The first things Reeve did upon returning to his quarters were light a cigarette and set a small kettle on the stove. It wasn't that the taste of Rufus' mouth was bad so much as he wanted to get rid of the lingering sensation of it. While smoking furiously, he gathered his scattered belongings and began packing; by the time the water boiled, he had finished his cigarette.
         He continued packing for the next half-hour, working his way through a cup of coffee and a second cigarette, his mind swimming in thought. The plan that he and his far-off compatriots on board the Highwind had put the finishing touches on earlier that day would soon be carried out, and as the point man, he had to make sure that everything would go as smoothly as possible. With all the recent chaos, such meticulous preparation was absolutely necessary. Of course, for him, the most important detail was to do everything possible to ensure that Cait Sith wouldn't be found out; that risk hung over his head like an ominous black cloud. Cait had already drawn suspicion from the Turks for not reporting in with them, and Reeve didn't want to invite any more.
         After he had packed most of his stuff, Reeve extinguished his spent cigarette in the closest ashtray and collapsed in a chair facing a large window. Outside, the sea was disquietingly still, and the blue sky bore only a few slender, scattered clouds. He thought of his apartment back in Midgar, and how good it would be to finally return to those considerably more comfortable surroundings after this hellish week. He pictured himself in his own bedroom, the large, looming presence of the Shinra Building just outside his window, and on the ledge, a rectangular shape breaking the otherwise perfect view.
         This shape, of course, was the framed photo of him and Reno at the Gold Saucer's first anniversary bash. He thought about the picture, about that night; that was the night that he…
         "Reno," he whispered to himself, hardly making a sound. So many mistakes had been made over the years, and a disproportionate number of them were recent. Subconsciously, his hand wandered up to his mouth, and he found himself rubbing his lips. He wasn't sure what to make of Rufus any more, or even of himself. Thinking about all this made him hope even more that this mission of his would go smoothly. There was no turning back now, and no matter what, he could not afford to screw this one up.

         After a couple of farewell phone calls to Junon's few Urban Development managers, Reeve locked up his quarters and headed toward the airport, where his chocobo Maduin was being kept in the care of some handlers. With the recent Weapon attacks, long-range vehicles weren't exactly expendable to non-military personnel; not that Reeve minded such travel restrictions, since he felt like he didn't spend enough time with Maduin to begin with. After strapping down his luggage behind the saddle, Reeve mounted the chocobo and together, they rode down the long elevator shaft to the bottom. Once the door opened, he snapped Maduin's reigns, and they took off through the fishing village and southeast toward the nearest beach. Since Maduin could climb neither cliffs nor mountains, they had to take a detour across the ocean to Midgar; Reeve didn't mind, so long as they reached their destination in a timely manner.
         It was already evening when Midgar's Shinra Building came into view, set against smoggy clouds occasionally broken up by dark blue patches of sky. As had been previously arranged, a helicab was waiting for Reeve at the city's perimeter, near the Sector Five reactor. Once again, Reeve turned Maduin over to some handlers, then boarded the helicopter and pulled out his PHS. It was too late in the day to get any meaningful work done, but Reeve nevertheless called his Senior Planner to let him know of his return, and also to get an update on things. It turned out that the Planner was just about to call Reeve himself, as a rather unusual incident had recently occurred in Nibelheim.
         "Our surveyor there went to the reactor to conduct his weekly inspection," said the Planner. "He would normally do it tomorrow, but he needed that day off, so the region's supervisor said he could do the inspection today."
         "All right. So what happened?"
         "He entered the reactor with his equipment and found some military personnel messing with the crane. Seems they were in the process of removing the Huge Materia from the main generator."
         "What?"
         "Yeah, that was my reaction. When our guy asked the grunts what they were doing, they said they got their orders straight from Heidegger. They had to remove the Huge Materia and prepare it for transporting to Junon, where it would be tested."
         Reeve was livid. "Tested for what? What the hell does Heidegger want the Nibel Reactor's Huge Materia for? Isn't he aware that it's used as the generator's core stabilizer?"
         "You got me, sir. I've asked some people in Peace Preservation about it, but they don't know a thing. As for Heidegger himself, I left a message with his receptionist and haven't heard anything since."
         "Did the military end up removing the Huge Materia from the reactor?"
         "I told our guy to tell the grunts that I'd have to have it cleared with you first, but they wouldn't listen. Seems they were afraid of what would happen if their orders weren't carried out—even I've heard the stories of the abuse Heidegger doles out to his personnel."
         "Great. Just great." Reeve sank back into his seat. "You now have the Nibel Reactor running at thirty-five percent capacity, I presume?"
         "Yeah; a little less than that actually, just to be on the safe side. We aren't going to risk pushing it any higher, what with the Huge Materia gone."
         "Very good. Sounds like you've done all you can. As for me, I'll see if I can get ahold of Heidegger sometime tomorrow and ask him what this is all about."
         "Good luck, sir."
         "Thanks."
         Reeve bade his second good-bye, then hung up the phone. By this time, the helicopter was coming in for a landing atop the Shinra Building. He pondered the Senior Planner's report, still annoyed that he hadn't been informed of Heidegger's plans beforehand. Doubtless, this all had something to do with either the Meteor or Sephiroth—or both—but whatever it was, it made him uneasy. Would harnessing whatever powers lay within the Huge Materia be enough to stop either of them? And regardless of its success, how would such a plan affect the Planet? As he disembarked from the helicopter and headed toward the door that led into the President's office, he decided that before going home, he would stop by his office and pick up his copy of The Study of Planet Life. He hadn't touched Bugenhagen's book since that retreat in Cosmo Canyon four years prior, and now was probably the best time to delve into it again.
         After entering the President's office, he walked downstairs to the 69th floor, then over to the elevators. Despite the fact that he was on the highest level accessible by elevator, one arrived within five minutes of waiting. He boarded, then began his descent down to the floor where his office was located. However, his trip downstairs was interrupted when the elevator slowed down and came to a stop at the 67th floor. The doors opened, revealing the lower level of the Science Department's main laboratories. A few walls still bore claw marks—made by monsters on the night that Sephiroth returned—but otherwise, the place looked as normal as ever, save for one thing. As two young women boarded the lift, Reeve spotted Reno standing across the hall, talking to a male lab tech in a grey suit. Reno himself was wearing a long white lab coat stained with a few splotches of blood; the thin latex gloves on his hands bore matching splotches. Reeve stared at him, wondering what on earth the Turk was doing there. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Reno met his gaze, only to quickly avert it. Still, that split-second glare that Reeve caught on Reno's face was enough to convey a message: Get out of my sight.
         The doors closed and the elevator continued on its way. The young women stayed to one side of the lift and chatted amongst themselves, occasionally glancing over at Reeve, who did his best to ignore them. Once they had disembarked at the 61st floor, Reeve continued the trip down to his floor alone, lost in thought. After all was said and done, he needed to bring Reno back into his personal orbit, but only now did he realize that it might be harder than he thought; the longer they were away from each other, the greater the chance that Reeve would lose him for good. That was the last thing that he wanted.
         Soon he reached his floor, and then his office. At first he had forgotten why he had wanted to come here, but as his eyes roved about the room, he remembered. He headed over to his bookshelves and scanned the spines for The Study of Planet Life. Though he hadn't read it in some time, he recalled there being a chapter about materia and its properties, particularly in relation to size and color. He needed to figure out what Heidegger wanted with Nibelheim's Huge Materia, and why, so he could prepare his next move.
         Then he thought of Reno again, in that bloodstained lab coat. An idle notion crept into his brain, but he repressed it, as now was not the time. Nor would he have time to read The Study of Planet Life, which he soon found on the second shelf from the bottom, until later that night. For once he got home, Cait Sith's final briefing would begin.

         In a room tucked away in the otherwise deserted Respectable Inn, Cait ran through the plan one last time with Yuffie and Nick, the Highwind crew member who had volunteered to join them. The plan was as follows: disguised as a reporter, Cait would unleash sleeping gas from his prop microphone during the press conference for the executions. Once everyone in the room was knocked out, Cait would awaken Barret or Tifa—whoever wasn't in the gas chamber at the time—and together, they'd rescue the other.
         After their escape, Yuffie and Nick would meet them just outside the press room, disguised as a television reporter and cameraman, respectively. As the disguised Cait slipped away into the alleys of Junon, Yuffie would lead the others toward the end of the Airport Path. In the likely event that only Barret was scheduled to be gassed, he, Yuffie, and Nick would infiltrate the medical facility where Tifa would be scheduled to receive a lethal injection an hour after Barret's execution. Either way, they would then fight their way across the Airport Path, overtake the guards at the elevator that led down under Junon, escape through the fishing village, and rendezvous with Cait in the meadow south of the nearest forest, where the Highwind would be waiting to pick them all up.
         It all seemed so simple, so elegant and refined; a masterwork of a rescue plan, for one concocted on such short notice. However, Reeve was well aware of the likelihood of the unpredictable occurring, and for the most part, he was prepared for it. Still, he never could've anticipated just about everything going wrong, which is precisely what happened.

         The following day, Cait carried out the first phase of the plan without a hitch. With his Shinra-issued press pass around his neck, Ultimas baseball cap sitting backwards on his head, and long brown coat concealing the moogle's body, he was now simply another newspaper reporter looking to get an exclusive angle on a sensational story: the public execution of AVALANCHE's leaders. Fortunately, it turned out that Tifa had indeed awakened that morning, as the doctor had predicted, a development which would make this rescue mission that much easier. Cait calmly watched as Tifa was brought in, followed by Barret. He threw out a question to the executioner—his wife—and continued to take in the scene around him.
         Then, a klaxon sounded and the room flooded with pulsating red light. All of the other reporters ran out in a panic once they heard the announcement that came in over the public address system: one of the Weapon monsters was approaching Junon.
         Dammit! Cait thought; this was not an entirely unexpected development, but one that had to be dealt with nonetheless. Cait pushed the mike back in front of Scarlet's face, then pressed a button to spray the sleeping gas. After Scarlet fell, Cait shed his disguise so that Barret would recognize him. Together, they fought the MPs—who hadn't been in the path of the gas—and killed them, then turned their attentions to the large metal door of the gas chamber, where Tifa was now imprisoned. Unfortunately, the door wouldn't budge an inch.
         Suddenly, the whole room shook. That's probably Weapon attacking Junon, Cait thought. Is this room really that close to the outer walls? After one final attempt, Barret declared that the gas chamber must be locked from somewhere else. Not knowing what else to do, Cait Sith agreed and left the room with Barret. Unfortunately, they didn't count on Scarlet waking up in time to lock the door behind them, even though she had personally received a rather large dose of sleeping gas. Damn! This isn't good. We need to get Tifa out of there before—
         Then, a thought struck him: perhaps they'd be able to penetrate the gas chamber from the outside. The Highwind was equipped with missiles, so…
         Cait Sith told Barret it was time for 'Plan B'—which he didn't actually have until a few seconds ago—and that they'd need to get to the airport. He started toward the elevator, when he suddenly realized something: Yuffie and Nick weren't here. Unfortunately, some SOLDIERs rushed them before he could whip out his PHS to yell at the ninja. As Cait fought the troops alongside Barret, he swore under his breath. Certainly, the rescue plan was botched, but there was still hope to save Tifa; however, Cait was more concerned about the façade he had kept up with the Shinra, which was now officially blown to hell.
         The two of them fought their way out onto the Airport Path, where Cait found a moment to place a quick call to Cid to let him know of the change in plans, while Barret remained preoccupied simply with getting the hell out of Junon. As they ran, Cait finally spotted Yuffie and Nick running into position along the retaining wall and beginning their "broadcast". Yuffie soon joined the party, apologizing profusely to Cait, and Nick ran ahead to the airport. Upon reaching the runway, Cait was relieved to see the Highwind already hovering above the tarmac; beyond the airship, he could just barely see the large, fishlike Weapon rising up out of the water. Something was glowing by its mouth, but he couldn't pay attention as a group of second-class SOLDIERs intercepted them at that moment.
         As it turned out in the end, the Highwind's missiles were unnecessary, as it appears that the fishlike Weapon had created a gigantic rupture in the exact spot where the gas chamber was, shortly before it was killed by a blast from the mako cannon. In another incredible stroke of luck, the MP who had secured Tifa in the execution chair had accidentally dropped the key, allowing her to free herself, stop the gas, and escape through the rupture that the Weapon had created. Cid's careful maneuvering of the Highwind while Tifa ran down the barrel of the mako cannon was the final bit of improvisation needed to complete the rescue, and it went off rather well.

         However, despite the group's success in saving Barret and Tifa, Reeve was worried about what the future held in store, as it was now clear to him that Cait Sith's new allegiance was no longer hidden from the Shinra Electric Power Company. Yet despite the churning maelstrom in the pit of his stomach, he remained focused on Cait and listened carefully to Tifa's conversations with the others. It was soon decided that they would all head to the islands of Mideel in the hopes of finding Cloud, since a Lifestream fissure was known to be located in that region. As he returned Cait to auto, Reeve sighed wearily; it was a nice idea, but realistically, what were the chances of Cloud surfacing there, if at all? Still, he wasn't going to argue, since he wanted Cloud back just as badly as everyone else in the party.
         Reeve tapped the receiver hidden behind his ear to disconnect from Cait Sith, then smoothed out his hair to make sure it would remain hidden. He then turned his attention to his laptop, on which he had been pretending to be working for pretty much the entire morning. One fortunate consequence of Meteor's summoning was that many of his division's construction and maintenance projects had come to a halt, which meant less actual work for him, and more time to devote to controlling Cait. Now, ready to get back to work, he opened up a document which he kept as a to-do and reminder list. The first item on this agenda was to contact Heidegger about the Nibel Reactor's Huge Materia.
         Reeve picked up his desk phone and dialed Heidegger's office in Junon. After being rerouted to the War Room by the receptionist, his call was answered by the Peace Preservation Chair himself.
         "Yes, Reeve?" an irritated Heidegger barked. "What may I do for you?"
         "I want to know what your people mean to accomplish by removing the Huge Materia from the Mount Nibel mako reactor without clearing it with my division beforehand."
         "The likes of you wouldn't understand."
         "What wouldn't I understand? If I'm not mistaken, this has to do with Meteor and Sephiroth, am I right?"
         "Ahh, you're smarter than you look. Yes, this does have to do with Meteor. In fact, we plan to use all four Huge Materia from your mako reactors in our plan to be rid of that eyesore."
         Reeve pinched his eyebrows and barked into the receiver, "Four? You mean you aren't done harvesting Huge Materia behind my back? And who's this 'we', not that I don't know already."
         "Gya ha ha! I've been working closely with Scarlet on this."
         Ignoring the cruel undertones in Heidegger's voice, Reeve replied, "You couldn't possibly shave had the President's approval for this plan of yours, since he would've consulted with me about the Huge Materia before allowing you to go ahead."
         "Of course not! Do you honestly think that I'm going to let the President tell me how to run my own division?"
         "You're using the mako reactors' Huge Materia—which are my responsibility. Whatever this plan of yours and Scarlet's is, it's an inter-departmental matter."
         Darkly, Heidegger countered, "Admit it, Reeve. This is for the greater good. And I will have yours and Palmer's cooperation with our plan, whether you like it or not."
         "Palmer? I don't suppose he knows what you've got planned for his department's resources?"
         "Gya ha ha—all in good time. Just wait until tomorrow morning's meeting, when Scarlet and I will unveil our master plan to smash the Huge Materia into Meteor, using the Space Program's decrepit Shinra No. 26."
         Reeve said nothing, momentarily pondering over this plan of Heidegger's. It sounded good, but would still be an enormous risk, and to Reeve, any plan involving Heidegger was immediately suspect, as the Sector Seven plate felling all but proved. The plate felling, one of the ill results of which was Reno's hospitalization; the last time he was laid up like that was in the Gold Saucer's infirmary. Reeve glanced at the dog-eared copy of The Study of Planet Life that lay on his desk, recalling the things he had read the previous night.
         Heidegger continued, "Since it's too brilliant a plan to let go to waste, I didn't want to take my chances with the President possibly rejecting it, which is why I had to begin collecting your Huge Materia a little early. Gya ha ha!"
         "I see," Reeve simply replied, though inside he was bristling with anger. He hadn't thought that Heidegger was so power-hungry as to boldly overstep long-established lines of authority, and now that he knew the truth, it infuriated him in a way he couldn't put into words; for one thing, it made his continuing "seduction" of Rufus seem all the more useless a ploy.
         It was at that moment that Reeve decided he didn't care anymore. Through Cait, he would let his friends aboard the Highwind listen in on said meeting as it happened, and their decisions would dictate the fate of the Huge Materia. Undoubtedly, they would want to tap the crystals' magical properties for their own fight against Sephiroth, which meant stealing the Huge Materia before they could be launched into space. Of course, for Reeve, the possibility of a side benefit existed. Plus, even if the Company did find out that Cait Sith was leaking information to their enemies, thanks to Reeve's getting closer to the President, his alibi was stronger than ever before. Perhaps seducing Rufus could still be beneficial after all.
         Considering the rarity of Huge Materia—even artificially-refined specimens like those in the mako reactors—it was an opportunity he couldn't let go to waste. "All right, Heidegger," Reeve replied with as compliant a sigh as he could fake, "I guess I'll see you at tomorrow's meeting then."
         After hanging up the phone, Reeve decided to move onto his next task. He swiveled around in his chair to face the bookshelf behind him, scanning the shelves for the large volume that contained the one piece of information he needed. Since the party on the Highwind was currently preoccupied with finding Cloud, and the President wouldn't learn of Heidegger's plan until the following day, Reeve found this to be the perfect time to set right Cait Sith's most desperate action.

         After the Urban Development Chairman, upon surveying the case himself, found the predicted loophole in the zoning ordinance that Elmyra Gainsborough's property allegedly violated, she and her ward Marlene Wallace were released from the Shinra facility where they were being held. By way of apology, the related fines were waived and they were given free passage on the train that would take them back to the Sector Five slums. Such was standard procedure for Shinra's wrongfully incriminated, and the Chairman followed it to the letter.
         However, Reeve's after hours plans were anything but procedural. Instead of spending a quiet evening reclining in bed while monitoring Cait Sith from his laptop, he went home and traded his blue suit jacket for a hat and long coat before heading out again. He went to the train station and caught the next train down to the slums; fortunately, the train was crowded with blasé office drones who kept to themselves and didn't so much as glance in Reeve's direction.
         After this uneventful train ride to the Sector Five slums, Reeve made his way through the sector until he came upon a small, yet cheery-looking house—Elmyra's property. Reeve stood before the front door, clearing his throat and wondering to himself how he should go about this. He'd never had any direct contact with either Elmyra or Marlene before, and knew that their first impression of him might not be very good. With some finality, he took a deep breath, then knocked.
         It was a while before an older-looking woman whom Reeve presumed to be Elmyra answered the door. He removed his hat and gave a slight bow.
         "Mrs. Gainsborough."
         Elmyra regarded Reeve with a wary expression. "May I help you, sir?"
         "I need to talk with you. I am Forrest Reeves, chairman of the Urban Development Division of the Shinra Electric Power Company, but you may call me Ree—" He found himself being cut off by Elmyra's slamming the door in his face. This isn't going well… he thought. He needed to get Elmyra to hear him out, and as soon as possible. Turning his head, he saw a window, which was slightly open. He walked toward it and said, in a voice just loud enough for the house's occupants to hear, "You may have heard the news recently that two members of AVALANCHE were being executed." Reeve suddenly heard a little girl start to bawl from inside the house as he took note of a humanoid shape growing larger through the curtains. He knew he had to tell them the rest before Elmyra shut the window. "Well, they're safe. I rescued them."
         The curtains swiftly parted and once again, Reeve found himself face to face with Elmyra. "Are you telling the truth? The newspaper the guard gave me this morning said that security in Junon was extra-tight. How could a Shinra executive like you rescue Barret and Tifa without being caught?"
         "It's a long story. And if you don't believe what I've just said, then go out and buy one of this evening's underground newspapers. You'll see then that they have indeed escaped. Anyway, may I come in and talk with you?"
         Even though that suspicious look was still on her face, Elmyra eventually nodded and moved away from the window. The front door opened, and Reeve was invited inside.

         Reeve told Elmyra and Marlene everything: about how he joined the group and why, and the reasoning behind their kidnapping. After recounting his experience at the Temple of the Ancients and Aeris' subsequent disappearance from Gongaga, he wasn't sure how to proceed.
         "My daughter…" Elmyra asked. "What happened to her?"
         "She went to the Forgotten City, which was built by her people, the Cetra, many centuries ago. We still don't know what she was doing there, or why."
         "So she is safe?"
         "When we first saw her there, she appeared to be. But then Sephiroth…" Reeve trailed off.
         "Mr. Reeves, did something happen to her?"
         "Reeve, please," He bowed his head. "I might as well be blunt, ma'am. Sephiroth killed her, right before our eyes. There was nothing we could do to stop him."
         Although he could not see them, Reeve could sense the ominous sorrow that had fallen over the room. Small, stifled snifflings soon broke the silence, followed by the wailing of a little girl. Reeve raised his head to see Marlene clutching at Elmyra, streams of tears running down both of their faces. Even though it had been well over a week since he himself witnessed the death of Elmyra's adopted daughter, he felt his own eyes growing moist once again.
         "Mrs. Gainsborough—" he started, his voice steady yet empathic.
         Elmyra looked up; her eyes widened once she saw Reeve. "Elymra," she said simply.
         "Very well, Elmyra. There's something I want you to know."
         Both Elmyra and Marlene focused on Reeve.
         "As I said when you first welcomed me into your house, you have my deepest, sincerest apologies for what I have done to you and Marlene. However, I had no choice at the time."
         "I realize that now," Elmyra replied. "For someone in your position to take the chance you did… it must have been very difficult."
         "You don't know the half of it. Would you like to hear the rest of the story?"
         "There's more?" Marlene asked between sniffles.
         "Of course," Reeve said with a small smile. "I haven't gotten to the part where I rescued your father and Tifa from the Shinra's gas chamber."
         Tentatively, Marlene inched away from Elmyra and toward Reeve, resting her hands on his knees. "Do you really miss the flower lady?"
         "Yes. She was a good friend."
         Marlene nodded. "I thought you missed her, but I just wanted to make sure."
         Reeve returned the nod, then took Marlene's small hands in his. At that moment, he ventured a guess as to where Barret's heart truly lay. Although his methods were crude, Reeve suspected that the eyes of his former adversary—now ally—were focused squarely on the future: the life of his child, and his child's children. Truly a noble reason to save the Planet, but this only led Reeve to wonder—what was his? What did he hope to accomplish by fighting alongside these rebels? The group's way of life had initially been a mystery to him, but as time went on, he came to understand it better. However, the more he learned about his new friends and their motives, the more he became aware of the lingering mystery within himself. After all these days and weeks of being with them, he still couldn't figure it out, yet he had the distinct feeling that he was drawing closer to the answers he sought.

*****

         "We have a traitor on our hands," an incensed Reno said, slamming the phone's receiver back into its cradle. Rude and Elena looked up from their work, toward their boss. For the past few days, Reno had been moonlighting in the Science Department's main lab, and the stress of working two jobs at once was starting to get to him.
         "What do you mean?" Rude asked.
         "Scarlet was dosed with sleeping gas shortly before she was to execute Tifa," Reno replied. "She managed to catch a glimpse of her assailant as she woke up. It was Cait Sith. There were dozens of other witnesses who saw Cait running toward the airport with the other prisoner, Barret, so I have no reason to doubt her word."
         "So Barret and Tifa managed to get away?" asked Elena.
         "Yeah, and it looks like Cait had some help in his little rescue mission. That ninja girl was present, along with one other guy—a Highwind crewman, according to a couple of witnesses. Barret and Tifa's friends obviously planned all this to coincide with the executions."
         "Sounds like the Company's investigated this pretty thoroughly."
         "They did, but now the President and Heidegger have charged us with finding out who's controlling Cait."
         Rude furrowed his brows. "Damn. Why do we get all the hard jobs?"
         "Hey, we can do it," Reno argued. "We just have to do a bit of thinking, even more investigating, and consider every possibility. Now that we have an order, hopefully we can solve this mystery once and for all. I want you guys to set aside those SOLDIER applications and get to work."
         Elena looked startled. "You mean right now?"
         "I think he does," Rude said.
         Damn right I do, Reno thought. After all, the one type of person he could not stand was an outright traitor, someone who was not only trying to buck things in their favor, but also had an agenda that directly went against the Company's wishes. The fact that said traitor had initially been hired by one of the Turks was especially infuriating. "We may find out something, we might not. Hell, this could all be some big misunderstanding—maybe AVALANCHE put Cait up to this task, for whatever reason. Still, we must find out who's controlling that robotic cat and get some answers from them."
         "What if, once we find them, they refuse to cooperate?" asked Elena.
         "Simple," Reno replied, his resolve hardened. "We'll kill them."