Chapter 4: "The Greatest SOLDIER…"

As soon as they reached the sixty-ninth floor Tifa knew they were in trouble. Several soldiers were lying dead in the corridor, brutally murdered, and their blood ran thickly across the tile. She covered her mouth and tried not to be sick at the stench. Everyone was faring better—save Aeris, whose manner had become agitated and nervous. She kept close to Glenn, partially because he was the only one she knew. He didn't seem to mind the position of elected guardian. With Lucca in the lead and Barret bringing up the rear they silently followed the trail of dead.

A figure appeared at the end of the hall, and Lucca sighed with relief. "Celes!" she called, running to catch up. "Am I glad to see you. What happened here?"

Celes took a quick note of which people were with them, and drew her fiend aside. "An intruder in President Shin-ra's office," she said quietly. "I was just down in the lab—Jenova's gone, and the display case is missing Sephiroth's sword."

"Wait a minute," Tifa interrupted, having overheard. "Did you say Sephiroth? I heard he was dead."

Both looked annoyed that she'd been listening, but it was too late. "We're not sure," Celes admitted, and her eyes shone a light of anxiety. "But this…" she gestured to the strew corpses "…could only have been done by Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth…" Tifa felt a chill, taking a step back as if the name itself was a tangible thing capable of great evil. "The greatest SOLDIER." Suddenly her mind flared.

Aeris had been thinking the same thing. "Where's Cloud?"

Celes led the way from there, and was the first to see the awful scene. The office was littered with debris from the ceiling and lights flickered on and off randomly. Lying face down on the cluttered desk was President Shin-ra; a long sword had been stabbed through his back, and blood spilled onto the floor. Cloud was there, too. He didn't move as the group shuffled inside, his back to them.

"Cloud?" Tifa was the only one to come forward, gently laying a hand on his arm. He didn't seem to acknowledge her presence. "Cloud, what happened? Are…you okay?"

His face was blank, but his eyes were filled with emotions so intense she could pull nothing from his blue gaze. "That sword," he said in a dulled voice, but a hint of dread was apparent in his tone. "It's Sephiroth's sword. He was here."

"Sephiroth is dead, Cloud," Celes said, stepping forward as well. "It wasn't him."

"It had to be."

Aeris was about to add something, but her attention was drawn by a faint sound only she could hear. Curious, she followed it to the receptionist's desk and came upon a man and a young woman. "Hey!" she called, "there's someone still alive!"

Barret and Glenn took up positions by the door as Sabin and Locke went to investigate her findings. "I think it's King Edgar," she explained.

Sabin's face paled, and he hurried to see for himself. Sure enough Edgar was there, still holding the President's daughter protectively against him. For a moment he looked dead as the soldiers had been, but then they could hear his shallow breath and were reassured by it. Sabin bent down, shaking the man gently. "Hey, Brother; can you hear me?"

Locke started. "Brother?" he exclaimed, disbelieving. "Your brother's the damn King?"

He glanced at him only a moment before returning his attention. "Come on, Brother; wake up. It's me, Sabin."

"Sabin…?" Edgar stirred, eyes slowly opening. A wide grin spread gradually to the corners of his mouth. "Oh, it is you."

"Yeah." He smiled back, feeling strange. Ten years ago he'd seen his brother, and now he'd changed a lot—he looked very old, even knowing they were the same age. "It's me, Brother. Still running around with women?"

He chuckled weakly. "Suppose so."

"What happened?" Aeris asked, gently clearing the blood from Nadia's face so she could see the injury.

"Damn SOLDIER," Edgar wheezed, licking his lips. "Tried to stall for time so everyone could get away. But he got Shin-ra, didn't he?"

Sabin nodded. "Yeah; President's dead."

"His son was supposed to be coming. He'll be the one in charge now." He coughed, and shook his head wearily. "Old for the new, and I'm still left out."

From the door, Barret cursed. "You guys hurry it up in there," he told them. "Soldiers' coming up the stairs."

"Locke, come here," Sabin instructed. "Take the girl, and I'll get my brother."

But Edgar took his wrist. "Sabin," he said urgently, "I can't go with you. I need to stay and do what I can."

"But Brother—"

"Don't worry—they won't let me die. But please." He grimaced, carefully unwinding from the girl in his lap. "Take Nadia. She can't stay here anymore, without her father. Her step-brother hates her, and he wouldn't care if the doctors let her slip away quietly. No one would know it was murder." His voice was strained with pain and fear, deeper in concern than anything Sabin had heard in a long time. He was pleading. "Sabin, take her away for me."

"Are you crazy?" Barret half-shouted. "We're already in a shit-load of trouble and you want us to kidnap the President's daughter?"

To their surprise, Locke was quick to defend the King's request. "We can't leave her in a place like this," he said briskly, gently pulling her away. "The King's right, you know."

Before he could take her, Edgar leaned forward with a strange look invading his eyes. With infinite tenderness he kissed her forehead, lips trembling slightly against her perfect skin. "Dinner another time, My Lady," he murmured, closing his eyes. "Be well."

Locke lifted the slumbering Nadia off the floor, and helped situate her piggyback style on Sabin's back. "I'll take care of her for you, Brother," Sabin promised.

"She's a good girl," he replied with an amused smile. "Take care of yourself."

Aeris clasped her hands together, whispering a short prayer. "Hold still," she instructed the King softly. "I'm gonna make sure they find you worth saving."

"You can use materia?"

"Sort of."

Tifa glanced about the office for some method of escape that could be utilized. Their way to the elevator was closed, and taking the stairs down over sixty floors was definitely not an appealing thought. While she was pondering the situation she didn't notice a faint rhythmic thumping, coming from the balcony. Celes, however, did notice, and strode outside with deliberate ease. "There's a helicopter coming," she called over her shoulder. "I'll 'convince' the operator to take you down."

Tifa stared at the general as the group assembled about her, disbelief in her eyes. "Why are you both doing this? Why have you risked so much for us?"

Lucca adjusted her glasses. "There are only two kinds of people in Shin-ra," she explained dully. "Those that want more power than they can have and those that want out."

"You want out of Shin-ra?"

"I'm doing this for Cloud." She glanced over to make sure he couldn't hear; he was with Aeris, checking on her well being. "He may not remember how much he needed us those past years, but I do. Don't think any of this is for you, or Avalanche, or whatever."

Somehow Tifa didn't think she believed her, but she didn't say anything. It was enough to know that they were receiving help at all. She turned her attention to the helicopter that was landing, and a tension entered her already strained muscles as Celes made her way casually toward it. The door slid open and a blonde man in a white suit stepped out; he carried a shotgun and had a strange panther-creature at his side. The General spoke to him briefly and then began to lead him quickly away.

"There's your chance," Lucca said plainly. "Go take the helicopter before he realizes what Celes' up to. I'll contact you soon."

She eyed her carefully. "What for?"

"Just be ready. In the morning, I'll contact you. Now go before we're all caught."

Tifa nodded, and motioned for the others to follow her out toward the vehicle. Sabin lingered a moment, staring at the receptionist's desk that hid his brother from view. Then he kept going.

"We need this helicopter," Barret growled as he pushed his way to the captain. "Get out."

The Shin-ra man stared at him blankly, as if not comprehending what was going on. "Who are you?" he asked in bewilderment.

"No one. Now get out." He raised his gun arm, and his victim beat a hasty retreat from the cockpit. Everyone piled into the helicopter's underbelly, cramped but relieved. That feeling quickly faded when Barret asked, "Hey, how the hell do you fly this thing?"

"I'll take a shot at it," Locke volunteered, shoving past all of them.

"You know how to fly a helicopter?"

"No." He situated himself in the pilot's seat, considering the flashing lights and triggers before him. They looked a lot more complicated than he'd thought. "Well, at least I'm a fast learner," he muttered, pressing a few random buttons. Something inside the vehicle's metal innards began to groan, and slowly the propeller blades stirred to life once more. "Good, good, now let's see if we can get off the ground."

"Hurry up," Glenn advised from the rear. "The soldiers have reached President Shin-ra's office."

"I'm going, okay?" Biting his lip he pulled down the nearest lever, and was relieved as the craft began to ascend. "That's more like it. Hold on everyone—I don't know what I'm doing!" With a lop-sided grin he began to steer away from the building, after a nervous moment getting his bearings as the controls started to make sense. They landed—not quite gracefully—several hundred meters from the Shin-ra Headquarters, and abandoned the helicopter so as not to be tracked.

"Well, that was fun," Locke said brightly once they'd covered much distance, now deep in the slums of Sector Eight. "But I think my colleague and I had better leave you all." He dusted himself off, straightened his cap, and bowed deeply. "Something tells me we'll meet again, maybe."

Cloud glared at the pair. "Does that mean I won't have to worry about you annoying me anymore?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." He grinned, and saluted. "Mr. ex-SOLDIER." Then he and Glenn slipped into the night, two shadows joining those that already littered the dusty alleyways.

"I wonder who they really were," Aeris pondered aloud, watching their retreat. "And why Shin-ra would want them."

Cloud shrugged; he didn't really care. "At least I was able to get my materia back from him," he said, holding up the colorful spheres. He tucked them back in his gloves and sword. "He's not the only thief in Midgar."

"Only treasure hunter."

"Whatever."

"Enough chat," Barret broke in, starting in another direction. "Let's just get back. I wanna check on Marlene."

Tifa turned to Aeris as they got underway, introducing herself formally. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this," she said. "You can stay the rest of the night at my bar, if you want. It's late to go wandering."

"I'll be fine," she replied, her voice light and cheerful. "I'm used to being out."

"But it's past midnight."

She smiled, and there was something peculiar about it, as if she held some great untellable secret. "Don't worry about me. But, if you really insist… Besides, I want to make sure Cloud's okay."

Walking beside her, he grunted indignantly. "I'm fine."

Tifa glanced at both of them, pursing her lips. "You two…know each other?"

"Of course." Aeris went on to explain the story, Cloud trying to look distanced as if it embarrassed him. She finished by saying, "I'm sure he's fine now, but poison's not something you can brush aside, right? Especially Shin-ra's." She paused, then addressed Cloud. "Why did Shin-ra poison you anyway?"

He hesitated in answering, though only a moment. "They wanted me out of the way. I was in SOLDIER, but I'm a mercenary now, and they were probably afraid I might get hired by the wrong person."

Tifa stared at him, startled by how easily it seemed for him to lie to them. He wasn't a mercenary; he'd been in Shin-ra, according to what Celes had told her. Sabin must have overheard, because he cast her a long, questioning look. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Celes was right—Cloud was filling in the parts of his memory without even realizing it. Either that or he was telling the truth and Celes was lying…

By the time they reached Seventh Heaven, all were exhausted, and were welcomed by Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge with relief. Jessie prepared drinks, and they all filed down to the bar's carefully hidden basement. "All right," Barret said loudly, taking charge. "It ain't over yet. We're still in some deep shit. If they can't find this Sephiroth guy they'll blame us for the President. We gotta lay low."

"That won't help," Sabin muttered, laying Nadia down in a corner of the room. He covered her with an old blanket, and Jessie cleaned the wound on her forehead. "They know where we are, Barret. Celes knows."

"Shin-ra's not what matters now," Cloud said darkly, gathering their attention. "Sephiroth is. If he's alive, all that matters is killing him."

Tifa felt a chill from the cold tone of his voice. Anger would have been a familiar emotion in him, but now there was none. Only firm determination. "Sephiroth was reported as being dead." She glanced at everyone else, and they nodded acknowledgement. "But then, Shin-ra owns the news, so we can't believe that. If he's alive…"

"He has to be killed," he repeated sternly. "That's all there is to it. He's a larger threat on his own than anything Shin-ra's got, and that's the truth."

"You sound like you know," Sabin commented, slightly accusing. "Have you ever met him?"

Cloud's gaze snapped to him instantly with a defensive glare. "Actually, yes. I knew him in SOLDIER—we worked together." He raised his head haughtily. "We were both First Class, you know, and there aren't many of them."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm sure."

"Cut it out," Barret snapped, bringing them back to the issue at hand. "We're all actin' bitchy 'cause we're tired, so we might as well sleep." He sat down heavily in an old chair, folding his arms. "Shin-ra's in a mess now, with the reactor and the President. We'll worry about maniac SOLDIER members in the morning."

"Good idea," Tifa agreed, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat. She scrounged around for extra blankets, and passed them out. "We'll all feel better after some sleep, and I'll make breakfast in the morning."

"I'll help." Aeris smiled brightly, and curled up on the floor near Cloud. With a sigh he sat down against the wall and gave the appearance of sleeping. Everyone else staked out a place for him or her self, until Tifa was the only one left. She watched Cloud a moment, feeling strange on the inside. He was the same Cloud she'd always known, but also different, distant, and unreal like a phantom come to challenge her wits. And who was this girl that had appeared so suddenly? Why was Cloud so protective of her, when they'd only met not even a day before? It made her angry.

Stop it she commanded herself firmly. You're acting like an idiot. Who Cloud chooses to protect is his own business—after all, she did help him. Still feeling disconcerted she found some extra floor space between Jessie and Sabin, and pulled the last blanket over her.

Tifa woke abruptly to the sounds of a struggle. Someone was shouting curses, and sounded like Cloud. She threw the blanket off and quickly tried to assess what was going on.

Cloud was on the floor face down, and when he tried to get up Sabin kept him pinned. Barret was yelling, as usual. In the corner Nadia was coughing and trying to scream at the same time despite Aeris' constant reassurance. The entire room was in a panic.

"Everyone stop it!" Tifa stormed over and shoved Sabin away, and instantly Cloud was on his feet. "Cloud, calm down," she said, keeping herself between the two men. "What's going on?"

"I woke up when he attacked Nadia," Sabin interjected, his face contorted in anger and strain from having to keep Cloud pinned down.

Cloud's look was equal. "The little bitch stabbed me." He gripped his right arm, dark blood leaking through his fingers. "I didn't attack her, I was defending myself."

Across the room Nadia climbed to her feet. "How dare you," she hissed, the marks of his hands printed in red around her throat. "How dare you accuse me after what you did!"

Tifa regained control of the room, trying to keep everyone separated as she pieced the scene together. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"I'll tell you." Nadia stepped forward, refusing Aeris' help. "You're all going to be arrested for kidnapping, that's what. I demand you take me back to Shin-ra Headquarters immediately." She spun on Cloud suddenly, and slapped him hard across the face. He might have retaliated had Sabin not held him back. "That's for Edgar, you bastard," she spat. "And my father."

The man's eyes gleamed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Miss Nadia, please." Aeris pulled her away slowly, speaking in a hushed voice so that everyone was forced into silence in order to hear. "You're not a captive. Sabin here—" she gestured "—is Edgar's brother, and was asked by him to take you out of Shin-ra. No one's going to hurt you here, I promise."

"Tell that to him," she snarled, jabbing at Cloud with an accusing finger. "That bastard murdered my father! And—" She stopped, spinning in circles. "Where's Edgar? What happened to him?"

Aeris took both of her hands, and she only resisted for a moment. "Edgar is fine," the older woman assured. "He's still in Shin-ra, and will recover soon, I'm sure. He's lucky." Glancing at the others briefly she led Nadia back to the corner. "Please believe me; we don't want to hurt you. You're here because Edgar was concerned for your safety. There's no need to be afraid."

The President's daughter calmed somewhat, and Tifa sighed with relief. It was short-lived, however, as she turned to face Cloud. "Is it true?" she asked quietly. Her voice trembled, afraid of what answer she may receive. Her eyes locked with his. "Cloud, did you kill President Shin-ra?"

"That's ridiculous," he answered immediately. He began to wipe the blood off his arm, and a mild spell healed the wound. "Of course not. Tifa, you know me better than that—why would I?"

She wanted so much to believe him, to accept his every word as truth, but it was then that Sabin caught her attention. There was a look of apprehension on his face, as if he didn't trust a word. Barret wore a similar expression. Still, she only said, "I know, Cloud. I'm sorry."

Sabin started to say something, but just then a wall mounted monitor sounded, and Jessie announced an incoming transmission. Everyone looked up as Lucca's image materialized on the screen. "I trust I've got the right place," she said wryly.

"What the…" Barret stomped over to the display. "How the hell'd you get this frequency?"

"I work for Shin-ra," she replied coolly. "Anyway, I have some information for you, so listen up."

"Is the King all right?" Tifa asked for Nadia's benefit.

She nodded impatiently. "Yeah, fine. Listen, I don't have much time—I just convinced Rufus I was a captive and not an accomplice in your little raid, but I can't explain this. I have information about Sephiroth."

Cloud was instantly up front. "What about him?" he demanded sharply.

Lucca seemed hesitant to answer to him, but continued. "Jenova's gone, and so is the sword that killed President Shin-ra. Some soldiers said they saw a man dressed in black carry them out of the building and headed east."

"That's him," Cloud said, fists clenching. "I told you Sephiroth is alive."

"Our sources report that the man was on his way to Kalm. There's not much there that he could be after, but this is Sephiroth, and we don't know what he's capable of."

"We have to go after him." There was a deep note of cold anger in his voice and eyes, and as Tifa watched him she could see the muscles in his arms tensing. "Sephiroth is insane, and whatever he plans to do with Jenova cannot be allowed."

"Slow down, spiky," Lucca advised. "You're right, but you can't just run into something like that. Rufus' getting all pissy about Avalanche, and says he's gonna retaliate. You've gotta watch out down there."

"I don't care about Avalanche. All I want is Sephiroth."

Tifa bit her lip, and suddenly asked, "Can I talk to you alone, Lucca?"

She didn't seem surprised by the request. "I thought you might want to. Put some headphones on."

Jessie showed her how to work the computer while Sabin ushered everyone away. Aeris kept them busy with some of her casual banter, noticing that Sabin had taken up a position just behind Tifa. Whether he was playing guard or trying to hear, she couldn't tell.

"Lucca, talk to me," Tifa said quietly. She hadn't noticed Sabin's presence, and apparently neither had the other. "Tell me what I should do."

She picked up exactly on her meaning. "He's been lying to you, hasn't he?"

"Yes…"

"He doesn't mean to." Lucca rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. "Cloud is…special. He lies without realizing, because his mind makes up things to fill in things he doesn't remember—a side affect of the drugs, I think. Anything he tells you from Nibelheim five years ago to when you found us in the Train Graveyard is probably a lie."

She sighed, feeling sick. Nibelheim five years ago…? But Cloud—

"The most important thing is to play along," the scientist continued. "Pretend you don't know any better. We did tests in trying to pull out his real memories of the incident, and he reacted violently to them; don't call him on a lie."

"But what if it's important?"

"Then contact me or Celes; we know at least some of the truth."

The last question was difficult to ask, and Tifa wondered at her own anxiety. "Lucca…did Cloud…kill President Shin-ra?"

Lucca looked just as disturbed by the possibility. "I don't know," she admitted. "I haven't been able to talk to any of the officials yet, and so far no reports have been released. Edgar could say, but he's still being treated." She sighed wearily. "I don't know. It's unlikely, but still… Just be careful, all right? Hojo did a lot of things to him you wouldn't believe."

"Okay."

"I'll transmit a number you can us in contacting me. Have you got a phone or something?"

Tifa turned around the put the question to Barret. "We've got three," he replied. "You goin' somewhere?"

"Maybe." She returned to Lucca. "Yes, we have one"

Lucca nodded. "Good. I'll be in touch, and let you know if we learn anything."

"Thanks, Lucca. For everything."

She smiled faintly, and the transmission terminated. Tifa started as a hand took hers, and stared at Sabin, who was now crouched beside her chair. His face was grim. "I heard everything."

She cringed; of all of them, she hadn't wanted Sabin to overhear. It was obvious already that he'd begun to antagonize the spiky-headed blond, and she worried about what might happen if either lost their temper to the other. "Sabin, you can't say anything." She paused. "How could you hear Lucca anyway?"

He shrugged. "Good hearing. I've trained, remember?" He turned serious as he continued. "I won't say anything—I promise, okay? Unless it's necessary. But this guy was never in SOLDIER First Class or a mercenary; how do we know he really met Sephiroth?"

"Lucca said he was there," she argued, but then here face grew dark. "He was in Nibelheim, but I…I don't remember seeing him."

"Hey." They were pulled from their conversation by Barret's rough interjection. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Tifa answered quickly. "But Cloud's right; we have to go after Sephiroth."

The black man shook his head. "I ain't going nowhere, not with what's goin' on. I've gotta take care of Marlene."

"Fine, you stay with Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. I'll go with Cloud."

"I'm going too." They were surprised as Aeris stood, smiling in her own wistful, secretive way. "Nadia should, too."

"Gotta be better than the slums," she agreed.

But Cloud was less than enthusiastic. "I don't want to baby-sit three women on this trip," he grumbled, but there was also concern in his tone. "This is going to be dangerous."

"I can take care of myself," Nadia snapped, putting her hands on her hips in a stance he knew he would soon grow to hate. "Besides, if Rufus is in charge now, any place would be safer for me than this."

"And I'll keep an eye on her," Sabin volunteered. "You'll need extra muscle. If you can handle Sephiroth, I'll take care of everything else."

Cloud's intense eyes focused on him, as if he'd detected a challenge. "Fine. It's settled. The five of us will go."

Barret regarded the scene carefully. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No choice." He gazed at the older man with a stern expression. "Stay here and take care of Midgar, and we'll take out Sephiroth. That's the way it's got to happen."

"I'd like to talk to my mom, first," Aeris said. "Just so she knows I'm okay, and we'll be gone for a while."

"Do you need help getting home?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I'll be back in an hour, okay?" Still smiling, she left the basement.

Cloud watched her go, then remembered something and gazed down at his belt. The flowers she'd given him were still there and, strangely enough, still alive. They weren't even crushed. He wondered at that a moment before Tifa called him over, and the two of them began preparing for the journey ahead.

The trip to Kalm was long but easygoing, and they reached the small town just before the sun had begun to set. Only one room of the inn was available, however, and so they were forced to share. None of them minded, save when it was time to retire for the night. In order to avoid the problem of bedding and nightwear they unanimously decided that it was about time Cloud told them his experience with Sephiroth.

Cloud sat down heavily on one of the room's two couches, setting aside the giant sword that had been a constant weight on his back. "It was five years ago," he said wearily, "and I don't remember everything clearly."

"Just try, Cloud." Tifa sat down beside him, and everyone else likewise settled themselves. "This is really important; we have to know why we're fighting."

"I know." He closed his eyes briefly, and reopened them slowly. But something had changed in that short span, so that now he no longer was looking at them, but at some other room or another person; something distant and shaded in mists of uncertainty. His mouth opened and closed, then opened again once more as he began his tale.

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