The plate that was called Sector 6 now is nothing more than an endless pile of rubble. Lying under a steel beam that could collapse at any moment was Sara. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

Sara was speechless at seeing the debris and the night sky above them. She didn't want to believe that all of this was real and that when she closed her eyes again, she will wake up in her cozy tiny apartment and all of this was a nightmare.

Yet, the feeling of the dirt beneath reminded her that it was real, and Shinra did the unthinkable.

Sara looked around once again; she didn't see Cloud and the others. She remembered that the zip line they used to escape Sector 7 took them as far as Sector 6. However, the rope broke off the moment they were in Sector 6, and they all fell. Sara hoped that they are alive. She crawled out from being under the steel beam and started walking through a narrow path surrounded by rubble. She stopped and crawled through a small pipe that may have been a drain pipe from the plate. It wasn't wet or slimy but dry, and Sara didn't care that her clothes were filthy. Once she got out of the pipe, a familiar voice cried out to her.

"Sara!!"

She looked up and saw Tifa rushing over to her, hugging her. Sara almost stubbled backward but held her ground. She looked over Tifa's shoulder and saw Cloud looking at her with eyes full of relief.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Tifa said.

"But, where's Barret?" Sara asked with a worried look.

Before Tifa answered, they heard a loud voice somewhere nearby.

"Hey! Anybody out there?!"

Tifa gasped and rushed over to where she heard Barret's voice.

"I think I hear him over here," Tifa said.

Tifa touched her hands on a wall that look like someone could push it down since it was barely attached to the surrounding rubble. Together, Tifa and Cloud pushed it, and down it went. What they saw on the other side left them with no words to describe.

Where once stood, the gate that leads to the slums of Sector 7 was now destroyed. Smoke, flames went up to the sky, and ash fell on the ground. Pipes, beams, and an endless pile of broken cement were in every direction. It was all that remained of the gate to Sector 7.

In front of the destroyed gate was Barret, who stood in front of a collapsed wall. He stood there alone with a sad expression.

"Marlene...Marlene. Marlene! Marlene!"

Barret's voice began to shout louder with hints of sadness and anger.

"MARLENE!!!" Barret cried out in agony, "BIGGS! WEDGE! JESSIE!"

The silence was the only thing that responded to Barret's call.

"Goddamnit." Barret sobbed.

As if he didn't let enough out, Barret began to punch the wreckage with his fist and continued to yell.

"GODDAMN YOU! GODDAMN, YOU ALL!!"

He was beyond furious at Shinra. He couldn't believe that they would do something like this. It was beyond forgivable. He couldn't believe that he lost Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Yet, what hurt him the most was losing Marlene.

"Marlene..." Barret sobbed, "Marlene..."

Marlene was never Barret's biological daughter; her parents died when she was barely a year old. Barret adopted her because her parents were friends of his. Yet, he made an oath to her parents that he would raise Marlene as if she was his own and take care of her. Thus, the child grew attached to him.

Now, he couldn't believe that Marlene is gone.

Tifa slowly approached the sobbing Barret and softly spoke, "It was us. We did this."

Tifa knew that they were the ones who provoke Shinra after bombing two reactors. After doing that, there were going to be heavy consequences. She knew deep down something terrible would happen, and it did.

Barret shook his head and said, "No. You can't think like that. Whatever came before, it was Shinra that pulled the trigger today."

Barret gritted his teeth when he spoke that word and cried out, "Am I right!?"

Tifa did not respond, but when Barret turned around. He saw her clenching her fists that shook with anger. Tifa nodded; her eyes were sad but mixed with rage. Tifa silenced agreed with Barret. Shinra shouldn't have gone this far to get back at them.

Barret grabbed her right fist and looked at her in the eye, "Hold on to this. This...anger, okay?"

After saying that, Barret hugged Tifa, who began to shed some tears.

Cloud walked over and spoke, "Barret. Marlene's fine."

"Huh?" Barret looked at him, surprised.

"Aerith found her," Cloud explained.

He recalled the woman who was in the video at the pillar. Barret asked, "Aerith? Is that the girl they took?"

"Yeah," Tifa nodded, "That's her."

"The hell's going on!?" Barret demanded.

A few minutes ago, he began to believe that he'd lost his little girl, and now to be told that Marlene is fine was hard for him to believe.

"I asked Aerith to find Marlene and take her somewhere safe," Tifa explained.

Barret was somewhat relieved that Tifa thought about Marlene's safety. But he was still doubtful, and he turned to Cloud.

"And she did? You sure!?" Barret questioned.

Cloud didn't answer; instead, he started walking away

"Hey! Where you going!?" Barret retorted.

As Barret chases after Cloud, Tifa gazes at the wreckage of Sector 7. She was at a loss.

Sara walked over to her and took her hand, "Let's go."

Tifa started walking with a gentle tug, and the girls began to catch up with the guys.

Cloud found the road that led to Wall Market. He spotted several groups of people standing in the road that made it out alive, which gave him some relief.

Barret caught up with him and asked, "I said, where you going?"

Cloud finally explained, "Aerith's house. It's in the Sector 5 slums."

"And that's where Marlene is?" Barret questioned.

Cloud replied, "Where we hope she is."

Barret stopped walking; he wanted to believe that Marlene is safe. But he didn't like the doubtful tone Cloud gave.

"Tell me she is! Give me something to hang on to!"

Barret rushed over and stood in front of Cloud and continued, "Even if she's not. I won't blame you for it, I swear!"

Cloud looked at him perplexed. Was Barret kidding on that?

As if to confirm, Barret scoffed, "Who am I kidding. I'd probably try to tear your head off."

Cloud turns to the girls, "Hey, you two know anything about "Ancients"?"

Tifa tilted her head in thought and said, "I know I've heard of them at least."

Sara added, "I think I may have seen them in several books that Shinra's library has kept."

"They come up in planetology books. Meant to be the original stewards of the planet. Could even "commune" with it. Talk to it and stuff." Barret explained.

Hearing this, Cloud began to understand why Shinra was so keen on Aerith.

Sara chuckled, "No wonder the Turks kept their eyes on her and wanted her so badly."

Suddenly Cloud and Sara grunted in pain, Cloud's head started to pound, and Sara's heart began to hurt as if it was being stabbed. In their head's they begin to hear a familiar voice; Sephiroth.

"Within my veins flows the blood of Ancients. This planet...is my birthright."

Cloud's headache started to subside, and when he opens his eyes, he is startled. Sephiroth was standing right in front of them with a sinister smile.

"You have failed again, I see," Sephiroth said as he stared at Cloud.

Cloud was horrified at seeing Sephiroth. He could feel the overwhelming power coming from the man in front of him.

Sara was still clutching her chest one-handed as she started to breathe heavily. Her heart was hurting so much, yet she looked at Sephiroth in an almost pleaded look.

Sephiroth gave Sara a slight frown and said, "You wonder why it hurts so much?"

Sara couldn't respond but only bite her bottom lip as she tried to endure the pain.

"It's because Mother is calling for you," said Sephiroth.

He begins to walk towards the two; simultaneously, Tifa looked behind her and noticed Cloud and Sara's strange behavior. However, she did not see Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smiled as he spoke, "But through suffering, you will grow strong."

He stopped beside Cloud and placed his right hand on Cloud's shoulder, and whispered, "Isn't that what you want?"

Sephiroth walks away; Cloud looks back and sees that Sephiroth had vanished. Cloud looks at Sara, who took several breaths and begins to relax a little.

"Cloud? Sara?" Tifa walks over to them, confused.

Cloud immediately brushes her off and says, "It's nothing. Let's go."

Tifa wanted to ask more but decided not to say anything. She had never seen Cloud with a fearful look. She turned to Sara, who seemed a bit pale.

"Sara, is everything okay?" Tifa asked.

Sara nodded, "My heart so far is."

"Your heart?" Tifa tilted her head, confusing.

"I'm not sure exactly, "Sara explained, "But now and then, my heart would start to beat painfully. Only for a short period, and then it goes back to normal."

Tifa wasn't sure how to respond to that. Sara seemed in perfect health, yet Tifa couldn't help but suspect something was going on between Cloud and Sara.

The group reached the entrance of Wall Market, and they all saw a bunch of people standing around, looking at the pillars of smoke coming from Sector 7. Among the group of people was Sam.

Seeing three familiar faces, Sam approached the group with a stunned expression.

"Hey, pretty crazy, huh? Can you believe this mess?" said Sam shaking his head.

Cloud asked, "You doing all right?"

"I am," Sam said, "But I can't say the same 'bout my birds. Poor things're scared half to death."

After the plate fell, the chocobos that Sam owns became frightened. However, Sam knew that he needed to calm them down somehow because people would need their help, especially that an entire Sector is gone.

Sam returned to the stables to help his stablehands as Cloud, and the others began to walk into Walk Market. However, Cloud halted his movement when he saw two-foot soldiers.

Barret saw the soldiers and growled, "What the hell are they doing here?"

At this point, Barret wanted to use his gun and shoot everything or every person from Shinra.

"Their jobs, probably," Cloud replied; he had a hunch that Shinra sent those soldiers to find any member of Avalanche if they'd escape from the fall of Sector 7.

Barret was about to shoot them, but Cloud immediately shook his head and said, "Just focus on seeing Marlene again. Nothing else."

After hearing Cloud's words of encouragement, Barret calmed down and started walking, avoiding the main road.

They went to the street that led to Madam M's parlor, leading to Sector 5 slums.

Cloud spotted Andrea, who was standing near a small building. Andrea walks over to the group with his usual smile.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Cloud answered.

Andrea smiled, "Good, then make sure you never let it go."

Andrea left, and the others moved on. They came across Madam M as they were passing by her parlor.

Madam M was horrified after seeing the plate fell on top of the residents of Wall Market running around like scared chicks.

Madam M commented, "Well, this is a fine mess."

Cloud asks, "How bad is it here?"

"Compared to Sector 7, we're doing fine." Madam M replied, "But that's hardly an accomplishment."

Madam M wondered why the plate of Sector 7 fell. At the same time, she wondered what trouble would brew next after all of this. Naturally, she decided not to ask Cloud and the others. She could tell that they were in a hurry and urged them to leave.

They left Wall Market as they walked through the long road. Silence fell on them for a while until Barret spoke.

"You guys run into Jessie at the pillar?"

"Yeah...Biggs too." Tifa replied sorrowfully, "They were both in pretty bad shape. But Wedge wasn't up there with 'em. He got out."

"All right," Barret said and continued walking. After a long pause, he spoke again, "I've been thinking, y'all... We gotta go find the others."

"Huh?" Tifa looked at him, confused.

"If we don't look for them, who will?" Barret asked.

Tifa realized that Barret was right; he was thinking about all their friends they knew from the slums. Yet, the chances of finding them are low, but it was still worth taking a look.

"Right..." Tifa nodded.

Barret turned to Cloud and Sara, "Hey, you two. Gonna need your help with it too."

Sara looked back and said, "You don't need to ask."

Cloud agreed, and they continued running up the road. Cloud led the way since he was familiar with the route. It wasn't long before they reached Sector 5.

"This is Sector 5, right?" Barret asked as they reached the town entrance, "So where's this place you said Marlene is?"

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

Well, come on then, pick up the pace!" Barret said impatiently.

"I'm going as fast as you are!" Cloud retorted.

Cloud led on as they went through the town of Sector 5. They reached a small path that was covered in vegetation than the rest of the slums. They went through a tunnel that led to a beautiful garden full of flowers. The area comprises three different islands between a river beneath a waterfall connected by wooden bridges. The two islands on the east side had many flowers, and the island on the west had a large house. The house itself has a hexagonal theme with some irregularities. Flowers grow on some roof sections, and pinkish-red roof tiles, the home, and the garden almost seemed that it came out of a fairytale.

Cloud looked at the house and said, "That's the house."

"Marlene! Marlene!" Barret shouted as he rushes to the house.

Barret immediately slammed the front door opened that startled the woman who was inside.

The woman seemed middle-aged has fair skin, light brown hair tied in a ponytail with a headband, and blue eyes. She wears a long buttoned green dress, an off-white apron, black pants, and brown boots. From what Sara could tell and assume, this woman must be Aerith's mother.

Barret turned to the woman and demanded, "Where's Marlene!? Is she here!?"

"Barret!" Cloud yelled at Barret for his rude behavior.

Barret quickly realized his rude entrance, scratching his head, and looked at the woman apologetically, "Sorry, I'm Barret. Marlene's my little girl."

Barret paused and began to describe what Marlene looks like, "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!"

The woman quickly replied with an assuring voice, "She's sleeping upstairs."

Barret was shocked and immediately went up the stairs. But the woman reminded him, "I said she's sleeping!"

Barret realized that if he were to go upstairs running like a wild dog. He would surely wake up his little girl, and so he quietly went up the stairs.

"I wanna see her too." said Tifa turning to Cloud, "C'mon. Let's go look in on her."

The three of them quietly went up the stairs. They found a door that was opened inside Barret, kneeling beside the bed with a sleeping Marlene.

"Marlene...my baby, Thank God." Barret sighed in relief with some tears in his eyes.

Tifa, Cloud, and Sara were standing by the door watching. They were all relieved to see that Marlene was alive and safe. Tifa brought her index finger to her lips and quietly went down the stairs. Cloud and Sara followed her.

As they give Barret some alone time with Marlene, Cloud introduces the girls to Aerith's mother, Elmyra. Cloud met Elmyra before when he was with Aerith.

Barret came back down and noticed that the atmosphere was heavy. He could tell the guilty expression Cloud, Tifa, and Sara were making as he looked at Elmyra. After a long silence, Elmyra spoke.

"Shinra has my daughter now."

"I'm sorry," Cloud said.

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

Elmyra shook her head and said, "It's not your fault. It was only a matter of time before she ended up back there."

When hearing that, Cloud immediately asked, "Because she's an Ancient. That it?"

Elmyra looked at Cloud with a look of shock and said, "So she told you about that? She must trust you all a great deal." Elmyra took a seat at the table in the room and began to tell them all the truth about Aerith.

"Yes. Aerith is an Ancient, probably the last one living. She's not my daughter, not by blood, I mean if that's what you were wondering."

Everyone in the room wondered. Why was Shinra so keen on bringing an Ancient to their hands? How did Elmyra meet Aerith? What about her parents? Elmyra began to explain it all.

"About fifteen years ago. My husband, he'd been shipped off to fight on the front lines during the Wutai War. 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 the station to wait and pray. And that's how I met Aerith. 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. Her mother was very pale and could barely walk at all. So when I asked her if there was anything I could do to help them. Her mother grabbed my hand and said, "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. 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 just..." returned to their planet."

"Their planet, huh? Yeah, that sounds about right." Barret said. Elmyra let out a sad smile and shook her head before continuing.

"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? Then one day, Aerith came over to me and said, "Mommy, don't be sad." It was entirely out of the blue, and so I asked her, "What's wrong?" She answered, "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." I didn't believe her, of course. 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."

Sara and the other knew who was coming up next. Sara and Cloud both knew that if Aerith and her mother had escaped a Shinra facility, then the chances are that Shinra was looking for them, and they knew who to sent to find someone; the Turks.

"The Turk named Tseng came to our house one day. Aerith immediately told him to go away, but he didn't and let himself in while Aerith hid behind me. Tseng looked at Aerith and said, "Aerith, you know you're not just any little girl. You're a descendant of the Ancients." I had no idea what he meant, so I said, "Who are the Ancients?" Tseng replied and explained, "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 immediately denied that she was an Ancient, but Tseng looked at her and said, "But Aerith, even when you're all alone, don't you hear voices whispering secrets?" Aerith only said, "No, never!" 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. After that, Tseng left us; however, they would still come over time and time again to check on her and still ask her to come back."

Cloud looked at Elmyra confused and asked, "They knew where she was, but they didn't just take her? Doesn't sound like the Turks, I know."

"She had to come willingly; otherwise, it wouldn't work, they said," Elmyra explained. "That's why...even if they didn't take her away, I'm sure she's still being treated like a guest."

Sara had been listening to the whole time, suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "So that's why! It all makes sense!"

Everyone looked at her confused, and Tifa asked her, "What makes sense?"

"Why the President was willing to drop the plate despite that it will hurt them financially and the loss of civilians. It's because it has something to do with this so-called the promised land. I bet you that when the Turks saw Aerith helping civilians to evacuate while getting Marlene to safety, they had to force Aerith to make a choice, and she knew what she had to do."

Hearing Sara's explanation, everyone's hearts sank. If this were true, it would mean that whatever this promised land is might bring more power and glory to Shinra. They needed Aerith to find it and if that were to happen.

Elmyra looked at her hands and said, "I'm sure that they'll send her straight back home once they get what they need, even if it means finding this promised land."

Cloud looked at Elmyra as if she had lost her mind and scoffed, "I doubt it."

He immediately went straight to the door, but Elmyra stood up and shouted, "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 could tell that Elmyra was already distressed. She looked at Cloud and spoke softly, "Cloud, maybe she's right about this. Maybe they'll let Aerith go when it's all over. Perhaps...we'd be better off waiting a little while."

Cloud only let out a deep breath; he knew good and well that Shinra would not let Aerith go. It will never happen. He felt someone gripping his shoulder; he looked over and saw Sara, who gave him a simple nod.

"I don't think they will do anything to her yet. At least for now." Sara said softly.

"Let's head back to Sector 7, " Barret suggested, "Got things to take care of like...checking up on the bar."

Even though they knew that the bar is destroyed, they wanted to see the aftermath of what happened and see anyone they knew who survived.

"Yeah." Tifa nodded in agreement and turned to Cloud, who still had that doubtful look.

Sara looked Cloud in the eye and said, "Cloud, let's go."

He only sighed and said, "Okay."

The four of them left Elmyra's house with mixed feelings. Now they know more about Aerith and a guess on what Shinra plans to do to her. They knew that they should rescue her, but if Elmyra wasn't willing to do that, then the only thing they could do was head back to Sector 7 and see the aftermath of the fall. But the question was, how were they were going to get there?

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

"Underground passage in the park," Cloud replied.

"Ah, good plan," Barret said doubtfully.

"And how do we get to the park?" Sara asked.

"I know another way to get there." Cloud answered, "Aerith showed me before."

Barret chuckled, "Heh, this Ancient girl knows her stuff didn't mean anythin' by it."

They continued walking down the road, following Cloud's lead. He took them to another route. They walked on another road that goes through a small tunnel near the road to Wall Market. Sara noticed that Barret and Tifa were not far behind but not close as they made their way through. She decided to use this opportunity to talk to Cloud.

She walked over to him, catching up to his brisk pace, and spoke in a low voice, "You okay?"

Cloud gave her a side glance and replied, "What do you think?"

Sara chuckled; they both were thinking the same thing, Aerith. They both knew that Shinra will never let her go and who knows what they will do to her. Both of them could guess endless ideas as to what Shinra would do, Aerith, but neither one of them said a word.

Sara broke the silence and said, "They won't harm her, at least not physically. Emotionally, well, I cannot say they will treat her well on that part."

"But Elmyra should let us find Aerith and rescue her." Cloud retorted.

Sara sighed and shook her head, "Not if she's not willing to allow us that. We have to be patient. If we somehow found proof and convince Elmyra, then maybe she will let us rescue Aerith."

Cloud silently agreed; he looked at Sara and asked with a hint of concern, "How's your heart?"

He knew that Sara would be in pain whenever Sephiroth showed up, and it seemed that it was her heart. He didn't understand why it would happen, and neither did Sara.

Sara touched her chest and replied, "It's okay."

Cloud wanted to ask further, but he noticed that they were at their destination. The park somehow survived the fall of the plate, and they caught several familiar faces. Barret saw a familiar man crawling from a small tunnel in the climbing dome and immediately exclaimed.

"Wymer! You're alive!"

Sara was shocked to see Wymer alive and well. Wymer walked over to them with a look of relief.

"Still in one piece." Wymer smiled.

"Who else made it out?" Barret asked.

Wymer shook his head and replied, "I wish I knew, sorry."

"It's fine," Tifa said.

"I'm just glad you survived, gives me hope for the others." Barret smiled as he patted Wymer on the shoulder.

Barret meant that from the bottom of his heart.

After a few chats with the remaining survivors, the group decided to head to the underground passage. The entrance to the tunnel was beneath a small climbing dome. As they went down, Sara noticed that the tunnel must be a service tunnel that connects to Sector 7. It was filled with pipes all over the walls and a small wooden walkway down the tunnel. There were still some survivors coming through, and they were shaken up by what happened. Barret took a step forward and let out a breath.

"Okay, let's see what's on the other side."

Barret led the way as the others followed. Everyone was feeling uneasy; what would it look like on the other side. Not a pretty sight, most likely.

Suddenly, the tunnel shook that made everyone in the tunnel stumble a bit. That was most likely a tremor.

They continued down the tunnel. There were still survivors coming through, but some of them were too afraid to go through. The trauma that the people went through is something that they may never recover. Having an entire plate that sheltered them from the weather and to have it fall like that was something that no one can't forget easily.

Another tremor shook the tunnel as Sara, and the others climbed the ladder leading them to the tunnel's end.

"Again!?" Barret exclaimed after that tremor.

"That one was a lot closer," Cloud said after feeling how powerful that last one was.

Barret saw the end of the tunnel and rushed out shouting, "HELLO! IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT NEEDS SOME HELP?"

When Sara and the others made it outside, what lay before them left them speechless.

"My god..." Barret's voice trembled.

Endless pillars of smoke floating to the sky, fires were still going on in certain areas, and miles and miles of rubble were in every direction. It was a scene that left everyone with no words to describe.

"Just a little more! Come on!"

Sara and the others looked around and spotted Marle and a couple of guys from the Neighborhood Watch Members helping out a woman stuck under the rubble.

"It won't budge!" One member said while gritting his teeth.

Cloud, Barret immediately rushed over, and both begin to help to lift the heavy concrete slab. At the same time, Tifa and Sara took the poor woman's hands, ready to pull her out.

Cloud tells the guys, "With me, ready and..."

The guys lifted the rubble and once, they raised the concrete slab, Sara and Tifa pull the woman out from underneath. Once the woman was out of harm's way, the guys dropped the slab down.

"Great job, guys." Barret smiled at the members and Cloud.

The woman hugged Sara and Tifa with tears of joy and said, "Thank you!"

The Neighborhood Watch Members escorted the woman to the tunnel. Marle stayed behind and looked at the others with relief.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you," Marle said, "So, what now?"

"Don't know." Barret replied, "Find something, anything to do."

"Been back to the bar yet?" Marle asked.

"No," Barret answered.

"Maybe you should go take a look," Marle suggests.

Tifa turns to Barret and nods in agreement. Barret understood her intentions.

"Okay, first the bar, then the rest."

"Careful, the roads are a mess, " Marle warns them, "Watch your step, or you'll wind up in a hole."

After leaving a warning, Marle went to join up with the watch. Barret took the lead as they carefully walk through the rubble simultaneously; Barret and Sara begin to call out to see if anyone would answer; they were not the only ones. There were other members of the watch doing the same.

"Hello! Anybody out there!?"

"Hey! Hey!"

"We're here to help!"

"If you can hear me, shout!"

"Can you hear me? Anyone there?"

Sadly no one responded, more like they could not respond because Sara knew that the chances of surviving a disaster like this are zero. It would be a miracle for someone to find anyone alive or that body.

Suddenly, Barret stood in front of a broken sign that stuck out in the rubble. The lettering was gone entirely, but its shape was all too familiar; it was the sign that belongs to the bar.

"Tifa."

Cloud looked at her with concerning eyes as his childhood friend stares at the sign with no words. Tifa felt like her heart had stopped for a minute. She remembered pouring drinks for Avalanche and residents of Sector 7 how her customers told her all kinds of stories. Wedge taste-testing her meals on what to put for the bar menu. Jessie singing to any of her favorite tunes from the jukebox. Biggs helping around the bar. Many memories were coming to her like a flood; it was hard to accept that the bar was gone. She didn't notice a steel container was about to crash on top of her; luckily, Cloud pulled her away from it as it crashes down.

"Shit!" Barret curses as he tries to clear the rubble, but he failed to notice a strange sound that sounded like a cat.

"Hear that?" Tifa asks.

Cloud spots a cat that was meowing at them and exclaimed, "That's Wedge's cat."

The cat had black and orange spots with yellow eyes. It looks at the group and meows before running off.

"Let's follow it," Tifa suggests.

They followed the cat as it took them to a small open area still surrounded by rubble, but there was a hole nearby. Yet the building that was destroyed near it seemed familiar, and Tifa realized why.

"Is this all that's left of Wedge's place?" She wondered.

The cat stood in front of a hole and jumped down. The group went down the hole and walked through the small tunnel that led to something neither of them expected, a secret facility that Shinra most likely owns. While everyone wondered why there is an underground facility, Tifa spotted someone lying on the ground nearby with a cat meowing at them.

"Wedge?!" Tifa shouted.

However, the moment they rushed over to Wedge, who was lying on the floor, the floor collapsed, and everyone fell.

Sara slowly opened her eyes and shook her head, fighting off the headache in her head and the slight ringing in her ears. When she looked around, she discovered that she was alone. Surrounding her were traces of the floor that collapsed, and the massive room Sara landed in had several medical types of equipment and test pods that were big enough to fit a whole person. It seemed that she had landed in a lab of some sort.

However, seeing this triggered certain memories that she tried to forget. But her heart started to be inflicted with sharp pains.

She grunted as she tried to ignore it, but no use. She began to moan in pain and let out labor breaths. Sara looked up at one of the empty test pods until she saw a ghostly image of herself floating in the tank full of liquid with wires attached to her body. Her eyes widen in fear as she stood up and backs away from the tank. Sara grunted again, feeling another wave of pain through her heart. Then she sees a vision in her head, that same vision of her in a tank, this time surrounded by men wearing white lab coats watching her. She could hear their voices speaking to one another.

"Her vital organs are stable. Jenova's cells are fully adapt into her body."

"Mako fluids have also adapted to her as well."

"Excellent, she's the perfect specimen for a new revolution to Shinra. Not just her, but our number one SOLDIER."

Another vision came this time. Sephiroth appeared before her, standing in front of a large tank though she couldn't see what was inside the tank. But she heard Sephiroth speaking directly to her.

"Mother is waiting for you." Sephiroth reaches his hand out to her, "Don't run away, embrace Mother's call."

Sara shook her head as she tried to block out the vision in her head. She looked around the room and found a door that seemed to be the only exit out.

"Time to get out of here," She said.

Sara's heart was still beating painfully, but she tried to endure it. Once she got out of the room, she found herself in a dark hallway. Suddenly she heard gunshots nearby and wondered if that was Barret. She ran down the hallway following the sound of gunshots. Sara stopped when the hallway splits into two sections. She took the one that sounded like where the gunshots were coming. She ran and ran as fast she could. Then something slammed her body to the ground; it was Cloud.

"Cloud?" Sara looked at him, surprised and relieved.

"Glad to see that your alive," Cloud said sarcastically.

Sara chuckled, "Same to you."

"Seen Barret or Tifa?" He asked.

"No," Sara shook her head, "But I did hear the sound of gunshots nearby."

Cloud nodded and then began to walk down the hallway. In the same direction where they both heard the gunshots. As they went down, they found another hallway that had trails of bullet holes on the walls.

Sara traced the bullet holes with her hand and said, "Seems like Barret was here."

Cloud took a good look at the trail of the holes and noticed that there seemed to be a direction that they were going. He begins to follow the path with Sara following him. The more they followed the trail, the louder the sound of gunshots became. Which meant that Barret and hopefully Tifa are closer.

Finally, they reached the first floor where they came in, but they saw Wedge lying on the ground with his cat meowing at them. The cat turned to the large closed door and meowing frantically while scratching the door as if it was trying to get it. The two of them could hear the gunshots behind that door.

Sara stood in front of the door and grabbed her katana, then swiftly slash the door, instantly cutting it in two. Once Sara destroyed the door, she and Cloud rushed in and saw Tifa and Barret fighting an enormous creature.

The creature had to be around 12 feet tall. It walked like a human with black skin, lean muscle, long arms, and broad shoulders. The face didn't seem it had any eyes but a wide jaw with razor-sharp teeth. Behind its back were four limbs that look like spider legs. Seeing this made Sara shocked and wondered, could that creature be an experiment created by Shinra?

The creature was back to a wall in the room; it looked like it was running out of strength. However, the monster was not ready to give up.

Cloud and Sara dashed towards the creature, jumped high in the air, and slashed the monster simultaneously.

"Cloud! Sara!" Tifa exclaimed, relieved to see her two friends.

"Bout time, you two!" Barret shouted at them.

"You're up." Cloud turns to Barret.

Barret looked at him with a red face and ranted, "LATE TO THE PARTY, AND YOU'RE GIVING ME ORDERS!?"

Barret shoots an orb of energy from his gun, and it hits the monster. The creature takes the shot directly, falls on the floor, and vanishes as if it was never there.

"Hell yeah!" Barret cheered; he then turned to Cloud and Sara.

"So, how'd you manage to track us down?"

Cloud replied, "Followed the trail of bullet holes. There's nobody else I know who's leave that kind of a mess."

Cloud notices a crack in the wall where the creature was. Barret notices it too and decides to shoot the crack wall creating a hole. The four of them walked over to the spot and looked inside. They saw a lab filled with test pods, and several of those pods had dead people.

Tifa gasped, "Oh, god...were those..."

"People?" Barret wondered, referring to the creature they'd just fought.

"Yeah," Cloud replied with a stern look, "That's the Shinra I know."

"This is not the first time." Sara explained, "That Shinra would do human tests subjects to create living weapons."

Then another wave of pain came to Sara's heart yet again. This time it was more substantial than before till it almost made Sara's knees buckle. However, she tried her best not to show it. Cloud was about to ask her what was wrong, but then another headache came, and then a vision formed in his head. He remembered being in a test pod like the ones in the lab. It brought pain and fear to his mind.

Tifa noticed that something was wrong with Cloud and Sara. She looked at them concerning and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Suddenly a swarm of grey phantoms came out of the lab that dragged the group and knocking them unconscious.

After a few moments of unconsciousness, Sara and the others opened their eyes and saw that they were back above ground with Wedge and his cat.

"What the hell was that?" Barret wondered as he stood up.

Tifa saw Wedge, who was still unconscious. She checked his pulse and sighed in relief; Wedge was still alive.

"We need to get him somewhere safe." Tifa suggested, "Everything else can wait until after."

"Agreed, Let's go." Barret nodded and picked Wedge up, carrying him on the shoulder.

However, Cloud and Sara were still gazing at the hole that leads to the test site. Neither one of them wanted to say anything or couldn't say anything.

"Cloud, Sara," Tifa called out to them while holding Wedge's cat.

The two of them turned to Tifa. Sara looked at the cat and smiled, "Good kitty."

Barret leads the group once again, carrying Wedge on his back. He paused for a moment and thought of something.

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

Cloud, Tifa, and Sara both knew the truth. It was hard to accept, and they knew that Barret wanted to look for Biggs and Jessie. However, Barret needed to hear it.

Cloud looked at Barret and said, "I saw them both at the pillar...Jessie and Biggs. Saw...how bad they were hurt. I'm sorry, but..."

Cloud was having a hard time putting it into words. But, Barret could tell by the look on Cloud's face he knew what the merc meant.

"Don't..." Barret's voice trembled slightly. But Sara looked at Barret with glassy eyes and told him what he did not want to hear.

"They've returned to the planet."

Barret didn't want to believe it, but he knew that Cloud and Sara were telling the truth.

"They..." Barret muttered, "They were supposed to return to us."

Barret felt remorse; however, he knew one thing that Jessie and Biggs will come back to haunt them: to give up on fighting against Shinra.

"But if we stop now...they'll never let us live it down. So we carry that weight."

Barret promised to carry the burden to fight Shinra to the very end for Jessie and Biggs. He starts walking while carrying a heavy-duty in his heart.

Sara and the others didn't know where to go next. The only place they could think of to take Wedge where it's safe is Aerith and Elmyra's home. They made it back to the house, and Elmyra immediately put Wedge in a room and patched him up with some first-aid. After putting Wedge to bed, the group came back downstairs.

Barret looks at Elmyra and apologizes, "I'm sorry. I truly am. We had no other place to go and..." Elmyra shook her head and smiled.

"I would never leave a wounded man out on the street."

Barret was relieved that Elmyra welcomed them again and helped Wedge. However, the peaceful atmosphere was shortened, and Cloud decided to confront Elmyra about Aerith.

"Elmyra, I know what you said, but you have to let us go after Aerith." Cloud insisted.

"Not this again," Elmyra rolled her eyes. But Cloud was not letting it go and continued.

"We found an underground Shinra lab where they've done human testing. This wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last. Sara and I know these people, and I know they're never gonna let Aerith go. She's the last living Ancient on the planet. Think about what that means to Shinra's scientists. Especially to that son of a bitch, Hojo. We're all just numbers and meat to him."

"Enough!" Elmyra snapped.

"Cloud, that's enough." Sara scolded him.

Cloud glared at Sara, but she shook her head, telling him not to say anything. Sara looked at Elmyra, who seemed a bit tired and weary.

"Elmyra, please let me say something too. I've worked with President Shinra in the past," said Sara.

Elmyra looked at her as if she had heard enough but was will to listen to her, and Sara continued.

"The truth is once President Shinra has his eyes on something, whether its an idea or a plan. He will do whatever it takes to make that idea or plan a reality. You said that Tseng mentions something about a promised land, and Aerith holds the key if the president intends to find that promised land and use it for his glory. Then Aerith's chances of leaving Shinra are zero. If we rescue her now, we will have a good chance of bringing her back. But the longer she stays there, the less chance she has of escaping. If you don't let us help her, then I'm sorry, but Aerith will never come back home."

Sara said nothing else but gave Elmyra a chance to recollect her thoughts.

Elmyra sighed, "I need some time to think," She looks at the group and suggests, "You've all had a long day. Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest?"

Everyone agreed; the day was indeed long and exhausting. A good night's rest would be great, and with that thought, everyone decided to go to bed.

Cloud and Barret slept in the room where Wedge was in bed, sound asleep. Barret sat next to the bed with his head low, snoring. Cloud, who was sitting next to the door, wakes up to the sound of footsteps. He grabs his sword and quietly opens the door. Once he closes it behind him, he notices someone slightly opened the door next to theirs. He wondered if Sara or Tifa were up. He heads downstairs and goes outside.

When he went outside, it was still nighttime, and the air seemed warmer than before. He noticed a familiar girl standing in the middle of the garden looking at the sky; Sara.

Sara noticed Cloud coming over to her. She couldn't help but sigh and gaze back at the sky.

"Can't sleep?" Cloud asked.

Sara chuckled, "I'm a light sleeper; it's a thing for me."

"Yeah, me too. It's a SOLDIER thing."

Sara laughed, "So it is..."

Even though the night seemed peaceful, neither one of them knew that tomorrow would be a long battle—especially Sara, who had a lot on her mind.

"Hey, back at the test area." Sara spoke, "I...I remembered certain memories that were too painful to remember."

Hearing this, Cloud asked curiously, "Were you a test subject?"

"You could call it that," Sara replied without hesitation.

Cloud wasn't surprised by that answer. He had an idea that Sara must've been a human test subject with all those deadly combat skills and strength. Yet, he wondered about something.

"Is that why you don't want to reveal you're true purpose? Because you were a test subject."

Sara looked at Cloud with a sad smile, "I was more than a test subject. I was a weapon. A weapon that once protected President Shinra and the company."

This gave Cloud a shock; Sara was a weapon that protected the president. It was hard to believe, but Cloud had seen the proof with his own eyes. He knew that Sara was telling the truth; the painful look in her eyes said it all. He had to ask a simple question.

"Sara, who are you?"

But Sara only walked over to him and hugged him. This startled Cloud that he wasn't sure how to respond.

Sara replied with a whisper, "Not yet. You will know soon, much sooner than you think. But, promise me this." She pauses as she looks at him, "Promise me that no matter what happens that we will still be friends."

This made Cloud confused; why was she so afraid to admit the truth. Would the truth be hurtful enough to cut ties with her? Or would it put her and everyone else in danger? Cloud didn't know, and Sara smiled at him; that seemed almost lonely.

"Cloud replied with a nod, "All right, I promise."

"Thank you," said Sara.

The following day, the group ate breakfast that Elmyra made for them. Wedge was still sleeping, but he seemed a bit better. After they all got ready, Barret looked at Elmyra with a smile.

"You've done more for us than we deserve. I won't forget this. If you ever need anything, all you gotta do is holler."

"Happy to help out however I can." Elmyra smiled.

"Elmyra," Cloud looked at her.

She sighed and said, "I've been thinking about what you and Sara said."

"She's calling out to me." Cloud spoke with a hint of a plea in his voice, "I can feel it."

"We call can." Tifa added, "So please, she's our friend. We have to help her."

Elmyra looked at them, and after a long pause, she knew what needed to be done and said.

"I always knew it was coming. Knew that one day I'd have to say goodbye to my baby girl. But not yet, please bring her back to me."

Cloud nodded with a smile, and everyone was glad that Elmyra permitted them to rescue Aerith.

"Daddy!"

Barret looked over and saw Marlene running down the stairs. His heart sank when he saw his little angel.

"Marlene..."

Cloud, Sara, and Tifa went outside to give the two some privacy while Elmyra went to her small office.

"Are you going?" Marlene asked.

But Barret said nothing, and Marlene knew, but she didn't want him to leave. Barret walks over to her and gets on one knee so he could look at her at eye level.

"I'm sorry, honey. I wish I didn't have to. I wish I could be with you all the time. I really do. But if I stay here, I can't fight out there."

Marlene tilted her head, confused about what her father meant by fighting. Barret noticed and decided to explain it more clearly.

"Some bad people are trying to hurt the planet. And Daddy...Daddy and his friends are trying to stop those bad people. The slums, your friends, the whole planet, it's Daddy's job to protect it."

Barret gives her a hug which she returns one. He lifts her, letting her sit on his shoulder as he continues.

"And that's why I've gotta go. You remember that nice girl who came to find you? Well, now we have to go find her, and when we bring her home, you need to say thank you, okay?"

"Kay!" Marlene smiled, "That girl, she was kinda..." Marlene paused and seemed a bit conflicted.

"What?" Barret asked.

Marlene shook her head, "Nothing, you should help her."

"We will," Barret smiled and sat Marlene down, then hugs her.

"You'll come back, right?" Marlene asks.

"Of course, I promise," Barret answered while giving Marlene a tight hug.

Marlene breaks away and smiles, "Okay, you can go!"

After that, Barret leaves the house and walks over to where the others are waiting for him.

"Barret.." Tifa looks at him with some concern.

"She's tougher than me," Barret admits while putting his sunglasses on.

After all the times that Barret had to leave Marlene alone, Marlene welcomes him with a smile every time he comes back. Marlene was indeed a tough little angel.

"Aight! Time to get some payback!" Barret exclaimed.

"Don't forget why we're doing this." Cloud reminded him.

Barret smirked, "I know, I know to rescue Aerith."

They knew where Aerith would be, and it wasn't going to be easy. And that place was Shinra's headquarters. However, there was a problem. Shinra's headquarters is on the topside.

"So, how're we supposed to get topside? With everything that's happened, the trains still aren't running." Tifa wondered.

"Well, we could walk along the tracks," Barret suggested.

"The city's on high alert." Cloud shook his head, knowing that idea is a bad one, "All the roads and public transit have probably been locked down by now."

"So, what's the plan then?" Barret asked, "You know another way up?"

"I hate to say it, but I know someone who might," Sara spoke nervously.

Cloud frowned and knew who Sara was thinking and said the name.

"You mean Corneo."