Chapter 4: Reality Collides
 

Fort Condor 5:57
Hamilton stood at the head of the Supreme General Table. After the last battle, the Commanders who had showed exceptional bravery and tactical skill had been hand-picked by Hamilton for his personal advisors. Although they lacked extensive experience, many of them had a lot of potential and they regarded him with awe.
The reason for their promotion was simple, and a direct result of an order from Cloud: ‘Stay alive, Hamilton.’
And so it was the Supreme Tables task to make Fort Condor into an impregnable fortress of humankind.
“Gentlemen.” acknowleged Hamilton as he sat down. “May I please inroduce Zanzer of the Condor Bio-Chemisrty Division.”
He sat down again as the white-haired eccentric walked into the room.
“Good day.” said Zanzer. “I am Zanzer of the Bio-Chemistry Department. I’m here today to present the theorum my friend, Nicholas Voulge, has presented me with. From my point of view it is quite flawless and I believe him to be correct.”
Da-Li, a Wutai Veteran, raised his hand. “Why is this... Nicholas... not here to show us his find.”
Zanzer looked pained. “He has been infected with the Cancer, and although it is certain he has a long time left, he does not trust himself among such distinguished officers.”
Da-Li shurgged. “Very well. Continue.”
“Nicholas remained puzzled as to how Sephiroth returned from the Lifestream. As you know the Lifestream is quite sentient, and the probabily of it bringing Sephiroth back to cause it’s own destruction is effectively zero. Therefore, we have to look toward the possibility that when Sephiroth died his soul did not return to the Planet.”
Three or four hands raised questions at that. Zanzer looked at Da-Li first.
“Yes, General?”
“Where did Sephiroth go, then?”
There was a murmur of agreement. Zanzer did not wait for them to settle, instead he answered almost immeadiatly.
“I am getting to that, but you must be patient.” said Zanzer, slightly annoyed. “To unravel this mystery we must first go back in time, to when the Ancients roamed and cultivated the Planet. At this time, something fell out of the sky-”
General Anderson said: “Jenova, correct.”
“Yes. And next time, don’t interrupt me. Anyway, according to the records, Jenova fell from space and caused widespread destruction. Reports on Jenova are vague, and it is unknown whether it is an actual woman or a collective individual. I seculate that it is somewhere in between.”
He waited for a full minute before speaking again.
“Only when her body was broken into several pieces did she stop her systematic assimilation of the Planet. And even then, she was not defeated. Jenova went into a dormant state and remains in that way.”
General Stanner stood up, puzzled. “Excuse me, but I do not see the point in this-”
Hamilton stopped him. “Sit, General. Everything will become clear in time.” He turned toward Zanzer. “I presume this is true?”
Zanzer nodded furiously. “Of course. As I was saying, Jenova herself remains in a dormant state, but the Cancer that she spreads through living things remains very much alive. It is this Cancer that corrupted many places, such as Junon, Mount. Nibel and the North Crater. The North Crater is where Jenova fell to the Planet many years ago and still infests today.”
“I’m with you.” said Hamilton. “Just.”
“Well, I’m almost finished.” said Zanzer. “Listen to me: if what my friend says is true, then we can presume one thing, which is based on pure fact.”
“Which is?” asked Da-Li.
“Well, we already know that Lifestream has a destructive influence on Jenova. When Grissom summoned Lifestream everything that was Jenova-infested was totally cleansed. So why not the other way?”
“What?” came a voice from the back.
“I mean, why can’t Jenova have a destructive influence on Lifestream?”
Hamilton shrugged. “I don’t know. Is any of this relevant?”
“Of course it’s relevant!” the old man cried. “If Jenova has an influence over Lifestream, then that means it can corrupt it. And that means-”
Anderson interrupted him, finally getting the idea. “A Jenova Lifestream.”
“Exactly. A Jenova Lifestream. And that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“How Sephiroth returned.” Zanzer said triumphantly. “How he was able to return. Instead of going to the Lifestream, his soul simply went to the Jenova Lifestream.”
He waited for a brief second, as the hands shot up all around the table.
Anderson raised a large hand. “Excuse me, but what significance does this have?”
“What?!” Zanzer  couldn’t believe he had just heard that. “It changes everything we’ve ever thought about the Planet! Everything is completely different! For starters, it means that Jenova is immeasurably more powerful than we had previously imagined! It also explains how they move: the vortex is some kind of rupture caused by the Jenova Lifestream!”
Zanzer calmed down and Hamilton asked the next question. “But why did he come back? What is he hoping to achieve by spreading the Cancer?”
Zanzer could only shrug. “ I have no idea. Obviously, it has something to do with Jenova. Maybe he trying to bring about the Jenova Reunion? Or... perhaps he is trying to bring his mother back from the dead-”
At this there was a strangled cry from the back. Everyone looked behind them to see what had happened.
General Aeronnist stood silently at the table, his hands shaking slightly. Da-Li looked at him contemptuously.
“What is it?”
“Sephiroth.” said Aeronnist slowly. “He’s trying to bring about the Apocalypse.”

-
“I want to hear it all this time.” said Hamilton. “And slower this time.”
Aeronnist nodded. “Ok... well, I used to live in Gongaga. After the Mako Explosion many years ago, my people decided to try and live in harmony with nature. At school, they used to teach us the ways of the Ancients, and study how they cared for the Planet. One of the things about the Cetra that we had to study was their prophecies, many of which have come true.”
“And you read that Sephiroth was to try and revive his mother on a prophecy?” asked Da-Li.
“Not exactly.” Aeronnist answered. “But in their final days the Ancients said that upon the awakening of Jenova, the Day of Final Judgement would begin.”
“And the Day of Final Judgement is...?” asked General Anderson.
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Aeronnist. “The Apocalypse: the Final battle between Good and Evil.”
“Or, to put it bluntly, Jenova and the Lifestream.” said Zanzer excitedly. “Yes, it all makes sense now.”
Hamilton gripped Aeronnist’s arm tightly. “Will the Lifestream win?”
“I... I don’t know.”

Ecos Cell 118 6:09
Yuffie came back from the Colleseum thoroughly annoyed.
What’s  more, she was scared out of her wits.
The last three battles had been easy. But they were getting steadily harder. And she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. She was feeling faint enough as it was.
Gasping heavily, she sat down on the floor next to Ariken. He looked at her briefly.
“Tough fight?”
“Nah, not really. But the lack of sleep is really getting to me.”
He nodded. “It hasn’t even got bad yet. Wait until you fight your twentieth battle.”
She gaped at him. “You survived twenty battles?”
“Uh-huh. The Don got bored so they just stuck me in here. I guess I won too many for my own good.”
“I guess so. How did you win?”
He shifted about uncomfortably. “I was about as ruthless as you can get. When I was pitted against my friends... I... slaughtered them. Because I believed one thing:   It was either my death, or theirs. There was no alternative.” He turned to face her, a solemn look on his face. “When the time comes, what will it be? Your friend’s deaths or your own.”
Yuffie shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“You better be. Because when the time comes you’ll need to act. And act fast.”

-
Ecos Colleseum 6:23
Anthony and seven of his Elites were ushered into the stadium, where they were each handed a heavy pistol. Anthony checked the ammunition clip. Twelve bullets.
The doors on the other side opened and seven men in bright blue uniforms entered.
Shin-Ra soldiers.
Anthony didn’t know how they got in here, and to be honest he didn’t care. He waited until they had been given their pistols before turning to his men.
“I want all of you to take a defensive position around the barricades. We’ll move forward upon my command. Engage in hand-to-hand when your ammo runs out.”
All seven nodded. Anthony grimaced. They were good men.
“FIGHT!”
Anthony raised his pistol, shooting three of his bullets in cover fire before he and the Elites scattered and hid in the barricades.
The return salvo rippied through the air, and to the left of him an Elite fell down. He groaned, then lay still.
Standing up, Anthony took aim at a vulnerable Shin-Ra and fired off a few rounds. The man collapsed on the floor and did not get up.
“Move forward!” he shouted.
The Elites ran to the next barrier in one fluid movement. Throwing himself down, Anthony counted his and the enemy’s losses: two of the Elites were dead, while the Shin-Ra losses numbered around six. He estimated that four of them remained.
“Charge!” he screamed. He raised himself up and rushed toward the enemy, firing madly. Another two enemy soldiers fell down. There was a curse behind him as someone else fell dead.
Reaching the last two Shin-Ra, he chucked his gun away and threw himself down in a flying tackle. Punching the nearest soldier in the throat, he felt the man’s windpipe collapse and knew that he would be dead in a few minutes. He turned his attention to his other opponent, but a bullet had already finished him off. Standing up victorious, Anthony raised his hands and grinned.
“Well done, boys.”
He looked round and his smile faded. He saw only one Elite left out of seven. Two more lay injured on the floor.
He grimaced. This was taking its toll.
Slowly but surely, they would all end up dead.

-
Ecos Cell 119 6:33
“Screw you.” shouted Cid at the Guard.
Slowly, the thug turned round, a smirk on his face.
“Yeah, old man? You wanna mess with me?”
Cid said nothing. He was gonna kick this guys arse long and hard.
The thug grinned again. “Don’t fuck with me, Grandpa. I had a real bad day.”
Cid swung his leg up into the dusty floor, spraying sand into the mercenary’s face. He spluttered, then muttered an angry curse.
“You really shouldn’t have done that, Gramps.” He moved over and released the chains on Cid’s arms. “Come on, give me what you got.”
The man threw a wild punch, then gasped in shock when his fist connected with air. Then, from behind him, a steel avalanche seemed to connect with his face and he went down sucking air heavily while blood streamed from his broken nose.
“Yeah?” shouted Cid. “Com’on, get up!”
The thug overcame his momentary surprise and staggered to his feet. He swung a leg at Cid.
There was the satisfying crunch of broken bone as Cid caught the kick and snapped the limb in two. With a scream, the man collapsed on the floor, sobbing loudly.
“Yer not so tough.” Cid spat in his face. A few metres away three men were running toward him shouting. A siren started to go off.
“Oops” muttered Cid.
The first man drew a gun out of his holster and aimed it at Cid’s head.
“You’ll pay for that.” he grunted.
Cid closed his eyes and waited for the end.
However, it never came.
The thug let out a choked gurgle, then collapsed to the floor in two pieces. The other men sat there, stunned, as both of their heads were lopped off.
Cid sat in a dazed confusion whilst all around him the shackles of the other prisoners snapped off. Cid’s own chains broke, then fell off.
There was a bright flash, then a man was standing in the exit.
“Long time, no see, Cid.” said Cloud, smiling.
“Shit! Cloud! You ain’t dead!”
“Nope.”
Most of the prisoners had stopped what they were doing. All eyes were on Cloud.
“Listen up!” he cried. “I want to get all of you out of here, but to do it, I’ll need you’re help-”
He didn’t have to finish his speech. There was a cheer as the men rushed forward to pick up the Mercenary’s guns.
“What’ll we do?” came a voice from the crowd.
“Very simply, we’re going to free all the prisoners, then get the hell out of here.”
“I’ll finally be able to see my wife and child!” another said.
Cloud looked saddened, but said nothing.
Don’t be too sure, he thought. The world is a very different place.

-
Cell 118 6:35
The door opened and then all hell broke loose.
The twelve Mercenaries in Yuffie’s cell stood up in surprise as Cloud Strife waltzed through the door and smote them down one by one.
After a minute of total confusion, Yuffie was finally released from her chains.
“Thanks, Cloud.” she chirped. “And... how come you’re not dead?”
Cloud shrugged. “Luck, I guess.”

-
Cell 116 6:39
For no reason, the alarm sounded and fifteen thugs stopped beating Reno up and moved into the next room.
When the door finally opened some three minutes later, Reno expected to see filthy, unshaven men come strolling back in to finish him off.
Instead, Cid, Yuffie, Cloud, and several Elites came in and started to undo all of the shackles.
“Quick.” Cloud shouted to everyone. “We haven’t much time. Pick up a gun and come with me.”
Reno shook his head. “Uh-uh, Cloud.”
Sharply, the blonde-haired warrior turned about. “What?”
“I have to rescue an old friend.”
“From what?”
“From Don Corneo.”
“Hey!” called Yuffie. “I got a score to settle with him, too.”
“Sorry.” retorted Reno. “This is my fight.”

-
Don Corneo’s Bedroom 6:43
There was an uprising in the Cell’s, but he didn’t care.
So long as he got this gorgeous babe to...
“If you try and touch me, I’ll kill you.” said Elena through clenched teeth.
Corneo laughed. “And how would you do that, my love? Not when you are tied up to a bed, I think!”
He started to move toward her.
“Woo-hoo!” he shouted. “Who wants some lurve?”
“Not me.” Elena muttered.
The door opened, and for a brief moment, Elena thought the Don had invited his friends.
Then Reno pounced on Corneo, throwing him on to the floor.
“Mummy!!” he squealed as he hit the carpeted floor.
For the first time in a long, long while, Reno forced out a laugh.
“Well, Don, I guess the tables have been very much turned.”
Corneo was silent for a second.
“Wait!” he babbled. “Don’t kill me! I’ll give you anything. Anything! But please... let me live!”
“Shut up, Corneo.” snarled Reno. “First, you can answer my little question:
Why am I going to kill you?
1. You just tried to mess with my gal.
2. You’re fat, lazy and stupid.
3. Because you’ll try and pull some crazy stunt, and I’ll be forced to crush your puny body.
Okay, Don, what’ll it be?”
Corneo chuckled. “This I know the answer to. It’s number... three!”
He pulled out a silver control with one red button on it.
“You see this?” he giggled. “Miss. Turk there is wired to ten pounds of explosives. When I press this button... boom.”
“Damn!” cried Reno. “Corneo, you filthy piece of-”
“Quiet!” he snapped, edging towards the door. “Sorry about this, but I’ll have to be saying goodbye-”
His victory was cut short by a deep rumbling that came from all around the room. Reno looked up in surprise, and then shrugged at Elena.
“Nope. Not one of my plans.”
The Jenova vortex started to open, distorting the realm of time-space. The wormhole reached it’s peak and Vincent was thrown out. Godo’s escape route had worked.
In half a second, a plan formed in Reno’s head. He knew it was stupid, but in another hundredth of a second his body was acting.
In a swift flip, Reno grabbed on to the Don, swung him about, and then sent him hurling into the Vortex.
With a shriek, he was gone.
Reno sighed and lay down on the bed next to Elena. He grinned.
“Hey. Why don’t we...”
She slapped him round the face. “Don’t think about it, Reno.”
His eyes watered and his face stung. “You can’t blame me for trying, can you.”
“No, Reno.” she said. “And for saiving me, I think you’re entitled to this.”
She reached over and kissed him fiercely on the lips. As his lips pressed against hers, a tingling shiver reverberated down his spine. He inhaled deeply, filling his senses with her spicy perfume.
She broke off all too soon.
“Wow.” gasped Reno, momentarily speechless. “That was one hell of a kiss. Do you mind if I save you again?”
She sighed. She would never hear the last of that moment. She shouldn’t have done it, really. And yet...
Her train of thought was interrupted by Vincent standing up, stark naked, in front of them. She stared open mouthed at him.
“Excuse me, you two. But could you get me to a medical facility, please?”
Reno nodded. “Okay, Vince.”
“Oh, and Reno?”
“Yeah?”
“Quickly.” he said, collapsing on the floor.

-
Ten miles south of Bone Village 8:59
It had taken a long time for the Ecos to burn to the ground, but it was worth it.
Just for the tears on the faces of some of the old folk, it was worth it.
Cloud read the report on their losses.
Sixteen out of Forty-Two Elites were dead. Twenty were wounded. That left a pathetic six Elites that were fit for duty. The mission to find Aeris was seriously in danger.
Cloud turned to the thousands of prisoners. They gathered round him closely to hear what he was saying.
“My friends.” he began. “For some of you it has been a long time since you have seen the sky.”
He pointed to the moon that lay suspended in the heavens.
“Indeed, all of you are yet to see the sun. But the Planet has changed. In ways you cannot even begin to imagine. The world that you once knew is gone, and only a dark and empty shell remains. Rotten to the core with evil. My comrades and I were on the search for someone who could restore our Planet back to it’s former glory. Back to a Paradise. We are looking for a woman. Aeris Gainsborough. She is the last of an Ancient race. The last of the Cetra.”
There was a confused murmur of whispers for three minutes.
“The journey we travel is fraught with dangers, and I many of our soldiers are dead. And so I ask you: will you travel with us to  save the Planet? The choice is yours alone, and I don’t know if you will survive. But you must listen to me: our mission is of vital importance. You may go home if you want, but you won’t like what you’ll see. Or you can travel with us. You can travel with us and save a dying world. What will it be?”
There was silence for a full ten minutes. Then, slowly, the first man came forward.
“My name is Ariken Coppel, and I am willing to join you, Mr. Strife.” he said gravely.
Cloud nodded. “Welcome aboard, Ariken.”
Another man stepped up onto the platform.
“My name is Josek Kabbi.” said Josek solmnly. “I served with the Junon Army for three years. It would be... an honor to serve you.”
More came forward.

-
Makeshift Medical Tent 9:32
Cloud smiled. Overall, they hadn’t done bad. They might still be able to save the mission.
He entered the medical tent in a bright mood. He didn’t know how, but Vincent was even alive. That certainly had to be a high point.
He even allowed a grin when one of the prisoners, and ex-Doctor came to him and said that Vincent’s blood was completely Cancer free.
He approached Vincent’s bed with a mixture of fear and trepidation. He expected to see elaborate tubes all over the place. He allowed a sigh of relief when he saw that Vincent sat calmly upright, his right arm connected only to a drip.
“It’s good to see you back, Vincent.” smiled Cloud. “It’s... great, in fact.”
Vincent smiled. “The Doctor says that I am just exhausted from travelling in the Jenova Lifestream.”
“Excuse me, Vincent? The what?”
Vincent looked at Cloud with surprise. “You don’t know? Very well, I must inform you of Sephiroth’s plan.”
Cloud was shocked. “Go ahead, Vincent. Slowly.”
“First, I shall explain how Sephiroth was brought back. You see, I am not quite sure why, but there are two different Lifestreams: the normal Lifetream and the Jenova Lifestream. When Sephiroth died his spirit was sent to the Jenova Lifestream where he was ressurected.”
Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but Cid silenced him with a wave of his hand.
“Please, no questions. I have no idea about the finer points, either. Sephiroth did not disclose them to me.”
“You talked to Sephiroth?” said Cloud, immeaditaly suspicious.
“Yes, I did. And I found that he wants to bring about the Apocalypse.”
There was a silence. “The Apocalypse, Vincent?” said Cloud slowly. “Are you sure? How?”
And so Vincent told him. About how Sephiroth needed more bodies to summon his mother from the grave. And once she was summoned, Judgement Day would begin.
Cloud was still for a long time. Finally, he said: “How did you get ressurected?”
“I, like Sephiroth, was sent to the Jenova Lifestream. From there, he revived me with the intention of turning me into a super-hybrid. One that would kill his enemies.”
“Why you?”
“It was, as he put it, ‘a fitting revenge.’ He would make us slaughter the ones we loved.”
“You said ‘we’. Who is ‘we’?”
“Priscilla, Shera, Godo and Myself.”
Cloud’s jaw dropped in horror. “My god.”
“Yes. Exactly. However, my body was resistant to the Cancer, and I escaped through a Vortex. And no, I have no idea about how I resisted Jenova. But I would hypothesise that it has something to do with Professor Gast’s anatomic reconstuction of my body.”
Cloud nodded. “Vincent, I have to tell the others.”
“Go ahead.”
“When will you be out of this bed?”
“Soon. The Doctor said in around two days.”
“Excellent. We’ll leave in three.”

-
Fort Condor 9:35
Hamilton nodded. His Table of Generals had done an excellant job.
Project: Phoenix was well underway.
Firstly, the walls of the Fort had been strengthened and Sniper Nests had been placed along the ridges. Automated Machine Gun placements bristled around the base and barbed wire was lain incredibly thick all around, with only small passages for retreating soldiers to get through.
Then, a thirty foot high wall in a circle two miles in circumference had been placed round the outside. All of the men would fire in relative saftey from there. Between the barbed wire and the concrete wall, or the Iron Curtain as many soldiers had named it, lay hundreds of trenches and bunkers that were to be filled with Robotic Mortars.
This was one battle he did not intend to lose.
Past the Iron Curtain, a hundred-metre pit formed a ring round the outside. It was filled with Oil. And beyond that, lay cache upon cache of high explosive mines.
He was feeling quietly confident as he surveyed the constuction.

-
Fort Condor Medical Wing 9:37
Tifa woke smiling.
“I thought you’d be there.”
Nicholas smiled back. “I’ll always be here for you, Tifa.”
“Thank you, Nicholas. You’ve... you’ve shown a dying woman a lot of compassion.”
He looked at her angrily. “That doesn’t sound like you. You should not give up, Tifa.”
She started to drift away again.
“Is Cloud back?”
“No, Tifa. Not yet. But soon.”
She shook her head sadly. “He won’t come back in time, will he?”
Tears came to Nicholas’ eyes. “I... I won’t lose you, Tifa. I won’t let you die.”
“We all die, Nicholas.”
“Not like this!” he cried “Not like this.”
She changed the subject. “I have two weeks before... before the end. I hope I haven’t been too much bother, Nicholas.”
“Tifa, listen...”
“Nicholas... I don’t want you to come back again. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
Silence.
“Listen to me.” she said firmly. “Don’t come back here. Promise me.”
“I... promise.” he said softly.
He stood still by the window. The time passed in a fleeting glimmer.
Finally, he reached over and held her in his arms. He kissed her, tasting the sweet saliva of her lips as she pulled his head down, her arms encircling him. He closed his eyes and brushed the sweaty strands of hair from her face as she caressed his cheek.
He choked back tears and broke away.
“I love you, Tifa.”
“I... I know.”
“I will save you.” he told her.
But she was already asleep.
He turned.
Tifa would be gone soon. Lost in a crawling horror.

-
Bone Village 10:08
One hundred of them arrived at Bone Village just after ten o’clock. Vincent walked slowly up to the archaeological dig site, unnerved by the lack of people. Behind him, the Elites and the prisoners who had joined them fanned out to explore the deserted shacks.
There was a scuffling sound a few metres in front of him, and he darted into the undergrowth, gun drawn. A chubby, balding man with long thin hands sneaked into a tent. Without a sound, Vincent stepped out behind him and grabbed the long stick that the old man held.
“Aah!” screamed the man. “Don’t hurt me! I’m only an archaeologist!”
Vincent stopped. “Who are you?” he demanded. “What are you doing here.”
The man started to explain himself, then stopped suddenly. “Hey, I know you. You’re... you’re Vincent Valentine! Wow! Vincent! I never thought I’d see you. Mr. Valentine, it’s an honor. I’m sorry about the stick, I mistook you for common theives...”
Vincent sighed. “Who are you?”
“Who, me? I’m Jonas. Nothing else, just Jonas.”
Vincent stared at him, unconvinced. “And what are you doing here?”
Jonas pulled a face. “For a hero you’re a bit unpolite. And isn’t it obvious? This is an archeology site. I’m digging for artefacts.”
Cid ran up to them both, his spear in hand. “What the hell’s goin’ on?”
Vincent waved him away. “I’ve got this, Cid.” He turned back to Jonas. “Why are you still here? Why haven’t you been evacuated? This area is dangerous.”
Jonas sat down heavily on a large stone and started to study a small coin. “Well... I don’t have any family, and Bone Village is my home. I just figured I’d stay here and stay out of Sephiroth’s way. He wouldn’t come all the way out here to hurt me, would he?”
Cloud strode up to Jonas and put a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“You Jonas?”
Jonas looked round and dropped the coin in surprise. “Well, I’ll be damned... it’s Cloud! Cloud Strife! Don’t you remember me? I’m Jonas: I helped you excavate the Lunar Harp all those years ago.”
Cloud glanced at Jonas, but the man’s face failed to click.
“Err... yeah. Yeah, I remember you. Jonas. Right.”
“Woo hoo!” cried Jonas proudly. “He remembers me! Did you hear that? Cloud Strife remembers me.”
Vincent raised his eyebrows and Cid guffawed loudly.
“Listen. Jonas, would you like to help me again?” Cloud said slyly.
The old man’s eyes lit up. “Would I? Of course I would. What do you need?”
“We’re going to the City of the Ancients on a very important mission. But before we go... is there anyhting that you’ve found there? Anything we might need? Like a key or something?”
“Hmmm...” said Jonas thoughtfully. “I’ve not been there myself, and I think that most of the stuff they’ve excavated is a load of junk.”
“Oh.”
“I’m really sorry, guys.” said Jonas, dissappointed. “If you want anything else, then-”
Vincent cut him off. “That is all, Jonas. We will be going now.”
“We should hurry.” murmured Cid, half to himself. “I’ve got a gut feeling that
Sephiroth will be showing up. And soon.”
Jonas watched them go other to their comrades. He waited before they were well out of earshot before he mumbled something.
“Ah, my dear Cid. If only you knew. If only you knew how right you were.”

-
Bone Village Seven Hours Later
Jonas got back to work. The appearance of Cloud and his group had put him behind schedule.
He grimaced as he looked at the box of artefacts they had dug up some months before the crisis. Most of it looked like old junk. And yet there might just be something of value.
Sighing, he grasped the box and emptied it out onto the table. That was half of an archaeologists work: if’s and maybe’s and chances.
One day, though, he would strike it lucky. He’d be famous.
Maybe he would find the bones of some species long-since extinct. Maybe he would find the prophecies of the Ancient’s! Maybe...
His thoughts were interrupted by a tall man standing by the door. A long, ominous sword hung at his side and thick silver hair flowed down past his shoulders.
“Yes, Sephiroth?” asked Jonas, not showing even a hint of surprise.
“Where are they headed, old man?”
Jonas stared at him coldly. “First, give me your word.”
“On what?” Sephiroth smiled cruelly to reveal perfect white teeth.
“Give me your word that you will not kill me.”
“Jonas, I’m surprised. I thought you always took money.”
Jonas waved his hand dismissively. “That was when I was a Shin-Ra spy. That was along time ago, Sephiroth. When the war was still being fought. Now... things are different. I work for no one but myself.”
“No one? You do not wish to work for me?”
“If I choose to help you, then it is in my interests.”
“Ha. And what are your interests?”
“I’m retired. All I want to do is dig things up and catalogue them.”
Sephiroth stroked his hair away from his face. “Where are they headed, Jonas?”
“Your word.” Jonas answered, gritting his teeth.
For a moment the two men stood face to face, each one staring unflinchingly into the others gaze. All of a sudden, Sephiroth broke off.
“You have my word. Now tell me where they went.”
“The City of the Ancients, my dear friend.”
Sephiroth smiled. “Aah. The Ancient City. Resting Place of the noble Aeris... Thank you for your information, Jonas. But... it has it’s limits.”
“Everything has limits.”
“Yes. It wouls seem that you have reached yours.”
With a startled cry Jonas jumped up just as Masamune sliced clean through his chest. He stood still for a second, looking at the blood bloom out from the wound like a deadly flower before sagging to the ground.
“It’s too late... Seph...” gasped Jonas. “Already... gave... Cloud... the key...”
Sephiroth eyes widened in surprise, and then in rage, but he said nothing.
“You... gave me your word...” Jonas choked.
Sephiroth laughed. The fool.
“That I did, my friend. I simply lied.”

To Chapter 5