The doors to the main conference room were right in front of us as we left the elevator on the 66th floor. They were closed tight, and there was no doubt the meeting would be starting soon. No way we'd be able to get in through there, so I led Tifa and Barret around the corner and into a wide hallway lined with offices on the left side. Just in time, too. A chime suddenly sounded from behind us as we slipped quietly out of sight and the elevator doors opened again.
It was President Shinra and General Heidegger. As we ducked into an empty office nearby and watched them from the doorway, my hand clenched into a fist almost on its own. Tifa noticed and laid hers gently but firmly on my shoulder. Although it helped me relax a little and stay more or less in control, I still kept my eyes locked on Heidegger, anger simmering just below the surface as I thought of Jessie again, hurt and dying because of him. Her own father.
We heard part of his conversation with the president as they strode together toward the conference room to prepare for the meeting, and it wasn't good. Heidegger looked incredibly pleased with himself, as if he hadn't just brought about the deaths of tens of thousands of people less than a day ago. He stroked his beard and laughed like a drunk horse as he walked alongside President Shinra.
"I trust the narrative is intact?" the president asked.
Heidegger nodded. "Rock solid, sir. The people have embraced the Wutai-Avalanche conspiracy wholeheartedly. And I've almost come to believe it myself. All is going as planned."
President Shinra went on. "Wutai's response?"
"Nothing so far," Heidegger answered. "However, if those cowards do react, it will only help us and our story."
"Very well. Then we shall stay the course," he said.
Heidegger paused while an aide scurried over to open the doors to the conference room for him and the president. "Understood, sir. But if I may, there was one other matter."
"Go on," President Shinra told him.
"It concerns Avalanche. Some of the men I sent down to the slums to check on their status haven't reported in. Others have brought word that at least a few of those sewer rats survived."
The president waved him off. "That has been accounted for. There is no cause for concern, General. We have everything well in hand. But tell me, is your daughter among them?"
Heidegger shook his head. "No, not that I'm aware of. She must be dead. No more running for her. If only she'd minded her own business instead of putting her nose where it didn't belong, Jessica wouldn't have come to such a bad end. Foolish girl..."
I stiffened, my blood beginning to boil again, but Tifa squeezed my shoulder tightly before I even thought to move. It hurt a little, but I got the message clear as day and stayed put as Heidegger and the president went into the conference room. Tifa didn't let go until the doors closed behind them and the hall was empty again.
"We're here for the girls, Cloud," she reminded me as she finally let go. "We'll kick Heidegger's ass later."
Of that, I had no doubt. "Damn right we will."
Barret nodded. "We'll bring him down, don't you worry 'bout that. But how do we snoop on the meetin'?"
"Domino said the conference room smells bad," Tifa said. "Maybe we could ask around. Someone might know something. Or they could at least point us in the right direction."
I wasn't so sure. "That might just draw more attention to us. We've gotta find it on our own. You heard Heidegger and the president. They know we're alive. We can't take any chances."
"You think they're expecting us?" she asked.
"Maybe," I answered. "And if they are, we'll be ready for them. But in the meantime, we need to get in there."
Tifa thought for a minute, then snapped her finger. "I've got it! The bathrooms! Where else would a bad small come from up here? There's probably an air duct that connects to the conference room. If our little friend can get around that way, why can't we?"
"Worth a look," Barret agreed.
"Good thinking, Tif," I told her. "Let's check it out."
We slipped out of the office and went quietly down the hall. There were more all along the left side, most of them occupied, as the sounds of hushed conversation and ringing phones told us. More black marble and potted plants up here, but no restrooms so far. We didn't find them until we reached the end of the hall where it widened into a break area. There were two sets of doors off to our left, and a few tables and chairs to our right near a pair of vending machines.
"Which one first?" Tifa asked.
"Men's room," I decided. "You should come with us."
She blushed. "Oh, um... are you sure?"
I pushed open the door slightly and looked inside. "Yeah. No one's there, Tif. It's clear. You'll be fine."
"Thank goodness..." she breathed.
The smell hit us almost as soon as we went in. I curled my nose as Tifa and Barret did, too. The bathroom, at least the sinks and uprights, was clean, and everything was very fancy, with automatic faucets, soap dispensers, and air dryers. Pretty much what I'd expected. But when we started checking the stalls, we found the source of the smell right away. In the third one, some guy had... not cleaned up after himself. And the faint hint of tea in the air only made it worse.
Tifa nearly gagged. "Oh, man! This is terrible! Ugh!"
"You'd think folks up here'd know better," Barret waved his hand in front of his face. "Guess not, though. I'd love to show 'em what the ones down below look like. Goddamn..."
I pointed at the ceiling. "You were right, Tif. There's an air vent up there. It's gotta go right above the conference room. We can slip inside, crawl over there, and listen in on the meeting."
She flushed the toilet. "Sounds good, but there's no way I'm gonna stand on that thing until we clean it up. It reeks!"
"No shit," Barret chuckled. "I'll give ya a hand, Tifa."
There were towel bins by the sinks, and between that and the soap, Tifa and Barret got the toilet seat and lid cleaned while I stood over by the door and kept watch to make sure no one else came inside. It didn't take long, and when they were finished, I put the lid down, stood atop it, and pulled open the air vent. It was just large enough for us to fit in, though Barret didn't have much room.
I heard him muttering as he crawled in behind me. "Another damn tiny hole we gotta go in. Hate these tight spaces."
"Just relax," I told him. "It's not far."
"Hope you're right, merc," he said as we got moving.
Tifa came last, closing the vent behind her. "The conference room's just across the hall. Deep breaths, Barret."
We crawled slowly through the duct, careful not to make any noise that might alert anyone in the rooms underneath us. After a moment, I saw through the next vent that we were crossing over another office as a pair of Shinra employees talked, their voices low and worried. One of them was holding a phone as I motioned for Barret and Tifa to stop for a minute. I peered out through the vent to listen.
"I'm sure they're safe," the first employee, a man, said.
The woman with the phone sighed as she dialed on it. "But we live right by Sector 7. I keep calling but I can't get through."
The man took her shoulder. "I heard all the phone lines over there are down. It doesn't mean anything. There's also word that Sector 7 was evacuated just before the plate came down. Apparently, someone pretty high up here got wind of what was going on and sent troops to move as many people out as they could."
"Really?" she asked. "Are you sure about that?"
He nodded. "Pretty sure. That's the rumor around here, anyway. So try not to worry, Anna. Your kids'll be fine."
I got moving again, the others following behind me, and hoped the rumor the guy had mentioned was true. None of us spoke at first as we kept crawling through the duct, but when we came to an intersection a few minutes later and paused for a quick break, I turned around to see Barret with a thoughtful expression on his face. The duct had widened a bit, enough that we could maneuver a little.
"I think that guy's right," he said softly, sitting with his back against the wall. "Someone did get people out."
Tifa slid in next to him. "What makes you say that?"
"When Jessie an' I left the bar to protect the pillar, she asked me to go on ahead," he explained. "Said she had somethin' she had to do first. Never told me what it was, though. Jus' asked me to trust her. So I did. An' then she ducked 'round the corner."
It made sense. "Jessie must've still had a friend or two up here. She called to warn them about Shinra's plan."
"And saved a lot of lives by doing it," Tifa added.
"She sure as hell did," Barret agreed. "An' I'm gonna tell her. I want her to know she made a difference."
I did, too. "Yeah. Better get moving, though."
We did, making a left at the intersection to head for the conference room, and a few minutes later, we came to a vent right above it. Looked like we were just in time, too. The directors were still settling into their seats, and all of them were there. Palmer and Heidegger sat on one side of the long mahogany table while Reeve, Scarlet, and Hojo faced them on the other. President Shinra was at the head of the table, sitting like a king in his throne and puffing on a cigar.
"Damn, that's a lotta suits!" Barret whispered.
I nodded as he and Tifa peered with me through the air vent at the meeting. "Yeah. Now shut up so we can hear them."
We watched as President Shinra started things off. "Your report, if you would, Reeve. And make it brief."
"Yes, sir," he said, glancing at a stack of papers in his hands. "I have the damage estimates for Sector 7, and quite frankly, they're staggering. Over ten billion gil. And the casualties—"
"Spare us the doom and gloom," the president interrupted. "And as far as those casualties are concerned, Reeve, you and I will be having a discussion later about that subject. Privately. I know what you did. And I would advise you not to undermine my authority again. It could lead to some rather unfortunate consequences."
Reeve's face paled. "Yes, sir..."
President Shinra took another puff on his cigar. "Good. Now, then. Was there anything else, Reeve?"
He went on. "I've also drafted a reconstruction plan—"
"We're not rebuilding," the president declared.
Reeve stared at him. "Because of the Ancient? With all due respect, sir, I don't see how we can just—"
Scarlet cut him off. "Two words, Reeve. Neo-Midgar."
"With the Ancient in our custody once more, we will leave Sector 7 just as it is," President Shinra said, "and begin the Neo-Midgar project. In their promised land, we will build a new mako-powered metropolis. And it will be ours soon enough."
"But we still don't know if it even—" Reeve began.
As the president dismissed his objection with a wave of his hand, I almost felt sorry for him. Reeve couldn't even finish a sentence because the others kept interrupting him. And what was this about the Sector 7 casualties? What had he done? As curious as I was about it, Aerith was the priority, and they hadn't really discussed her yet. But I knew they'd bring her up directly sooner or later.
"I want you to raise the mako rates in every area," President Shinra ordered. "At least fifteen percent. No less."
Palmer bounced in his seat. "Oh, a rate hike! Please don't forget to include the Space Exploration Division in the budget, sir! It would be a great help to our wonderful program."
President Shinra shook his head. "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase."
"Nuts!" Palmer dropped back into his chair.
"Sir, raising the rates will only discourage people," Reeve protested. "They're already quite high as it is."
The president puffed on his cigar. "Nonsense, Reeve. It will be fine. The people won't lose faith in us. Not with the comfortable living mako energy provides them and their families."
Heidegger laughed. "And of course, we saved them from Avalanche and their allies in Wutai! Such a pity we couldn't do the same for Sector 7. Those terrorists caused a lot of damage."
"Goddamn son of a bitch..." Barret muttered.
I clenched my fist, my own blood boiling at the sight of Heidegger, so close but so out of reach. I wanted to throttle him for what he'd done to Jessie. But I knew this wasn't the time. And that she'd definitely want to help me bring her father down. I felt Tifa's hand on my arm as I took a breath to calm myself. Barret did the same, and we all focused on the meeting and what we had come here to do.
"Professor Hojo," President Shinra said. "How is the girl?"
Hojo adjusted his dark, round glasses. "The test results were within expectations. Although the specimen is somewhat lacking compared to her pureblood mother, she should still more than suffice for our needs. The difference between them is approximately eighteen percent at this time, at least for now. It may change later."
"Can she lead us to the promised land?" the president asked. "And how long will your research take?"
"Well, Mr. President, that remains to be seen," Hojo answered. "It's most likely impossible to complete it within our lifetime. Or that of the specimen, either. Which is why I would like your permission to secure her cooperation through more forceful means. Forceful yet gentle. She is precious and must be handled with care."
Scarlet smiled cruelly. "Personally, I prefer torture. You'll find pain is an excellent motivator. I always have."
"And my armory is at your disposal," Heidegger added.
"I have something more psychological in mind," Hojo said. "Better to scar the psyche than mar the flesh."
President Shinra nodded. "Very well. Do as you see fit, Professor. I trust, however, that you will avoid making the same mistake twice. We cannot afford to lose her. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Hojo grimaced. "But if I may, I have an idea of how we might mitigate that risk. You see, we could breed the Ancient. I have a potential mate already selected, and if that fails, candidates from SOLDIER could be used instead. By having the Ancient reproduce, we could create a specimen that could withstand our research for decades, perhaps even longer. There's no telling what kind of unique properties a crossbred specimen might possess."
"Will it hinder our plans?" the president asked.
Hojo tapped his chin. "That's what I have to determine. The girl is strong, yet has her weaknesses..."
The president glared at him. "You may proceed. So long as you do so with care and keep me informed."
"Of course," Hojo said. "Rest assured, I will break her."
"Like hell you will," I swore softly.
I saw my determination reflected in my friends' eyes. There was no way we were gonna let Hojo put Aerith through that nightmare. Only a sick, twisted bastard like him could've come up with the idea to force a guy on her. And to get her to have a child, no less. All he wanted was to have another Ancient to turn into a lab experiment. But we were gonna stop him and save Aerith. Without a doubt.
"Mr. President!" Reeve argued. "With all due respect, we can't treat the girl as if she's just an animal."
"Why not?" Hojo asked.
Reeve glared at him. "She's a human being, Professor. The same as us. What you're planning... shouldn't be done."
Hojo cackled. "Oh, but it will be."
"Your objection is noted and overruled, Reeve," the president said. "And we will discuss your impropriety in regards to Sector 7 tomorrow morning in my office. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Reeve sighed.
President Shinra nodded. "General Heidegger, what is the status of our operation at Fort Condor?"
"Preparations for an assault are already underway," Heidegger said. "We should have our forces in place in a matter of weeks. That rabble's going to crumble under our firepower!"
"Just be sure you get that materia," Scarlet hissed.
Heidegger snorted. "That worthless chunk of crystal? There's more value in the reactor, I should think. All those fools defending it have to try and stop us with are outdated weapons emplacements from the war and a handful of would-be soldiers."
"Knowing you, that's all they'll need," Scarlet sneered. "Idiot. What you clearly don't understand is that this materia is different from those worthless baubles you can buy on the street."
He narrowed his eyes. "How?"
She went on. "It's a rare type of materia, full of magical power, and only a handful exist in the entire world. If we could obtain even one of these huge crystals, we could use it to develop an unstoppable weapon. No one would dare oppose us then."
"And you're certain that one of them is at Fort Condor?" Heidegger grunted. "One of those... huge materia?"
"Yes," Scarlet said. "Inside the reactor, according to our intelligence reports. When your troops take the fort, make sure they stay put until I arrive. I'll want to have a look around. But do kill that bothersome bird that's made its nest up there. It's in the way."
Hojo glanced at her. "An avian of that immense size would be quite a fascinating specimen. Be sure to have its remains transported here to my lab for study once this messy affair is over."
"Hmph! Very well," Heidegger snorted. "We should be able to take the fort with only a single battalion. A thousand of our soldiers, shock troopers, and hounds, with a detachment of sweepers for support. The pathetic fools won't know what hit them!"
Hojo adjusted his dark glasses. "We have a number of drakes at our disposal as well, General. Might I suggest putting some of them to use? I am eager to analyze their combat capabilities."
"Aerial support?" Heidegger raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... not a bad idea. Fine, then. I'll make the arrangements."
President Shinra stood. "See to it, General. And utilize the Turks if necessary. Just get it done. Is that clear?"
Heidegger nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Then this meeting is adjourned," the president said.
With that, the others all stood up as well, gathering their things as they all began filing out of the room. Reeve sighed and shook his head as he left while Heidegger stroked his beard and followed the president out. Palmer carefully picked up the cup and saucer he'd had in front of him on the table and took a sip as he walked.
"Oh, my..." he said, smacking his lips. "A man of my refined tastes, running out of butter. Not good at all! Without it, this tea might as well be boiled pond water. How terrible!"
Scarlet came last, lingering for a minute after the others were gone. She sniffed and looked up. "Something stinks..."
Once she left, I glanced at Barret and Tifa. "You heard them. They were talking about Aerith."
"Right," Tifa nodded. "Had to be."
"So what's the plan, guys?" Barret asked.
I led the way back to the bathroom. "We follow Hojo. He'll lead us straight to Aerith. Then we break her out."
"Ever met him?" he wondered.
"No," I said, blinking as I struggled to remember. There was a flash of pain in my temple for a moment, and then it was gone. "Never even saw him 'till today. Looks creepy as hell."
We were almost to the vent leading back into the bathroom when I realized it was slightly open. In the dim light, I could just make out two small eyes and what looked like... whiskers? Then I heard the sound of something sliding toward me along the floor of the duct as whoever or whatever our strange visitor was quickly ducked out of sight again. The vent closed before I could get a better look at him.
"What was that?" Tifa asked.
I shook my head. "Dunno. Our little friend, I think. Got a glimpse of him, but not enough to know who he is."
She scooted up next to me. "Helping us out again?"
"Seems that way," I nodded, picking up the small object our unseen ally had sent skidding toward me. "He left us another keycard. Now we can get upstairs and slip into Hojo's lab."
"Then we kill the son of a bitch," Barret rumbled.
I opened the vent. "Gotta break Aerith out first. We'll worry about Hojo, Heidegger, and the rest later."
After climbing back down into the bathroom, I opened the stall to look for our little friend, but he was already gone. Odd little guy, to say the least. And surely not working alone. Someone had sent him to help us—one of Marissa's contacts, no doubt—but who? Had to be someone high up in the ranks, whoever it was. Someone who knew the layout of this place pretty damn well, too.
"How do you think our friend knew we'd be here?" Tifa wondered as she and Barret climbed out of the air duct and we left the bathroom. "Not that I'm ungrateful, of course. But he showed up again right after the meeting and gave us exactly what we needed to keep going. I'm just kinda curious to know how he did it."
I was, too. "He probably knows the interior of this place way better than we do, including how the ducts lead to the conference room. And Domino could've told him we'd be listening in on the meeting. He said he knew who our helper was, remember?"
Tifa nodded. "I think you're right, Cloud. Those two have probably been coordinating with each other this whole time. And with whoever sent us the little guy in the first place."
As we neared the corner of the hall, I peeked around it to see Hojo walking away from the conference room toward another hall at the far end of the area. We crept behind him, carefully keeping our distance as he turned and went up the corridor toward the escalator bay. It was on the right about halfway up, and I could hear him babbling to himself as he swiped his keycard and walked inside.
"We must have answers," he thought aloud. "A simple psychoactive agent should suffice. Nothing likely to cause any long-term damage. As soon as the mating procedure is finished, we can proceed. It should be quite fascinating to meet their offspring."
As soon as the glass doors closed behind him, I motioned to Barret and Tifa to follow me. "Let's go."
"Right behind ya," Barret agreed. "Game time."
The keycard our little friend had given us worked when I swiped it through the reader just as I'd figured it would, and the doors slid open again with a soft hiss. Hojo had already gone upstairs, and we rode the escalator up to the 67th floor after him. There was another pair of glass doors waiting for us at the top. We slipped quietly through them to see Hojo walking down a long corridor that curved to the right. Beckoning to Barret and Tifa, I crept after him.
The walls and floor were all metal here, unlike the black marble of the previous floors. It was all cold and sterile, just like a lab would be. It didn't seem like we'd gotten to the Science Division itself yet, though. I remembered then what Marissa had told us back at Aerith's house, that the security offices were on this level, too.
We found them just a minute or two later. Another hall ran to our right from a three-way intersection ahead of us, with a sign on the wall saying it led up to the security offices and Shinra's private prison block. There were other jails all over Midgar, but I'd never known there'd been one in the Shinra building itself. Didn't really surprise me, though, and I wondered just how many people had simply disappeared in this place over the years. Too many, most likely.
"Think Aerith might be up there?" Barret asked.
I shook my head. "No. She'll be in Hojo's lab. We stay on him. He'll lead us right to her. And then we take her back."
Tifa nodded. "Let's do it."
We moved on, going straight through the intersection and staying a safe distance behind Hojo as he made his way to another door. It slid open for a moment, then closed behind him again as he strode casually into the Science Division. After waiting for a minute to make sure that he wouldn't hear us, we hurried to the door ourselves. It wasn't locked, and it opened once we got close enough.
After heading through and passing several offices and small rooms on our right, we emerged into a larger storage area. Tall stacks of crates sealed with the Shinra logo filled much of the place, and shelves full of bottles, supplies, and other items stood along the walls. But what made my blood turn to ice as we darted quickly behind the nearest cluster of crates was the monsters. Several tall, thick glass cylinders stood amidst the crates throughout the area, with twisted, nightmarish things inside most of them. They were terrible.
Legs, barbed tails, teeth like knives. Other creatures that floated in midair with four arms and six red eyes. Another, huge and misshapen, banging on the glass every now and then with its arms as yellow things like giant ladybugs with eyes bounced lightly in front of it. Fortunately, the glass held, as I knew it must've been designed to do. Still, I couldn't help shuddering as I looked at the monsters.
"Goddamn Shinra..." Barret swore. "Marissa was right."
Tifa swallowed. "I know. Imagine how Jessie felt when she saw this all those years ago. Talk about an eye-opener."
I reached up to touch Jessie's star pendant through the fabric of my tunic for a moment. "Yeah. Couldn't have been easy. But thanks to her, we're ready for it. She came through for us."
"An' we gonna do the same for her," Barret added.
I nodded. "Believe it."
"Cloud, look!" Tifa pointed. "Over there! It's Hojo. But what's he so interested in? Doesn't look like another monster."
I followed her gaze and saw she was right. Hojo and another guy in a lab coat, probably one of his assistants, were standing near one of the glass cylinders. Like all the rest, it stretched up to the ceiling. But what was inside it was, like Tifa had said, not a monster. More like an animal of some kind. I'd never seen anything like it.
The beast was something like a large panther or a wolf with bright reddish-orange fur that was crisscrossed with old scars. One ran down through where the creature's right eye had once been. The lid was shut, but the wound had never really healed. The animal's other eye was still there, though. It was bright yellow and ignored Hojo and his aide. The spiky tufts of fur on the beast's head and growing along its spine were a dark red, and some of that odd mane hung down from either side of its neck in a pair of neat tails adorned with feathers.
The beast had been branded with the insignia "XIII" across its left shoulder along with some kind of marking. Both had been burned into its fur along with other marks on its hind legs around the knees. There was also a small gold bracer around each of its legs just above its paws. But the oddest thing was the continually burning flame at the tip of its long tail. It didn't seem hurt by it at all.
"Is this the specimen for today?" the assistant asked.
Hojo nodded, his greedy eyes on the animal. "Yes. We're beginning the procedure immediately, so make certain that the testing chamber is prepared. His partner, shall we say, is already there. Have him returned upstairs to join her as soon as possible."
The assistant nodded. "Understood, Professor."
"My rare and precious specimen..." Hojo murmured, gazing at the strange beast in the glass cylinder.
The animal ignored him, and he left, making his way to an elevator in the back of the room while his assistant hurried over to a larger one nearby and started working on it. That must've been how he was gonna send the animal upstairs. A specialized lift for the creatures Hojo made and collected in this twisted place. Once both he and his assistant were gone, we walked out to get a closer look.
Tifa laid her hand on the glass and gazed softly at the panther-like beast. "Poor thing. He doesn't seem so bad. You really think he's gonna be used in a lab experiment, Cloud?"
"Seems that way," I said.
Barret grimaced. "Not if I got anythin' to say 'bout it."
Tifa looked at me. "Can we help him?"
I nodded. "Let's get Aerith out first. Then we'll see what we can do for him. I doubt he'd mind being set free."
"Thanks, Cloud," she smiled.
"Sure," I said. "And don't forget, we've gotta—"
I cut myself off, my eyes widening when I saw a metal dome on the other side of the room almost directly across from the red-furred beast and its glass prison. The dome was about eight or nine feet tall, with all kinds of tubes running into it and a single door, sealed tight. A wicked purple glow shone through the window, and below it was a plaque with just one word on it, one I knew all too well.
"Jenova..." I breathed.
Tifa stood up. "Cloud? Are you okay?"
But I barely heard her. My feet moved almost on their own toward the dome as a heavy weight seemed to slam down in my mind, pulling me inexorably forward until I reached the door. With one hand resting on the valve wheel mounted on it just below the window, I stood up on my toes to look at what was lurking inside.
It was roughly in the shape of a woman, but that was the only thing about it that looked even remotely human. Its skin was grayish-purple and mottled, with two red, ragged wings sprouting from its back. More pulsing red tubelike organs surrounded it, with a large one penetrating the monster's abdomen like a feeding tube, and something that looked like a large eyeball was embedded in the right side of its chest. Another floated amidst the fleshy organs next to it. But the strangest thing of all was that the monster's head was simply gone.
I let go of the door and staggered back, my eyes fixed on the dome. "Jenova... Sephiroth's... so she's here..."
"Cloud!" Tifa took my shoulder. "Stay strong!"
"Did you see it?" I asked.
Barret scratched his head. "See what?"
"Damn thing's still alive," I said, still gazing at the dome containing Jenova. "I saw it moving in there..."
"What is it?" Tifa asked, worry in her eyes.
I sighed. "A nightmare..."
Barret walked up to the door and looked through the window. Just a second later, he swore and shook his head. "The hell!? Creep's missin' its goddamn head! More Shinra bullshit!"
"Bet your ass it is," I nodded. "They dug her up years ago."
"How do you know that?" Tifa asked.
I straightened as I began to feel like myself again. "I just do, Tif. I'll explain later. It's a pretty long story. But what I started to say before was that we need to find Lena's medicine."
"Yeah," Barret agreed. "Oughta be 'round here. Let's find it an' keep movin'. Aerith's waitin' for us upstairs."
We spread out, searching the crates and shelves for those bottles as the furred animal in its glass prison watched us. Fortunately, we didn't run into anyone else, and I figured they must be preparing to start that experiment Hojo had been talking about.
I found the medicine halfway up the third set of shelves I checked. The bottles were smaller than I'd expected and had been stored inside a cold case. With their sealed caps, they were clearly meant for injection, so I grabbed a box of syringes and swabs along with some of the bottles as I called to the others. Once we'd gathered as much as we could carry in our belt pouches and pockets, we hurried to the elevator in the back, the one Hojo had used, and slipped inside.
There wasn't any need to say anything. We all knew what to do and what was at stake. So while Barret checked his ammo and Tifa adjusted her fighting gloves, I pressed the button for the 68th floor, took a deep breath, and got ready to rescue Aerith.