On-screen: Sector 6 Slums - Gate

Tifa is seen on the ground as Y/n and Cloud look at her. Tifa, heartbroken looks around. No words, Tifa crawled through a tunnel.

Barret: Hey! Anybody out there!?

Tifa: Barret!?

Tifa: I think I hear him up ahead!

Barret: Hey! Can anybody hear me!?

Y/n push on the rubble with everyone.

Cloud: Here goes.

Tifa: And push!

After moving it, they saw Barret look at the debris.

Barret: Marlene... Marlene! Marlene! Marlene! Biggs! Wedge! Jessie! Goddammit. Goddamn you! Goddamn you all! (cries)

Barret started to punch the wall as they watched.

Barret: Marlene... Marlene... (cries)

Tifa: It was us. We did this.

Y/n: Bullshit. I've seen first hand what the mako reactors do. This was gonna happen, they had the gun and it was bound to fire eventually.

Tifa: ...Yeah.

Barret: Hold on to this. This...anger. Okay?

Cloud: Barret. Marlene's fine. Aerith found her.

Barret: Aerith? Is that the girl they took?

Tifa: Yeah. That's her.

Barret: The hell's going on!?

Tifa: I asked Aerith to find Marlene and take her somewhere safe.

Barret: And she did? You sure!?

Cloud and Y/n walked away, as Tifa looked at the fire. She soon ran after.

Barret: Hey! Where you going!?

They started to move past the rubble and see the hundreds of people. They were scattered, scared.

New Recruit: How could this happen...?

Senior Officer: I didn't really think that...

New Recruit: I don't—What do we do now?

Senior Officer: What you were hired to do. Get these people outta here!

Senior Officer: So you know, things could've been worse if you hadn't done what you did. Sometimes you can't let yourself be bound by orders.

New Recruit: I've made up my mind. I'm not gonna do this job for Shinra anymore. I'm an officer of the people now!

New Recruit: We need to think about supplies and shelter and food for all these people. I work for the people now, not some corporation.

Senior Officer: You know, you've given me a lot to think about. I can't let rules and orders dictate my life.

They made it halfway down the S7-6 Road before Barret started to get irritated.

Barret: I said—where you going?

Cloud: Aerith's house. It's in the Sector 5 slums.

Barret: And that's where Marlene is?

Cloud: Where we hope she is.

Barret: Tell me she is! Give me something to hang on to! Even if she's not. I won't blame you for it, I swear! Who am I kidding. I'd probably try to tear your head off.

Y/n; I'm not sure there's a right way...or any right words to make this better.

Cloud grabbed Y/n's arm.

Cloud: Hey, Y/n. It's time I get some answers out of you, what do you know?

Tifa looked back at the growing tension between the two. The two never had arguments, never fought with the intent to hurt one another. But...Cloud didn't forget about the wing. How could he? He was fighting alongside it the whole time. The fact that he was saved by it..:irked him.

Tifa: Y/n is...an Ancient. His mother was one as well as his sister.

Barret nodded but was still surprised about the news.

Barret; I should've known there was something up with you by your eyes alone. The Ancients come up in planetology books. Meant to be the original stewards of the planet. Could even 'commune' with it. Talk to it and stuff.

Cloud let go of his arm.

Cloud: That must be why the Turks want Y/n and Aerith so badly. But that doesn't explain Y/n's wing.

Y/n (sigh); I've had this all of my life, I knew revealed it because I didn't want you to freak out. But...it's like a power container for me...I get some sort of power surge when it comes out. I wish I could tell you more, but there's a lot of stuff I don't know.

Sephiroth (in Y/n's memory): Within our veins flows the blood of Ancients. This planet...is our birthright.

Sephiroth (vision): You have failed again, I see.

Cloud takes a few steps back, even though nothing was there. Sephiroth grabbed his shoulders before Cloud turned around.

Sephiroth (vision): But through suffering, you will grow strong. Isn't that what you want?

Tifa: Cloud?

Cloud shook his head, along with Y/n.

Cloud: I can accept that for now...use it to our advantage... Let's go.

They soon enter Wall Market, they soon see officers walking around.

Cloud: Wait. Over there.

Barret: What the hell are they doing here?

Cloud: Their jobs, probably. Just focus on seeing Marlene again. Nothing else.

They start reaching the S6-5 Road.

Barret: You guys run into Jessie at the pillar?

Y/n: Yeah...Biggs too. I told them to evacuate before the plate fell. They should be fine.

Barret: All right.

Stablehand: Come on now, there's no need to be afraid. We're all scared...

Keep running further down the S6-5 Road.

Barret: I've been thinking, y'all... We gotta go find the others.

Tifa: Huh?

Barret: If we don't look for them, who will?

Tifa: ...Right.

Barret: Hey, Cloud. Gonna need your help with it too.

Cloud: Right.

Barret: You too, Y/n.

Y/n: Of course.

Cloud soon leads them to the Sector 5 Slums - Center District.

Barret: This is Sector 5, right? So where's this place you said Marlene is?

Cloud: Where I think she is. It's a house on the other side of town.

Barret: Well, come on then, pick up the pace!

Cloud: I'm going as fast as you are.

They soon reach Aerith's garden.

Cloud: That's the house.

Barret: Marlene! Marlene!

Barret charges into the house.

Barret: Where's Marlene!? Is she here!?

Cloud: Barret!

Y/n: You have to calm down.

Barret: Sorry. I'm Barret. Marlene's my little girl. Marlene—she's got short hair. She's cute as a button, with the heart of an angel. She was wearing... Uh...pink! She was wearing a pink dress today!

Elmyra: She's sleeping upstairs.

Barret rushes upstairs.

Elmyra: I said she's sleeping!

Barret then takes a moment to calm down and slowly head up the stairs.

Tifa: I wanna see her too. C'mon. Let's go look in on her.

Y/n: Yeah, I wanna make sure they didn't do anything to her.

Elmyra: Keep it down. Don't wake her.

They slowly head up the stairs and reach the upper floor. Barret is kneeling next to the bed, looking at her.

Barret: Marlene...my baby. Thank god.

Tifa: Sh.

Tifa and the others soon head back down and look at Elmyra.

Elmyra: Shinra has my daughter now.

Cloud: I'm sorry.

Tifa: No. I'm the one who asked her to go get Marlene. We'd only just met, but she was so kind and helpful. I...took advantage of her.

Elmyra: It's not your fault. It was only a matter of time before she ended up back there.

Y/n: Me too, because we're ancients.

Elmrya gasped as she looked at Y/n in shock. She could see the resemblance to the ancients, but also something sinister laying within.

Elmrya: I didn't know...another one was alive. If I had known...I'm sorry. Yes. Aerith is an Ancient. She's not my daughter. Not by blood, I mean. If that's what you were wondering...

Elmyra: About fifteen years ago... My husband, he'd been shipped off to fight on the front lines. But then I received a letter saying he'd be home for a bit. So when the day came, I went to the station to meet him... But...he didn't come. I couldn't help fearing the worst, even then...but I told myself his leave must've been postponed, that he'd been delayed. Every day I went, to wait, and to pray...

Elmyra: And that's how I met her. Her and her mother. I thought maybe they'd run away from Wall Market. Or that they were topsiders fallen on hard times. I'd seen that sort of thing a lot. "Take Aerith somewhere safe." Those were her mother's dying words. My husband had been away for so long, and I was lonely. So I convinced myself the safest place for the girl was with me.

Elmyra: It took no time at all for her to start feeling like family. She was a real chatterbox. She told me strange stories... Like how she and her mother had escaped from some sort of facility... And how she wasn't sad because her mother had just..."returned to their planet."

Barret: Their planet, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Elmyra: I didn't understand any of it at the time. When I asked if she meant one in the sky... She said no, this one. Right here. I mean...what can you say to that...?

Aerith (flashback): Mommy, don't be sad.

Elmyra: That's what she said to me one day, out of the blue.

Elmyra: So I asked her, "What's wrong?"

Aerith (flashback): A man you really, really love just died. His heart came a long way to say goodbye. But he couldn't stay, 'cause he had to return to the planet.

Elmyra: I didn't believe her, of course. And then, a few days later, I received a letter saying my husband had been killed in action. Things like that, she'd just know. It was a lot to deal with, but we were happy. And then came the knock.

Aerith (flashback): Coming!

Aerith (flashback): No... Go away!

Tseng (flashback): Aerith... You know you're not just any little girl. You're a descendant of the Ancients.

Elmyra: I had no idea what he meant, so I said, "Who are the Ancients?"

Tseng (flashback): They were the original stewards of the planet whose boundless knowledge and wisdom shall guide us to the promised land. Some believe the promised land to be a myth. Others, an allegory of sorts. But we take the words of the scriptures at face value, and believe it to be quite real. Which is why Shinra would like very much for Aerith to help us—

Aerith (flashback): You're wrong! I'm not an Ancient!

Tseng (flashback): But Aerith... Even when you're all alone, don't you hear voices whispering secrets?

Aerith (flashback): No, never!

Elmyra: But all three of us knew that wasn't true. That man knew exactly who Aerith was, where she'd come from, and what she could do.

Cloud: They knew where she was, but they didn't just take her? Doesn't sound like the Turks I know.

Elmyra: She had to come willingly, otherwise it wouldn't work, they said. That's why...even if they did take her away, I'm sure she's still being treated like a guest... And that they'll send her straight back home once they get what they need.

Y/n: Unlike my situation, they keep trying to forcefully take me away. Probably cause of this "Project D" or whatever. She's not coming back unless...

Elmyra: You're not planning anything, are you? Don't make things worse than they already are. If I lost her too, I don't know if I could... if I could ever... Just don't.

Tifa: Y/n. Maybe she's right about this. Maybe they'll let Aerith go when it's all over. Maybe...we'd be better off waiting a little while.

Barret: Let's head back to Sector 7. Got things to take care of. Like...checking up on the bar.

Tifa: Yeah.

Cloud: Okay.

They soon leave Aerith's garden.

Tifa: The main entrance to Sector 7 is buried under rubble now. So how are we supposed to get back inside?

Cloud: Underground passage in the park.

Y/n: How do you know about that?

Barret: Ah, good plan.

Tifa: But how do we get to the park?

Cloud: I know another way to get there. Aerith showed me before.

Barret: Heh. This Ancient girl knows her stuff. Didn't mean anythin' by it.

Y/n: How much time did the two of you spend together while I was away?

Cloud: I would say...a while.

They soon reached the Collapsed Expressway. Y/n couldn't help but look at all the damage around the Old Bypass.

The group was stopped when Beck, Butch, and Burke showed up.

Beck: Not so fast! You wanna come through here, you'll need to provide due compens— You again!?

Burke: Oh shit!

Barret: Friends of yours!

Cloud; Nope.

Beck: Stop lying! We go way back!

Cloud jumped into the air and strike hit a bandit with a powerful strike, which slammed him into the ground hard. Y/n covered his blade in water before unleashing a series of circular rising slashes in a flowing motion from multiple directions before delivering a powerful downward slash that knocked back the three bandits. Once knocked back, Barret shot a. long stream of bullets at them.

Y/n: That was pathetic, let's keep moving.

Barret: Say less.

Tifa: Over there!

Barret: Huh? That a way out?

Tifa: I'm almost afraid to go back. To see it with my own eyes...

Y/n: Tifa...

Tifa: Come on.

They reach Evergreen Park, to see a lot of it on fire. A man crawls out of a playground device.

Barret: Wymer! You're alive!

Wymer: Still in one piece.

Barret: Who else made it out?

Wymer: I wish I knew... Sorry.

Tifa: It's fine.

Barret: I'm just glad you survived. Gives me hope for the others.

Y/n looks at a kid in the distance, as she looks to her worried father.

Betty: I really hope that all my friends are okay.

Betty's Dad: I'm sure they are, honey. Don't worry.

Cloud soon leads them to the Sector 7 tunnel. They crawl through and head down the ladder to get to the S7-6 Service Tunnel. Barret takes a breath before walking to the other side.

Barret: Okay. Let's see what's on the other side.

An earthquake rings out for a short moment as more people cry out. The damage was seen everywhere, Y/n and the gang had to crawl around to even see the ladder. Another earthquake happens when Y/n used the ladder.

Barret: Again!?

Cloud: That one was a lot closer.

They quickly rush to  the Sector 7 Slums.But it was mostly just rubble and fires.

Barret: My god...

Marle: Just a little more! Come on! C'mon!

Neighborhood Watch Member: It won't budge!

Y/n: Make room!

Y/n quickly lifted the metal, he moved it to the side with ease as they pulled out the woman.

Tifa: Marle!

Marle: You're alive!

Barret: Great job, Y/n.

Y/n nodded, worried if the wing would scare people. But the Resident just went up to him and hugged him, crying on his shoulder.

Undercity Resident: Thank you. (cries)

Y/n felt defeated, all this chaos for what...Shinra...you were gonna kill that bastard if it was the last thing you do. Soon they took the girl away as Marle looked at you all.

Marle: I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you. So. What now?

Barret: Don't know. Find something—anything—to do.

Marle: Been back to the bar yet?

Barret: No.

Marle: Maybe you should go take a look.

Barret: Okay. First the bar...then the rest.

Marle: Careful. The roads are a mess. Watch your step or you'll wind up in a hole!

Barret: Hello! Anybody out there!? If you can hear me, say something!

Y/n and the other shimmy through the debris as people started shouting for survivors. Barret looked at the sign fro the bar.

Y/n: Tifa. Get back!

A crate almost fell on top of them, Y/n quickly pulled Tifa and Cloud out the way.

Barret: Shit!

A meow was heard, as Wedge's cat started to walk away.

Tifa: Hear that?

Cloud: That's Wedge's cat.

Barret: What?

Tifa: Let's follow it.

Cloud moves the rubble with Barret and Y/n.

Barret: Ready? One, two, three!

They follow the cat to Wedge's house, but it was destroyed.

Tifa: Is this all that's left of Wedge's place?

Y/n: What's this?

They see a cave in and start filling in, dropping down the cave-in in the ground.

Barret: Hey! We're coming down! Stay right where you are!

They found a lab as Y/n couldn't understand what he was seeing. But Barret had an opinion like always.

Barret: Hmph. This place reeks of Shinra.

They went down the stairs to see Wedhe behind a glass.

Tifa: Wedge?

Barret: Wedge!

An earthquake happens before everyone falls lower.

Barret: Of all the times! (screams)

Shinra Underground Test Site

Barret: Y/n! Tifa! Cloud! Shout if you can hear me! Hey!

Y/n held his head before he got up, he looked around to find no one.

Y/n: We'll all meet at Wedge, I'm sure of it. This has to be a secret Shinra facility.

Y/n sees some flying creatures before Y/n fiercely twists his upper and lower body, creating a whirlpool of air that cuts the flying creatures. Some of the rats file in and try to but Y/n, but in a green flash, they were no more. Y/n makes it up to a open area as he sees Tifa and Barret and a whole lot of creatures flying.

Y/n: Tifa! Barret! Over here!

Tifa: Y/n!

Barret: Y/n! Tifa! You okay?

Tifa: To tell you the truth, not really. I think there's a nest around here somewhere. Can you and Y/n take care of it?

Barret: I gotcha!

Y/n leaps over to Barret as they climb up the stairs. They see a explosive tank as Barret shoots it down, destroying the nest.

Barret: Sorry.

Y/n: Not really.

They then walk around to reach Tifa, as Barret shot along stream of bullets at the creatures, killing them.

Y/n: Tifa! Where's Cloud?

Tifa: I don't know.

Barret: Well, he can take care of himself. We've got bigger issues.

Y/n: You holding up okay?

Tifa: Yeah, I'm good, thanks.

Barret: All right. Gotta go find Wedge. Come on.

Y/n sliced a fan blocking their path as they walk through...wrong one. Barret shoots the right way through as they soon enter Type-D Specimens - Creche.

Tifa: I'm afraid to ask, but did you just shoot your way in here?

Barret: Well, yeah. Worked, didn't it?

Y/n: Can't argue with that.

Tifa knocks a blood hound to the side as Y/n backflips into the air while upside down and delivers countless ranged slashes downwards, slicing man of the hounds. One goes for Barret as he shoots it from the inside, killing it.

Barret climbs the first ladder in the Type-D Specimens - Creche.

Barret: If I gotta climb another damn ladder...

Y/n: Suck it up.

A cutter appeared as Barret used Thundara to stun the cutter as Tifa handles the monodrones. Y/n spirals into the air and delivers a powerful slash that surrounds the cutter, destroying one of its arms. They get out of the fire it shoots out before Barret gives a long stream of bullets to the other side, destroying the other arm. Tifs charged at and Evaded, then unleashed a charging attack. She did that three times before the Cutter fell to the ground.

Barret: Oh yeah, another one in the bag.

Y/n: Let's keep it up.

Y/n starts climbing the second ladder down to a lower platform.

Tifa: Hey. You think Wedge is holding up okay?

Barret: Of course he is. He's a lot tougher than people think. Probably sleeping soundly, dreaming about his cats.

Tifa: You're right. We should treat him to a nice meal when he gets back. His choice.

Y/n: It's on me, all of us deserve of it.

They keep climbing higher and higher as they reach the staircase to the Break Room on B1.

Barret: Gotta stay on my toes if I'm gonna make it outta here alive.

They soon approach the Specimen Testing Area to add Wedge. Barret quickly flips him over to see his injures.

Barret: Wedge!

Tifa puts her ear to his chest, to find a pulse.

Tifa: He's okay.

Barret: You sure? (chuckles) Making me worry like that. I'd kick your ass if you didn't look like shit! Thank god.

Tifa: Thank you!

Tifa looks at the Cat before standing up again.

Tifa: Okay. Let's go.

Barret: Uh—sure!

Y/n looks around, Tifa follows.

Y/n: What is this...?

The ground started to shake and the doors closed slowly.

Tifa: Barret!

Y/n: Get Wedge on the other side!

Barret does so and then rushed back in without him, the cat follows outside. Red and black creatures start filing in.

Barret: The hell is this now!?

Y/n: Whatever it is, they're bad news.

The Unknown Entity enemies start to swarming them.

Barret: Where were you freaks hiding!?

Tifa: Are they Shinra experiments!?

Barret: Hah! Well if that's the case, then it's only right we put the bastards down!

Y/n: Of course, I'll be glad to slaughter these freaks.

Barret lets off some rocket shots as one of them falls to the ground. Tifa sends out a ball of energy that does continuous damage and pushes them back. Y/n follows up by charging towards an entity, unleashing a horizontal slash seemingly covered in haze that fails to land, but actually does hit kill it in a single slice. Y/n then landed on the ground and ignites his sword with solar flames and releases two arching flame slashes to two more opponents, each individually making an "X" shaped slice. The attacks ring out and burn two more as Tifa charges a elbow attack and punches one upwards. She punched through the creatures as Barret fired long streams at the one approaching Y/n, killing it. Y/n smiled at him, Barret gave a thumbs up. More started to crawl out of vents.

Barret: Ah, of course there's more.

Tifa: You good?

Barret: Like you even gotta ask!

Y/n; Keep at it.

Y/n disappears in a flash of fire, before reappearing from fire in mid-air upside-down where he performs a angled 360° sword slash that slices one down. Barret fired more missiles and dodged the strikes and swipes of the claws. He then fired one at the head and the legs.  He then rushes towards an enemy and launched it into the air with a furious blow. Y/n did a powerful jump and is above the entity. Y/n uses the momentum of his fall to strengthen the sword swing that brings his blade down and sliced the opponent completely. Y/n then dashes forward at blinding speeds and slashes continuously in a horizontal cyclone pattern that wiped out the others. However more climbed out of the duct.

Y/n: OH COME ON!!

Barret: Gettin' real tired of this shit!

Tifa: This is ridiculous.

Barret: We gotta close that duct. Tifa, you're up!

Tifa: Okay! Cover me!

Y/n and Barret do just that and cover her as Tifa reaches the higher ledge. Creatures soon show up all around her and knock her back down.

Barret: Tifa!

Y/n: I'm coming!

Y/n leaped in the air as Tifa recovers in the air, Y/n spins her around in the air and launches her back onto the ledge.

She soon is surrounded by a group of enemies.

Tifa: Seriously!?

A huge experiment shot out at Y/n as he quickly dodged it, Y/n shot out Blizzaraga and froze the top of it. Barret hit the ground and sent nearby enemies flying, before firing a long stream of bullets at them and the experiment. The creature picked up others and threw when at ducts.

Tifa: It's using its friends as weapons!?

Y/n saw an appendage and looked at Barret. Barret gave a smile as Y/n lifts the sword upwards towards the right, above his head and unleashes four vertical slashes at once down on the enemy resembling claws.  The Failed Experiment's appendage fell to the ground as Barret followed up with streams and streams of bullets.

Barret: Huh! Getting tired?

Tifa: Look!

Barret: (laughs) Well, that sure looks like a weak point to me!

The Failed Experiment grabbed more creatures and threw them at the platform Tifa was standing on. Tifa quickly leaped off and joined the rest.

Barret: All that's left is to deal with these freaks!

Y/n: Let's give them a show.

Tifa leaps into the air and unleash a powerful kick that attacks the appendage, Y/n slides underneath the creature and releases several slashes above him, knocking the creature back. The creature tried to attack Tifa but she evaded, then unleash a charging shoulder attack. Barret started to deal with the small fires before seeing and opening, he shot more rockets at the appendages as it fell to the ground. Barret charges a flaming ball of energy while aiming at the creature, and then releases it in a grand explosion. Tifa slides towards the foe before leaping up with one leg to perform a somersault kick, hitting them twice.  It was staggered as Y/n initiates a high stance, his feet was in the ground before the form of a fiery Japanese dragon that envelopes Y/n while he charged towards the foe. Y/n had enough power to carve a deep impression that burnt the ground as he moved. Y/n unleaded a devastating dashing slash as Cloud quickly followed up with a overhead slash.

Y/n: Cloud!

Barret: 'Bout time, merc.

Cloud: You're up.

Barret: Late to the party and you're giving me orders?

Barret charged his beam before shooting it out and destroyed the creature.

Barret: Hell yeah! So how'd you manage to track us down?

Cloud: Followed the trail of bullet holes. There's nobody else I know who'd leave that kinda mess.

They noticed a weak wall before Barret started destroying the fracture. But once they were inside... they found a lab...people.... Dead.... Some sleeping maybe...

Tifa: Oh, god...were those...

Barret: People?

Cloud: Yeah. That's the Shinra I know.

Tifa: Cloud?

The cloaked figured shot out and launched them outside. Everyone looked around as Y/n got up.

Barret: What the hell was that?

Tifa quickly ran to Wedge.

Tifa: We need to get him somewhere safe. Everything else can wait until after.

Barret: Agreed.

Y/n: Let's go.

Barret picked up Wedge as Tifa picked up the cat. She looked at Cloud.

Tifa: Cloud.

Cloud: Good kitty.

They started to make their way back, but Barret turned around.

Barret: I want you to take Wedge back for me. I'm gonna look around for the others. He made it, didn't he? They could still be alive.

Y/n: Jessie is probably at her mother's house..,and Briggs...maybe back in sector 5.

Barret: So...we just keep moving on?

Y/n nodded, looking at them.

Y/n; I basically told them to stay away, knowing them, there helping others. But...I can't stop now. The more I get involved, the more I discover what Shinra's doing...and maybe get some answers to what I really am...

Tifa seems speechless but concern was all over her face. Y/n clenched his fist as Cloud grabbed his shoulder.

Cloud: I know who you are...You're my best friend. And like the rest, this isn't something we can ignore.

Barret: (Nods) That's right... if we stop now...they'll never let us live it down. So...we carry that weight.

Tifa: Together.

They all nod, they take one good look at the rubble before leaving to take Wedge to safety.