cloud's already potent magical
attack into a devastating storm of ice shards.  Driven by hurricane
force winds, the razor sharp chunks of ice began to shred virtually
everything in the cavernous room around them.  Whatever didn't get
ripped apart immediately ended up trapped within a rock hard casing of
ice.

  Overhead, Yuffie peered down the shaft and managed to choke out an
amazed, "Will you look at THAT...."

  Red whispered, "Unbelievable.  A synergistic spell combination
that's at least an order of magnitude more powerful than the simple
additive effect of the two individual spells."

  Barret growled, "Use smaller words, why don't you?"

  "In short... wow."

  As Cloud and Sephiroth stood side-by-side surveying the damage, they
felt a sudden vibration ripple through the catwalk.  They both stared
downwards, then looked at each other.  They both had instantly
pinpointed and identified the source of that vibration.  

  Something very large was moving in the ground below them and it was
coming closer.  

  There was a muffled crack, then an eerie light gradually washed over
the room as glowing green liquid seeped up through the broken concrete
floor and slowly spread underneath the thick layer of ice that had
formed on the floor.  The ice immediately began to hiss and melt.  The
glowing liquid was unmistakably Mako, but it was contaminated by large
globs of some mysterious reddish-purple substance.  

  Their goal was the hallway at the far end of the manufacturing area,
about 500 yards away.  Clustered near the hallway's entrance were
several of Hojo's more powerful monsters who had managed to survive
the magical ice storm.  As the two men warily surveyed the floor
below, the enraged creatures began charging toward Cloud and
Sephiroth. 
   
  Neither men said a word.  There was no need.  Sephiroth took off
down the catwalk to deal with the oncoming monsters while Cloud
glanced up the shaft and snapped, "Get down here, guys!"
  
  His friends shook off their amazement and hastily began to scramble
or slide down the ladder as Cloud kept a wary eye on the steadily
growing pool of Mako below the catwalk.  

  As he landed on the platform and took a good look around, Reno
muttered, "Holy shit!"

  Cid couldn't have said it better.  The entire manufacturing area had
been turned to a huge glittering ice cavern... a cavern that was now
starting to glow with a stomach-churning combination of green and
purple light.

  "What the hell's causing that!?" blurted Yuffie.

  Cloud's expression was grim.  "Mako.  I don't know where it's coming
from but...."

  Scarlet went pale.  "It has to be from the reactor below us, but
that's a good four floors down!  And what the hell's all that dark
crap floating around in the Mako?" 

  "No idea," replied Cloud as another, stronger vibrations rippled
through the catwalk.  "But I think that something big is trying to
break through the floor and forcing the Mako up with it."

  Red's ears went flat and his neck ruff bristled.  "It's probably
Jenova-CORE."

  Cait shouted, "Less than four minutes, guys!"

  "Where the hell's Sephiroth!?" yelled Barret.

  Cloud jerked his head in the direction of the aerial walkway and
said, "Ahead of us, cleaning out the remaining monsters."  

  Sephiroth was already well down the catwalk, Masamune in hand.  With
elegant, efficient precision, he cut down any monsters who were still
capable of attacking.

  Cloud continued briskly, "Red, you keep an eye on Sephiroth. 
Scarlet, you're the guide.  Cait Sith, I want you and Yuffie to stick
tight to Scarlet.  Make she sure she doesn't get into trouble OR gets
any bright ideas about leaving us behind."

  "Gotcha!" the ninja girl said.

  "Now wait a minute...!" Scarlet automatically protested.

  Cloud leaned toward her and snapped, "If you haven't noticed, we
don't HAVE a minute to spare!"  He firmly shoved her on her way.  He
quickly looked around.  "The rest of you, get going!  This place could
come apart at any moment!  Barret, Tifa, and I will take up the rear. 
Now move out!" 

---------------------------

  Sephiroth had done his job well.  There was nothing to hinder the
others' progress as they dashed down the catwalk.  But their pace
inevitably began to slow as the tremors became increasingly strong. 
The catwalk began to creak and sway alarmingly before most of them 
had passed the halfway point.  It soon became a struggle to stay on
their feet, much less run.

  Sephiroth led the way, with Red right behind him.  They were
followed by Scarlet, who was surprisingly fast on her feet. 
Fortunately, Yuffie was even faster.  The teenager's speed was
probably one of the reasons Cloud had picked the ninja girl to keep on
eye on the former head of Shinra's Weapons Development division.  And
despite its silly appearance, Cait Sith's Mog bounced along like a
rubber ball and had no trouble keeping up.

  Behind Scarlet's group were Cid, Vincent, and the Turks who were
somewhat slower, but not by much.  Cid was probably having the worst
time of it, huffing and wheezing noticeably, but he still kept up the
pace.  

  "Yo, Cid, are we goin' to have to carry you?  Maybe we should get
Reeve to find you a stuffed Mog to ride on!" growled Barret.

  Cid managed to find the breath to gasp out, "Screw... you...
Barret...."

  Tifa panted, "Quit joking... and keep running!"

  They were within a hundred yards of the catwalk's end when the
entire building shuddered.  Everyone was forced to grab for the
nearest railing or support.

  Cait Sith shouted, "It's here!"

  "I never would've guessed, you stupid furball!" screeched Scarlet in
return.  
  
  "What!?  I thought we had at least two minutes left!"

  "That was just a rough estimate, Cid!  It must have picked up speed
at the last moment!"
  
  A few seconds later, the shockwave of a huge explosion knocked most
of them to the walkway's floor.  Only Cait Sith's squat Mog and the
four-footed Red XIII managed to stay on their feet as the entire room
shook wildly.  Clinging to the catwalk, Cloud and his friends grimly
rode out the next series of shocks and tremors which left most of them
battered and bruised.

  Yuffie staggered back to her feet and swiped at her bloody nose. 
"Whoa, what a ride...."

  As they slowly stood, Tifa looked backward and shouted, "LOOK!"

  They all spun to stare in horrified disbelief as the entire back end
of the hangar-like manufacturing room seemed to fold in on itself.  A
second or two later, they realized that the other end of the factory
had not simply caved in, but rather that nearly a third of the
building -- including a huge chunk of the underlying rock foundation
-- had been neatly sheared off the cliff and was now sliding into the
sea below.

  Through the newly formed opening, they caught a glimpse of the
culprit.  Silhouetted against the afternoon sky was the massive,
towering form of the Sapphire WEAPON, surrounded by hordes of smaller
creatures that swarmed all over it like so many biting flies.  The
WEAPON's huge tentacles flailed, effortlessly leveling an entire wing
of the facility with a few swipes.

  Cloud and the others quickly began to retreat when another rumble
got their attention -- this one coming from underneath them.  The
tremor did not subside, but continued growing in strength, like the
approach of a massive freight train.  Then, almost without warning,
the ice-covered floor of the manufacturing room buckled and heaved
upward as a great fountain of the purple-splotched Mako spewed upward
less than two hundred yards from where they were standing.  It was
much too close for comfort.  Everyone frantically dodged falling globs
of glowing liquid as dark, purplish blue tendrils reached upward
through the shattered floor.

  More and more tendrils appeared, until the middle of the room looked
like a forest of alien purple trees....

  ....then a towering form slowly rose into view.

------------------------------------------------------
PART 7-19: THE CORE OF THE BEAST  
------------------------------------------------------

  The new monster kept rising as the contaminated Mako poured off its
alien flesh and joined the growing pool of liquid on the floor.

  The slim female form and pale blue skin made the entity instantly
recognizable to Cloud, but this particular incarnation was bigger than
any he had ever seen before... much, much bigger.  In addition to a
set of human-like arms, the creature had masses of dark purple
tentacles which sprang from its shoulders and fanned out behind its
torso almost like a great pair of wings.  Its legs -- if it had any --
were lost amid the frilly mass of fleshy tissue that swirled around
its lower body.  And on the entity's head were arrayed several
elaborate pairs of sweeping, curling horns... or perhaps they were
antennae.  There was no way of knowing.

  However, no matter how large this particular form was, it was still
dwarfed by the mountain-sized Sapphire WEAPON.  The WEAPON's great
yellow eyes slowly focused at the strangely beautiful, yet unspeakably
alien creature that was its designated target.

  The true Jenova.  

---------------------------

  As the others continued to back away until they had reached the
dubious safety of the enclosed hallway, Cloud continued to stare at
this new incarnation of their old enemy.  The Ultima Weapon was rock
steady in his hands, drawn from its sheath more by instinct than by
deliberate thought.

  Fear and loathing didn't even begin to describe what Cloud felt at
that moment.  It wasn't really fear for himself, but for the people he
cared about... and one in particular.  As for loathing, the only
person he might hate and despise more than Jenova was Hojo.  So much
pain and destruction could be traced directly back to the wretched
twosome's plots and schemes. 

  Jenova and Hojo both had a talent for finding people's weaknesses. 
Once those weak points were located, they burrowed inside their
victims' minds and souls like maggots, corrupting and devouring
everything they came in contact with.  One was an alien from space and
the other had once been a human being, but on the inside, they were
very much the same, down to the same dark aura of malice and madness
that seemed to hover over each of them.

  Cloud wanted nothing more than to tear this monstrous entity to
pieces for what it had done to him... to Sephiroth... to everyone. 
But he had enough sense to realize that he couldn't do it alone.  More
importantly, no matter how badly he wanted to destroy Jenova, he
wasn't about to recklessly endanger his friends.  They had risked
their lives to rescue him and he wasn't about to let them die for
their loyalty. 

  His friends might be willing to risk death or even sacrifice
themselves if necessary, but Cloud was not about simply throw away his
friends' lives on some stupid, vengeful impulse.  And recklessly
jumping into a battle between these 'improved' incarnations of Jenova
and the Sapphire WEAPON would be courting disaster.

---------------------------

  For a long moment, the alien monstrosity stood still, its back
toward Cloud and the others, its long tendrils rippling in an almost
hypnotic pattern... then it slowly pivoted, turning its torso and head
in their direction.  

  The pale blue face was startlingly beautiful, with fine elegant
bones and an inhuman serenity.  Shadows obscured the upper portion of
its head and prevented any clear view of the creature's eyes. 
However, there was no doubt that it knew of their presence... and that
it recognized Cloud and Sephiroth in particular.

  Then Cloud did something that would have shaken him to the core had
he been aware of what he was doing.  Without conscious thought and
without taking his eyes off the towering alien, Cloud took a step back
and two steps to his left, putting him neatly between Sephiroth and
Jenova.

  As Cloud held his blade ready and warily watched the towering form
of Jenova with an uncommon look of determination on his face, only
three people caught the significance of Cloud's actions.  

  Both Red XIII and Cait Sith were irresistibly reminded of a mother
wolf protecting its cub.  Of course the mere idea of someone trying to
protect Sephiroth, of all people, was ludicrous, but still.... 
Neither of them could shake the mental imagery.  

  Red could clearly remember seeing that very same look of unshakable
resolve and determination on his own mother's face when she had
stepped between a huge acid wyrm and her tiny cub.

  Tifa had also noticed Cloud's movements, but her feelings was very
different from the other two.  Anger, hatred, and another unnamed
emotion -- one she wasn't willing to identify -- seemed to form a
painful knot in her chest as she glared in Sephiroth's direction. 

---------------------------

  As for Sephiroth, the sheer enormity of Sapphire WEAPON's physical
presence was shocking enough, but the bizarre creature rising out of
the floor amid a steady geyser of tainted Mako left him badly shaken. 
He took a few deep breaths, then silently stepped up behind Cloud. 
Standing within inches of the other man, Sephiroth softly murmured,
"Is that...?"

  Without taking his eyes off the alien creature, Cloud answered in an
even and equally quiet voice.

  "Yes, Seph.  Jenova." 

-------------------------
(end of Part 7)

------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------

In part 8, 
  Find out whether Rocket Town becomes a seaside town as Jenova and
Sapphire WEAPON start tearing up the place....
  Cloud treads the razor's edge between love and hate in more ways
than one.... 
  Sephiroth begins to discover the true cost of his past actions....
  A secretive foe continues to make its presence felt....

--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra