As dozens of scientists and lab technicians busily swarmed about the sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth floors of the Shinra Building, Reno picked through a small pile of materia on the steel examination table before him. It had been less than a week since he had first approached the Science Department, and already, favorable results were being produced. Three Mako-enhanced—but thankfully, Jenova-free—monsters were well under development, and much materia had been gathered, the crème de la crème of which he was now sorting. As he examined a red one through a hand lens, a couple of technicians walked by, conversing with each other. From the way they were talking, Reno knew they were simply dishing on the latest office gossip. However, he paused in his work and began eavesdropping in earnest once he heard Reeve's name crop up.
         "…Reeve? You mean the Urban Development chairman?"
         "Yeah. Apparently he and the President have been friends for a long time. I know it's just a rumor, but do you think he's worthy for the position of Vice-President?"
         "Who knows? Whoever the President wants to appoint is his business. And I'm not sure about you, but all I care about right now is getting through this whole Meteor thing in one piece."
         As the two technicians moved out of earshot, Reno pondered what he had just heard; rumor or no, it didn't entirely surprise him. Reeve had been acquainted with Rufus for some time, though to the best of Reno's knowledge, they were never especially close. If Meteor was somehow stopped, then Reeve's Vice-Presidency was all but inevitable. However, considering what Reno knew about how Rufus saw Reeve, the thought of this potential promotion disquieted him. Reno let out a shaky breath, setting down his lens. He wondered what he would have to look forward to if he survived all of this.
         Just then, Rufus marched into the room, the back of his unbuttoned white trenchcoat flailing behind him. His face was hardened into a scowl as he came to a stop right in front of Reno's table. The Turk regarded him coolly as he rolled the red materia between his fingers.
         "May I help you, Mr. President?"
         "What the hell are you doing here?" Rufus snapped. The handful of scientists and lab techs presently in the room turned their heads toward the table. Reno took a deep breath, unnerved by all the pairs of eyes laid upon him.
         "I'm doing my part to help deal with Meteor and Sephiroth. You said you didn't trust Hojo, right?"
         "You had other orders, and besides, you still haven't answered my question."
         "Rude and Elena are taking care of things, and I help them out during normal business hours," Reno replied, bouncing the red materia on the steel table a couple of times before tucking it into his trouser pocket. "As for what I'm doing here, would you like to see?"
         As Rufus cocked an eyebrow at Reno, the latter turned around and started toward the incubation room, which was adjacent to the laboratory he was currently in. Rufus followed, along with a couple of techs, coming to a stop when Reno came before what looked like a large metal sink filled with blood. Reno quietly took a pair of long rubber gloves from a nearby shelf and put them on, then dipped his hands into the red fluid. A moment later, he pulled out a small, grotesque monster with several eyes, rainbow-colored tentacles at the end of its "arms", and a misshapen mouth.
         "This is Number One. We don't have a name for it, but it's the first successful species we've developed for this project. This particular Number One's just a baby, but we've bred a few full-grown specimens with the help of some accelerated growth hormones. These adults've critically injured four technicians and a couple members of SOLDIER, so they're currently locked away."
         Rufus narrowed his eyes at Reno as the latter stroked the monster's small head with his thumb. "I didn't order you to create monsters. I ordered you to have you tested for—"
         "Forget about that—this is better. Number One is virtually unbeatable. We've made two more species as well, Numbers Two and Three. And the best part is, they all haven't got a single Jenova cell in 'em."
         "I don't care about that! You deliberately violated my orders."
         Reno replied, "And what would you have done if ZERO really was gone for good? Send ordinary SOLDIERs down into the crater to beat Sephiroth?"
         "Reno!"
         "Don't tell me you're not going to use these monsters that the Science Department has worked so hard on."
         Rufus fell silent as everyone in the room stared at him, wondering what he would say next. In Reno's hands, the baby Number One gurgled and let out an extended yawn, exposing its large, ugly teeth and tongue.
         "All right, we'll use them. Now Reno, I have something else to discuss with you. Come with me back to my office so we can talk."
         "Sure thing, sir." Reno carefully returned the now-sleeping baby Number One to the blood-filled sink, then took off the rubber gloves and put them away. He then followed the President out of the incubation room and back into the main lab, where he shrugged out of his coat and tossed it onto the steel table he had been working at before.
         "I'll be back in a little while," he told the Science Department staffers as he left the lab and headed upstairs behind Rufus.

         "Heidegger just got a troubling communiqué from North Corel," Rufus said. They were now in the President's office; Rufus stood before his desk while Reno faced him. "The Huge Materia that was being transported from that area's mako reactor has been stolen."
         Reno nodded. "What went wrong? There was no reason for Corel's residents to stop us, even if they could."
         "That's the thing—it wasn't Corel's people," Rufus replied. "It was a group led by Cid Highwind."
         "Cid?" Reno exclaimed. "What the hell would he want the Huge Materia for?"
         "I don't know. And I might also add that Cid's group was first sighted shortly before the train carrying the Huge Materia left the reactor. They must have known in advance that the Huge Materia was to be removed."
         Reno narrowed his eyes; there was only one possible explanation, one catalyst for these incidents. "…Cait Sith."
         "It appears so. Am I to assume that the Turks haven't yet uncovered this traitor's true identity?"
         "Afraid so."
         "Hmm." Rufus glared at Reno with a wilting displeasure. "At any rate, I want a Turk stationed at Junon's Underwater Reactor to help oversee the transport of its Huge Materia, and another one in Rocket Town to ensure that the launch of the Shinra No. 26 is not disrupted. Whoever is left over can continue investigating the Cait Sith issue by themselves until the other two Turks have completed their missions."
         "The Underwater Reactor? What about the Condor reactor?"
         Rufus sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't have the time to send any of your people there. A full regiment of our best troops has been deployed to take back the reactor once and for all, removing the Huge Materia in the process."
         "All right. Is there anything else?"
         "Just one more thing. Let the Science Department complete their work on their own."
         "So you're going to use the monsters?"
         "Apparently we have no other choice now, do we. You seem to have thought everything through so thoroughly." Rufus paused, rubbing his chin with the tips of his fingers. "Come to think of it, why don't you take the mission in Junon. Afterwards, you can oversee the transport of the monsters to the Northern Crater yourself."
         Reno glared at the President. "There's more to this, isn't there sir."
         "Of course there is. There's no telling whether or not the monsters will defeat Sephiroth, so we need to have a backup plan handy," Rufus replied. "Naturally, that's provided your test—which you will take—comes back positive."
         Smiling wanly, Reno said, "Well it's not like those monsters are the only thing we've been working on. I haven't even shown you the materia we've found."
         "Eh?"
         "Like you said, I thought of everything. You still want to send SOLDIERs down into the crater as well, right? To provide me with backup support? If you do, they're gonna need some heavy-duty equipment and materia," Reno replied, drawing out the red orb from before. "Materia like this amazing little specimen, which was brought to the lab just this afternoon. I examined it myself—it's very powerful. Want a demonstration?"
         Before Rufus could reply, the materia glowed, and the room's lights flickered as a pillar of white smoke manifested in the space between the two men. A robed skeleton emerged from the smoke and chanted an incantation, the results of which washed over Rufus. After the summon god, Hades, disappeared, Reno walked up to the President, who was now frozen in time, his eyes cloudy, and his skin pale and sickly. Reno grinned and patted the paralyzed Rufus on the shoulder.
         "Pretty effective, huh, Mr. President. I knew this was a special materia the moment I laid eyes on it. Anyway, I'll go meet with my fellow Turks now, and don't worry, once I finalize things with the staff, I won't be setting foot in the Science Department again anytime soon."

*****

         Zack stumbled backwards onto the ground, his Buster Sword having fallen only a couple of feet away. Meanwhile, a few yards in front of him, Yoshiro was still doing battle against Sephiroth, though Zack could see his ally's strength was starting to falter. Exhausted, Zack remained where he was and watched as Sephiroth struck the side of Yoshiro's Enhance Sword, knocking it from his hands, and swiftly swung the Masamune back around again to within an inch of the latter's neck. Zack started to get to his feet, but was instantly met by Sephiroth's piercing gaze.
         "You know what will happen to him if either of you moves, don't you?" Sephiroth said to Zack, frozen halfway between sitting and standing. "I will destroy his soul and scatter its remains across the Lifestream."
         Without moving anything other than his eyes, Zack quietly shifted his gaze over to Yoshiro, and was startled to see that his expression had now completely changed. With the Masamune's blade still perilously close to his neck, Yoshiro's eyes were lowered, all the determination from before now entirely gone. It was at that moment that Zack knew that their battle had been lost, and he sank back to the ground.
         The next thing he heard was Sephiroth's triumphant laughter, followed by his saying, "This has been entertaining, my former subordinates, and I hope I've made my message clear. You won't proceed any further."
         Zack raised his head, finding that Sephiroth was gone, and Yoshiro was walking toward him, sword back in hand.
         "You heard the man," Yoshiro said, offering a hand to Zack. "Let's get out of here."
         Zack took Yoshiro's hand, and he was pulled to his feet. "Are you serious? We're gonna give up that easily?"
         "We weren't prepared to defeat Sephiroth," Yoshiro replied in a low voice.
         "What makes you say that?"
         Yoshiro sheathed his sword and started walking back in the general direction from where they had come. "I realized something, the moment he rid me of my sword, and stopped me before I could draw my pistol. Once we get somewhere where we can sit down and talk, I'll tell you about it."

         Thus, Zack and Yoshiro began their second trip southward, through the Lifestream, this time heading in the general direction of the Great Continent. It was along the way that they fell into a new illusion, an enticing mirage of Costa del Sol. Yoshiro promptly led the way toward the bar near the edge of town, where they secured a table for themselves. In the meantime, his clothing reverted back into his Turk suit, while Zack was both startled and amused to find his own SOLDIER uniform replaced with a floral print shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. After a waitress came by to take their orders, Yoshiro removed his coat and asked, "I suppose there's a story behind your current wardrobe?"
         Zack laughed. "I had a feeling you'd bring that up. I came to Costa del Sol shortly before entering SOLDIER—just wanted one last fling as a civilian, I guess. Had a blast. Lots of good times, great weather, beautiful women…"
         "I see," Yoshiro replied with a frown, which made Zack momentarily regret his mentioning that last part. Zack cleared his throat and proceeded to change the subject.
         "Anyway, you said we weren't prepared to defeat Sephiroth. Why's that?"
         At that moment, the waitress returned with two huge martini glasses filled with bright blue liquid and garnished with cherries, pineapple rings, and paper umbrellas. Even in the Lifestream, Bar del Sol's cocktails continued to be incredibly tacky.
         "It's due to our training, I'm afraid," Yoshiro said, after the waitress had left. "Both of us have had the experience of being in SOLDIER—you as a First Class, myself as an S-Class."
         Zack interrupted, "You know, there's something I've been wondering about for some time now. Why is it that S-Class SOLDIERs never got the mako treatment?"
         "It's because we were the 'control' group, so to speak. Shinra wanted to know the effectiveness of SOLDIER members who didn't—or wouldn't—undergo mako infusion as compared to the rest. It was a successful program, if you ask me, but too short-lived."
         "Okay, I guess that makes sense," Zack replied. "So getting back on topic: what does our SOLDIER training have to do with our not being able to beat Sephiroth?"
         "It's because he was our impossibly long yardstick, the way to measure how strong we were, how close our abilities were to his. Throughout training, we were told that we could never match his strength, and though it made us mad, we believed it, and respected Sephiroth all the more. I understand the other classes went through the same sorts of lectures as well."
         Zack shrugged. "Well, sort of, but not really. The generals really drilled it into us that we should strive to be as good as Commander Sephiroth. Still, there was this condescending tone in their voices, as if what they were really saying was that there was no way we'd ever reach such a level."
         "Both of us have also had the privilege—or perhaps, the disadvantage—of working side by side with Sephiroth. We've witnessed his strength firsthand."
         "Yeah," Zack said, his joints suddenly aching. Maybe, he thought, they were recalling the time Sephiroth had left him to die in the pod room of the Mt. Nibel reactor. "Is anyone gonna be able to defeat him? I mean, if we can't…"
         Tseng took a sip from his glass. "I don't know, but there's something that bothers me. Sephiroth went missing from Nibelheim five years ago—his Masamune was found in the Mt. Nibel reactor's main mako well, but his body was never found. That's the one piece of the puzzle that has still been left unsolved. What happened to Sephiroth after he defeated you in the reactor? Back when we were in that illusion of Nibelheim, you told me Cloud showed up shortly before you passed out, and you ordered him to kill Sephiroth."
         "That's right," Zack replied. "Hey… are you implying that Sephiroth disappeared because of something Cloud did?"
         "It's possible."
         "But Cloud was just an MP. I know what I was asking of him at the time would've been tough to pull off, but if he really was capable of…" Zack trailed off, not believing what he himself was saying.
         "Yes," Yoshiro continued. "If Cloud was capable of subduing Sephiroth in Nibelheim five years ago, then perhaps he can do it again in the present, and permanently this time. Perhaps he is the only one who can do it."
         "Well, yeah, but he has to recover from his mako poisoning first."
         Yoshiro nodded solemnly. "Time will tell if he does, but unfortunately, that same time is growing short."

*****

         Once Reno returned from wherever he was, he gave Rude and Elena their new assignments. Reno said that he himself would supervise the removal of the Huge Materia from Junon's Underwater Reactor. Rude was ordered to oversee the safe transport of all the gathered Huge Materia from Junon to Rocket Town, and then, into space aboard the Shinra No. 26. Elena's task was to remain in Midgar and continue the Cait Sith investigation. After Reno doled out these assignments, he then announced that he had another job to take care of once his mission in Junon was over.
         "I've been asked to copilot the Gelnika loaded with our anti-Sephiroth forces to the Northern Crater. The barrier's not gonna be destroyed until the mako cannon's ready, but Rufus still wants me to be in place early. Really can't blame him—this mission must go smooth as silk."
         "What? Why you?"
         "Long story short: it's partially because I've been working with the Science Department in developing these new weapons."
         Rude paused, then nodded. He'd known Reno had been doing some sort of extra work lately, but neither he nor Elena had known what it was about.
         Elena's brows tilted up into a concerned expression. "So… are you going down in the Crater with these 'weapons'?"
         "Not if I'm lucky," Reno replied with a sigh.
         A pensive silence filled the room. Hesitantly, Rude broke it with, "When do we leave for Junon?"
         "Tonight," was all Reno said. The Turk leader paced over to his desk, but stopped right before his chair. After a moment, he turned around and paced back again. Rude had never seen Reno so wound up in all the time he'd known him. However, before Rude could say anything, Elena beat him to the punch.
         "Reno…?"
         "Huh? What is it, Elena?"
         "Are you all right?"
         Reno stopped pacing and started back toward his desk. He stared down at the desk top and took a deep breath. "I just… really, really hope that everything goes the way it should, the first time… but a little voice inside of me is saying that it won't."
         "Why? What'll happen if it doesn't work out?"
         "Then there's a good chance that I won't ever come back; at least, not the way I am now."

         After receiving their new assignments, the Turks decided to use what spare time they had to break for dinner. The evening started off slowly, with the three of them barely talking, but things picked up as they got more alcohol flowing through their bloodstreams. It was at one particularly enjoyable juncture in their conversation that Rude happened to notice the clock over the bar and immediately realized that it was getting late.
         "Hey Reno, when did you say we had to leave for Junon?"
         Reno glanced at his watch. "Oh hell, I'd lost track of the time. We've got two hours. We better get out of here and get ready to go."
         Elena sank back into her chair as her companions stood up to leave. "I wish you guys didn't have to leave so soon!"
         "Same here, but you know how it is. We all have jobs to do. Meteor ain't gonna blow up on its own."
         "Yeah, but aren't we a team? Don't we have to work together?"
         Rude shook his head, while Reno said, "Not all the time, no. Now come on, we should get outta here."
         Elena sighed. "All right." She stood, and after collectively taking care of both the bill and the tip, the three Turks left the restaurant and wandered out into the street. "I hate that fuckin' Meteor, you know," Elena mumbled, staring up into the sky.
         This statement of hers caught Rude off-guard. After all, Elena never cursed—at least not while he was around. Reno must've noticed the bald man's shock, because then he said, "Elena, watch your fuckin' launguage! Now look what you've done—you've gone and offended Rude's poor virgin ears!"
         "Reno…" Rude started, even though he knew the redhead was just being his normal joking self. In fact, it looked as if Reno was starting to sober up a little, same as he was. Elena, on the other hand, was downright intoxicated. This, he realized, was something else he'd never witnessed before. "Maybe we should see her home, first."
         "You guys don't have to do thaaat," Elena insisted; she then turned around and started walking down the street.
         Reno called after her, "You're headed in the wrong direction. You live in Sector Two, remember?"
         "Oh." Elena turned around and walked back toward the two male Turks. "Fine, have it your way!"
         "I think we will," Rude muttered, rolling his eyes from behind his shades.

         The three of them made their way to Sector Two, and up to the eighth floor of Elena's building. Lingering by her apartment door, she fretted over her comrades. However, Rude could plainly see that she was also still piss drunk.
         "You guys come back soon, okay? And don't let AVALANCHE get in your way, okay?"
         Reno said, "All right, but by the time we get back, you should be able to tell us who Cait Sith's controller is. Deal?"
         "Deal!" Elena replied, shaking his hand. The handshake quickly evolved into a hug, and Rude couldn't help but smile when he witnessed her giving Reno a peck on the cheek.
         Then, Elena drew away from Reno, and, much to Rude's surprise, encircled her arms around the bald man's neck. It was when he first felt those moist lips on his left earlobe—followed closely by a tongue and teeth—that the blood rushed to his face. After a moment, Elena drew away, with what appeared to be a come-hither look in her eyes as Rude silently stared back at her.
         "Good luck, you two. Please come back safely."
         "Yes ma'am," Reno replied from behind a tight grin. Rude said nothing. Elena nodded her final farewell to them, and closed the door behind her.

         Once the two male Turks were back out in the street, Reno said, "She nibbled at your ear, didn't she."
         Rude, who had been busy wiping traces of saliva from his left earlobe and earrings ever since they left the eighth floor, didn't reply, as it was obvious to him that Reno knew as well as he did just what Elena had done.
         That grin from before sneaked back onto Reno's face. "You know, I had to try damn hard to keep from laughing back there."
         "I could tell."
         "Never seen her that wasted before," Reno chuckled.
         "What are you thinking about, Reno?"
         "That she likes you, and that you've got nothing to worry about." Rude felt his cheeks grow warm again. Reno continued; "I hope you two have some sort of future ahead of you. Couldn't happen to nicer people."
         "Thanks, but what about you? You said earlier you might not be coming back from your mission to the Northern Crater. Why is that?"
         Reno sighed. "It's because if something goes wrong—say, the monsters we made in the Science Department aren't strong enough—then I'm leading the backup forces, meaning I'll have to fight Sephiroth."
         "What?"
         "Yeah. The President figures that since I have a dragon inhabiting my body, he might as well make the best of it."
         "But… didn't you do something about Bahamut-ZERO in Cosmo Canyon?"
         "Huh?"
         "I remember when the elders brought you back that night. You were covered in scars. I didn't know for sure what you'd been up to, but considering what you've told me in the past about ZERO, I thought that he may have had something to do with it. Were you trying to get rid of him?"
         "That's exactly what I was doing," Reno replied, "but it didn't work. Rufus wanted the Science Department to run a battery of tests on me to see if ZERO was still there. I didn't want to do it, but he's been pestering me about it, and, to be honest, I had to know for myself."
         Rude nodded. "So what happened?"
         "I got tested today. Didn't have to transform or anything, but that didn't stop those damned eggheads from finding traces of him."
         "Does Elena know about any of this?"
         "No, but she didn't have to, as we've seen this evening."
         "Yeah…"
         "Anyway, I've gotta go pack. Meet you back at the Shinra Building in forty-five minutes, okay?"
         Rude nodded, and the two Turks went their separate ways.