"Jessie! Barret!" Tifa shouted when she saw her fellow Avalanche members fighting against the specters.

"Where you been?!" Barret hollered as he tried to shoot down the specters that were attacking.

Jessie was using her pistol to do the same. "They just keep coming! We've gotta do something!"

"Hang on!" Tifa yelled as she, Cloud, and Lailah ran towards the bar.

Multiple specters broke from the swarm. Lailah was startled when they circled her at a blinding pace. She felt them tugging at her body, slowly dragging her away. She struggled against them, trying to use her magic. Alas, she was unable to cast any spells when high-pitch wailing rang in her ears. Wincing, she tried to cover her ears to negate the awful sound, but she still could hear it. She closed her eyes as the sound crescendoed.

"Lailah!" Tifa shouted.

"I'm coming!" Cloud tried to reach her, but a specter flew in from of him to block his path. Glaring at the enemy, he swung his blade. "Move!"

Lailah couldn't hear her friends' voices. All that filled her mind was the shrieking of the specters. She couldn't bear it much longer. She couldn't understand why these specters were so focused on her and why she could hear them. She thought her eardrums would burst from how loud the shrill cries were becoming.

Suddenly, the shrieking stopped. Slowly, Lailah opened her eyes to see Cloud and Tifa trying to save her from the swarm. Seeing how desperate they were, she was able to come up with an idea. Fighting against the specters flying around her, she pushed them back far enough to transform into a bird. She felt them try to stop her from taking off but weren't strong enough.

"Lailah!" Cloud shouted as he watched her fly into the sky. All the specters swarming the slums chased after the bird, one having knocked against Jessie and sending her tumbling down the stairs of the bar.

"Jessie!" Barret shouted.

Tifa and Cloud look up at Lailah before rushing to Jessie's side.

"You okay?" Tifa asked, kneeling beside her.

"Me and my two left feet..." Jessie groaned. Her eyes traveled to the sky. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Tifa looked up at her childhood friend. "They're all going after Lailah."

Cloud watched worriedly as the bird allowed the specters to swarm her. He wondered what she was planning.

All of a sudden, a powerful vortex of wind trapped the specters. The powerful winds cut and sliced the specters until there was nothing left. Once they were all gone, the bird swooped down and landed on the ground. She reverted to her human form and dashed over after seeing Jessie was injured.

Jessie was in awe. "You took care of them all? You're amazing, Lailah!" She tried to stand up, but fell back down when pain shot through her ankle.

Tifa caught her. "Easy now!"

Barret saw people were gathering around and staring at them. He stood up, glaring at them. "We ain't putting on a damn show!" As the crowd dispersed due to being frightened, he asked, "The hell were those things? Some kind of...I dunno! Guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. Never can tell what weird shit'll come crawling out of the scrap down here. It's those reactors, I'm telling you..."

Cloud glanced over at Barret before kneeling to check on Jessie. "It hurt?"

She tried to smile. "Wish I could say it didn't, but yeah..." She feebly chuckled.

Lailah examined Jessie's ankle. She figured it would be easier to deal with it inside the bar to avoid any more unwanted attention. She looked to Cloud for help.

The ex-SOLDIER knew what she wanted him to do and had been thinking the same thing. He picked up Jessie in his arms.

"God, this is so embarrassing... Hate playing the damsel in distress..." Jessie muttered as he carried her up the steps.

"It happens," he replied.

Inside Seventh Heaven, Lailah tended to Jessie's ankle while she sat at one of the tables.

"How bad is it?" Jessie asked, feeling the girl's gentle touch.

Lailah smiled up at her as she performed a small healing spell. She couldn't heal her all the way due to being weakened from her earlier spell to get rid of the specters. All she could do was relieve Jessie's pain. After wrapping up her leg, she pulled out her notebook and wrote down what she wanted to convey.

'It isn't bad. All you'll need is some proper rest and some pain medicine. Sorry I can't do more to help you. That spell from earlier nearly depleted my mana.'

"Hey, you don't have to apologize," Jessie smiled back. "You've done plenty already, Lailah."

Lailah stood up and put away the bandages. Hearing a gasp, the snowy-haired girl peered over her shoulder to see Wedge had joined them.

"What did you do to your leg?! D-Does it hurt?" He asked worriedly, falling to his knees beside Jessie's injured leg.

"Not nearly as much as the fuss everyone's making," Jessie stated, placing her finger on his forehead and pushing him away. "Lailah's an amazing healer. I feel great because of her."

Tifa, who had been standing nearby, said, "Still, I think you ought to avoid putting any—"

"I'm fine!" She protested. "I know Lailah said I needed to rest, but—" She tried to stand but winced and almost fell. Tifa caught her.

"That's enough!" Barret intervened. "You're out, Jessie."

"Huh? What about the mission? We already sent Biggs in, remember? Don't tell me you're thinking of calling it off?!"

Barret rubbed the back of his head with a nervous look. "Nah, we got this..." He replied unsurely.

Jessie glared at him and growled, "The hell you do!"

"If you need someone to step up, I'm your man!" Wedge bumped his fist against his chest, causing him to cough.

Lailah walked out from behind the bar and came to stand beside Cloud. As she put her notebook away, Barret approached them. "Okay... So here's the thing..."

Cloud didn't need to think for long. "We're gonna need a raise."

Barret grinned. "Consider it done!" He turned to the others. "Aight, everyone—Cloud and Lailah are in. The mission is on!"

Jessie smiled at the two. "Go and raise some hell for me, okay?"

Cloud and Lailah nodded.

Barret walked up to Wedge. "Listen, Wedge—I need you to hang back and guard the home front."

"But I'm in perfect health!" Wedge objected.

"Which makes you the perfect choice to look after Jessie and Marlene."

Wedge didn't argue further. He grinned and gave Lailah and Cloud a thumbs up. The blonde nodded while the girl smiled and gave him a thumbs up back.

Like before, her simple gesture made him blush. "You are too cute, Lailah!" he gushed.

"Let's get this show on the road... to Mako Reactor 5! Once you've got your gear in order, head to the station for the meet," Barret said. "Got it?"

At hearing that, Lailah dashed out of the bar to tend to Poncho before they left.

After watching her run out, Barret returned to Cloud and handed him 500 gil. "This'll help you get squared away. Don't tell me I never did nothing for ya. I'm counting on you and that girl of yours, SOLDIER boy..."

○◦───•❃°•°❀°•°❃•───◦○

After Lailah finished taking care of Poncho, she went by a vendor to buy a few things before heading to the train station. She saw everybody was already there and ready to go.

"Ready?" Cloud asked her.

She nodded.

"All right, people. Mission starts the moment we board that train. You sure you ready for this?" Barret asked both Cloud and Lailah.

"Let's get this over with," the blonde remarked.

Standing on the boarding platform, the group waited for the train to arrive.

"Do you think Biggs is...on schedule?" Tifa asked, her voice tinted with concern.

"All we can do is hope..." Barret replied.

Cloud didn't even bother to turn and face the burly man. "Today really gotta be the day, huh?"

"Ain't no stopping this train we're on, son. A lotta people risked their lives to get it rolling..." Barret responded as the train pulled into the station. "Already put the word out more's coming, too... "Shut them all down by today, or we shut another down for you." Ain't on us. Not us..."

They waited to board the train. When the door slid open, officers stepped off.

"Play it cool," Barret muttered to his companions as the two men walked past them.

Finally, they boarded the train and left Sector 7.

Looming in the rear of the train car, the four listened to the announcement.

"This is an announcement from the Shinra Electric Power Company. The terrorist group "Avalanche" has issued another bomb threat. In response, we have raised the threat level and entered a state of heightened alert. All lines are currently experiencing delays. We anticipate that our arrival at Sector 4 will be later than scheduled."

After the announcement ended, Barret explained their plan just above a whisper to avoid being overheard. "The target's Mako Reactor 5. From the station, we take the backstreets. Once we're inside the facility, it's the same deal as last time."

"Head for mako storage," Cloud concluded.

"And then blow it all to hell. Let's do this one for Jessie and Wedge. They deserve it."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed.

"Sure," Cloud added.

Lailah simply nodded before breaking away from the group. She sat down at one of the available seats and tried to relax. Looking around the car, she noticed the very few passengers aboard. It was also oddly quiet. It didn't surprise her considering the trouble they caused during their last mission.

Crossing her legs, she tapped her fingers nervously against her knee. She stared at the floor until another announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"The train will be passing an ID checkpoint shortly."

Unconsciously, she squeezed her knee as they passed through the ID checkpoint. She swallowed the small lump in her throat. She wondered just how well their IDs held up. Her eyes fell back to the floor as a sigh fell from her lips.

Feeling the warmth of a hand being placed over hers, Lailah lifted her gaze to see Cloud kneeling in front of her. She found herself gazing gently into his mako-infused eyes.

"Hey," he squeezed her hands. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

She wanted to believe him but a foreboding sensation lingered within her body. It made her feel tenser than usual. She flipped her hand over and grabbed his, threading their fingers together. She clung to him with a troubled expression.

Cloud held on to her hand just as she did his. Words were cheap and he couldn't guarantee what the outcome of this mission would be, but that didn't stop him. "No matter what happens, all of us are going home. And when we do, there's something I want to tell you. Just hold on until then."

Lailah felt a small wave of comfort wash over her from his words. She was about to thank him when they heard a loud voice coming from the next car.

Knowing Barret had switched cars earlier, Cloud sighed in vexation. "Be right back." He reluctantly released her hand and left to check the next car.

When the blonde was gone, Tifa wandered over and sat next to her. "It's nice seeing you and Cloud getting along like you two haven't been apart. I know you both have missed each other a lot."

Lailah pulled out her notebook and pen to write down her words.

'I missed you too, Tifa. I missed our heart-to-hearts, the meals we shared, and the times we were super girly.'

Tifa laughed. "Me too, Lailah. Maybe one of these days, we can have a day all to ourselves and we could do something fun together. I just hope Cloud won't mind."

She tilted her head and wrote down her question.

'Why would he?'

"That boy carries a torch for you. I'm afraid he might try to hog you all to himself."

She wasn't familiar with the phrase and proceeded to write her next question.

'What does that mean?'

Tifa smiled and placed a hand on her friend's back. "If I say more, I might ruin his plans. Just hang in there a little longer, Lailah. I know he'll tell you himself soon. But if he doesn't make it very soon, I just might have to tell you myself to help him."

A couple of minutes later, Cloud returned.

His timing was perfect as another announcement echoed throughout the train.

"Emergency ID scan in progress."

Tifa gasped, eyes widening. "No way!"

The automatic voice rang out again.

"Unauthorized IDs detected. Threat level: critical. Inspection and containment sweep initiated, commencing at the rear of the train."

Tifa quickly got to her feet alongside Lailah. "Not good!"

Barret rushed into the car. "Get over here! Now!" He shouted to the passengers.

"What the hell—?!" a passenger shouted as the windows shattered and multiple slug-rays flew into the train.

Tifa knew she had to help the passengers reach safety. "Take care of them, Cloud, Lailah!"

"On it." Cloud grabbed his sword and got to work destroying the machines.

Lailah was right behind him with her flaming chakrams. She tossed and sliced until the machines were annihilated. The train car was cleared and the two dashed to the next one just before time was up. They attempted to cross to the end of the car but more slug-rays broke through the windows. Cloud took down one by batting it away with his sword. Lailah sliced the second one in half, stepping back as the two parts fell to the floor.

After Tifa managed to get all the passengers to the next car with help from Barret shooting an approaching machine, she turned around and faced off against another slug-ray. "My turn!" With a swift punch, she knocked it out of a broken window.

Cloud and Lailah quickly regrouped with them as more slug-rays infiltrated the train car.

"There's no end to them..." Cloud muttered, his sword at the ready.

Their attention was drawn to the next announcement.

"Four unauthorized passengers successfully contained. Neutralizing threat."

Barret aimed his gatling gun arm at the machines. "Looks like you're right, SOLDIER boy."

Cloud knew what they had to do. "Screw this."

"Huh?"

"The station will be crawling with security. We gotta jump."

"Screw that!" Barret retorted.

Cloud looked over at the emergency break button on the wall next to the door. "Need to slow the train down."

"Sounds like a Biggs plan E." The brute rushed over to the door and fired, denting the metal and riddling it with bullet holes. He then kicked it open with ease.

Tifa slammed her fist against the emergency break button, causing the train to lurch.

As the train started to slow down, Barret was the first to attempt the jump. "Okay, y'all watch and learn. I'm gonna jump. Gonna do it. Gonna show you how it's done!" He jumped off the train.

Tifa was next, but she was struggling. She was afraid.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted when he noticed her petrified state.

Lailah pushed him to the door while she dealt with the last slug-ray. She turned to see them preparing to jump and decided to help them both. Running between them, she hooked her arms through both of theirs and jumped off the train, taking them with her. Before their bodies slammed into the ground, she transformed into her wolf form and acted as a plush cushion for them.

Rolling a few times, she stopped on her side with both of them laying on her opposite side. The impact did hurt, but the pain was bearable.

Cloud and Tifa were shocked when their landing turned out to be rather soft. They pushed themselves off the wolf and got to their feet.

"Oh, no. Lailah," Tifa felt guilty. "Are you okay?"

Lailah stood up on all fours and shook her body. She nodded her head to answer the question.

"You sure?" Cloud inquired.

In order to preserve her magic, Lailah changed into her pup form. She hopped up onto his shoulder and nuzzled her nose against his cheek to answer his question. Between the battle on the train and the fight against the specters, she would need to preserve as much magic as possible for their mission.

Cloud stroked the top of her head. "Good."

Hearing a strange noise, they saw slug-rays flying straight toward them.

"Leave this to us," Cloud told the pup. When she hopped off his shoulder, he grabbed his sword and asked Tifa, "All right, you ready?"

Tifa nodded and raised her fists. "Ready."

Lailah squeezed her small body between a caution sign as the battle began. She didn't move from her hiding spot until her friends disposed of the machines. She jumped onto the cement dividers, her ears perking up when she heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"That's gotta be him!" Tifa shouted.

The pup continued to trot along the divider as they traveled through sections of Corkscrew Tunnel to rendezvous with Barret.

Tifa walked alongside the pup. "Thank you for earlier, Lailah. I almost forgot how soft your fur is."

The small animal smiled in response.

Further along the tracks, they were targeted by another group of enemies. This time, it was officers and slug-rays.

Like before, Lailah kept her distance from the battle. She saw how easy it was for Cloud and Tifa to deal with the enemies.

Once dealing with the enemies, they could hear fighting in the distance. They were close to the end of Section C when the sound was getting louder.

"He's close! Come on!" Tifa ran a little way down the tracks and found their comrade fighting on the adjacent tracks. She dashed over to the metal fence separating them from each other. "There! Barret!"

"Tifa! Could use some help here!"  Barret shouted as he struggled against the machines.

"We're coming!"

"Make it quick! Should be some stairs over there!"

Tifa turned to Cloud and Lailah. "We'd better hurry."

"Yeah," Cloud responded.

Lailah hopped off the median and ran over to the fence. This caught her friends' attention.

"What are you doing?" The blonde asked.

The pup found a portion of the fence that was broken. She managed to squeeze through and cross over to the adjacent tracks. She then reverted to being human and smiled at Cloud and Tifa.

"Thanks, Lailah," Tifa said. "We'll catch up with you soon. Don't push yourself, okay?"

She nodded before aiding Barret. She used her chakrams without infusing any magic into them. When grenadiers joined the battle, she set her sights on them while Barret kept attacking the slug-rays.

Killing the last grenadier, Lailah caught her chakram and deactivated them. She looked around the area to see they had cleared the way. She was about to check on Barret when he came up beside her and gave her back a firm smack with an amused cackle. She grimaced at the pain that radiated in her back from his friendly gesture.

"Haha!" Barret laughed. "You sure know how to handle yourself in battle, girly. Glad a badass like you had my back. This calls for a song! Duhn-duhn-duhn-duhn, duhn duhn, duhn-da-duhn!"

She managed to smile through the pain while rubbing her aching back.

"Barret! Lailah!" Tifa hollered their names as she and Cloud caught up.

The ex-SOLDIER saw the area was clear. "You two dealt with the enemies already?"

With a grin, Barret threw his arm around Lailah. "Little lady's got more spunk than I gave her credit for. You better watch yourself. Might just have to steal her from ya, SOLDIER boy." He then released the girl, ignoring the blonde's glare of disapproval. "Now let's confirm our position and get back on mission! That reactor's waiting!"

Gathering on a nearby platform by a map of the tracks, they went over their plan.

"Looks like it's gonna be plan E," Barret said.

Cloud urged him to continue. "Go on."

"Plan A was if everything went off without a stitch. From the station, it would've been a straight shot to the reactor. Didn't work out, but we knew going in we had to have alternatives. Backup plans, 'case we had to get off early. From closer in to further out—B, C, D, and so on."

"Up to what?"

"...To E," Tifa answered.

"Lucky us..." Cloud muttered sarcastically.

Barret lets out a hearty chuckle. "You're damn right!"

Tifa glanced at the map hanging on the wall. "Anyway, we were riding the train between Sector 4 and the main pillar when we had to bail out. And we ended up on the adjacent line, which should take us to Reactor 5."

"That's right. So for now we follow the tracks. Not too far, though. Need to switch to a different route before we hit the station. 'Cause you can bet your ass it's gonna be crawling with security—all on high alert."

"Let's move."

"Our friends in Sector 5 marked the route, so don't worry about getting lost." Barret walked down the stairwell and onto the tracks beside the others. He held out his prostetic arm and pointed it in the direction they needed to go. "It's a straight shot to victory, people! All we gotta do...is take it!"