Hey, it's me again, Peptuck3. I've come to realize something. I'm not too professional 
when it comes to this fanfic. Oh well, whatever.

	Well, its the time you've all been waiting for: Cloud and Co. unloading some severe 
whup-ass! Whoo-hoo! 
	The main reason why Squall and his friends were more prominient in previous parts is 
mainly because FF8 is my favorite Final Fantasy game, and I favor it slightly over FF7. 
Sorry...heh... *scratches back of head and grins sheepishly*

	Please note, this is VERY IMPORTANT: Everything up to Chapter 29 takes place over a 
period of about ten minutes. It's just all the stuff is happening at the same time. Also, I did NOT 
base Syric on Khimari (I think that's how you spell his name...) from FF10, okay? I created Syric 
before I ever even saw FF10, so don't think I ripped of the idea, okay?
	 
	Part 7: In the last part, Squall and his buddies learned of Cloud's battle against Sephiroth 
and Jenova. Also, we learned a bit of Seifer's backstory, including how he became an Estharian 
agent. We also learned that Seifer was infected by Jenova cells from his battle with Jenova's 
monsters. Also, Doc Odine appears to have discovered a connection between Cloud and Ellone, 
and we found that Jenova is a completely seperate lifeform, with really weird DNA. And Squall 
and Rinoa are also now engaged, and Squall learned Laguna is his dad. (as if we didn't know 
already. DUH!)
	At the end of Part 6, Seifer found himself in the midst of a titantic battle of wills in the 
Quad as he tried to prevent Jenova from dominating him. In the middle of that battle of wills, 
Seifer was tricked by one of Jenova's minions into giving up Meteor. Syric and Kura saved the 
day, with Syric drawing off Jenova's mental intrusions and turning the tables on her. Syric invaded 
Jenova's mind, and learned of her plans. In the process, we learned that Syric has a connection to 
the legendary Guardian Force Greiver.
	Meanwhile, everyone else in Garden felt the shockwaves of the mental battle between 
Seifer and Jenova, and Cloud's comrades, along with Squall's, hurried to the Quad. Jenova's other 
minions ambused Rinoa and Caraway as they entered the Quad. They forced Rinoa to surrender, 
then murdered her father right before her eyes. As the bad guys fled with Rinoa, Squall and 
Laguna came upon Caraway. Squall swore to Caraway before he died that he would save Rinoa, 
then headed off in pursuit. Syric, sensing Rinoa's danger, removed his armor and helmet and 
leaped off in pursuit as well, and Cloud and his friends, along with Squall's comrades, have 
entered the Quad. A major battle is brewing.... 

	Chapter 24: The Chase
	He was a dark blur, rippling through the trees, a nimbus light of ki power flowing around 
his blue-white Gunblade, a reflection of the fires of rage and determination burning within his 
eyes and soul. Every ounce of his soul and fiber of his being was focused on one person.
	Rinoa.
	How dare they! Whoever these creatures were, they had kidnapped Rinoa and murdered 
her father in cold blood, and now Squall Leonhart was in pursuit. When (and it wasn't a matter of 
if, but when) he caught up to them, they would learn how deeply he cared for Rinoa.
	Right as Squall's Lionheart would slice them cleanly in two.
	Beside Squall ran his father. Laguna may have been in his mid-forties, but he was as fit as 
a man half his age, and he was still a crack shot with his trusty machine gun. He ran alongside his 
son, and Laguna's eyes also held the same fires of vengance and wrath. He cared for Rinoa as 
well, like she was his own daughter, and he was enraged at the sight of her father, backstabbed in 
cold blood, dying on the ground and Laguna unable to do anything about it. Caraway had been a 
good man, turning Galbadia back around from the path of war and destruction that it had been 
traveling down. He was a man who had been willing to give his life for his daughter. Such good 
people were very rare in the realm of Galbadian politics.
	Laguna vowed that when they found the bastards that had done this, Squall would have to 
get in line for his kills.
	 
	The leader of the Jenova warriors paused and held up his hand.
	<Eleven and myself will stay here,> he said telepathically. <Everyone else, head for the 
gate. Reinforcements will be waiting.> The others sent telepathic affirmatives, then moved on, one 
bearing Rinoa's unconcious body. The remaining eleven warriors, who the leader had chosen 
earlier, immediately slipped into the shadows or rose into the trees.
	Within seconds the ambush was prepared. Leonhart would stand no chance. 

	The first people to come across Caraway's body were Irvine and Selphie, who had been 
going for a walk after a brisk round of killing monsters in the training area when they had felt the 
strange mental sensations.
	Selphie felt her knees weaken slightly as she looked upon Caraway's body. Irvine was 
nearby, probing the ground and searching for tracks or clues. Aside from being perhaps the best 
sharpshooter this side of Balamb (and probably the other side, too) and being a consummate 
ladies' man, Irvine was trained in the skills of the hunter; he was skilled at tracking, stealth, and 
wilderness survival.
	Neither of them were strangers to death, but Selphie was stunned by the death of such a 
powerful and important figure. Not only that, but he was Rinoa's father. No one had ever truly 
gotten along well with Caraway, but they had respected him.
	Selphie shook her head and swallowed the shock. Irvine was searching for clues, trying to 
figure out what had happened, so they could avenge Caraway's murder. Selphie bent over and 
examined the dead body. Killed cleanly by a slender blade through the back, she noted. Whoever 
had done this was precise and deadly. Selphie glanced up to see Irvine stand.
	"Find anything?" she asked, the words almost choking.
	"Yeah..." Irvine replied. "Looks like Rinoa was with him when whoever it was killed him. 
I also found some booted prints, like those of SeeDs, here. They paused by Caraway, then moved 
on. And," Irvine gestured all around the small clearing. "I'm not sure, but there appears to be a lot 
of disturbance in the grass around here, but no prints. I don't know what to make of it."
	"The boot prints probably lead to wherever these guys went," Selphie pointed out.
	"Right," Irvine said with a nod, drawing his rifle. "But first..." With his other hand Irvine 
pulled out a SeeD-issue portable radio. "Command, do you read?"
	
	Red XIII knew something was wrong. He'd felt it as he had stood on the edge of one of 
the Garden's second story balconies and had gazed into the moon, the same way he always did late 
at night. Red XIII needed only a fraction of the sleep that his friends did, so he often spent the 
nights watching the stars and pondering. Tonight though, he realized, there was going to be very 
little pondering. 
	He'd felt the rippling sensation of Seifer's mental battle with Jenova, and had remembered 
the same strange sensation when Cloud was being manipulated by Sephiroth, so he knew things 
weren't good. 
	As Red XIII burst through the halls, he suddenly ran into Angelo. He was anxious, and 
kept looking in the direction the Quad.
	"What is it?" Red XIII asked him. Angelo whimpered and turned back to the Quad and 
loosed a mournful howl. Red XIII couldn't actually talk to Angelo, but they were were very 
similar, so Red XIII was able to roughly communicate with Angelo and understand what was 
causing his distress. 
	"Rinoa's in danger?" he asked. Angelo whimpered again. Red XIII understood. "Come 
on!" he shouted as he leaped away, continuing on towards the Quad. Angelo barked and leaped 
after him.

	Cloud didn't understand why he was running in this direction. Something within him just 
told him to. He and Tifa had entered the Quad moments earlier, pushing past the SeeD guard, and 
almost immediately he had felt something within push him in this direction. 
	As the pair ran through the darkened park, Cloud unconciously reached over his back and 
pulled out the Ultimate Weapon. It throbbed in his hands as he gripped the handle of the huge 
blade. Cloud glanced down at the near-transparent, crystalline blade of this most powerful of 
Weapons.
	A sword formed from remains of a creature created by the sheer willpower of the planet, 
created to oppose and destroy Jenova. The Weapon throbbed in his hands again, and Cloud could 
almost feel its desire to find and destroy creatures formed of Jenova. He'd only felt its yearning to 
kill this way twice before; once when they'd fought Jenova: Synthesis, and then when they had 
battled Sephiroth. Cloud knew what that meant. Creatures of Jenova were nearby. 

	<-you read?> Irvine's voice came over the speaker. 
	"We read you, Kinneas," Xu replied as she walked over to the console. She was standing 
in the Balamb Garden Command Center, where Headmaster Cid's old office used to be. A dozen 
technicians, highly trained SeeDs, including Nida (who happened to have that goofy Yuffie girl 
tagging along) were seated at the various consoles, coordinating the defense teams. They weren't 
sure what was going on, but Xu knew that something was happening within Garden, something 
bad, which was why she had begun activating Balamb Garden's new defensive protocols. 
	<Command,> Irvine began, then paused, trying to find the words. <President Caraway 
is...> Irvine broke off again.
	"Repeat, Kinneas. Caraway is what?" Xu demanded.
	<He's dead.>
	The whole command center seemed to stop.
	"Are you sure?" Xu breathed in shock.
	<He's right here at my feet. Stabbed cleanly in the back.>
	"I...I see..." Xu said, looking down at the floor. Caraway, dead?
	<And I think whoever it was kidnapped Rinoa in the process.> That snapped Xu's head 
back up to the console.
	"What?"
	<Yeah. They killed Caraway and kidnapped her,> Irvine replied.
	"Understood," Xu said. She turned to one of the techs operating another console. "We 
have intruders! Initiate full lockdown!"
	"Yes Ma'am!" the tech replied. As he began the lockdown, Xu activated the intercom.

	Zell had been awakened by the commotion of students and SeeDs moving outside his 
dorm room, and came outside to see what was the matter, not caring that he was only wearing his 
boxers. Then he heard Xu over the intercom.
	<Attention, all Garden personnel! We have intruders! I repeat, we have intruders! Full 
lockdown procedure is now in effect. All personnel move to assigned positions. Intruders are 
located within the Quad. First and Second Class SeeDs are to secure all entrances and exits to the 
Quad. Be very cautious, as we do not know how many there are or what they are capable of. They 
have kidnapped Rinoa Heartilly and have killed President Caraway. I repeat....> Zell blinked in 
surprise. What!? These bastards had kidnapped Rinoa and murdered her father?
	Zell ran back into his room and quickly dressed, then slipped on his gloves. as he left the 
room, though, he paused and grabbed his T-Board.
	"I said this would be useful someday!" Zell shouted as he careened down the hallways 
towards the Quad.

	The Jenova warriors that were carrying Rinoa and Meteor were nearing the gateway that 
Jenova had opened that led directly back to her lair. As they neared the shimmering black portal, 
they saw twenty more dark-skinned warriors standing outside; the gate's rearguard.
	The approaching warriors sent telepathic greetings to the waiting warriors as they quickly 
approached the gate. None of them noted the huge, powerfuly muscled form that was prowling 
through the trees twenty meters behind them.

	The tech that Xu had spoken to initiated full lockdown. The first thing that occured during 
lockdown was the new defensive shield (a gift from Esthar) was raised around Garden. Around 
the Garden rose a huge, bluish-green, double-walled dome of energy. This dome was of Estharian 
make, and therefore was capable of blocking just about anything as long as the power held.
	Including magical, dimensional gateways such as the one the Jenova warriors were using.

	The lead warrior leaped through the gateway, only to find the gate simply dissappear just 
before he reached it. The warriors stood dumbfounded. What had just happened?
	Telepathic messages shot back and forth as the Jenova warriors tried to figure out what 
was going on. Finally, they noticed the huge, shimmering wall of energy, Balamb Garden's 
defense shield. After another quick telepathic conversation, they concluded that they must destroy 
the shield control center. Each of the warriors was created from Jenova, and as such, they held 
much of Jenova's knowledge, including the information that she had gained concerning Balamb 
garden from Seifer Almasy's memories. Thus, they had a good idea of where Balamb Garden's 
command center was. 
	They quickly formulated a new plan, and sent it telepathically the their leader, who 
agreed. They would assault the command center and kill everyone inside. With nearly forty 
Jenova warriors, the command center would stand no chance. Once everyone inside was dead and 
the shield was disabled, they would reopen the gate and retreat. After their leader had killed 
Leonhart, he too would escape through another gate. The warrior bearing Rinoa and Meteir would 
stay quietly to the side, until the shield had fallen, and would escape through a third gate. The 
large group immediately turned and began to silently leave the Quad. The group spaced itself out, 
flitting silently, unnoticably, among the trees.
	Also silent and unnoticable was the huge crimson-colored spectre that pursued them 
through the trees.

	By sheer luck, a much louder, much more boisterious group unknowingly happened to be 
on an intercept course for the band of Jenova warriors.
	"Yo, what the hell's goin' on?!" Barret roared as he bulled through foiliage behind 
Vincent, Cid Highwind, and Cait Sith/Reeve.  
	"Yeah," Cid agreed, tossing a spent cigarette aside. "What are we doing out out here? We 
all felt that weird sensation, but-"
	Vincent, in the lead, stopped suddenly and held up his hand, signaling for the others to 
stop as well.
	"What the-" Barret began, but he was cut by a simultanious "Shhhhh!" from Vincent, Cid, 
and Cait Sith/Reeve. They waited for several long moments as Vincent peered ahead into the 
darkness with his inhumanly enhanced vision, and Barret's warrior instincts began lighting up. 
Danger was near. As Vincent continued searching the gloom, Reeve tapped a button on the side of 
his Cait Sith headset, and the cat/moogle toy's cat eyes began glowing a faint red as it switched 
over to infravision, one of the latest modifications that had been made to that most unusual of 
warriors. Almost immediately Cait Sith/Reeve found saw what Vincent had sensed.
	"I see them," he whispered, picking out the glowing red outlines of nearly forty humanoid 
figures moving in a loosely spaced line among the trees.
	"What are they?" Cid asked.
	"Not sure-" Reeve began.
	"Jenova warriors," Vincent interrupted calmly, as always. He reached under his red cape 
and drew the Death Penalty, his best weapon. Underneath the cape several more guns were 
holstered, including the Outsider, the weapon Vincent had used when helping Seifer and Kura 
fight Jenova's weird flying, tentacled monsters. Before the other three could begin asking more 
predictable questions, Vincent said, "Look closely. Anything seem familiar?" Reeve focused on 
one of them, zooming in. He noticed that the cloak and the way he held his katana were familiar 
for some reason, and then he looked into his face. Reeve gasped for breath as he remembered 
where he'd seen that face before.  
	"S...Sephiroth?!" he breathed. Vincent nodded.
	"Most likely lesser clones of him, or maybe creatures that were bred with some of his 
abilities."
	"Yeah, well, what th' hell are they doin' here?!" Barret asked, waving his Gun-arm angrily. 
Vincent didn't reply immediately, for he'd noticed something odd about one of the creatures. it 
seemed to be carrying something...no, someone. 
	Vincent loaded and cocked the Death Penalty.
	"What is it?" Cid asked.
	"They have Rinoa," Vincent whispered.
	"Ya mean, that kid Squall's girlfriend?" Barret asked incredilously. "The uhh.... 
whaddyacallit, the...uh...Sorceress?" Vincent nodded. Barret grinned as he raised his Gun-arm. 
"'Bout time...been a while since me and my buddy here did some damage..." Beside him, Cid had 
drawn his lance.
	He light up a new cigarette and blew a puff of smoke out of his mouth. "Time to kick 
some ass," Cid remarked.
	"Jus' like old times, eh?" Barret asked.
	"Exactly."

	Chapter 25: Past and Future
	<He is coming,> came the telepathic burst from one of the sentries.
	<Be prepared. He may be alone and a mere human, but his ki is immense. Do not 
underestimate him,> the leader commanded. Just as he'd finished the command, Squall burst into 
the clearing, alone and with gunblade drawn. Immediately the leader of the Jenova warriors 
dropped down from the trees right in his path, katana swinging faster than the eye could see.  
Without even being conciously aware of the attack, Squall swing his gunblade up and blocked it, 
his warrior instincts allowing him to deflect the blow. The leader leaped back and smiled, 
impressed at Squall's skill.
	"Well done, Leonhart," he said honestly. "Very impressive."
	"Who are you?!" Squall demanded forcefully, his rage boiling over. He raised Lionheart 
threateningly. "Where is Rinoa?!"
	"The Sorceress?" The leader seemed to consider it for a moment. "The Sorceress is 
beyond you," he said finally. "Soon, she and I will be back in Jenova's lair, and you will be dead."
	"Dead?"
	"Isn't it obvious? We were waiting for you," the humanoid continued. "Jenova has 
concluded that you are too dangerous, so we are here to eliminate you."
	"Wow, I'm honored," Squall replied. "So who's this 'we' you're talking about?" As if on 
cue, four more Jenova warriors dropped from the trees, katanas and sabers drawn. They quickly 
encircled Squall.
	"Oh."
	 
	The Ultimate Weapon's throbbing, along with Cloud's own innate Jenova powers, 
continued to lead Tifa and himself through the Quad. Unknowingly, they were being led to the 
very clearing where Squall and the Jenova warriors were squaring off. 
	Cloud heard them before he saw them. The voices of Squall and another, a chilling voice 
from his past. 
	The voice of Sephiroth.

	"A pity really," the leader began as the four Jenova warriors launched a few minor swings, 
testing Squall's abilities. Squall blocked the blows and replied with a powerful slash at the one 
directly in front of him. Upon pulling his gunblade's trigger, the attack nearly blew the lightwieght 
katana out of its weilder's hand. Squall then took a quick step back and spun around, swinging at 
the foe behind him and this time knocking his saber away. The other two attacked quickly, but 
Squall blocked every attack, actually begining the parries before his foes struck.
	"Most impressive!" the leader said enthusiastically. He sent a telepathic command and the 
four warriors backed off. "As I said, a pity you will die here. If you were infected by our Jenova 
cells, you would be a sight to behold!"
	"No thanks," Squall replied. "I've seen what you're infections do to people. They become 
slaves to Jenova unless they have a strong will."
	"Indeed. Not even Almasy could resist Jenova, even with his strong will."
	"Seifer's infected?" Squall asked in shock. No wonder he had been acting so strange!
	"You were unaware of Almasy's infection?" the leader asked in surprise. Squall nodded. 
"Then how did you know about the power of Jenova's cells?"
	"Cloud told me," Squall replied, smiling at the incredilous expression on his enemy's face. 
"He told me all about what had happened when he was infected by Jenova."
	"Th-th-that's imposible..." the leader said in shock. "That was...five thousand years ago!"
	Squall blinked in surprise. "What?" he said, not comprehending.

	"What?" Cloud and Tifa both said from the edge of the clearing.

	"What?" Laguna said, crouching behind a tree, grappling hook in one hand and a grenade 
in the other.

	"Seven thousand years ago, Jenova descended on this world," the leader explained. "She 
destroyed many of the Cetra here and they then sealed her away for two thousand years until 
Shinra recovered her. They created Sephiroth, who, along with Jenova, sought to absorb all the 
Spiritual Energy of this world. Cloud, infected by Jenova, arose to defeat them. Sephiroth was 
killed and Jenova's spirit was diffussed. That was five thousand years ago. Cloud is long since 
dead." 
	Squall took a deep breath as his mind tried to fathom what he had just been told. Cloud 
was from this world, only five thousand years earlier?
	"Then how could you have spoken with Cloud?" the leader asked, suddenly on guard. 
	"Because I'm here," Cloud said as he and Tifa strode into the clearing. "Alive and well, it 
seems."
	"Cl...Cloud Strife...But...five thousand years...you're...you're dead!" the leader hissed.
	"Apparently not," Tifa responded.
	"And you too!" he said at Tifa. "How?!"
	"Actually, we're not quite sure of that ourselves," Cloud said with a shrug.Overhead, there 
was a slight rustle in the trees as the remaining Jenova warriors shifted uncomfortably at the news. 
Squall, Cloud, and Tifa all took note of it. So these guys had brought friends?
	Suddenly the leader threw his head back and laughed.
	"So I finally get to see the legendary Cloud Strife in action." His gaze fell over Cloud, and 
he took on an evil grin. Cloud could not deny that he looked disturbingly like a blue-black skinned 
Sephiroth with that grin. "The legendary warrior who was infected with Jenova and yet he denied 
the gifts given to him." He laughed comtemptiously at Cloud. "You do not know what you," The 
leader raised his katana. "Are," The leader ducked into a fighting crouch, spacing his feet out just 
as he was spacing his words. "Capable," There was another slight rustle from the branched 
overhead. "OF!" he shouted, and even as the word was registering in Cloud's mind, the Jenova 
warriors dropped down from the trees, and the leader had shot forward in a lightning-quick 
motion, slashing overhead with his katana too quickly for almost any human to evade.
	Cloud wasn't just any human.
	The Ultimate Weapon blocked the blow cleanly, then the next slash as the Jenova warrior 
shifted his blade over a few degrees and cut down again, which was parried effortlessly. He 
continued the attack routine with a left cut which was promptly blocked, then an attack from 
Cloud's lower right up to his upper left. Cloud dodged that cut then blocked another attack from 
his upper right. The Jenova warrior's blade bounced off and he spun around in a complete circle, 
sword leading. Cloud stepped back to avoid the blow then stepped in behind the cut, thrusting the 
Ultimate Weapon in behind it. The leader of the Jenova warriors didn't get his blade back into 
place in time and was gutted. The Ultimate Weapon slipped through his stomach, and he felt 
agony, searing waves of pain, assualting his body as the Weapon, formed from a creature created 
specifically to destroy Jenova, did its work. From the wound in his stomach, his body began to 
simply burn away. Then he was gone, his body turned to dust and the particles floating off. The 
katana also evaporated even before it had fallen to the ground.
	It had all happened in less than five seconds, most of that taken up by the leader's death.
	Cloud turned around to see Squall and Tifa standing there, dumbfounded expressions on 
their faces. All around them, their weapons ready, were the remaining eleven Jenova warriors, also 
apparently stunned at the display of Cloud's skill and the power of Weapon.
	They stood there for several moments, and suddenly Cloud realized that they weren't 
simply shocked at his abilities or at the Weapon. Then Cloud thought he heard a whispering in the 
back of his mind, and suddenly he realized what they were doing. They were telepathically 
communicating!
	Even as Cloud came to this realization, the Jenova warriors had finished their 
conversation, and they burst into motion. The four around Squall resumed their attacks, while the 
other seven moved towards Cloud and Tifa.

	Chapter 26: A Desperate Battle
	Red XIII and Angelo reached the entrance to the Quad, only to find to their surprise that 
the Quad was blocked off by a force of nearly twenty SeeDs. Red XIII considered it for a 
moment. With Garden's shield raised, the only way out of Garden would be to disable the shield 
from the command center. To do that, they would have to exit the Quad, and the only exit from 
the Quad  would be this hallway. Red XIII had heard of the reputation of SeeD, but he wondered 
if even these young, skilled warriors could fight whatever it was that Jenova was going to throw at 
them.
	Red XIII looked round, and he spotted the apparent leaders the SeeD group. He 
remembered them. Squall's friends, Quistis Trepe, Selphie Tilmitt, and Irvine Kinneas, the higher 
ranking SeeD officers of Garden, who had joined Squall and Rinoa in the battle against Ultimecia. 
Red XIII's confidence in the strength of the SeeD group was raised immensely.
	Red approached the trio of SeeD officers. Quistis and Irvine were giving orders, and 
while Quistis seemed to be a natural at that, Irvine seemed nervous. He obviously didn't excel 
when it came to pressure. Selphie, on the other hand, was trying to boost morale and offer some 
encouragement. She, along with Irvine, had come to the Quad's main entrance after Xu's 
announcement, both because they were first class SeeDs and also becuase they knew this would be 
the easiest way to intercept the intruders.
	Quistis had just given orders to a trio of SeeD gunblade specialists when she noticed Red 
XIII and Angelo, and she walked over to them.
	"What's the situation?" Red asked, knowing the seriousness of the matter.
	"Nothing you probably don't know already," Quistis replied. "An unknown number of 
hostiles within the Quad, apparently heading in this direction. They've killed President Caraway 
and kidnapped Rinoa. We're going to try to intercept them here. Unfortunately, we haven't had 
much time to organize, and most of our forces are still just becoming aware of the threat."
	Red XIII knew it would probably be the best plan they could come up with. "If they're 
coming his way, then you'll need all the help you can get. Mind if we assist?"
	"We? Oh, Angelo!" Quistis bent down and nuzzled the anxious dog. "I forgot all about 
you! You must be so worried about Rinoa."
	"He is," Red replied. "Rinoa is in danger, and he will fight to protect her."
	"He will. He is as dedicated to protecting Rinoa as Squall is," Quistis said. Before she 
could say anything else, they heard Irvine shout and cock his rifle.
	"Hey! Everyone, we have incoming! Stay frosty!"
 	
	Cid watched the group of humanoids move through the trees. His pilot's mind, skilled in 
physics, precisly calculated the necassary angle and direction of his throw. Then he lit the stick of 
dynamite in his hand and hurled it.
	"Three....two....one...." he counted down as the stick landed precisely in the midst of the 
humanoids. 
	Suddenly there was a flash of light, an explosive roar, and a number of flying humanoids.
At the same time, Barret leaped to the attack, Gun-arm blazing, with a shout of "SUCK ON THIS, 
JACKASSES!!!!!" as he unloaded several cans of whup-ass upon the surprised warriors. The rest 
of the large group of Jenova warriors reacted by scattering, leaping into the trees, and hiding 
deeper in the shadows. There were a few unfortunates that happened to be caught in the open.
	Three of them were shredded by the rapid-fire barrage from Barret before they even knew 
what hit them. A fourth pointed his left hand towards Barret, and a bolt of red energy lanced 
outward and struck Barret in the stomach. 
	"Ugh!" Barret said as he was knocked onto his back. He sat up and felt a bit of pain from 
his belly. He glanced down at his stomach and at the charred armor that he wore there, then rose 
up. Barret began to draw a bead on the warrior who had zapped him when that warrior was blasted 
several feet backwards. He glanced over his shoulder to see Vincent leveling his Death Penalty 
and taking aim at another foe. Barret turned back to the Jenova warriors, only to find that most of 
them were gone. The two that were still exposed fell quickly, one shot by Vincent, the other 
immolated by a Fire3 spell from Cait Sith.
	"Dammit," Barret protested. "Quit taking all my fun!"
	"Ah, you're just getting old, Barret," Cait Sith/Reeve replied. Barret replied with an icy 
glare that could stop a Weapon in its tracks. Then he suddenly grinned.
	"Yeah, whatever," Barret said, turning away and pointing in the general direction of where 
the Jenova warriors had once been. "Well, there's plenty more ass whuppin' up ahead! Let's 
move!"
	"Yeah, but where?" Cid pointed out. "Those bastards scattered. How are we gonna find 
them?"
	"The shield is up, so they can't escape until its down," Vincent said, calling upon logic, 
which to him seemed to be in short supply. "Therefore, the only option that they have is to go to 
the shield control center. Therefore, they have to leave the Quad."
	"And that means that they have to go through the main entrance," Cid finished.
	"Right. Let's move out and whup some ass!" Barret shouted. With that, the quartet headed 
for the Quad's entrance.

	The Jenova warriors were in fact heading for the entrance, but they needed a moment to 
reorganize after Barret's insane assault. Nine of them had been killed by Barret and his comrades, 
and that left thirty remaining. The group quickly reorganized, using telepathic bursts to bring the 
scattered warriors back together. Except for one trio, who had been in the very back of the 
formation, and was still trying to get back to the safety of the main group. They had almost 
rejoined the force and were only a moment away.
	They didn't make it.
	A huge, musclebound form, the same one that had been stalking the Jenova warriors since 
before they reached the failed gate, dropped down in the middle of the trio. All they saw was a 
crimson blur as it loosed a powerful left hook that reduced one warrior's skull into a fine black 
mist. Then the humaniod mass of blurred muscle slammed the next dark warrior with a powerful 
backhand that had enough force to reduce its target to a liquid state. The third and last warrior 
tried to flee, but his stomach suddenly exploded in pain as an eight-foot long lance gutted him 
from the back. He spent several moments squirming on the lance before finally going still.
	Syric shook the dead body off of his lance and checked to see if he had gotten any of that 
black stuff these things used for blood on him. After concluding that he was clean, the giant SeeD 
warrior dissappeared back into the shadows, no small feat for a huge, seven-foot tall, crimson 
haired individual such as himself, and he resumed stalking the remaining Jenova soldiers. Or, 
more specifically, the one holding Rinoa. That one also held something else, something that had a 
familiar aura about it....

	Those soldiers were well aware that they were in trouble. With Jenova's accumulated 
knowledge and memories, they instantly recognized Barret, Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith were the 
ones that had attacked them. They could probably defeat the quartet of Jenova's hated enemies, 
but they would certainly suffer losses, and the Jenova warriors knew that they would need every 
warrior remaining to get through the defenses that SeeD would be gathering.
	They wasted no time resuming their course for the Quad's main entrance. As they 
approached, however, they discovered that SeeD was already waiting for them there. The warriors 
paused for a moment to plan a strategy, then, upon completion, executed it. Twenty-seven 
warriors, minus one that was carrying Rinoa and Meteor, advanced stealthily towards the waiting 
SeeD force. That last member moved off to the side and waited silently for his comrades to drop 
the shield.
	
	"How long has it been since we saw them?" Irvine asked, breaking open his rifle and 
checking the chamber again for the third time since they'd first seen the approaching enemies.
	"About a minute ago," Sephie replied. She glanced back in Irvine's direction. He never 
performed well under pressure, and right now, with an unknown number of enemies approaching 
and the life of one of his best friends possibly hanging in the balance, he was getting nervous. 
Unfortunately, Selphie couldn't offer much support, not now. Not with enemies so close by. Even 
as she turned back to the entrance, Selphie thought she saw something. Beside her, Angelo bristled 
and Red XIII's ears perked up.
	"They're coming," the firey wolf-cat whispered. 
	"Let's hope we work together better here than we did the first time we met," Selphie 
joked. If Red XIII could have blushed, he would have, recalling how, in thier first meeting, Red 
XIII had been the one who pounced on the 'intruder'.
	"Sorry about that," Red replied a bit sheepishly. Selphie shrugged, and would have said 
something else, but by then the intruders were in full view.
	"Everyone, get ready!" Selphie shouted. The SeeDs took up their varied array of 
weaponry. Most were melee fighters, armed with close range weapons such as gunblades, 
gunaxes, staves, and so on. Six of the SeeD force were armed with ranged weapons, mostly rifles, 
but one carried throwing daggars. The SeeD formation was located in Balamb Garden's main 1st 
floor hallway, on the walkway that was positioned about a meter above the vast pool of flowing 
water. The group was positioned where the walkway leading from the quad met with the circular 
pathway that wrapped around the raised central platform with the elevators, with the melee 
fighters in front on the Quad's walkway, and the SeeDs armed with ranged weapons scattered to 
either side on the circular walkway, out of easy melee attack range. Quistis, Selphie, Red XIII, 
Angelo, and Irvine were at the front of the group, though some people, including Selphie, 
wondered why Irvine was that close to the front line fighting when he was armed with a ranged 
weapon. Was he just being protective of her? Or was Irvine just trying to hide his nervousness 
with unnecassary bravado? Regardless, she thought, it was a stupid place to be. 
	Then the time for thinking passed as the dark humanoids, Jenova's minions, charged down 
the Quad's hallway toward the SeeD force. The SeeD group had seen hints that they were coming, 
but the sudden charge came so unexpectedly and so quickly that the Jenova warriors had almost 
left the hallway and reached the walkway connecting to the central circular walkway before the 
SeeD force responded. The original plan was to let the enemy charge down the narrow hallway, 
giving the waiting SeeDs easy targets for their magic and ranged weapons. But with the enemy 
moving so fast and suddenly, the SeeD force got off only one barrage.
	However, that barrage was quite impressive. A wave of fire, ice, and lightening magic, 
along with a healthy dose of bullets and a few daggars, swept outward toward the charging enemy, 
who reacted not in the least to the oncoming approach of certain magical, explosive death. The 
magic reached its targets and exploded spectacularly, and the explosion could be heard throughout 
Garden by the SeeDs and students who were still just begining to respond to the fact that intruders 
were within Garden.
	Then, charging through the dust and smoke of the explosion, came the Jenova warriors, 
nearly unscathed due to the Shell spells that they had cast upon themselves beforehand. They 
pointed their left hands in the SeeD's general direction, and an answering barrage of red bolts of 
energy lanced out, striking several SeeDs and sending them to the floor, wounded or dying. The 
leading warriors met the stunned SeeDs standing in the front and a wild melee erupted.
	Selphie found herself against not one, but two Jenova soldiers. She whirled her nunchaku 
around in a wide circle, preventing any attacks, then swung the weapon across, knocking aside the 
saber of the warrior to her right. She swung the nunchaku back around, wrapping the chain about 
the neck of the same opponent. As she twisted the chain, breaking her opponent's neck, Selphie  
quickly sidestepped, dodging a katana slash from her foe on the left. She spun the nunchaku back 
towards her remaining foe, who ducked underneath the swing and kicked out, his booted foot 
hitting Selphie in the shin. She lost her balance and fell. Selphie looked up to see the warrior rise 
up over her, katana at the ready, and then he simply exploded, his head and shoulders seperated 
from his lower torso and legs as his upper body blew apart.
	Behind her, Irvine pumped his rifle, ejected the spent round, and drew a bead on another 
target. An oppurtunistic warrior noted him and stepped towards Irvine, saber leading. Irvine swung 
his rifle around to bear, but they both knew he wouldn't get it in line in time. Then a red blur flew 
throught the air, and Red XIII slammed into the Jenova warrior, knocking him down. Red 
immediately started clawing and biting savagely. The Jenova warrior worked his saber frantically, 
but the weapon was too big for him to get a good strike in at the vicious wolf-cat creature. He did 
manage to draw a long, painful line across Red's left flank, but then Red XIII put both front sets of 
claws on the warrior's forehead, hooked his claws in, and sheared off the soldier's face.
	Elsewhere, however, the Jenova warriors drove through the formation of SeeDs, using 
speed and brute force to push the SeeDs back and to the sides, allowing several other warriors to 
break through.The first warrior to get away from the SeeD force ran into another SeeD, this one 
with a strange haircut, tatoos on his face, and riding a T-board.
	Zell, arriving in time to join the defense, leaped forward, off the speeding T-board. The 
lead warrior also jumped to avoid from being tripped by the T-board, but then, Zell had 
anticipated that, and it had actually been his intention to make his target jump. Both of Zell's legs 
shot forward as he twisted in midair, and they connected with the leaping warrior's chest. The 
force behind the junction-enhanced blow hurled the warrior over the tulmut of the battle and into a 
patch of wall directly over the water. The impact with the wall broke the warrior's neck, and his 
lifeless body fell into the water. Zell landed agily and smoothly upon the T-board, which had 
never even slowed.  
	Quistis joined a gunblade-weilding SeeD in fighting another warrior. The katana-weilding 
humanoid ducked below a high strike of Quistis's whip, twisted aside to evade another stroke of 
the whip, the hopped over a third low attack by Quistis, all the while parrying all the gunblade 
slashes. The Jenova warrior then swung his katana out wide, pushing the SeeD's gunblade away, 
and followed with an open-palmed blow to the nose that stunned the SeeD for an instant. The 
SeeD stumbled back against the railing above the pool of water, the Quistis snapped her whip at 
the warrior again in another low attack. The warrior hopped the stroke and raised his katana in 
midair to cut the stunned SeeD down. But Quistis had expected him to hop the low strike, so she 
had already begun to snap the whip back up. It curled around the warrior's ankle, and she yanked 
hard, causing the warrior to topple back down to the ground. The gunblade-weilding SeeD saw his 
oppurtunity, and thrust his gunblade down into the prone warrior, killing him.
	The SeeD looked up triumphantly, but that look transformed into one of extreme pain and 
shock as a bolt of red energy blasted into his chest, knocking him backward over the railing, 
killing him before he even hit the water.
	The warrior who had loosed the bolt was already pushing forward, charging into Quistis 
before she could bring her whip to bear. The warrior had no weapon, his saber knocked away by a 
well-timed pull of the trigger on the gunaxe of a SeeD who now lay on the floor, clutching a 
burned leg that had been blasted by another bolt from the same warrior after his weapon was lost.
He barreled into Quistis, his shoulder connecting with her stomach as he pushed her over to the 
side, against the railing. He straightened and pushed up, shoving Quistis over the railing and into 
the water several feet below. Across the tulmut of the vicious battle, Zell saw the attack on Quistis, 
the SeeD who he had fallen in love with.
	"QUISTIS!!!" Zell roared in outrage. He tapped one of the foot panels on his T-board, 
which allowed him to control the speed and altitude of the device, and the T-board hopped up a 
dozen feet to its maximum altitude and jetted forward, over the battle. Zell, an expert at T-
boarding, cut the speed and altitude perfectly, dropping right on the warrior that had dared to 
attack Quistis. The humanoid saw him coming, (a T-board with one as strange as Zell on board 
leaping up and over a battle, then rapidly descending was	difficult to miss) and raised his hand, 
attempting to loose another bolt before this crazy human teenager could hit him. At the last second 
the bolt went off, blasting into the T-board's underside. But by then it was less than a meter away 
from the stunned warrior's face, and the broken T-board and its rider slammed into the warrior full 
force. The dazed warrior was knocked on his back, and as he sat up, Zell descended upon him, his 
fists pounding away mercilessy until the warrior was just a semisolid black goo.
	Another SeeD, armed with a pair of long, wicked daggars, was fighting desperately to 
hold off another pair of Jenova warriors. He was working his blades as quickly as he could, but 
the two humanoids were winning. Suddenly he felt a saber dig into his side, and he fell back from 
the pain he felt in his flank. The other warrior grinned and lined up a precise blow to finish off the 
wounded SeeD when the chain of a nunchaku swung around his neck and Selphie yanked back, 
snapping her target's neck. At the same time, Angelo leaped into the battle, his jaws clamping 
painfully upon one of the other warrior's arms. The warrior was twisted around and he fell on his 
stomach. He thrust his blade, striking the dog a glancing blow on his foreleg, but then the 
wounded daggar-weilding SeeD dropped to his knees and stabbed both of his blades into the back 
of the evil warrior.
	A SeeD in the back, armed with a rifle, quickly reloaded his weapon as the SeeD in front 
of him fought another warrior. That SeeD grunted and she fell to the side, a nasty gash in her 
flank, and the warrior who had struck her stepped past her, thrusting his saber into the ribs of the 
reloading SeeD. The SeeD dropped his rifle and clutched at his chest and the fatal wound. He 
dropped to his knees, but pulled his hands away from his chest in time to grab the legs of the 
warrior as he moved past, intending to join the small group that had broken through the SeeD 
lines. The warrior glanced back at the fatally wounded SeeD in shock and anger, then thrust his 
saber down and finished the foolish teenager. Then another rifle-armed SeeD plowed into the 
breifly delayed warrior, outraged at the casual murder of his friend and comrade. The SeeD 
knocked the saber aside and pushed the warrior back, then he beat him over the head with the butt 
of his rifle. The SeeD followed up by shoving the warrior backwards again, this time over the 
railing and causing both of them to splash down in the cold, chest-deep water below. With the 
chlorine of the water burning their eyes, neither the SeeD nor the warrior could see for a moment. 
The warrior recovered first, and raised his hand to loose a killing bolt. Then Quistis rose up out of 
the water behind him and wrapped her whip around his neck. They struggled for a moment, and 
the warrior swung his elbow back and hit Quistis in the eye, almost breaking her grip. The other 
SeeD then recovered his vision, and, seeing Quistis struggling with the warrior, splashed forward 
and grabbed onto the dark humanoid. All three went under, and a moment later only Quistis and 
the SeeD came back up.
	Back up on the walkway, the fighting intesified as the Jenova warriors continued pushing 
through the SeeDs and the SeeDs did their best to stop them. Individually, the SeeDs were not as 
skilled as the Jenova warriors, but they used teamwork, training, and sheer human tenacity to hold 
on. One SeeD was being pushed backwards against the railing by an enemy warrior, gunaxe and 
katana crossing. As he was being pushed over the edge of the railing, and effectively out of the 
fight, the SeeD's knee suddenly rose and connected between the warrior's legs. From the pained 
expression on the warrior's face, it was obvious that Jenova had "fully equipped" her warriors. The 
SeeD pushed the disabled warrior back and ended his pain with an overhead, skullsplitting chop of 
the gunaxe.
	Another SeeD was dueling with a Jenova soldier when both the warrior's and the SeeD's 
blades connected in a low parry. The warrior then swung his arm up and connected with the 
bottom of the SeeD's jaw. She stumbled backwards, and the warrior, a grin of triumph on his face, 
stepped forward, katana held high for an overhead chop. The SeeD, recovering quicker than the 
warrior had expected, thrust her gunblade into the warrior's chest. Even as he looked down in 
shock, the SeeD pulled the trigger on her gunblade and the evil humanoid's chest exploded. 
	Another warrior was getting ready to finish off a wounded SeeD when a massive hand 
grabbed him by the back of his cloak, spinning him around. He looked up to see a dark-skinned 
man easily three times his mass. The huge man raised his right arm, which had a huge gun grafted 
onto it, and slammed the warrior in the side of the head. Such a use for a gun-arm was rather 
brutal and inefficient, but then, when Barret slammed someone in the head with his right arm, it 
was kind of like a freight train hitting an overripe melon.
	Another Jenova warrior's chest exploded and he was hurled back several feet as soon as 
Vincent had lined him up in his sights. Cid and Cait Sith/Reeve ran into the room as well, joining 
the SeeD reiforcements that were rushing in from all area of Garden to join the battle, but by that 
time, the battle at the walkway was already over. 
	Six SeeDs lay dead and half again that number were wounded, but seventeen Jenova 
warriors had died on that walkway or, in a couple of cases, in the water beneath it. But just 
because the battle for the walkway had ended, it didn't mean that the fight was over. In the 
confusion, nine of the enemy warriors had broken through unnoticed.

	Squall spun, ducked, twisted, blocked, and dodged the quick and precise blows of his four 
antagonists. Lionheart was a blue-white blur, a shard of crystalized energy, that intercepted every 
cunning blow unerringly. A short distance away, Cloud battled with five other Jenova warriors, his 
impossibly huge Weapon blocking each attack just as effectively. The remains of one of the most 
powerful beasts in existence, the Weapon, seeming to also be a shard of pure energy, hungered for 
the black goo that served as blood for Jenova and her minions. Cloud and Squall fought with 
everything they had, blocking and countering their foes' attacks. But sooner or later, they would 
begin to wear out, so they needed to do something quickly. Individually, each of these warriors 
was no match for either of them, but in such large numbers, they were very, very dangerous.
	Tifa, on the other hand, felt insulted by the fact that only two had come after her, 
apparently because she was unarmed. She easily kept out of range of her attackers, waiting 
patiently for an opening. They kept ducking in and out, thrusting and slashing, but never coming 
too close for her to strike one alone, without fear of a reprisal by the other. These guys were good. 
Then she saw it. The pair of evil humanoids had come close enough together, but were just far 
enough apart for it to work....
	Cloud ducked under one warrior's strike and stabbed forward. The target stepped aside, 
but not before Cloud had inflicted a painful gash on his side. The warrior stepped away, clutching 
at his side, which was burned. Bits of his body floated away like ashes as he looked in disbelief at 
the wound. 
	With only four enemies to deal with now, Cloud had a bit more breathing room. He 
swung his Weapon around in a wide arc, causing the enemy warriors to leap back quickly to evade 
the deadly slash.
	One wasn't fast enough.
	He looked down at his stomach to see a five-inch deep gash, all of it burning away and 
turning to dust. Before his comrades could rejoin the battle, Cloud quickly swung the Ultimate 
Weapon down in an overhead chop, neatly splitting the wounded warrior in two and causing him 
to blow away like dust in the wind. Cloud turned to regard the other four.
	They weren't too eager to resume the battle.
	Squall continued blocking attacks, trying to think of a plan of attack. But there were too 
many for him to concentrate. But fortunately, Squall had a trump card that no one, not even Cloud 
and Tifa, knew of.
	Tifa, meanwhile, took a quick step forward. The two Jenova warriors thrusted their sabers 
at her, but she had already backed out of range. Then she stepped forward again, and  dove right 
between the two warriors while their blades were extended. They were just far enough apart that 
she could get between them, but not so far apart that she couldn't get in a good shot or two at the 
pair as she dove between. Tifa punched out with her fists.
	One warrior got a nasty blow to the kidney, while the other recieved his shot in the back 
of the knee. He dropped to one knee, and he was out of the fight momentarily. Tifa's hands shot 
back forward and hit the ground, turning her dive into a graceful roll. As she rose, Tifa spun 
around, smashing her boot right in the back of the standing warrior's neck. She felt something 
give, and her foe dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks. The other warrior rose up and 
slashed with his saber, but Tifa caught the blade between her palms and twisted, yanking the blade 
out of his outstretched hand.
	Tifa dropped the blade, grabbed her opponent's outstretched arm with her right hand, and, 
as she pulled on the arm, kicked up with her left foot into his armpit with enough force to 
dislocate his shoulder. He screamed in pain, but then Tifa slammed her hands into both sides of 
his neck simultaniously, shattering it and ending his pain.
	Squall, meanwhile, focused on blocking attacks. His opponents took this to mean he was 
tiring, so they pressed their apparent advantage. One attacked from in front, another behind, and 
one to either side.
	Squall glanced to a waiting figure at the edge of the small clearing and nodded. 
Immediately, a grappling hook shot through the air and latched onto a tree branch, followed by a 
small, round object rolling into the center of the clearing.
	A grenade.
	"YEEEAAAHHHH-HHHAAAAA!!!!!" Laguna shouted as he swung through the 
clearing, spraying an insane volume of hot metal from his machinegun in the move he'd coined  
"Desperado." While the barrage appeared to be an indiscriminate spray of ammunition, Squall 
knew that it was actually very, very accurrate. Nevertheless, Squall didn't want to be accidentally 
shot if one of Laguna's bullets blew straight through its victim, so he backflipped through the air, 
actually leaping over and behind the warrior behind him. 
	The ones who had been standing to either side of Squall were shredded by the gunfire, as 
was one of Cloud's foes. Two of his unwounded foes, along with the wounded one, were not hit 
by the rain of hot death. 
	As Squall landed behind his foe, he stabbed the stunned warrior in the back, piercing his 
heart and killing him instantly. Squall quickly shoved the body forward, towards the warrior who 
had been in front. That warrior had been blinded by the sudden assault of bullets, and as his vision 
cleared, he saw the body coming at him and reflexively stabbed it.
	As Laguna swung back to where he had first appeared, the grenade detonated, shredding 
one of the warriors that Cloud had yet to wound and killing the wounded one as well. Cloud fell 
upon the single standing enemy, using sheer strength and shattering his opponent's weapon when 
he swung the Ultimate Weapon in a brutal overhead slash. The Weapon continued down, right 
into the amazed warrior's face of fear and denial, which was erased when his body was reduced to 
dust.
	The warrior who had stabbed the dead body stepped backwards, freeing his blade only an 
instant after he'd stabbed it. But an instant was too long when dealing with either Cloud or Squall. 
Before the warrior could bring his blade to bear, Squall had stepped around the body and, with a 
single powerful slash aided by a precise pull of the gunblade's trigger, sent the warrior's head 
flying. At the same time, Cloud gutted the decapitated body with his Weapon, reducing it to ashes.

	Chapter 27: The Breaking of the Shield
	Headmaster Cid walked into the Command Center, confused as to what was going on. 
But that made him one of the majority of people within Garden.
	"Xu, what's going on?" he asked. "Are we under attack?"
	"We're not sure, sir," Xu replied. "We felt some kind of disturbance from the Quad, and 
then Irvine and Selphie called in, reporting that Caraway was murdered and Rinoa was 
kidnapped." 
	Cid's eyes widened. "Caraway was killed?!" he asked in shock.
	"Yes sir," Xu replied in a subdued tone.
	"What about Rinoa?" Cid asked with heartfelt concern. He and Edea had no children, but 
they treated every student and SeeD in Garden as if they were their own children, including Rinoa.
	"We're sure she's within the Quad somewhere. She wasn't in the group that we engaged at 
the Quad's entrance."
	"There was a fight?" Cid asked, not aware of the battle that had just concluded. "Was 
anyone hurt?" Xu looked crestfallen.
	"We lost six people," Xu said sadly.
	Cid did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked down at the floor for a moment, then 
closed his eyes and sighed.
	"I...I see," he finally said. "Could you...give me their names after the lockdown has 
ended?"
	"Of course, sir," Xu replied, and turned back to the console.

	Reeve was examining the remains of one of the fallen enemy warriors when he realized 
something.
	"Hey," he said suddenly, "There's not enough bodies."
	"Whaddya mean?" Barret asked. "There ain't any bodies. Just more of this black gooey 
shit."
	"Okay, there aren't enough puddles of the black gooey shit," Reeve corrected. "I think 
we've got less than twenty dead enemies here."
	"Twenty?" Cid said in surprise. "Nah, there were a lot more than that when we hit them. 
Around forty or so."
	"Thirty-nine," Vincent said. The others looked at him quizzically, but then Reeve tapped a 
button on his Cait Sith headset, replaying the thermal images of when they'd engaged the Jenova 
warriors earlier.
	"He's right," Reeve said after a moment. "Thirty-nine. I think we killed...nine in our first 
assault. Then we found the goo puddles of three more while we were chasing this group, so that 
makes twelve."
	"There's seventeen dead here," Vincent said, carefully examining the black goo around 
them. That makes twenty-nine."
	"So we've got ten unaccounted for," Cid said. "Where are they?" 

	Yuffie leaned over Nida's shoulder.
	"I thought you were Balamb Garden's pilot," she said.
	"Yeah, I am," Nida replied. "When it was mobile. When isn't moving, I'm in charge of the 
Command Center."
	"Oh, okay," Yuffie said, straightening. Actually, she wasn't really interested in that. She 
was more interested in Nida's reaction to her leaning over his shoulder. He'd blushed slightly. That 
confirmed what she'd been thinking: Nida liked her.
	Yuffie was pondering this when she noticed something odd in the direction of the 
elevator. It looked like something was inside the shaft, clinging to the wall like a spider. Yuffie 
took a step in that direction, looking closer.
	A humanoid figure with blue-silver hair and wearing a familiar-looking black cloak. The 
figure suddenly raised a hand and pointed it at the glass doors, in Yuffie's general direction. 
Yuffie, being a highly trained, if somewhat goofy, ninja, was well aware of the implications of 
something pointing at her.
	Yuffie dove to the side as a bolt of red energy lanced out from the hand of the Jenova 
warrior within the lift shaft. The bolt shattered the glass outward, and instantly, eight more of the 
black-cloaked warriors swarmed through, weapons drawn.
	 
	Xu's hand reached under the back of her SeeD uniform's jacket, grabbing the small rod 
she kept clipped back there. As she drew the rod, Xu tapped a button, and the rod opened up into 
a staff. (Author's note: Hey, you never saw Xu's weapon in FF8, so I'm just guessing that her 
weapon is a staff.) She spun around, snapping the slender metal quarterstaff up, and immediately 
met the approaching group of evil warriors. Around her, the SeeD techs rose from their seats, 
fumbling for their weapons. These were techs, not soldiers, and while they were trained in combat, 
they were no match for Jenova's minions.
	With the exception of Nida, armed with his gunglaive. He and Xu met the charge of 
enemy warriors head on, their polearm weapons leading. Nida engaged one warrior, while Xu 
found herself pressed by two enemies. The other five engaged the group of techs. 
	Then there were only four facing the techs, as one warrior was sliced in half by a well-
placed throw of Yuffie's Altron shurieken, which slashed throuh the evil warrior as if he were a 
paper target. Yuffie was amazed at the power of that shurieken, and even more amazed when the 
shurieken arced back through the air, seemingly of its own voilition, and removed the head from 
the shoulders of another enemy warrior as it returned to her hand, boomerang-style.
	Headmaster Cid, on the other hand, reflexively took cover when the enemy appeared. He 
didn't have much of a stomach for fighting, and, to his own embarassment, tended to hide 
whenever fighting started. He took cover behind a console, but then his eyes moved to an object 
strapped to the side of the console. 
	A fire extinguisher.
	Nida raised his gunglaive over his head, blocking the overhead chop of his opponent's 
katana. Then he swung his arms, twirling the gunglaive over and down, right through his foe's 
shoulder and down into his chest. Nida squeezed the trigger mechanism on the gunglaive's staff, 
and it went off in his opponent's chest.
	Xu blocked several cunning chops and slashes from her two opponents, then swung her 
staff up into the groin of one of the enemy warriors. His eyes widened and he doubled over, while 
Xu slammed her staff into the side of her other foe's head. As he stepped back, Xu smashed the 
other end of her staff into the back of the bent warrior's neck, shattering it. He dropped to the 
floor, quite dead. She then sent her staff back towards the standing warrior, who caught it on his 
saber. Xu put enough power behind that swing to knock his saber out wide, but he brought it back 
around into position. However, for an instant his saber was out of line, unable to block the kick 
Xu sent into his chin. He stumbled backwards, and Xu sent her staff forward in a one-handed 
thrust, hitting her foe square in the stomach. He bent over, clutching at the viciously powerful 
blow, and Xu swung her staff up into his forehead, snapping his head backward and breaking the 
warrior's neck. Xu spun around to see how her comrades were doing.
	It wasn't good. Five of the SeeD techs lay on the ground, with one of the enemy warriors 
as well. The other two were fighting the remaining seven techs. Even as Xu spun around, one of 
the enemy warriors loosed another red bolt of lethal energy, blasting aside another tech. Xu 
shouted in anger and slammed her staff into the evil humanoid's face. He was knocked back and 
spun around, and another tech, seizing the oppurtunity, buried his gunblade into the warrior's 
chest.
	The last warrior had wounded a tech and was about to finish him off when Headmaster 
Cid slammed the fire extinguisher into his face. The remaining techs fell upon him and cut, shot, 
stabbed, and bludgeoned him into black gooey stuff.
	Everyone paused for a breath, then began kneeling to help the wounded. They knew 
immediately that some of the techs had died.
	Unknown to them, the ninth and last warrior had silently emerged from the elevator shaft 
and had crept up to the shield control console.
	Unknown to everyone, save for Yuffie. She called out in alarm when she noticed the 
black-cloaked figure standing over the shield console, and hurled her shurieken. The Altron 
whistled through the air, and the enemy warrior, alerted by Yuffie's shout, ducked aside at the last 
instant. The Altron barely missed, and the warrior quickly rose and slapped the button that 
deactivated the shield. At the last second, he fired a red bolt of energy into the console, destroying 
it and eliminating any chance of raising the shield again, just before Altron arced back around and 
cleaved off his head. 
	Outside, the blue-green shield that blocked Jenova's gateway faded.

	Chapter 28: Battle at the Gate
	The last warrior, carrying an unconcious Rinoa and Meteor, whooped in joy as Jenova 
opened a gateway a ten meters in front of him. He grinned and took a step towards it.
	Dropping down in front of him was a crimson shape, bearing an eight-foot long lance. 
The warrior jumped back in surprise, and jumped back again when the crimson figure thrust its 
lance one-handed at him. The warrior just barely got out of the lance's range, its nasty tip less than 
an inch from his stomach. The warrior let out a whimper of surprise and fear and looked up into 
the face of his attacker.
	It wasn't human. It's body was humaniod enough, having the arms, legs, and torso in the 
normal arrangement, but it's body was swathed in short, crimson fur. Its head, on the other hand, 
was not human at all. The creature had the snarling visage of a male lion, complete with a mane a 
few shades lighter than the hair on the rest of the beast's body. The black, deeply set eyes glared at 
him.
	"Release the Sorceress and the Black Materia, wretch," Syric warned. 
	The humanoid warrior was a creature of Jenova, created by her and from her cells. He was 
a powerful warrior, yet no match for this being he saw before him. For this monster wasn't human; 
he wasn't even entirely mortal.
	The warrior's hand shot up and he loosed a bolt upon the lion-beast. Syric flinched, and a 
small part of his broad chest was singed, but other than that, there was no discernable effect. Syric 
advanced, metalic whips sprouting from his gauntlets.
	
	"Wow, cool move," Tifa said to Laguna, eying the dead bodies that Laguna's daring trick 
had produced.
	"Thanks," Laguna replied. "I call that the Desperado." He blew a bit of smoke wafting 
from the barrel of his gun and then let it rest upon his shoulder. He flashed a rakish grin that, 
combined with his pose, gave him the very image of a gunslinging desperado.
	At that point, Squall walked up to Laguna. "Thanks for the help, Dad."
	"Ah, no problem. It was your idea."
	"Wait a second," Cloud said. "You planned this?"
	"Yep," Laguna said. "We figured that we'd be ambushed, so we split up. I'd follow Squall 
and ambush any ambushers that pounced on him. And it worked, too."
	"Except for one thing," Squall said.
	"You didn't find Rinoa," Tifa said.
	"Right," Squall replied. Suddenly, Cloud spun around, his gaze distant. "What is it?"
	"We...we missed one..." Cloud said. "One of them's still alive. I think he's the one with 
Rinoa."
	"Where is he?!" Squall demanded, moving up beside Cloud.
	Cloud's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed as he concentrated. 
	"That way," he finally said, pointing with the Ultimate Weapon. "The sensation is stronger 
now. He's that way, and not too far...but I think he brought some friends...."
	"Dead friends," Squall said with grim determination, then he ran off into the trees, the 
others right behind him.

	"So the ones that attacked the command center didn't have Rinoa with them?" Irvine asked 
into the radio.
	<Affirmative,> Xu replied. <We had to have missed one somewhere.>
	"Probably still in the Quad somewhere," Selphie guessed.
	"I didn't see anyone carrying Rinoa," Quistis, soaking wet and wrapped in Zell's jacket, 
said. 
	"Yeah, they're definitely in the Quad," Cid Highwind said.
	"Then what the hell we waitin' for?!" Barret roared, pounding his chest. "C'mon!!" Barret 
lumbered off, with Zell, Quistis, Cid, Irvine, Selphie, Vincent, Red XIII, Reeve/Cait Sith, and a 
large group of vengeful SeeDs right behind him. They didn't know it, but Angelo had already run 
ahead, heading for Rinoa.
	
	"One last time, wretched spawn of Jenova," Syric warned, "release Rinoa and surrender 
Meteor."
	"Pfeh," the warrior spat. "Not a chance. I serve Jenova, and I will die in her service."
	"Then you die now, and your foul taint will not be a part of the Lifestream ever again," 
Syric rumbled.
	"Not quite," the warrior replied. He grinned. "My friends have a different opinion on the 
matter." Even as he spoke, a horde of  warriors issued forth from the gateway behind Syric, both 
warriors and the familiar flying, clawed, eyeless, tentacled things from before. Then, behind them, 
out lumbered a huge construct. It was ten feet tall, five feet wide, humanoid, and formed from 
blackened iron. In either hand it weilded a small axe...relatively speaking. The other monsters 
gave it a respectful distance. It's huge, metallic head centered on Syric, and it began advancing.
	"Iron golem," Syric said, matter-of-factly, as if it wasn't advancing in his direction, intent 
on annihilating him. It raised one of its axes and drove it down. Syric's hand shot up and caught 
the weapon by its haft. His muscles trembled slightly with the exertion as he matched the 
machine's strength. Then the golem swung the other axe down, and Syric dropped his lance and 
caught it as well. They stood there for several moments, matching strengths. Finally, a grin formed 
on Syric's lion-like head. His black eyes flashed, and he loosed a mighty roar as a wave of white 
energy swept out and slammed the golem backwards. It took a few steps back, then straightened 
and began advancing again. Syric blinked in surprise.
	"It can't do that," he said in shock. The golem paused, then it was engulfed in a column of 
energy for a few moments. Then it advanced again, its already impressive strength increased by 
the Berserk it had cast upon itself. It swung its axe again, and this time Syric didn't try to block it. 
He dove aside, snatching up his lance, and the golem continued to pursue him.
	The warriors and beasts formed a circle, with the warriors wondering how long even Syric 
could last against Jenova's latest monstrosity.
	One of the warriors suddenly jerked, and then he looked down at his chest to see a blue-
white blade sticking out of his chest. Then Squall pulled the trigger.
	Another warrior was suddenly reduced to ash as Cloud split him down the middle with an 
overhead chop. Tifa's fist shattered the skull of one of the clawed beasts, then she snapped the 
neck of an unfortunate warrior standing next to the beast. The monsters hissed, and the warriors 
sent out telepathic alerts to their fellows, and the circle broke as dozens of warriors charged in the 
direction of Squall, Cloud, and Tifa, while the winged beasts took to the air.
	A wave of gunfire met them as Laguna opened up. Several enemies vanished when 
Laguna's tossed grenade blew up in their midst. Cloud swung his Weapon in a wide arc, cutting 
down and evaporating a half-dozen enemies.
	Then the gunfire came from two directions as Barret, Vincent, Irvine, and a group of gun 
weilding SeeDs opened up from the opposite direction. Cait Sith loosed another Fire 3 spell while 
Cid, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and the melee-equipped SeeDs charged into the fray. 
	Red XIII dropped from a branch overhead, right on top of the iron golem that doggedly 
pusued Syric. The wolf-cat clawed and bit, only to find that the monstrous construct impervious to 
his attacks. It was different the other way around. The golem almost casually swung one of its 
axes over its shoulder, smacking Red right in the face with the flat of the axe and hurling him 
backwards. It swung the other axe down, but Syric easily dodged out of the way with an agility 
that belied his size. Syric thrust forward with his lance, and was pleased to see the wicked tip dig 
into the golem's armor. At the same time, Syric's left fist shot out, hitting the golem in the chest. 
Iron plates buckled under the impact, and Syric felt things inside the machine break under the 
force of his superhuman punch.
	Meanwhile, on the far side of the melee, Squall, Cloud, and Tifa drove through the enemy 
formation. On one side, Cloud swept his Weapon back and forth, utterly annihilating any enemy 
or parts thereof that couldn't get out of the way. 
	On the other side was Tifa, her fists a blur as they pounded on monsters and humanoids, 
her legs moving smoothly and gracefully as she loosed kick after kick that destroyed whatever 
unfortunate monster that intercepted them.
	In the middle was Squall, hacking and slashing away with Lionheart, cutting a swath 
through the enemy forces, driving through with a determination to find the enemy that held Rinoa.
	In the other direction, Cid, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, and the SeeDs ripped through their foes, 
while the gun weilders poured ammunition into the enemy ranks. Dozens of monsters and 
humanoids lay dead, melting away into black goo, except for those who found themselves on the 
wrong end of Cloud's Weapon.
	Squall swung the Lioheart across, blowing through the parrying saber of an enemy warrior 
and right through his shocked face, then he swung the weapon in the other direction, bisecting an 
unlucky monster. Then Squall charged forward, bulling right through a trio of surprised monsters 
and cutting down another enemy warrior. Suddenly, right before him only meters away, was the 
warrior carrying Rinoa. The warrior saw Squall, and his eyes popped open wide as he ran madly 
for the gate.
	<Golem!!!!> he commanded telepathically, and the machine responded, turning away 
from Syric to face Squall. Squall was so focused upon the enemy warrior that he was conciously 
unaware the ten-foot tall machine's attack. Nevertheless, he hopped it's low axe cut instictively, 
while on the other side, Syric drove his lance deep into its back, and rained punches upon its 
backside. The golem swung its other axe in an overhead chop, but Squall simply backstepped, 
evading the axe easily. He stepped around the axe and continued pursuing the warrior with Rinoa. 
The golem was about to pursue when it suddenly fell on its belly as Syric grabbed its leg and 
tripped it. Even as the golem began to stand back up, Syric leaped upon its back and drove his 
lance into the machine's back, right into the power source. The machine froze in place and did not 
move again.
	Squall was only meters behind his target, who was only meters from the gate, when Red 
XIII, recovering from the hard knock he'd gotten, saw the warrior and pounced on him. Even as 
Red knocked over the surprised warrior, another half-dozen warriors leaped through the portal and 
attacked Squall.
	They lasted seven seconds.
	In that seven seconds, the warrior with Rinoa managed to stab Red XIII with his saber 
wounding him viciously. He forced the wolf-cat off him and rose, then dove for the portal.
	Angelo intercepted him. The loyal dog bit his leg, whirling the evil warrior around. He 
grimaced with rage and fired a red energy bolt. Angelo dodged, but the beam still struck the dog 
in his side. Angelo let out a yelp of pain and fell over. The evil warrior grinned, but it only lasted 
until he saw Squall cut down the last enemy warrior and charge after him. The warrior spun 
around and ran for his life. The gate was only a couple of meters away now...
	Squall knew he wasn't going to make it. Unless...
	He lifted his gunblade over his shoulder and prepared to hurl it. Even as he was preparing 
to throw, an eight-foot long lance hurtled past him and nailed the enemy warrior in his back.
	The warrior was only a meter from the gate when the lance hit him. He dropped to his 
knees, and then he knew he had only moments left. With one final exertion, he hurled Rinoa 
forward, off his shoulder and into the black, shimmering gate. At the same time, he reached into 
the folds of his cloak and tossed Meteor through the gateway as well. Then he toppled forward, 
smiling at the knowledge that his mission was complete.

	"RINOA!!!!" Squall screamed as he saw his love go through the gate. Angered beyond 
reason, Squall leaped for the open gateway, attempting to follow Rinoa through, determined to 
fight his way through whatever was on the other side.
	But as he reached the gate, a bolt of blue energy lanced out and struck him in the gut, 
flinging Squall backwards. Time seemed to dialate for Squall. He saw other mosters and 
humanoids retreating for the gate, their mission completed. He could aslo see that blackness was 
edging his vision. Was he dying? Squall didn't know. 
	He could just see the edge of the gate, and as he watched, it faded from view. Then, 
standing over him, Squall saw a face. The face of a lion.
	It was Griever, he knew. Not the corrupted Griever that he'd fought in the future, but the 
true image of Griever, a crimson-haired humanoid lion. Squall didn't know what that meant.
	Then blackness seized him.

	Chapter 29: Ressurection
	The image came into focus slowly, surrealistically. As she continued waking up, things 
around her came into focus, and she noted certain distinct sensations: water dripping in the 
distance, the hot, humid air, an aching pain on the side of her head and her wrists.
	And in front of her, a huge, bloated, snakelike monstrousity peering at her with an eyeless 
gaze, barely meters away.
	Rinoa immediately finished waking up.
	"Ah, the Sorceress wakes," Jenova said in a beautiful, melodic, feminine vioce. It sounded 
sweet, but was uglified by the fact that it came from this hideous beast. The sound was perverted, 
corrupted, just like everything else in this place.
	"Wh...what's going on?" Rinoa asked, afraid. She began looking around. She was in a 
large room, some kind of biological hive. In the center of the chamber were two huge, obsidian 
crystals. Within the crystals resided two shimmering, insubstantial black forms, evil souls. Beyond 
them was another large crystal, this one glowing with pure green and white energy. Rinoa knew 
instantly that this was the Spiritual Energy that Cloud had described. 
	It was then that Rinoa realized that she was suspended in the air, her hands held above her 
head by some type of biological cords. Rinoa looked down to see similar cords wrapped around 
her legs. She noticed to her horror that some of the cords actually penatrated her skin and went 
into her body, though she didn't feel them within.
	"Relax, Sorceress," Jenova answered. "I merely require you for a short time."
	"For what?" Rinoa asked.
	"Oh, not much. I only require your power to ressurect two of the most potentially 
destructive beings to ever have existed."
	"What?! Why...?"
	"Why? Simple. Chaos. Destruction. Pain. Suffering. I am Jenova, a being born entirely of 
these forces, and I thrive upon them. I draw strength from them. I feed upon them. And these two 
beings will cause immense destruction and chaos." Jenova chuckled evily. "And I require your 
power, temporarily, at least, to ressurect these evil beings."
	"I...I won't let you!!" Rinoa screamed, struggling in her bonds, trying to call forth her 
Sorceress powers.
	"Stupid child!" Jenova snapped, and a wave of pain shot up Rinoa's spine. She gasped at 
the hurt, but kept struggling. Wave after wave of pure agony assaulted her, and finally Rinoa had 
to give in and stop struggling.
	"This will be much easier for everyone involved if you would cooperate. Besides, you 
will not feel any pain during the Ressurection. You won't even be concious. So relax, and go back 
to sleep..." Jenova's words were soothing, hypnotic.
	Rinoa found her eyelids drooping, but she fought to stay awake. But sleepiness and 
tiredness overwhelmed her, and Rinoa couldn't stay awake. She finally fell asleep.
	Jenova chuckled evily again. 
	"Now the Ressurection begins..." she whispered. 

	Jenova began the process. 
	First, she extracted the Sorceress power from Rinoa's unconcious form. Tiny bits of 
glowing white energy flowed from Rinoa's body down the biological cords, then along the floor 
and ceiling until it reached the center of the triangle of crystals, at which point it floated up into 
the air and gathered into a glowing white ball of energy.
	Next, the energy ball began to flatten, forming into a disc. Then its edges sharpened, 
becoming a triangle, with each point touching one of the crystals. Green energy began flowing 
from the crystal storing the trapped Spirit Energy, using the Sorceress energy as a pathway to 
reach the two tormented, evil souls.
	As the green energy entered the crystals, they began glowing and the black, insubstantial 
forms of the tormented souls began to take shape, drawing the Spirit Energy unto themselves. 
They formed into humanoid shapes, growing stronger and more definite with each bit of energy 
they absorbed.
	Finally, they had completey reformed, their original bodies regenerated so that they could 
once again be among the living.
	The two crystals shattered, and where they had once been, the ressurected beings stood.
	The Sorceress energy reformed into a ball, then split in two. One part flowed back into 
Rinoa's unconcious form, and the other part entered the body of one of the ressurected beings.
	"Ahhhh..." one of the beings, female, said in a cold voice. "It is good to be alive again."
	"Indeed," replied the other, male, in an equally cold voice.

	Rinoa awoke some time later. She was no longer suspended in the air, but she instead lay 
on her side on the floor. She sat up and shook her head, and then noticed the weight on her right 
arm. She looked down to see a bracelet on her arm. Rinoa then realized that her powers were 
supressed. The bracelet was obviously like an Odine Bangle then.
	Rinoa glanced around to see that she was in the same chamber as before, except now the 
crystals were shattered. She sensed movement to the side, and looked in that direction to see a 
man towering over her.
	He was over six feet tall and wore a flowing black cloak over a pair of black pants. He 
wore no shirt. He was handsome, with sculpted features and flowing, silvery hair, yet his green, 
glowing eyes held no humanity within them. It was then that Rinoa knew who this man was. She 
had never seen him before, but she remembered Cloud's tale of their battle against him.
	Sephiroth.
	Before she could begin comprehending what she saw, Rinoa found herself being lifted in 
the air as if by a huge, invisible, hand. She looked around for whoever was lifting her, and then 
Rinoa felt a familiar, but far from comforting, presence. She turned her head to see another figure, 
one that struck fear into her heart.
	She was a beautiful creature, with a shapely body that was shown off by the form-fitting, 
revealing robe she wore. But like Sephiroth, her eyes showed the evil and ugliness within. They 
were cold, compassionless gray orbs.
	Ultimecia.
	"N...No...you're dead..."
	"Foolish child!" Ultimecia snapped. "Jenova has ressurected me."
	"But you died in the future..."
	"Wrong," Sephiroth said. "Ultimecia may have been from the future, but after Time 
Compression, she ended up dying on the doorstep of Edea's orphanage, just over a decade ago."
	"Unfortunately for you..." Ultimecia said with a cackle. "I will enjoy killing you, girl." 
She cackled again. Rinoa steeled her gaze upon Ultimecia.
	"Go blow a Malboro, Sorceress bitch," she shot back at the evil creature.
	Ultimecia's eyes flashed in rage, but Sephiroth burst out laughing at Rinoa's daring insult. 
The evil Sorceress hurled Rinoa backwards against the wall, then strode over to where Rinoa lay 
and grabbed her by the neck.
	"The only thing that keeps me from killing you now, girl, is that I want you alive for when 
Leonhart komes after you," Ultimecia whispered, glaring into Rinoa's eyes. "Nothing will torment 
that fool more than him watching me torture and kill you right before his very eyes!" 
	"Squall will come for me," Rinoa said, matching Ultimecia's glare. "And he will kill you, 
and Jenova, and Sephiroth."
	"No," Sephiroth said with a smile. "Leonhart won't kill me. When they come, it won't be 
him I'll fight, but Cloud. We will have a rematch, and I'll prove who is strongest!"
	"And I won't kill Leonhart," Ultimecia said to Rinoa, taunting her. "I'll wound him, 
capture him, and force him to watch as I torture and murder every one of his pathetic friends! 
Then I'll turn him loose, and let that fool wander, tormented by the pain and images of his friend's 
deaths!"
	"Not likely," Rinoa replied, unperturbed by Ultimecia's threats. "We killed you before, 
we'll kill you again." Ultimecia growled in frustration at her inability to strike fear into this child.
	"Not this time! I underestimated you and you friends. Not again! And now I have Jenova 
and Sephiroth with me! Your pitiful friends stand no chance!!" Now she was screeching, and 
Rinoa grimaced at the volume. Mistaking Rinoa's expression for one of despair, Ultimecia 
cackled, and then threw Rinoa down. With more cackling laughter, Ultimecia strode away. 
Sephiroth watched her go, then shrugged and began to follow. He stopped momentarily and 
glanced back at Rinoa.
	"Don't bother trying to flee. Your powers are sealed, and this place is swarming with 
Mother's creations. You wouldn't make it very far." He laughed. "Besides, you're in the middle of 
the ocean, thousands of miles from any land. You can't escape." With that, Sephiroth spun around 
and strode out of the room. 
	Rinoa sat up and hugged her knees. She had managed to keep her cool during the 
conversation with Ultimecia, but in reality, she was truly afraid.

	End of Part 7

	Ah, crap, the ending was weak! Oh well, whatever.
	Well, there ya go. Cloud and his buddies finally got some action, and a lot of stuff has 
finally been explained. There's only two more parts remaining, but I'm not sure how long it'll take 
me to finish them. Oh well.
	Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Insults? E-mail me at Peptuck3@aol.com.