Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

FORTY-THREE

"Me either," Lena agreed.

"Same," Biggs added, scratching his head.

Kunsel straightened at once, though, his eyes finding mine. "I hear it, Jessie. Sounds like there's someone behind that last set of doors. He's yelling for help. Seems pretty pissed, too."

Wedge smiled at us. "You've got great ears, guys."

"It's the mako," Kunsel explained, to me as well as to the others. "It sharpens your senses. That's part of why it's so hard to take a SOLDIER by surprise. That guy in there's farther in than it sounds. He's probably one of Corneo's goons, too, but... we should go in there and help him. If we can get him to talk, he might be able to tell us about those cells in the sewers and show us where they are."

I had to agree, and now I understood why my hearing had been so much better since I'd first woken up at Aerith's house. And all my other senses, too. I hadn't noticed it at first, but like with the glow in my eyes, they'd grown stronger over time, and lately I'd started to realize I could hear and smell things that others couldn't, see stuff clearly from farther away and even in the dark sometimes, and that the flavors and tastes of my food and drinks were richer and stronger. All my senses were more acute now, just like Kunsel had said.

He and I led the others past Corneo's office to the last set of doors, and as we opened them, I realized there were actually two guys locked away in here. The second one sounded muffled, as if he had something in his mouth, and I wondered what it could mean. There wasn't anyone in the small waiting room, but a set of stairs in the back led downward, probably to a basement of some kind.

Lena's eyes widened when we crossed the room. "I hear it now, too! It's coming from the basement!"

"You and Kunsel really are something," Wedge told us.

"Damn, they were right!" Biggs agreed.

I smirked. "Told ya! Now let's go downstairs and see if we can't get a few answers from whoever's in there."

"Lead the way," he said.

With Kunsel beside me, I did just that, heading carefully down the steps with a hand on the hilt of one of my blaze talons where it hung in its holster against my thigh. It got darker the further we went from the top, and I realized that the Shinra soldiers must've switched off half the lights in the cellar when they left. I could still see well enough, though, thanks to the mako enhancing my eyesight.

Of course, there was also a downside to how sharp my senses had become. The smell here was terrible. It bit at my nose with a vengeance and made it curl up right away, and I was willing to bet it was stronger for me and Kunsel than for the others. The small, wry smile he flashed me when he noticed my disgust told me he understood, and I gave him a grateful one in return as we went on.

"Guess it kinda goes both ways, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Unfortunately," he nodded.

When we got to the bottom a moment later and saw who was here, I frowned and folded my arms in front of me. Kotch, the dark-skinned guy with a pale blond mohawk, was tied to a torture rack in the middle of the room, and his pal Scotch was bound up in one corner with a gag in his mouth. I remembered them all too well. They were Corneo's top thugs, and if anyone would know where the cells in the sewers were, it would be them. And at that thought, I had an idea.

Kotch saw me first. "You mother—I mean, uh... Hey! It's you! The girl that busted outta here a few years ago! Would you mind helping us out? We're in a bit of a bind here, ya know."

"That depends," I answered, narrowing my eyes.

"I never told anyone who you really were, I swear!" Kotch pleaded. "Not even the boss. Kept it secret like you wanted!"