Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

FIVE

"So, which way?" I asked.

Barret and I stood with Wedge, Lena, and Marissa a short distance down the trail where it split in two. On our earlier trips, we had always taken the longer route. But with time being of the essence, I felt we had to risk going through the collapsed expressway. Cloud had left not too long ago, speeding away with Jessie on the Gust down this same road. I was sure he had taken the long way—the bike couldn't make it through the underground ruins he and Aerith had traveled through earlier. But we could. And I was more than ready.

Barret scratched his chin. "That highway you told me 'bout seems like the best bet, Tif. Could save us some time."

"My thoughts exactly," I agreed.

"Awright, people," he announced, looking at all of us. "Check your gear. We gonna take the short path back to Sector 5. Ain't as safe as the long way, but we need to get back soon as we can. So stay close an' keep your eyes peeled. Understand?"

After the rest of us had all acknowledged him, we got moving. I fell into step next to Marissa while Wedge and Lena followed behind us as Barret took the lead. The entrance to the collapsed expressway was just ahead of us, and from what Cloud had told me, the place was home to all kinds of monsters and thugs. He and Aerith had encountered a few, and I was sure that we would as well.

I glanced at Marissa as we walked. "Can you fight?"

"No, sorry," she shook her head. "I'm a computer tech and a medic. I'm afraid I don't know much about that sort of thing. I've lived on the plate all my life. Guess I'm a bit sheltered, huh?"

I smiled. "No, Marissa, you're not. You just didn't know. And when it really mattered, you still came here to help."

Marissa smiled back. "That's kind of you to say, Tifa. Jessie's a very dear friend. She's been there for me more than once over the years, and I just wanted to do the same for her."

"Same here. And I'm sure she'll be glad to see you when she wakes up. In the meantime, try to stay close to me if you can. I'll look out for you. Sound like a plan?"

"Yes, thank you," she nodded as we entered the highway. "I've been in dangerous situations before, just... nothing like this. I don't want to be a liability to you guys."

I patted her arm. "You won't. What sort of danger?"

"Well, you know Jessie's really Heidegger's daughter," Marissa said. "What you heard on the platform was true."

I did, and while I was still surprised at the revelation, it didn't for a moment change how I felt about her. Jessie was still my friend. During our journey back to Sector 7, Cloud, Barret, and I had told Marissa and the others everything that had happened on the platform, from battles with the Turks and Jessie disabling the console to the revelations Tseng and Heidegger had sprung on us. We had also talked about how Aerith had been captured and how Shinra's hidden backup system had set off the detonator in spite of Jessie's attempts to stop it.

We had finished our story with how Heidegger's trap had so badly hurt Jessie before the falling debris from the plate had ripped her away from us before our escape on the zip line. But now, even as wounded as she was, Jessie was back with us. Where she belonged. And I was going to make sure it stayed that way.

"No wonder she kept quiet about her past," I replied.

Marissa didn't argue. "Yeah, she's always been like that. She worries about endangering her friends because of it. Anyway, back when Jessie was still acting, she looked a lot different. More like I do now. There's a good reason for that, you see."

I thought I understood. "You've been pretending to be her, haven't you? Ever since she left."

"Yeah. Heidegger's men aren't the brightest bunch, and as long as I never got too close, it was easy enough to fool them into thinking I was Jessie. And I've kept them guessing and chasing after me from one end of the plate to the other for the past two years."