“Wedge!”
“Yeah, Biggs?”
“Where’s your brother? He should be here by now.”
“He’s really stupid if he hasn’t started to get ready yet.” Wedge, in his freshly pressed uniform, got up from his seat and walked into formation with the rest of the crew.
“Doesn’t he have to be here for the President’s welcoming march?” Biggs rose from his spot and did likewise, alongside Wedge.
“I personally made sure that he wasn’t needed for this march.”
“So, he gets to sleep in and you get to take his spot in the march. What a deal.”
“I’m not exactly happy about it,” grumbled Wedge. “At least it’ll keep him out of trouble.”
Lively parade music started to boom out of the speakers overhead, signaling the apartment dwellers lucky enough to face the street to open their windows.
“I guess it’s time to go, Biggs.”
“All I know is, Horace is going to miss one heck of a march.”

Wedge sat down on the floor, crossing his legs under the polished black table Aeris had set up for the meal. Aeris went into the bedroom/kitchen to plate the food, leaving Wedge and Banon to sit and talk to each other.
“So, young man, how did you die?”
“I was defending the people in the slums from a falling plate,” replied Wedge.
“That’s not what I meant. I want to know how you died, not what you did to get yourself in harm’s way.”
“How I died? Isn’t that the same thing?”
“I see. You don’t really understand yet, but I can’t expect you or anyone else to get it right away.”
“Banon,” called Aeris, coming in with the curry and rice. “Stop trying to confuse the poor man. He’s already disoriented as it is.”
“Have it your way, Aeris. You know, I almost thought he was the one for a minute.”
Wedge again had to consider whether he was being complimented or not. “That’s all right, Banon. But tell me, Aeris, what do you know about this world? I know I’m dead, but, I feel alive.”
“Of course you do,” Banon told him. “Lifestream has given you a second chance, if you can see it like that.”
“Banon! Wedge, what Banon is trying to say is that you are alive in this after world we are in now. Here, let me show you.” Aeris got up and opened a door, revealing a thriving mining town covered with a thin blanket of snow. People bustled up and down the road below, shoveling snow out of walkways and coal into stoves outside their houses. These people rushed and pulsed through this town, giving it a tangible pulse under the gray-green sky. “This is a town Lifestream recreated for its dead inhabitants. What was its name again, Banon?”
“I believe it was called Narshe, dear.”
“That’s right. This town, Narshe, existed around 500 years before we were born, and was a very lively city, at least, until the world changed suddenly.”
“Changed? How?”
Banon took over. “There was a great empire in existence at that time which was very similar to your Shinra. It was led by a corrupt emperor named Gestahl, but was taken over by a man named Kefka, one of its generals. Kefka managed to bend the forces of magic to his own will by discovering three magical statues that controlled the balance of the world. A group of rebels I knew tried to stop him, but by the time they got to him, he had already killed the Emperor and moved the statues out of alignment, sending the world into chaos. It has basically taken your world about 300 years to fully recover.”
“Is this true, Aeris?” Wedge asked. He found it hard to believe that magic had ever existed without Mako energy and Materia.
“I’m afraid it is, Wedge. Hurry up and eat, your food is going to get cold.”
“Right.” Wedge finally remembered the food sitting in front of him, and proceeded to eat. The taste of the curry, however, caused him to slow down and stop eating entirely.
“Wedge?” asked Aeris, “Is there something wrong?”
Swallowing quickly, Wedge answered. “Well, yes and no. There’s something missing.”
“Really?” asked Banon. “I’ve always made curry this way.”
“Never mind, I’ll show you later,” Wedge told him, stopping the protest that was coming. He resumed eating.
“Wedge,” asked Aeris, “what do you plan on doing now that you know you’re a Guardian?”
Wedge put his fork down. This bothered him. “A Guardian? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Aeris! Did you tell him he was a Guardian?”
“I did, Banon.”
“Don’t go putting stories into his head.” He turned to address Wedge. “What did she tell you?”
“She just said that since I woke up with the same clothes I was wearing before I died, I was a Guardian of the Lifestream.”
“Aeris!” He wrinkled his brow at the very thought. “Why did you tell him that?”
“I thought he was.”
“Look at him! How could he be one?”
Wedge became annoyed at this point. “Excuse me, but I’m going to ask why you think I can’t possibly be one of those Guardian things or whatever you’re talking about.”
Banon now directed his attention to Wedge. “Well, just look at yourself! You’re kind of big to do the job,” Banon told him, pointing to his belly.
“Yeah? Well I did the right thing and tried to save people who were going to be killed by Shinra, so that has nothing to do with it!”
“Hmpf! I’m going. I don’t care. You can go around thinking whatever you want.” With that, Banon stood up, put his bowl in a room in the back, and went out into the city.
“Wedge!” cried Aeris. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what? He was insulting me!”
“I thought you were supposed to be kind!”
“He was acting like I did nothing to help those people before I died!” His eyes blurred, he remembered his efforts and their tragic deaths. “I tried to save them! I really did! I just...couldn’t get to the terminal in time...” He turned his face away, he didn’t want anybody to see him like this.
“Wedge, I, I...” Aeris regretted getting angry at him now. She couldn’t bear to think that she could have hurt another person like this. “I’m sorry, Wedge.”
“Forget it,” Wedge told her, wiping his eyes with his hand. “I’m going back to the bedroom. It’s not your fault.” He stood up, cleared the dishes, and quietly shut his door.

“Attention! Forward March!” The commander was barking orders into the night air. His cruel face examined each soldier, checking their form, coordination, and gun movement.
“Psst, Wedge! Where do you think Horace is now?”
“On the sub! Either that, or he’s still in bed.”
The commander noticed Wedge’s slight break in formation as he talked. He waited to see if he was really stupid enough to do that again.
“Maybe you should have sent a wake up call to his bunk, Wedge.” Biggs was worried.
“I know, but there’s nothing I can do now, is there?”
The commander, five rows behind, saw him fall out of place again and fell in step beside Wedge. “You! Cadet Palmer!”
Wedge gulped as he look to his left, trying hard not to break formation. “Y-yes sir?”
“I don’t like your style! You’d better get focused now! When we get underway, you’re getting in some serious marching practice! Now I don’t want to see you screw up again!”
Biggs couldn’t let Wedge get busted for something he started. “Sir! I was the one who started it, sir!” He managed to maintain his perfect formation while confessing.
“Is that so? Well then, you had better come with him and watch!”
Wedge’s heart fell. First his brother, now this. The commander was about to humiliate him in front of Biggs, but he had to be focused. He was determined not to be caught again by the commander, who was marching next to him. He had to stay out of trouble. “Yes, Sir.”
“Halt!” The crew stopped as one, including Wedge, trembling. “Prepare to greet the President!”
Wedge, following the others in his crew, nervously shouldered his rifle and held it in the air with both hands. All the soldiers looked up to see the President’s helicopter descend in the moonlight. The soldiers then bowed in unison as the President disembarked with...
“Horace!” Wedge and Biggs couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw it. Horace jumped off the helicopter in full uniform and bowed to the ground, in front of an amazed Wedge and Biggs.
“Very well, then, Mr. Palmer. Here is your crew.” The president welcomed him to the group he was supposed to be with from the beginning.
“I am forever in your debt, sir,” Horace groveled. “I was so shocked when the troops left without me. If I had been awakened on time, I would surely have been here earlier. Please forgive my tardiness.”
“That guy is absolutely shameless,” Biggs told Wedge.
“How did he get to ride with the President?” Wedge asked to himself.
“I am the one who should be thanking you, Palmer. We were lucky you came. But, the fact is that you are late, and someone is responsible.” He turned to address the crew. “Who here is responsible for waking this poor soldier?”
Wedge gulped again, and came meekly forward. Bowing deeply, he said: “I’m his younger brother and his bunkmate, sir.”
The president turned to Horace, who had not risen. “Get up. Tell me, what is his name?”
“Wedge, sir. Wedge Palmer.”
“You there!” The President was giving Wedge a stern look. “You know that all soldiers for these shifts are to get up when the alarms go off, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So why did you not wake your brother?”
“With all due respect, sir, he is a very heavy sleeper.”
“Well, then. In Shinra, as in any company, there is expected to be a certain degree of unity and loyalty involved, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“But, how can we expect that from our soldiers if they don’t have family unity?”
“We cannot, sir.” Wedge knew he was getting at something, he felt that he was already under the knife.
“So, what are we to do about it? I was very fortunate to run into this young man when I did. He fixed the helicopter’s engine so we could get airborne. But as for you, you require some teaching. So, after this mission, I am rewarding this man, Horace Palmer, with an advisor position at the Underwater Reactor.” He then pointed to Wedge. “As for this impudent excuse for a brother you have, what is his rank?”
“I believe he is a Fourth rank, one higher that I am, sir.” Horace told him.
“No longer. You, Wedge Palmer are now demoted to Second Rank. Furthermore, from now on, you will be this young man’s personal assistant. Help him with whatever he needs and make sure he gets up on time and gets his work done. Is that clear?”
Wedge was inwardly shocked. He exploded internally, but somehow managed to keep calm. “Yes sir. I will, sir.” His face was red.
“Now, then. You, Horace, take your new assistant and help the rest of the crew get ready for the mission. Let this serve as a reminder to everyone who doesn’t appreciate the family they have now.”
The crowd dispersed, leaving Horace and Biggs staring at Wedge, who had turned his bow toward Horace.
“Well, sir, what are your orders?”

“Oh, what have I done now?” lamented Aeris, working on the dishes in the sink. “He was just defending himself, that’s all. I mean, he was just trying to help people. Why did Banon have to be so mean to him? I’m sure Tifa was right about him, and he seemed like a decent guy to me. But why did he have to get so defensive?
“He was just trying to say that he did the right thing. He even sacrificed himself to help a whole town. Sure, it was slums, but those are the people who need the most help right? But there’s so much I don’t know about him. All I know about him is what Tifa told me before I died. I could have asked Cloud or Barret about it, but Barret was mad all the time and Cloud,” she paused with a shudder, “was trying to kill me.
“But it wasn’t his fault, though. Remember, he was just being controlled by Jenova. He was still a jerk, though. A good-looking jerk, yes, but he was still a total jerk. He didn’t even buy a flower from me when I ran into him.
“But Wedge, there’s a man. He might not be as handsome as Cloud, but maybe its good that he’s not like Cloud. He even looks kind of, I don’t know, cuddly in a way. That pirate costume thing he has going on is nice too, but he behaves almost like the exact opposite of what a pirate should be. He helped people, and he’s cute, sensitive, and-
“Oh, what am I saying? I don’t even know him that well. I’ve only known him for a couple of hours and he’s already fought with Banon. Now he’s gone, and I’m alone, here. Doing the dishes. Great job, Aeris. All this brooding over the men who left me here to clean up by myself. Well, except for Cloud, anyway. Wedge will never be like Cloud. He cares too much. He probably took it as a personal insult that Banon said he was worthless.
“But he’s not worthless. At least he has enough personal pride in himself to stand up for himself. I don’t know why Banon became so opinionated, anyway. And he’s SO old. Why am I even worried about him. He just stays here and keeps this house clean. Or at least, that’s what
he’s claiming to do. I’m the one doing all the cleaning now, it seems.
“Why do I get stuck with all the unusual men? Not that Wedge is bad, it’s just that he seems pretty selfless to me. Nowadays, that’s a very strange characteristic to find in men. I only I could get to know him better.”
Behind her, Aeris heard the creak of a door opening. Looking behind her, she saw Wedge come out of the bedroom. He had removed his bandanna and yellow shirt, wearing his undershirt, jeans, and boots. He had recovered his composure from the previous argument. “I’m sorry I left so suddenly, Aeris. Here, I’ll do the rest of the dishes.”
She was suddenly unsure of how much of her speech Wedge had heard, but she saw the sincerity in his face and decided otherwise. “Thank you, Wedge. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
Wedge sat down quietly on the floor. “I’m also sorry that I...exploded in front of you like that.” Making a short bow, he asked for her forgiveness.
“Boy, this guy means it,” Aeris thought to herself. She answered: “Yes, Wedge. I forgive you. It wasn’t even your fault, really.”
“Do you really think I’m cut out to be a Guardian?”
“Yes, you definitely are Guardian material. But, I’m not very sure exactly what they do.”
“It doesn’t matter. In this new world, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do either.”
“Wedge?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think that this is heaven or hell?”
“This world is too much like the real world to be either. My guess is that this must be some kind of between world, where you find yourself.
The front door burst open with a slam, revealing Banon, who had obviously been listening to them. “So, you two have finally figured it out. It took you long enough.”
“Figured it out?” asked Aeris. “What did we figure out?”
“Ho, ho, you finally know the purpose of this world. This after world, this plane, is a fabricated world built by Lifestream to help people find their places in death. And,” he added, “now that you know, there is no purpose for either you or the big guy over there to stay any longer. You must go.”
“Why?” asked Wedge. “I just got here!”
“You’re kicking us out?” gasped Aeris.
“You will understand everything when the time comes. But now, you must find your own paths. You must pack. Go in the morning.” Banon left the doorway as abruptly as he appeared, inviting the cold air to come in.
Wedge felt the icy air ascend his bare shoulders and shivered. “I’m suddenly feeling underdressed. I’ll go change.”

“Your orders?” said Horace as more of a statement than a question. “Well, I have nothing specific for you to do yet, brother. For now, escort Mr. Biggs to the commander’s office. You two probably have some business over there.”
It was really happening. Wedge had almost thought that this was his opportunity to get away from that cruel-faced commander, but now Horace was ordering him to go. He decided that he had to humble himself before him to avoid it. “Please, sir, won’t you reconsider? As a brother! I’ll do anything you want.”
“Don’t brother me! I know you’ve always been jealous of my ability. You were even a jerk this morning. This is the perfect opportunity for me to get ahead and keep an eye on you. So go, do it.”
“Wait!” Biggs interrupted. “Even though you’re higher ranking than I am, I can’t let you do this. Wedge, you go follow your brother. I have marching practice.” He walked off, boarding the ship.
“Well, Wedge. Looks like he took the bullet for you. No matter, you still have to assist me. Here.” Horace removed his pack and handed it to Wedge. “Carry this.”
Wedge took the second pack without a word.
“Hee, hee. Now I have an assistant. Hmm, what to do with you? Ha, ha, ha!” Boarding the ship, Horace directed Wedge to his new room: a bunk in Horace’s newly labeled office. “I have an office! What a life. Set our packs down, Wedge.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, go take a shower. You stink.”
“Yes, sir. I did before I came, sir.”
“Are you questioning my authority? Oh, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to say that.”
“No sir.”
“Hmm. Never mind. Conduct some scans for sea life on my terminal,” said Horace, pointing to his new desk monitor.
Wedge sat down in the lavish chair and called up the required programs. “May I have permission to speak freely, sir?”
Horace propped his boots onto his new assistant’s lap. “Hmm. If you thank me for not sending you to the commander, I might think about it.”
Wedge was starting to think that it would have been a better idea to just go and take the commander’s punishment. “Thank you, Horace.”
“That’s ‘Mr. Palmer, Sir’ to you. I outrank you now, remember?”
“Mr. Palmer, sir, please forgive my earlier outburst.” Wedge saw that nothing less than complete politeness would suit him.
“Wait,” ordered Horace. “Move over. Call up the security camera in the commander’s room.”
Wedge gulped. ”Why, sir?”
Horace pointed to the door. “I want to see you squirm when you get there.” He did not even look at Wedge leave as he watched Biggs on the screen.
Biggs wasn’t having a good time himself. The commander had set up a treadmill wide enough for several people to use. Biggs saw that there was no way out, so he resigned to undress from the waist up. The commander’s assistants had fit electrodes to several sensitive points on his upper body and thrust him onto the treadmill. These shocked him every time the captain saw him out of formation, but he was lucky that he was very good at marching.
“Well? Where is your friend Wedge now, hmm?”
“Wedge doesn’t deserve this. He already has enough to worry about. You saw the scene out there, right?”
“Shut up!” He sent a shock through Biggs. “I didn’t call you here to talk. I called you here to march!”
“Yes, sir,” replied a trembling Biggs, unaware that he was being watched. “This guy is going to get it, one of these days,” Biggs thought to himself as he continued on his forced march. He knew that it was either this or a serious demotion, and he worked too hard to risk his rank by not showing up.
“Biggs!” Wedge yelled as he saw him. “Commander, stop this machine!” As the belt slowed to a halt, Biggs almost collapsed from the shocks. “Biggs. You don’t belong here. You’re not the one that deserves this, I do. You!” Wedge pointed to one of the commander’s assistants. ”Take him off of this thing. I’m taking his place.”
“But why? Wedge,” mumbled Biggs, “I-”
“No, This is what my brother wants. This is what I have to take responsibility for.” He undressed, lifted Biggs from the treadmill, and took his place. Once he was hooked up he looked at Biggs, then at the camera as the belt started moving, silently cursing his brother as he was jolted.

Wedge got dressed and looked in the other room, where Aeris was waiting. “Are you hungry?”
Aeris was feeling a bit empty. “Yes, I am. Don’t worry, I’ll cook though.”
Wedge remembered the last meal Aeris and Banon had cooked and quickly interrupted her. “That’s okay. I can cook. I’ll make the curry this time.”
Aeris was definitely surprised, but tried to hide it. “He can cook, too,” she thought to herself.
“Where do you keep the ingredients?”
“Well, we don’t buy them from anywhere. Lifestream provides all the food we need in this cabinet,” she told him, pointing toward a large closet near the door to the kitchen. “It never runs out.”
A magically refilling cupboard caught Wedge’s attention. He opened the door and looked inside-

-and found a vast assortment of spices and vegetables, as well as a very well-stocked refrigerator. “You weren’t exaggerating about that.” He dug in, gathering curry powder, cubed beef, carrots, potatoes, rice, flour, and oil, taking them to the small table.
“What did you say was missing before?”
“These three things:” Wedge told her, putting them down on the table. “First: Tumeric, for color. Then, you put in fish sauce for flavor and coconut milk to give it a smooth texture. That makes a great curry.”
“I never thought of that. How original.”
Wedge took this as a compliment, and as he cooked, he made sure his years of curry tasting experience did not go to waste.
 

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