Lost Soul part 3 By: Fragraham Lincon. "Well, it is comfortable" said Jessie looking at her reflection as she wore the blue dress Reno had given her. She glanced to both sides quickly out to make sure no one was looking even though she knew Reno's apartment was empty, more out of habit than anything else, then twirled around in front of the mirror getting a full look at herself. It was something overly "girlish" that normally she wouldn't do. But then again she hadn't been acting much like herself lately anyway. Jessie looked down at her knuckles which were a bit bruised and sore from the hard right hook she gave Reno. "I didn't mean to hit him. I guess some part deep down inside of me was afraid that it would happen again even if I know in my mind that he would never.........I'm thinking about this too much. No wonder I can't just be normal." Time passes. As the weeks go by Jessie settles into her new life. But even with a new peaceful life made further enjoyable by Shinra's preoccupation outside of Midgar, she still feels out of place. It's a dreary day as usual. The sky is overcast as it usually is. Even on the upper plate of Midgar the sun is a rare sight. Dark clouds alwas seem to loom over the city. Reno's apartment sits on the second story of it's building. Jessie stands on the fire escape looking down on the street below. People go about their daily lives never giving thought to the world around them. The world that Barret and Cloud was at this very moment fighting to save weather they knew it or not. The world that Biggs and Wedge had sacrificed themselves to protect. Jessie wondered about them. Whom had they met, and what had happened in their grand adventure since she had fallen by the wayside. No one up here even gave thought to that world. Their world was the plate. They had long since lost their connection to the soil which those who lived in the slums held on to so dearly. But then there was sector seven. In a way it was the fairest way to die. Both the rich citezens who lived on the plate and the poor who remaned on the ground all died as equals. "Mabey I wasn't meant to die yet. Mabey, just mabey God wanted me to live on to finnish what I started." Jessie said to herself stepping inside and then out the front door. She headed to the nearest train and presented a false ID of her own making. In the slumms the train comes to a stop. "Sector 4" The engineer calls. Jessie gets off. After leaving the station Jessie again sets foot onto the bare soil. It was littered and soaked with black oil and other contaminants. The rain didn't reach here to rinse it clean and no one cared enough to clean it up. But still it was terra-firma. "Jessie looked around to see the assortment of decayed housing an pitched tents that made up the slum where she grew up. "Not much has changed since then. I wonder if dad still has his store?" Jessie thought to herself. After travelling the streets following the path that had been so routine in her childhood that even now she could have easilly followed it with her eyes closed, she arrived at an old building. the paint was chipping and the steps to the door still squeeked just as she remembered it. And just as before the old hand painted sign saying simply "store" But it was a sign that fooled only the densest of customer as the true nature of the business was clear by the bullet shells that lined rim of the sign. Shinra has never liked the idea of citizens owning weapons but with the right amount of bribing and kickbacks along with a transparent front operation it was easy to to sell and distribute the "articles of deffense" Jessie paused for a moment before opening the door. "I wonder if he'll really want to see me again. After all I've done with Avalance he may be bitter about them taking out their frustrations on the local businesses. Well, there's only one way to find out." She turned the doorknob. It as always was rusty and took a bit of force to open. The hinges creeked as the door opened. Inside an old man sat at the desk beside a register. He was pudgy to say the least. He had a dirty grey beard that reached down and hid his neck entirely. The points of his mustache were equally large and shot out of the beard at tangents. He was at the time absorbed in the newsepaper. He may have been old but his ears were keen enough to hear the old door squeek which always meant a customer. He however didn't get up but rather remained motionless reading his newspaper. He knew the standard business practice, and that any worthwhile customer knew exactly what they wanted and would bring it to him when they were ready to buy it. A shotgun leaning up against the inside of the desk assured was his insurance against thievery. He was deffinately the sort you wouldn't mess with. the kind who had been there and back. He knew the every sound of the store. The usual squeek of the floorboards. the "hhmmmm" of a customer looking over the merchandise and the clicks and clanks of someone getting the feel for the weight of thier potential new weapon. But he wasn't prepared for the next sound. "Daddy" In fact he was so unprepared that the surprize sent him falling backwards in his chair. "JESSIE! I....Is that you?" He asked with disbeleif. "It's me. How are you?" Jessie asked with a smile. An expression of joy came over the old man's beard concealed face as he got back up. "JESSIE! I can't believe it. I thought you were dead. The news said that everyone in sector seven was killed." "No, I'm very much alive. But don't go telling the Shinra that." "I can't believe it. This ....this is a miracle. My little girl has come home." "Dad, you say it like I was a child." "Ha, you'll always be my little girl, like it or not." "So how have you been?" "Oh that doesn't matter right now. come on home and tell me how you've been getting by." "Won't the customers be angry if you leave early?" "Let them be angry. This store has been open every day since before you were born come Hell or high water. The day you were born was the only day I ever closed it. I don't think it would be unforgivable to close up shop early on the day I find out you're still alive." Jessie's father closes the door and locks it behind him as he leaves for his house a short distance from the business. The house, much like the shop is modest. the paint is so chipped it's almost non existant. Boards are patched where the walls have become weak from decay. On the inside it is a little better kept but not by much. "Jessie, look at this. It's your old room. After you went to join avalance I didn't have the heart to change it." Jessie's father pointes out. Jessie looks on the still made bed where a small teddy bears sits facing the door almost as if it were waiting for someone. Jessie walks in, sits on the bed picks up the bear. Her father stares at her for a moment. "What?" Asks Jessie inquiring as to her father's expression. "It's just....you look so much like you did back then. It's almost as if nothing changed. Like you were still that innocent teenager. You know you were always so attached to that bear before. But you left it here when you went to join avalanche." "Things change Dad. people change. I lost my innocence a long time ago." "Everyon loses their innocence. It just pisses me off someone else had to take yours." Jessie becomes quiet. "Oh, I shouldn't have brought that up." Jessie sighs "No, it's alright. It's the whole reason I joined Avalanche. To get back at Shinra. But after all this time I never found that one I was looking for. It's hard to see things as so black and white now. I don't know what to think anymore. I've become friends with a Turk who nearly killed me." "You know before that whole incident three years ago I always thought the Turks were the most trustworthy of the Shinra. Sure they had to do Shinra's dirty work but as people they were okay. Even honerable. But I guess that young punk wasn't really worthy of the name Turk." Jessie looks upset. Tears well up in her eyes as memories she had locked away come flooding back to her. Jessie's father wipes a tear from her face "Jessie, If you want to cry you can. I won't tell anyone. You've always been strong. But don't be afraid to look for a shoulder to cry on." Jessie leans over to her father letting her emotions go and her memories loose. Three years ago.............................. Jessie's father takes notice of someone entering his store. "Welcome Tseng. I figured it was about time for you to show up. Who's your friend." "Don't mind him he's just a young turk in training." Tseng responds. The young Turk is silent. He has messy hair and apartnely hasn't shaved today. He has the sort of "bachelor look" about him. "So what'll it be?" Asks Jessie's father. "The usual zipped lip special." "Ah, I'll have Jessie get it. JESSIE." A young girl of about sixteen years enters the room. She's wearing a simple short sleeved shirt and a pleated skirt that reaches about halfway to her knees. The young Turk looks over to her and fixes his gaze. "Oh, I shold introduce you young man, if you're going to be following Tseng around. This is my daughter, Jessie." "Hello Jessie. You look like you've grown a little since the last time I saw you." Says Tseng. "Tseng, you're always ready with a compliment." Jessie responds. "Anyway down to business. Jessie go get Tseng's package." Says Jessie's father. Jessie walks over to a safe that sits on the floor in a back corner of the store. Her skirt lifts just slightly as she bends over to open it. While Tseng and Jessie's father are occupied in conversation the young Turk takes a quick nurvous glance at her and returns to staring blankly at no particular point in the room. Jessie brings a blain brown paper bag to Tseng. Tseng nods and leaves with the young Turk in tow. Outside as Tseng and his apprientice walk toward the train station the young Turk strikes up a conversation. "Um, Mr. Tseng." "Just call me Tseng okay. Remember you're a Turk now. I'm more like your brother than your superior." "Okay Tseng. I guess that makes this a little easier. That girl in there, Jessie. Could you introduce me to her. I don't know why but there's just something I like about her." Tseng stops. "What?" Asks the young Turk. "I can't do that. You'd do best to put such a thing out of your mind." Tseng answers. "But why?" "That old man may not look it but he's a very important person here in the slums. It would be a public relations nightmare to have a Shinra going in and just taking his daughter. You have to think about how that would look to the people here." "But no one has to know. Just give me a chance Tseng." "I'm sorry but I can't. I know what it's like to be young. Beleive me I've been there. Why don't you go to the Honeybee inn and work off some of those frustrations. My treat." Says Tseng taking out a fistfull of gill from the bag. Tseng continues on to the train station leaving the yong Turk behind. "It....It's just not the same." That night................................. Jessie is cleaning up the shop. "Jessie, I don't need anyomore help tonight. You can go on home." Says Jessie's father. "Thanks dad" Jessie respponds with a smile as she exits the store. Outside the young Turk is waiting. "Oh, It's you. Did Tseng forget something?" Jessie asks. "Uhm.....Yeah that's it. Come on let me take you to him." "But why didn't he just come back." "Well.... Tseng is a very busy man you see so he sent me to take you to him." "Okay but let me go get my father." "No not him. I uhm...Tseng only needs you." "Wait why would he need to see me?" "Just trust me okay?" "Well my dad always said if there was any Shinra you could trust it was the Turks." "That's a good saying." The young Turk takes Jessie by the wrist and leads her away. After covering some distance. "You don't really seem to know where you're going. Have you ever been here before?" Jessie asks suspiciously. "I.....that is to say.....I'm looking for it." Says the young Turk now very nurvous. He looks around eventually spotting an abandoned building. "He's in there." The young Turk takes Jessie inside. inside there are a few teenagers hanging out. "EVERYONE CLEAR OUT!" Demands the Young Turk taking out his gun and firing a few rounds into the air. The youths scurry out various doors and windows to comments along the lines of "OH SHIT!" and "DAMN SHINRA!" When the building is cleared The Turk takes Jessie over to a stack of wooden crates. Jessie sits on one while the Turk leans against the wall. "So where's Tseng?" Jessie asks. "The truth is.......Tseng isn't coming. I just wanted to talk to you." "Huh? about what." Jessie says nurvously. "I know I just met you and all and I'm not even supposed to be here, but I just couldn't go on without asking you. How would you feel about you and me.......as in....us." "Are you serious? That's crazy. For one thing my father would kill me for going out with a Turk. Besiedes I think Tseng wouldn't be to happy about it either." "But neither of them ever has to know. We can just keep it between us. How about it? Just give it a try." "No! Now let me out of here. I'm going home." Jessie begins to leave. The young Turk slams his fist into the concreat wall. "GOD DAMN IT!" His knuckles begin to bleed. Jessie, being a little scared but also a concearned Turns around and walks back over to him. "You hurt yourself. I'm sorry I had to be so hard on you......I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Says Jessie holding the Turk's injured hand. She looks up to his face. The young Turk places his other hand oh her shoulder. Jessie begins to pull away but before she can he has already tightened his grip and secured his injured hand around Jessie's wrist. "NO LET ME GO!" Jessie exclaims. The young Turk almost seems in a trance as he begins to tug hard on the coller of her shirt tearing it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Later outside the building. The youths who had just reacently been evicted are standing around. A large black man with a large gun in the place of an oddly missing hand walks by and is stopped by the commenting teenagers. "Damn Shinra." "Yeah who do they think they are pushing us around like that." He approaches the youths. "Did you say Shinra?" he asks. "Yeah he's in there. Well I think he still is. Guy just came in and started shooting at us for no good reason." "That sounds about like shinra." The big man responds loading a clip in his gun. He kicks in the door and holds his gun/arm out poining it around lookin for a target. "Huh? Stupid kids." He says preparing to leave. But as he turns he spots someone moving in the corner. He points his gun at them for a moment before Identifying them as harmless. He approaches. Jessie lay on the floor, curled into a ball and her clothes torn. She looks up to him. "You....You're the gun store owner's daughter. Jesus girl what did they do to you?" He asks. Jessie is silent but her tears tell all. Barret takes a kinder tone to his voice. "You remember me right? I'm Barret. I'm one of you're Dad's regualr customers. I'm going to take you back to him okay." Says Barret removing his vest placing it around Jessie, whom in compleatly ungulfs. Barret Picks up Jessie and Carries her out. Days later. Barret returns to Jessie's father's house to check up on her. "How's she doin?" Asks Barret. "She's pretty shaken up. She won't even get out of bed. She just lies there crying."Respond's Jessie's father. "She got every right to after what the damn Shinra did to her. Let me go in and talk to her." "Well I guess it could help her to see a friendly face." Barret enters Jessie's room. "How ya doin'?" Barret's inquiry gets no response. "I know yer sad right now but it aint the end of the world. I know, I've been throught rough times too. Don't go tellin' this to no one but I'm a member of Avalanche. So's your dad. We'll get the guy who did this to you. I know that can't fix it but it's all we can do to help." Barret after getting no response reaches for the door but stops when Jessie speaks up. "Barret........I wan't to be in avalanche too." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in the present. Jessie stands up. "Thanks dad. I'm glad I have some one I can come to." a loud noise can now be heard. The room begins to rattle. Jessie runs outside. "What's going on." She quickly makes her way to a train and gets on as it's boarding. The PA system comes on. We apollogize but because of and unforseen event this train will not leave on schedual. Jessie paces around impatiently. eventually the shaking stops and the train proceeds to the upper plate. Jessie steps out. When she looks to the sky the clouds are biginning to part. When they are clear there hovers in teh sky a massive red meteor. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" Jessie exclaims. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- end of part 3 I'm sorry I know I promised it would end after part 3 but I got some new ideas and the story grew. so Wait for the grand finalle in part 4. I hope.