Jessie stood alone in the pillar.
I was a helpless, invisible observer this time, watching as she ducked behind one of the concrete columns and tossed a raspberry at the feet of a group of Shinra soldiers rushing toward her from the far side of the area. They stopped, glancing down just in time to get an explosion to the face. It hurled them to the floor with a deafening blast that drowned out their startled shouts. They didn't get back up.
Jessie walked across the floor, grinning and admiring her handiwork. "How'd you guys like that? Thinking of tweaking my design a bit, making it a bit more potent. Thanks for being my guinea pigs! Got a couple more prototypes if any of your friends show up."
As soon as the words had left her mouth, a sudden breeze swept over the area as a Shinra chopper suddenly flew up from below, its headlights blindingly bright as they swept across her. Jessie whirled around, saw the triple gun barrel mounted under the hull, and her eyes widened. She had just enough time to dive back behind the column before the chopper fired at her, bullets chasing her the entire distance and chewing a trail into the concrete floor right behind her feet.
Jessie looked cautiously past the edge of her cover at the chopper, her brown eyes determined as she stood with her back to the column. "Okay, you bastards. Ready for some shock therapy?"
When she lifted her right arm, I saw she was wearing the iron bangle she'd bought, the Lightning materia fitted neatly into the single slot. Jessie locked her eyes on her target, concentrating on the magic just the way I'd taught her—even though in the waking world, I hadn't done it yet—then stepped out into the open just long enough to unleash a forking blue bolt of electricity at the helicopter. It struck the side of the hull with a sizzling blast that threw the whole thing back for a moment.
Jessie darted behind the column again, and when she opened her belt pouch and took out one of her purple grenades, fear raced through me as I felt my heart constricting in my chest. I wanted to warn her, to stop her somehow, but all I could do was watch, a prisoner of this horrible dream, this vision of a future I hoped would never happen.
"Time to get serious," Jessie muttered, eyeing the chopper as it hovered near the side of the pillar. "Today's your unlucky day, boys, because when I aim for a target, I never miss!"
Speeding away from the column, she had to run again as the chopper opened fire, bullets following after her until she reached the next column and rolled behind it. A moment later, Jessie spun back out into the open, pulled the pin from her grenade, and reached back her arm to throw it as hard and as fast as she could.
At the same time, the chopper flew right toward her, almost touching the outer wall below the guardrail as it fired again, catching Jessie just as she let go of the raspberry. She cried out in pain as bullets ripped into her arm and shoulder and drove her back. One of the chopper's shots caught the grenade just a few seconds later, inadvertently setting it off early, and I saw Jessie's eyes widen just as it exploded.
The blast threw her hard to the floor, spinning her around as it blew up the front of the chopper at the same time. The machine crumpled like a tin can, careening out of control. Jessie landed on her stomach, burned and bleeding, and tried to crawl away as the ruined helicopter fell toward her. But she was too badly hurt, her right arm practically useless and her thigh bleeding where it had been impaled by shrapnel.
Jessie screamed and tried to drag herself away with her good arm as the chopper collapsed on top of her, exploding with the impact. A broken rotor, blown off in the blast, stabbed through her lower back until it burst out of her stomach, stopping her escape attempt in its tracks as a shower of rubble, hull fragments, and other debris finished the job.
Lying on her side, her entire lower body buried under the smoldering wreckage of the destroyed chopper, Jessie let out a soft, weak chuckle, as if defying the excruciating pain she must've been feeling. Blood poured out of her onto the floor, pooling under her as flames burned across the area. She winced, her laughter clearly hurting her as much as the jagged pieces of burnt plating and metal beams piled upon her.
"Guess I... bit off... more than I could chew... this time. Well, I took you boys... down with me... at least. I always knew... this could happen. But it's... okay. With... all I've done... I don't mind... that I'm gonna die. I just wish... I could see him again. Cloud..."
Her energy spent, Jessie sighed and waited for death, her brown eyes still open. If I could've reached out to her, I would've. But I couldn't. I met her dying gaze as the dream began to fade around me, and even as I felt myself being pulled toward wakefulness, I didn't look away. My eyes held hers even though she couldn't see me, and I kept looking until hers finally closed and darkness swallowed everything.
— — — — — — —
I jerked awake, sitting up with a gasp as my eyes flew open and my heart raced with fear and adrenaline. At first, I didn't even know where I was. The dream had, again, been so real, like I'd actually been there. I just sat there for a moment as I gradually took in my surroundings and struggled to calm myself down.
I was in Jessie's house, in her bed, the soft blanket and sheets warm against my skin. She was asleep next to me, lying partly on her side and facing away from me, as gorgeous in the dim light peeping in from the window as she'd always been. Her bare back had gotten uncovered a bit when I had sat up, and the sight of it stirred my blood as I remembered our passionate lovemaking from earlier in the night.
It had been a wonderful, amazing experience that we'd shared, and I felt closer to Jessie than I had before. We were part of each other now. What had happened between us tonight made me more determined to save her than ever, even though I still wasn't sure how to do it. She had promised me she wouldn't enter the pillar, but I knew I couldn't rely on that alone. If the dreams were true, something was going to happen up there, something so dark and terrible that breaking her promise to me was the only way she could see to stop it.
I shivered, not wanting to know what could possibly cause Jessie to do that but at the same time needing to know so I could find some way to protect her. I didn't want to lose her, especially not now, not after all we'd done and shared together in the past two days. The thought of her dying up there in the tower like she had in the dream, lying in my arms as her life faded away, was like a knife in my heart.
Laying down again, I slid up next to Jessie, putting an arm around her and laying the other one atop the pillow. I needed to have her near me at that moment, to feel her alive and strong. As I put my hand over hers, I pressed her lightly against me, seeing again in my mind the fire, devastation, and death that had haunted my sleep the past two nights. I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't.
Jessie stirred after a minute or so, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, there, handsome. Trouble sleeping?"
"Bad dream," I sighed.
"Wanna talk about it?" she asked, turning over to face me.
I took her fully into my arms and held her there as she snuggled up to me, her head on my shoulder. "No. Just stay close to me."
"Always," Jessie promised.
We lay together like that for a while, and I could feel her heart as it beat strongly and steadily in her chest, a welcome reminder of just how alive she still was. The warmth of Jessie's body felt good, but even with her there, sliding her hand lightly over my chest in little circles, my fear and doubt still lingered. Dreaming of her death a second time in just as many nights had shaken me.
The touch of her mouth on mine stirred me from my thoughts, her moist lips filling me with warmth. I buried my hand in Jessie's hair and returned the kiss, glad for her company tonight. If I'd been alone when I'd had that dream, I don't know what I would've done. Her lips locked and unlocked with mine, slowly, tenderly, softly, not backing away but not pushing forward, either.
She was letting me set the pace, I realized. If I wanted more, it was there, but if I didn't, she was fine with that, too. Jessie had caught on to my mood effortlessly. We lay there together, our hands resting on each other's faces as our mouths touched and moved against each other ever so lightly until our eyes opened and met again.
"You know," Jessie whispered. "I have something to help you relax. If you're up for it, that is."
I sighed. "Not sure I'd be good right now."
She stroked my cheek. "And that's why you need it, SOLDIER boy. You let me handle this, alright?"
"Sure," I agreed. "Thanks, Jessie."
"Anytime, Cloud," she touched her lips to mine. "Now you just get comfy and let me take all your cares away."
Knowing exactly what she meant, I rolled onto my back as she got up and settled herself on top of me, a soft moan escaping her lips when she was firmly in place. Despite how I'd doubted my ability to perform in my current state, my body had responded hungrily to her touch and her kisses and was more than ready for her.
Before she began to move, Jessie leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on my mouth. "Don't hold back, okay? Just let it all out. Rest in me for a while. I'll be your shelter from the storm."
I nodded, and she sat up again as my hands reached for her chest. I held onto her as she started moving, slowly at first to get us going. But then she started picking up speed, mewling in delight at the sensations rolling through her as I kneaded and rubbed and the pressure built up inside me. I groaned, moving along with her now as my fingers drifted around to her back before going further down, guiding her movements but not controlling them. Jessie had free reign over me.
As I went faster and faster, she kept up without a hitch, her hands flat on my chest as her own shook and her head tilted back. I felt some of her long auburn hair brush against my fingers as it bounced around her with every move she made. When her grip on me tightened almost painfully and her cries began to escalate both in pitch and volume, I sat up, still moving, enfolded her in my arms, and began exchanging kisses with her, our lips and tongues melding together.
Jessie clamped her legs around my waist as she kept moving, and I knew she was close. I wasn't that far off, either, and as our passion drew near the edge, the feel of it all, of Jessie and the things she was doing to me, blotted out everything else from my mind. I felt as if I was floating, carrying her with me, and I pushed myself into her even faster, as if by bringing us to the summit and breaking past that threshold, I could rip my doubts and fears away.
I lost myself in Jessie, clinging tightly to her as she clung to me, our mouths closing firmly over each other and our voices growing in pitch and volume the closer we got to the brink. The fire she was bringing to me was a blazing affirmation of life, which she'd carefully nurtured and grown within her until it was ready to burst.
Seconds later, it did.
Jessie whipped her head back, a long, loud cry escaping her lips as her body twitched and spasmed and her nails dug into my shoulders. I heard her say something like my name just a moment before my brain imploded and I followed after her, my voice almost a match for hers as I let loose inside her before I could even think to pull her off me. Jessie brought her lips crashing into mine as we held onto each other, and we shared one passionate kiss after another as we trembled in the throes of release and didn't let go until it was over.
"Jessica..." I panted, as out of breath as she was.
She smiled. "Looks like... you did just fine... SOLDIER boy..."
I pulled her gently back down to the pillows with me, keeping her in my arms as we laid there together. "Thanks. I guess you were right. I needed that after all."
"Feel better now?" Jessie curled up against me.
"Yeah," I said. "A little. Sorry I didn't get out in time, though. That's twice now. I hope it won't, uh... complicate things."
Jessie playfully tapped my nose. "It'll be fine, don't worry."
"You sure?" I asked.
She laughed. "Yep. I, um... picked up a bottle of morning after pills from the store a few days ago. Just in case."
I smirked. "You do plan ahead."
"I like to be ready for anything," Jessie teased.
"No kidding," I agreed.
She took a long, deep breath, let it out, and brushed her lips across my cheek. "Nothing like fantastic sex with a cute and horny redhead to cure whatever ails ya. Am I right?"
"As rain," I said. "What about you?"
Jessie winked. "Me? Blond spikes and bright baby blues."
I kissed her. "Did it help?"
"Some," she sighed. "But the truth is, the pain'll come back, sooner or later. It always does."
"I'll listen if you wanna talk," I told her.
Jessie nestled her head against my shoulder. "Another time, Cloud. I just want to enjoy tonight, okay?"
I nodded. "Sure. Me too."
"Well, I guess we'd better some sleep," she yawned. "Mind being my pillow? You're just so cozy..."
"Thought I already was," I nudged her closer to me.
Jessie giggled. "Smart boy! Now, off to sleep with ya. And don't you worry. I'll keep those bad dreams away."
After sharing one more kiss with her, I let my eyes slide closed as I listened to her breathing grow softer and more regular. The sound was almost hypnotic, gradually lulling me to sleep as I laid there on my side with Jessie still wrapped in my arms, the gentle weight of her body like an anchor that kept me grounded and secure.
When I slept, I didn't dream again.
— — — — — — —
After meeting at the bar in the morning and having some breakfast together, we all headed downstairs for the meeting. Marlene went with us, playing with her dolls while we sat at the conference table. I'd made an extra pot of coffee to bring with us since not everyone seemed to be entirely awake, myself included. It was early, just before 8:00, so I didn't really blame them. I'd always liked being up at this hour, but I wouldn't have minded us having the meeting later, either.
Across from me, Wedge yawned as he munched on his third round of toast, and beside him, Biggs sipped his coffee while I took a drink of my own, its warmth and sweetness filling my belly. He preferred his to be black, but I liked cream and sugar in mine. Plain just didn't suit me, I guess. When our eyes met and we exchanged a smile, I felt a butterfly float lazily in my stomach.
Lena sat next to Wedge, having insisted on being here, if only to be a support to him and her brother. She shared my misgivings about the bombings but also our hatred of Shinra. Biggs had tried to keep her out of the meeting at first in order to protect her from any potential fallout that might come at us because of our activities, but she hadn't budged. In the end, he'd given up, though he still wasn't happy about it. Wedge, predictably, had come in on her side.
Next to me was Jessie with her own steaming mug of coffee sitting in front of her. She couldn't seem to stop smiling, and she let out a soft little giggle every so often whenever she would glance toward Cloud. It was cute, and I knew well enough what it meant. He hadn't come back to the bar last night but had stayed with her again, and while she hadn't said anything about it, I'd have bet good money that Cloud hadn't slept on the floor this time. The happy glow on Jessie's face was practically a dead giveaway. She could've lit up the whole sector.
Cloud sat on her other side, and I was happy he had joined us this time instead of keeping to himself by the wall like he usually did. It felt like he was really starting to become part of the group. No doubt Jessie had a hand in that, but I like to think I did, too. His face was, as always, expressionless for the most part, but every now and then when his gaze fell on Jessie, his eyes would soften ever so slightly.
At one end of the table stood Barret, and once the rest of us had all settled in, he got our attention. "Awright, people. Next mission's comin' up soon. We hittin' Mako Reactor 5 in five days. Got some preppin' we need to do in the meantime, though. Puttin' the bomb together, gettin' the layouts, that sorta thing. Jessie?"
She nodded. "I've got some C4 and other stuff left over from when I made the bomb for the first mission, but I'll still have to get hold of a new chip. I'll need it to make the next one work, especially considering what I'm planning to do with it."
"What've you got in mind?" Cloud asked.
"Back in Reactor 1, we had to run our asses off to escape the blast. I don't wanna go through that again, and I don't think anyone else here does, either. So I'm gonna make this one with a remote detonator. That way we can set it off after we leave."
Barret grinned. "Damn good idea, Jessie!"
"You're not thinkin' of knockin' off some other gang, are ya?" Biggs grimaced. "That didn't turn out out too well with Vice."
"No, I'm not," Jessie shook her head.
He sighed in relief. "Good. So where are you gettin' it?"
Jessie smirked. "We've got a much bigger target this time. There's a large Shinra warehouse on the Sector 7 plate. It's a storage facility for a lot of their weapons and technology. I was going to get the chip for the first reactor from there before I found out that Vice had one, but since they're history, the warehouse is our best bet."
"You gotta be shittin' me," Biggs gaped. "You do know those places are guarded by like, a small army, right?"
"Which is why you guys are gonna be my decoys," she winked.
Wedge blinked. "Say again?"
Barret took over. "While Jessie an' Cloud slip into the warehouse to steal that chip, the three of us'll keep them Shinra dogs busy out front, cause enough ruckus to buy Jessie time to find what she's lookin' for an' get the hell outta there. Cloud, you watch her back jus' in case she runs into any trouble on the inside."
"Done," he agreed, folding his arms in front of him.
"While I'm in there," Jessie went on. "I'm also gonna see what I can find in the main computer. It should have direct access to the network, and by going in from one of Shinra's own systems, it should be easier to find us the blueprints for Reactor 5."
Cloud nodded. "When are we going?"
"Tonight. Shinra hasn't updated their security scanners yet, so our ID's should still be good. We'll take the 9:00 train to get up to the plate. The warehouse shouldn't be as heavily guarded at that hour. And after we've got what we need from there, we'll meet up at a vacant lot nearby, slip back to the station, and take the next train home."
"Last train leaves at 10:00," Barret reminded us. "So we'd best be on it. Don't want none of ya gettin' left behind. Soon as Jessie sends us the signal, we'll fall back to the station."
Biggs glanced at him. "What's the signal?"
Taking a sip of her coffee, Jessie explained. "A flare. I'll send one up as soon as Cloud and I are in position. And after we're done, I'll fire off another to let you guys know."
"Understood. Thought only Shinra employees could get into those places, though. Least that's what I've heard."
"You're right, Biggs," Jessie looked at her mug. "But it's okay."
Wedge scratched his chin. "You sure, Jessie?"
She sighed. "Yeah. I... I can get us in. Don't worry about it. I know what I've gotta do."
"Gonna hack your way in there?" Barret asked.
"Something like that," Jessie looked up, put her smile back in place, and wagged her finger. "Just leave it to me! I am our resident computer genius, after all. I can fool the ID check easily enough."
What was bothering her? I hadn't missed how smoothly Jessie had changed her mood. She'd been an actress, and although the mention of needing a Shinra employee to get into the warehouse had momentarily caught her off guard, she had recovered quickly, slipping on a cheerful mask to hide the pain the subject had caused her.
"Good enough," Barret rumbled. "After we get tonight's work done, we'll start hashin' out a more detailed plan for our attack on Reactor 5. Any questions, people?"
"I want in," Lena insisted.
Biggs and Wedge both gaped at her. "What!?"
She looked right back at them, her hazel eyes firm. "You heard me. I want to go with you guys to the warehouse."
"No way!" Biggs argued. "It's bad enough you're even here!"
"And it's too dangerous!" Wedge added.
Lena shot to her feet, both hands gripping the table. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not some helpless twit! I can handle myself in a fight. I'm just as good a shot with a gun as you are, Biggs. Not to mention all the hand-to-hand skills you've taught me."
Barret gazed thoughtfully at her. "What's your angle, girl?"
"You know Biggs and I grew up down here. Wasn't easy, especially after Mom died and we got put in the orphanage. All we've had is each other. I didn't know what you guys were really doing until recently, and I know why he tried to keep me out of it at first. But I can't just sit here while the two men I care about most in the world are risking their lives to make things better for everyone."
"We just didn't want you getting hurt," Wedge took her hand. "It's a guy thing, you know."
She smiled at him. "I do, Wedge."
I knew exactly how she felt. "You sure about this, Lena?"
"Positive," she answered. "I've been in my share of scrapes with the local monsters. They lurk around the outskirts of Sector 5 just like they do here, and I spend time taking them out when I'm not working over at the orphanage. And I've got a bone to pick with Shinra as well. They let Mom get sick and die because they won't do a thing about the mako fumes, so I've been itching for some payback."
Barret nodded. "Awright. Consider yourself in."
"Thanks!" Lena grinned.
"Welcome aboard!" Jessie laughed. "It's nice to have another girl in the group. Gotta even the odds, you know."
Lena sat back down. "Glad to tip the balance, Jessie."
"Consider it tipped!" she giggled.
"We're happy to have you with us, Lena," I smiled. "No matter what that no good brother of yours says."
"Thanks, Tifa," she chuckled. "I'll do my part, I promise."
Biggs sighed. "You sure about this?"
Lena smirked and gave his shoulder a light punch. "Completely. I'll be fine, Biggs. You worry too much."
"About you? No shit. You're my baby sister, Lena."
"Not a baby anymore," she pointed out.
He glanced from her to Wedge. "Ain't that the truth..."
"Relax!" Lena said. "I'll bring you boys back home safe and sound. I guarantee it. It'll be just like the Train Graveyard!"
"Oh, not that..." Biggs muttered.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"
He glanced at his sister for a moment, then explained. "Lena and I used to play there when we were kids. All the time. Drove Mom crazy, back when she was still alive. That place was creepy as hell. Still is, you know. Anyway, we'd sneak in through the fence by the train station late at night, lookin' for ghosts and such."
"I loved it," Lena continued. "It was like candy to me. So much fun crawling into the abandoned cars to see what was there. Biggs wasn't as into it as I was, though. It always scared him. But not me. Until one day when I was seven, that is."
"What happened?" I asked.
Biggs shivered. "We got separated. Damn place was dark except for an eerie blue glow here and there. Quiet, too. I called out for her, but at first she didn't answer. Then I did hear her, but she sounded strange, as if it she were talking all slow and spooky, you know? So I followed her, or at least what I thought was her. Even saw something that looked like her, leading me further inside."
"Whoa..." Jessie breathed. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Was climbin' inside one of the empty cars toward the ruined station house when Lena—the real Lena—suddenly came runnin' over from the other side of the tracks like mad and pulled at me just as a fog swirled over everything. I couldn't move, though. I was scared shitless. And at first, she couldn't either. But after a moment, she snapped out of it, grabbed my arm, and got me movin'. We hauled ass through the mist and across the graveyard as fast as we could."
All of us were listening intently, even Cloud, as Lena took over. "It was cold as we ran, like ice in the air, which was strange because it had been a pretty warm night before we had gone in there. I'd wanted to see some ghosts, and Biggs had tagged along to keep me out of trouble. As it turned out, though, I was the one who ended up saving him. We had run off in the right direction, but as we moved, we saw a swarm of dark shapes, like blobs with arms, behind us."
"They flew like a wind from hell," Biggs said. "I can still remember it clear as day. Cloaks, three fingers on each hand. Never did get a look at their faces, if they had any. Damn glad for that, though. Anyway, me and Lena finally got back to the fence and dove right through the hole we'd made in it earlier to get inside the graveyard in the first place. The ghosts or whatever the hell they were didn't follow us, but me and Lena kept on running all the way back to Sector 5. After that, we never went back to the Train Graveyard again."
"I can see why," I shuddered. "It would've scared me, too."
Biggs nodded. "Lena saved my ass that day, Tif. If she hadn't shown up when she did, I'd have probably gone further into the graveyard and never been heard from again."
Barret let out a low whistle. "I'd heard stories about the place, but I thought they was bullshit, people jus' tryin' to get attention. That sorta thing. Think they might be true after all?"
"Maybe," Lena reflected. "I don't know. But in any case, something's in there. Something very strange..."
I swallowed, not liking the sound of that. I'd passed that eerie place dozens of times in the years that I'd lived in Midgar, and I'd never liked it. It felt... old, otherworldly, and as Biggs had said, creepy. Fortunately, I didn't think I'd have to worry about ever getting stuck in there trying to find my way out. There wasn't anything that could've possibly gotten me to set foot inside the Train Graveyard.
At least, not yet.