The two of them left the Junon Shinra building with no opposition. Now that the Shinra corporation was once again without a leader, the company would soon dissolve, as it had in the past. Already, news of Scarlet and Heideggar's death had reached the lower levels of the building, and office clerks and other such personnel were scurrying about the building, cleaning out their desks, and getting their affairs in order to leave. The guards, without a leader, did nothing to stop Jim and Yuffie on their way to the outside of the building. As they exited, Jim walked to a pay telephone and dialed Cloud's number. It rang once, then Cloud picked up. "Hello?" he asked, anxiously. "Cloud? It's me, Jim. Don't worry, we're ok. I've got some good news, and some bad news." "Oh God. What's the good news?" "Scarlet and Heideggar are dead. The Shinra Corporation is no more." "Wow! That's great! But what's the bad news?" "Are you sitting down?" "No." "Sit down." Cloud sat down on a railing on the Highwind. "What?" "Sephiroth has the Black Materia." Jim winced at the sound of the PHS once again being dropped. He waited for Cloud to pick up the phone again. Cloud, too shocked to do anything, did nothing, while Tifa picked up the PHS. "You know, Cloud, you really have to get a better grip on that thing." "This is Tifa. What did you tell him?" "Sephiroth's got the Black Materia. And I think he intends to use it." The phone dropped to the floor again. This sound was followed by a loud thump. Jim screamed into the phone. "SOMEONE PICK UP THE PHONE!!" "Stop yellin', ya #^@*^!!" yelled Cid into the reciever. "What the hell did you tell them?" "I'll tell you when you get here. Come to Junon," said Jim, as he hung up the phone. "What do we do now?" asked Yuffie. "We wait for our ride." Some time later, the Highwind landed in Junon Airport, and the whole team, except Cloud and Tifa, rushed out toward the waiting Yuffie and Jim. "What happened? What's going on? What made Cloud and Tifa freeze up like that?" asked a worried Shera. "Sit down," said Jim. "Why the hell am I supposed to sit down?!" yelled Cid. "You wanna end up like Tifa?" asked Jim. "No, but--" "Then sit your ass down!" yelled Jim. The entire party took seats on the ground. "Now what is it?" asked Reno, impatiently. "Sephiroth has the Black Materia. . .again." Rude groaned. Cid and Reno smacked the heels of their hands on their foreheads in frustration. Elena nearly had a heart attack. Aeris just looked worried, while Nanaki simply bowed his head and looked to the ground. Shera turned pale, and fainted. Vincent showed little emotion, but Jim saw in his eyes that he was upset. "How the hell did the Sephiroth clone get the Black Materia?" "Heideggar gave it to him, I suppose as payment for killing Scarlet. Then Heideggar got run through by the clone. Then the clone flew north," recanted Jim. "Well, we chased that damn Sephiroth around the Planet once, and I'll be damned if we can't do it again!" yelled Cid. "Not again," groaned Reno. "This is ridiculous." "I agree," said Elena. "We almost got killed last time he showed up, who's to say we won't wind up dead now?" "All right. I've had about enough of this. This is your last chance," said Jim, as Cloud and Tifa walked out. "Anyone wants out now, go. You don't want to be here? Then we don't need you. Get out and go home." Reno stood up. So did Elena and Rude. "I'm not leaving," said Rude. "Well, good luck Rude. I'm outta here," said Reno. "Whatever happened to 'Turks Forever'? Have you forgotten what you are?" Reno turned on his heel, facing rude with a firey stare. "What are you implying?" "I'm implying that you no longer have the right to call yourself a Turk. Don't you remember when that name used to mean something to you? No matter what happened, we did the job. We were the go-to guys. What happened to you since then? You're a pitiful excuse for a man, Reno. And a sorry excuse for a Turk. Go, if you want to be remembered as a coward, a slug, and an alcoholic." "I thought you were my friend! I thought I could always count on you to back me up!" "I am your friend, Reno. I always have been, and probably always will be. Problem is, you've been stumbling through life in a drunken haze for so long, you forgot where you were headed." "We've been headed nowhere since the Shinra dissolved, and you know it! We've done nothing of any importance whatsoever, except little odd-jobs. It's pathetic, Rude!" "And now you have a chance to make something of yourself, and you're letting it slip through your fingers like the sand on the beach. What the hell's wrong with you?!" By now, everyone was watching the argument unfold, amazed that Rude was suddenly very vocal, and losing his cool. Rude glared at Reno through his sunglasses. Reno glared back. Soon, though, his glare softened into a blank gaze as the thought hit him. Elena walked over to Reno's left. She looked hopefully at Reno, then at Rude. She held her hand straight out in front of her. "Turks, forever?" she asked. Rude took Elena's delicate hand. "Turks forever," he said. Reno hesitated for a little bit. Then he took Rude's and Elena's hand. "Turks forever," he said. A brief cheer went up from the group as the Turks once again united against a common foe. "Everyone into the Highwind. We'd better get going. We'll stop in Bone Village for supplies," said Cid. They all piled into the Highwind, which took off in short order for Bone Village. When they arrived, Jim, Yuffie, and Cloud walked out, fully armed. As they walked in, the curator of Bone Village greeted the party. "Welcome! How can I help you?" he asked, a smile on his face. "We need supplies," said Cloud. The curator directed them to the only store in town. Cloud walked up to the shopkeep. "We'll need some Hi-Potions, a few Hypers, a tent. . .Jim, can you think of anything else we might need?" "Got any Phoenix Downs?" asked Jim. The shopkeep pulled out a long golden feather. "Last one. It'll cost you, though." "How much?" asked Jim. "Ten thousand gil." "Ack! That's ridiculous! I'll give you two thousand." "I'm a businessman, not a charity donor. Eight thousand." "Do I look like I'm made of money? Cloud, do I bleed gold? I think not. Twenty-five- hundred." "You're killing me, here. Be reasonable. Sixty-five hundred." "Look who's talking! Three thousand, take it or leave it." Steam practically came out of the merchant's ears. "Deal!" Jim handed over the cash, while the merchant gave him the Phoenix Down. "Have a nice day!" said Jim. "Up yours!" he yelled back, giving Jim the finger. "Looks like some things transcend dimensions..." remarked Jim. The merchant handed over the rest of their supplies, and they left the store, hurriedly. "Let's get going," said Cloud, as he jumped back on the Highwind, followed by Jim and Yuffie. The Highwind II took off and slowly headed for the North Crater. "Who's going in?" asked Cid. "I'm going," said Cloud. "Me too," said Tifa. "I'm going," said Jim. Yuffie rolled her eyes. "As if I'd miss out on somethin' like this! Course I'm going!" Reno, Rude, and Elena nodded at each other. "We're in," said Elena and Reno, in unison. Rude simply stared ahead. "I'm in," said Cait Sith. "As am I," said Nanaki. "And I," said Vincent. "I'll stay behind, and keep the Highwind airborne," said Cid. "Besides, me and Shera got some catching up to do." Shera nodded. "I'd better stay and watch Aeris." A black figure, formerly unnoticed, stepped into the light. It was the real Sephiroth. "I'm going. You will need someone who knows his strengths and weaknesses. And who would know better than me?" "He's right. So it looks like the only ones staying behind are Cid, Shera, and Aeris. We'd better break up into parties," said Cloud. "Tifa, are you coming with me?" Tifa hugged Cloud. "Of course, love." "I'll go with Cloud and Tifa," said Nanaki. "The Turks always travel together," said Reno, Rude, and Elena in unison. "I will take Sephiroth and Cait Sith," said Vincent. Jim looked at Yuffie. "Looks like it's just the two of us again." This time, Yuffie showed no displeasure at the thought. In fact, she smiled. "OK. What are we waiting for?" "Let's move out!" yelled Cloud. They all ran out to the rear hatch of the ship. The groups all walked out together, but when they hit the bottom of the ramp, they each split up into the predetermined groups and each went their separate ways. Jim was picking his way slowly through the rubble, using his staff as a walking stick. He checked his pack. Several materia lay inside, all mastered. Since he wasn't actually equipping any materia into a weapon or armor, they couldn't weaken him, as some materia were known to do. "How far do we have to go?" asked Jim. "Pretty far. About a day's walk," answered Yuffie. "Then we'd better get a move on if we're to make it before dark." The two of them picked up the pace, picking their way down a little faster. They came to a cavern. Yuffie immediately went inside, and Jim followed her. "What are you doing?" he asked. Yuffie stopped and turned around. "I think I saw something in here. I'm going to check it out." "I don't think that's wise. We could get lost in these caverns." "Oh, quit your whining, I know what I'm doing." "Just be careful. We don't know how stable this cave is." Jim turned on his flashlight, to get a better view of his surroundings. The light danced off the icicles hanging from the cieling, and the ice crystals embedded into the wall, sending a shimmer of light and color everywhere. "Wow...this is beautiful," remarked Yuffie. Jim nodded in assent. The two pressed on, further into the cavern. Jim stopped suddenly, and grabbed Yuffie by the collar. "Shh. I heard something." "Heard what? I didn't hear anything." "My ears are more sensitive than yours now, remember? And I say I heard something." "What did it sound like?" "A cracking noise..." Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed through the cave. The floor literally opened up beneath the two, and they fell into a dark pit for what seemed like forever. The light went out, plunging the world into darkness. Jim awoke first. He didn't know where he was. All he knew was that he couldn't see a thing. His hearing was as sharp as ever, though. He knew he wasn't alone. He heard a faint thumping coming from behind him. He turned to face it, which did nothing except point him toward the noise. As he grew closer, he realized what it was. It was a heartbeat. A human heartbeat. But not his own. 'It must be Yuffie,' he thought. His eyes also began adjusting for the darkness, and Yuffie's prone form slowly began to take shape in front of him. She didn't appear to be seriously inured. He shook her lightly, and she groaned slightly. Yuffie opened her eyes to total darkness. She was completely blinded by the total lack of light. "Yuffie? Are you awake?" asked Jim. "Yes, but I can't see a thing." "It's not you. There isn't any light in here at all. And my flashlight is broken. Don't worry. I can see." "How?" "Night vision. I can see into the infrared spectrum. In other words, I can see heat waves." "Can you see me?" she asked. "I can see the outline of your body, but no details. I wouldn't be able to read anything, but I can still make out things like facial expressions. Which means I can see you sticking your tongue out at me." Jim saw a flash of heat rise to Yuffie's face. "Embarrassed? You're blushing." "A little. Looks like all that stuff is going to come in handy. Can you lead us out of here?" "I think so. Just follow me. Here, take my hand, and don't let go, unless you want to get lost." Jim reached out and grabbed Yuffie's hand, and began to lead her out of the room. They entered a narrow hallway, then up a steep slope, and finally, to the apparent top of the cave. There was a small crack in the cave cieling, which let in some light from the outside, enabling both of them to see. "Up there. Daylight. We can get out." "You couldn't get a pencil through there, much less me or you." "I have an idea." Jim cast Wall on the both of them. Then he pulled out the only other Ultima materia left on the planet. Not mastered, but it would be enough. "Are you nuts? You'll fry us both!" "Not with the barrier I just cast. We'll be fine. Trust me." Jim held the materia in his hand, and it glowed bright green. There was a flash of blinding white light, and a cave-in. Boulders and dirt smashed against the barrier as the whole room came down on them. When the smoke cleared, the formerly pencil-sized hole was now big enough to drive a bus through. Jim and Yuffie were unharmed. "That did the trick pretty nicely, wouldn't you say?" asked Jim. Yuffie took a moment to snap out of her stupor, then blinked a few times. "Yup, that did it all right. Though now, every little creepy-crawly monster and God-knows-what else within about a million miles knows we're here! God, strong as a sledgehammer, and almost as subtle," she muttered. "I got us out, didn't I?" Yuffie could not argue that fact. "Shit, look how far back we are! Now we're gonna have to move twice as fast to catch up!" Yuffie broke off into a dead run, with Jim easily catching up. They all arrived at the same place, just before dark. "Anyone have any trouble?" asked Jim. "Yeah, we heard this really loud noise. Souded like someone set off a bomb in here," said Tifa. Most of the rest of the party nodded in assent. They had all heard it, too. "That was us. We got trapped in a cave-in, and we had to blast our way out," said Jim. "That explosion could have woke the dead. The clone is now most assuredly aware of our presence," said the real Sephiroth. "Then it's something we'll have to deal with. We weren't counting on an ambush anyway," said Cloud. The entire party walked slowly forward, toward an open cavern, and went inside. "Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Jim. "Yes. I am positive," responded Cloud. "Good. Maybe we can end this and get home," said Jim. "Not so fast," replied a voice from behind them. Jim turned on his heel to face the attacker. It was Hojo. "Hojo?! What are you doing here?!" yelled Cloud. "I thought you were--" "Dead? Quite the contrary. I am very much alive. That's more than I'll be able to say for you in a few moments. I will not let you interfere with my son's rise to power." "You were never much of a father, Hojo," said a voice from the back of the crowd. The real Sephiroth stepped out to the front. "I never considered you to be a father. A father is supposed to love and nurture his children. You abused me. You experimented on me. You treated me like a lab rat." Hojo stared at his son in disbelief. "No, son, that's not true. I loved you." "You lie, Hojo. I remember everything, as crystal clear as if it were yesterday. I remember being put in that tank in the Shinra mansion basement, with all those probes and IV lines in my arms and legs. I felt like I was surrounded by an eternal fire. When I got out, you abused me, physically, and mentally. You made me feel like I was worthless. Then you started rambling on about the Promised Land, and how I would lead everyone there. When I couldn't, you disowned me. Fifteen years ago, I realized what had happened to me. I saw all the textbooks in the Shinra mansion, and it drove me mad. It took me almost fourteen years to realize what I had done. And why I was wrong to do it. I can never forgive you for all the things that you made me do. I nearly destroyed this planet. Now, I intend to help save it from another one of your blasted creations." "Creation? What are you talking about?" asked Hojo. "The other clone. He's been the one who's been causing all this trouble." "All the clones were destroyed when Meteor hit. There aren't any left." "Wrong," said Jim. "We've been chasing a new clone for several months. But Hojo didn't make this one. This clone came from my world." "Ah, so that is where you are from," said Hojo, smiling. "Satisfied with the performance of my inter-dimensional gateway?" 'That was your doing?" asked Tifa. "Of course. Scarlet wanted me to get rid of you people, so I decided to transport you all to another dimension. I didn't account on myself getting transported during the test run. I spent nearly a year rebuilding that gateway on your dimension, Jim. Then I grabbed the Highwind, and let you handle it. When I transported back, I didn't account on your travelling with me." "Ain't that a shame," said Reno. "You know something, Hojo? I never really liked you very much. I still don't. You just creep the hell out of me. I just wanted to say that." "Your opinions are meaningless to me. In a few moments, my son will make his greatest truimph!" yelled Hojo, his arms raised to the rapidly-darkening sky. Everyone leveled their weapons on Hojo. "Go ahead and kill me. You can never stop him," said Hojo. "We stopped him once. We can stop him again," said Cloud. "Damn right we can!" yelled Cid. "Get him!" yelled Vincent. The entire party rushed Hojo. Within a matter of seconds, he was reduced to a bloody mass. "You..will never succeed...Jenova will destroy you all..." said the dying Hojo. Cloud walked up to the man. "We will succeed," said Cloud, as he impaled Hojo with his Ultima Weapon "Let's go. This unpleasantness upsets me," said Sephiroth. The party once again ran off for the center of the crater. Jim and Vincent led the party through the darkened corridors, their enhanced vision enabling them to see in the darkness. The party came to a crossroads. There were two paths to take. "There's no point in splitting up. Both paths lead to the same destination, and there is nothing here worth taking.," said Cloud. "Then which path do we take?" asked Jim. "Whichever is shorter," said Vincent, as he headed down the right path. The rest of the party followed. "It's quiet," remarked Jim. "Yeah," responded Cloud. "Almost--Mmmff!!" "Don't even THINK about saying that," said Jim, quickly covering Cloud's mouth with his hand. "How much longer does this damn tunnel go for?" asked Reno. "About another kilometer or so," answered Nanaki. "My dogs're killing me," said Cait Sith. "I thought you were a cat," said Jim. Tifa, Cloud, and Reno all took turns smacking Jim upside the head for using such a bad pun. "Hey, I was only joking!" They reached the end of the tunnel. Before them, the room shone with a pale green light. Above, they could see the stars in the night sky. Below, green liquid pooled on the ground. "The Lifestream," said Cloud. "The clone must be close." "Closer than you think, AVALANCHE," said a voice from behind them. They all turned around to see the Sephiroth clone, standing on a ledge by the exit of the cave. The entire party drew their weapons, ready to pound the clone to a pulp. "Don't even bother. You are too late. Meteor is on its way! Soon, this entire planet will be cleansed of all the pitiful humans, and I will rule the world!" "Uhh, this isn't a good time to do that. You see, I have a dentist appointment later this week, and he'd be really pissed off if I skipped out on him again--" said Reno. "Silence!" commanded the clone. "Stupid human. You will pay for your arrogance with your life! But first. . .If it isn't my old chum, Cloud. Cloud, the puppet. Cloud, the unthinking slave. Yes, Cloud. How have you been feeling? Oh, I forgot..you don't feel anything..how silly of me." Cloud was seeing red. "You won't treat me like I'm nothing anymore. Once and for all, I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my town, my family, and my life! I've blamed myself for losing Aeris to you for the last time!" he yelled. "Silly puppet," said the clone. "When will you just accept the fact that I have won? Meteor will strike in less than forty-eight hours, obliterating everything on this planet, except for me. You have lost, puppet. Give up, and join me, and I may actually let you survive." "I will never help you." "Suit yourself, puppet." "My name is Cloud. Cloud Strife, of Nibelhiem. Remember it, for the rest of your short life," he said, raising his Ultima Weapon for battle. Yuffie, Jim, Rude, Reno, Elena, Vincent, Tifa, Nanaki, the real Sephiroth, and Cait Sith all walked up to Cloud's side, weapons drawn. "Mess with the best," said Jim," and die like the rest. Let's give this dude a dirt nap." The entire party immediately charged the clone, screaming. The clone simply disappeared, rematerializing behind all of them. He lashed out with his Masamune, slicing Jim, Reno, and Elena. Reno let loose a blast from his nightstick, temporarily paralyzing the clone. Jim ran up, bashing the clone over the head with his staff, and the clone retaliated with a kick to Jim's midsection, knocking the wind out of him. Cloud jumped up above the fray, leaping down on the clone, and slicing the clone's left arm off. The clone howled in pain as it swung its sword with its remaining hand, cutting a deep gash in Cloud's leg. The clone let loose an energy blast, pushing everyone away from him, knocking all to the ground. "I am invincible!" screamed the clone. "You're a loony," muttered Jim. He raised his staff, poised to toss it at the clone, when a shuriken flew from the air, slicing the clone in the stomach. He followed it to it's owner, Yuffie, standing on a rock some ten meters away. Jim pulled a pair of daggers from his belt, and flung them both at the clone. Both hit their mark, embedding themselves in its chest. Cloud jumped down to the clone, which was slowly dying. "I. . .cannot. . .lose. . ." it said. "You lost years ago," returned Cloud. He raised his sword high, and brought it down hard on the clone's skull. The clone fell over, dead. Jim hastily pulled out a restore and All materia, and healed everyone's wounds. "We won, Cloud. We've beaten him, for good," said Tifa. "We haven't won yet," said the real Sephiroth. "Meteor is on its way. We must stop it, as well." "Yeah, but how?" asked Yuffie. "The only thing capable of stopping Meteor is the White Materia. And nobody knows where it is. It'll take us weeks to find it." "I know how we can get it. Cloud, you said you went into the Lifestream?" asked Jim. "Yes, I have. But I almost didn't survive," said Cloud. "I have an idea. Yuffie, come here." The ninja walked over to Jim, curious as to what he had in mind. "Here. Take my weapons. All of them. And all my materia too. And my armor. I won't need them where I'm going." "Jim, what are you doing? You're not going to--you are...Jim, please! Don't go!" she yelled, realizing what he had in mind. "If you go into the Lifestream, you may never come out!" "It's a chance I have to take. And if I don't, then so be it. I wasn't meant to be on this world, anyway." "Jim, please. This is suicide. Don't go." "I'm sorry, Yuffie, my mind's made up. If I don't come out, the Cuda's yours." He tossed her the keys to the Cuda, along with his wallet. "I have to look for someone. I hope she can tell me what I need to know." "Let me look. I can find anything, anyone, anywhere!" "My psychic abilities give me an edge no one else here has. I have to go." "Then let me tell you something before you go." "What is it, Yuffie? What do you want to tell me?" Yuffie leaned closer to Jim, and drew his face down to hers. "I love you, James." The two of them kissed for a long time. Then Jim slowly, and reluctantly broke off. "That will give me something to remember you by." He turned around, facing one of the open pools. "Good luck, Jim. Be careful," said Cloud. The rest of the party cheered in agreement. "Here goes nothing, I suppose," said Jim. He jumped up, and dove into the pool headfirst. Lemme know what you think! Write me at jrebholz@usa.net