Lost Soul
			Part
			By:  Fragraham Lincon

	In the city of Midgar people go about their daily lives
trying to ignore meteor's forboding preasence in the sky.
Among these people is Jessie, a one time Avalance member, now
just a confused young girl trying to get one with her life.
A life that could soon be cut short by the massive object 
rappidly aproaching the planet.  Jessie is walking along the
streets of the upper plate now.  She walks by the window of
an electonics store.  several modles of tellivisions sit turned
to various different channels.  She ignores them untill they
all simltaniously begian to show the same broadcast.
It's a news alert.  "The Shinra corperation has announced that
at this very moment an operation to destroy meteor is 
currently underway.  At any moment if you direct your attention
to the sky....." the Tellivision signal fizzles out.  

	Jessie looks above.  An object is hurtling taward meteor.
She remembered reading about rocket technology but had no 
idea it had come so far.  "Thank God.  We may yet be saved."
The rocket colides with Meteor and the sky is lit up by a massive
explosion.  When the view is agian clear Jessie looks to the sky
expecting to see meteor in pieces.  Instead it is undamaged and
still on a collision coarse.  Jessie, distrought, falls to her knees.
"No.........Why God why?  Did you spare my life only so that I could
witness the apocolypse first hand?  If this the way the world
ends then I'm going to finnish what I started."  

	Jessie looks to the Shinra building.  "It's almost empty
now.  Securitey would be minimal.  I wonder if I still have the 
touch.  Only one way to find out."  Jessie thinks to herself.
She heads back to Reno's apartment to gather supplies and put
a plan together.  Upon arriving she head's to Reno's bedroom. 
She had avoided going in there before.  She begins to search through
his things.  Eventually she finds a floor plan of the tower and
a spare security pass.  She lays out the floor plan on the
kitchen table, takes out a pencil and begins to compose a plan.

	The next moring..........................
Jessie wakes up realizinng she had fallen asleep still at work.
She looks to the plan, double checks her work and rolls it up
putting it in a backpack.  Jessie begins to step out the door,
but stops to take a look at herself.  She was wearing the blue 
dress Reno gave to her.  "It's pretty but not what I need right
now."  Jessie leaves and detours to the slums.

	"Now where was that shop?  This tent mabey"
Jessie says trying to remmeber her way around the slums.  
She enters the tent to an unpeasent surprize of being shot at.
She dives back out of the tent.  "Wow!  I forgot about the
freaky sound bullets make when they whiz by your head."
Out of curiosity Jessie re enters the tent making sure to 
stay on the outside wall in order to avoid being picked up by
the auto gun.  She turns it off, and examins a box inside.
"It looks like the weapon tifa uses.  Hmmm. It's no use to me.
I'll just leave it.  I have work to do." Jessie says and leaves
the tent.  After a little more searching Jessie finds the shop 
she was looking for.  Set off by the massive "GUN" sign.
She talks to the owner.  "Hey you wouldn't happen to have
a bullet proof vest would you?"  She asks.  "Huh?
In a girls size?  No one's asked me that in a while.
Wait a minute.  I remember you.  That was you wasn't it?"
"Yes, that was me.  So do you have another?"  "Well I don't come
by them every day but I'll check in the back.  If anyone has one
it's me.  Say you're not going to wear it with that are you?"
"Well it's all I have at the time."  "DeJaVu.  That's the same
as last time.  Well I'll see if I can dig you up the old wardrobe.
You know it's not every day you find a gorl who dresses from a gunstore.
What's your name again?"  "Jessie."  "Yeah, I thought that was it.
Still with Avalance I see."  "Something like that."  

	Later Jessie is back on the upper plate dressed in her
old bullet proof vest and knee length olive drab shorts combo,
witht he addition of a backpack full of supplies.  She begins
to make a Bee-line for the shinra tower.  "They seem to have
changed it around a bit since adding that big gun.  I hope 
the floor plan is the same."  She thinks to herself.

	Jessie enters the tower.  Unfortunately finds that
the Shinra have returned.  "OH SHIT!  When did they come back"
She exclaims diving back out the front door. and evading
the gaurds.  "I guess I'll have to sneak in.  That side entrance looks
ungaurded."   Jessie enters through the side and begins to ascend a long 
flight of stairs.  

	Some time later she arrives at the top, and enters.  
With relative ease she evades the gaurds by hiding behind a few conveniently
placed statues.  Once whe reaches the upper floors she looks for the nearest
computer.  After a bit of hacking Jessie finds what she is looking for.
"Ah, the Turk membership databases."  Jessie realizing she risks
being caught searching now she saves the information to a disk.

	The tower begins to shake.  Jessie heads for a window and looks out.
She can't believe what she sees next.  Aproaching midgar is something BIG.
It looks half like some giant robot and half like it's alive.  She
also realizes that the big gun is charging up.  It opens up to larghe
pieces on its shoulders and fires a volley at the city.  At the
same time the gun fires.  The beam tears across the field and through
the giant creatures chest.  It falls to the ground aparently dead.
"I never thought I'd have shinra to thank for anything."  Jessie
thinks to herself.

	Just then someone tackles her from behind yelling "GET DOWN!"
as the unknown assailant pins Jessie down the previously fired
volley fromthe gian beast mows off the top of the tower and shakes
the entire building shattering every window.  The power goes out for a moment.
then the emergency lighting comes on.  "Reno!"  Jessie says surprized
to see her friend again.  "What the Hell are you doing here?  This place
is dangerous!"  Reno begins to lecture but is interuped
by a small radio device clipped to his belt.  "SSSHHHKKKKTTTT...
Reno come in.  This is Elaina.  Avalanche has been spotted entering the
city.  Come meet me and we'll cut them off."  Reno picks up
the radio and responds.  "I'll be there as soon as I can.  over and out"
Reno puts the radio aside.  "Get out of here.  NOW!  This place is about
to become a warzone and I don't want you to get hurt." says reno to 
Jessie almost forgetting that they were once enemies.  Reno
was beginning to feel less and less loyal to the Shinra.  What if
friendship really was more important than loyalty.

	Reno hurried off after giving Jessie directions out of the 
building.  Jessie left the Shinra tower.  She looked back
one last time noting the topof the building was missing.
The smell of revolution was in the air.  It was time to say goodbye
to the crown.

	That night all Jessie could do was watch from the
roof of the apartment building where she had been living as the
fate of the world was determined by a small band of fighters whom
she had once had the pleasure of knowing.

	The next morning Jessie was searching through the information
on the disk she had aquired.  She was looking for a picture
of a young turk who had joined on a date soon before that fateful day
three years ago.  She was interupted by a knock on the door.
She answered.  At the door stood a bearded man.  "Oh I'm sorry miss
I thought a Turk name Reno lived here.  Anyway I'm Reeve
former employee of Shinra.  I'm here to warn you.  Meteor
will collide with Midgar in seven days.  I advise you to take
shelter in the slums.  Now excuse me but I hav manymore people to
warn."  THe man qucikly leaves and heads down the street spreading his
doomsday warning.  

	Jessie took a moment too look over the city.  
People were fleeing the upper plate like ants in a flood.  
Jessie didn't bother.  She knew if something that size hit the earth
there was no place to run.  But it also seemed odd how 
quiet midgar had been.  and how little had changed since
Shinra's fall the previous night.  It seemed no one really cared.
and life goes on regardless.  Jessie herself had a life to get
on with.  As soon as one last loose end was tied.  She went back
to the computer and her search.  She came upon the files of one
particular young terk who had joined three years ago.

	Reno entered his apartment.  It was quiet.  "Jessie?
Are you still here?  We need to leave Midgar and fast.  Come on
out."  Reno saw that his computer was still on.  Displayed
on it were Personal files on the Turks.  His file was showing.

	Reno felt cold metal press to the back o his head and a gun cock.
"Do you recognize that picture Reno?  It's the picture of a young
Turk who had a future with Shinra ahead of him."  Reno recognized the voice
as Jessie's  "Jessie what's this all about?"  "I think you know.
It's about a certain young girl who's life you ruined.  How long did 
you think you could get away with it?"  "I.....was hoping you wouln't
remember.  That was a long time ago.  I was a different person then.
We both were."   "SHUT UP!  Is that why you saved me?  Was it some sick
ploy?  Did you think that I would fall in love with you?  You 
were just putting on an act the whole time weren't you."  "No, Jessie
I honestly care about you.  I don't know why I saved you honestly.
I didn't even rember you until you introduced yourself."
"STOP LYING!!!!  You took everything from me!  My life, my youth,
my innocence."  "I'm not arguing that it was right.  It was the
worst thing I've ever done in my life.  You see, when it was over I hated
myself for it.  I didn't want to hurt you.  And you know what.  I don't think
you want to hurt me.  If you wanted to kill me you would have already done it.
Jessie Pushes the gun agians Reno's head a bit harder.  "STOP TRYING TO 
CHANGE MY MIND!"  Reno takes the opportunity to duck out of the guns path
and siez Jessie's arm.  "LISTEN TO ME JESSIE!  Everyone changes.  You 
of all people should know that."  Jessie tugs trying to free her arm.

	Reno tightens his grips and pulls her closer to him.  "DAMMIT 
JESSIE!  Is this really the way you want the world to end.  Not with
a bang but a whimper.  With the world about to end do you really
care about nothing but petty vengence."  Jessie says nothing but 
runs sideways shoving Reno out the whindow.  She picks the gun back
up then looks out for Reno.  He's already made his escape.
Jessie Begins to yell from the window.  "RENO!  DON'T TRY TO RUN.
I'LL FIND YOU.  A WEEK IS ALL THE TIME I NEED."

	Days pass as Reno evades Jessie.  The sad persuit 
continues throughout the week.  On the seventh day Reno 
stands in the open.  "I'M TIRED OF RUNNING JESSIE!  COME AND
GET ME!"  Footsteps sound through the silent streets.
Jessie steps from the shadows.  But her garb seems a bit unusual.
She's wearing the Blue dress given to her by Reno.  "Do you
recognize it Reno?  You gave it to me.  I never gave you a 
chance to see me in it.  Well here you go.  How do I look?"
"You uhm look pretty."  "Pretty you say?  Was it because I was
so pretty three years ago that you ......"  The plate bgins to shape.
Jessie and reno look up.  Meteor is about to hit.  Flames
shoot from it and rip through buildings.

	Tornado's hit the plate and cause even more damage. 
"JESSIE WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"  Reno Yells.
"NO RENO.  THIS IS HOW IT ALL ENDS.  JUST YOU AN ME.
ONE FINAL CONFRONTATION"  Jessie responds.  
"THIS IS REDICULOUS, JESSIE!  YOU'RE GOING TO GET US 
BOTH KILLED!"  "Everyone dies Reno.  Don't you understand.
This is the end.  But I'm not going to die without finnishing
what I started."  "This insane Jessie.  You've always been
a survivor.  I can't blive you'd be willing to give up like this."
The plate begins to break up as Meteor draws closer.
Jessie doesn't seem to care.  She retains a firm focus
on Reno and draws a gun.  "Then go ahead Jessie.  If you
really want to kill me then stop trying to convince me
you're right and just shoot."  "NO I WANT YOU TO REALIZE WHAT 
YOU'VE DONE!"  "I've had to live with what I've don for years.
I live with it every day.  But I also realize that I have a life
to live.  I can't let one event destroy that.  And niether should you."

	A bright light shoots overhead between Meteor
and Midgar.  For a short moment everything is silent.
Then the thunderous noise of meteor resumes as the white light parts
and Meteor approaches even faster.  Jessie retains her aim.
Then the plate breaks apart, the ground opens underneath Jessie,
and she falls through.  Reno Runs to the edge and dives off after her.
He tucks up to speed his descent and catch up to Jessie.
He takes her hand and looks for something to break their descent.
He grabs a steel cable.  The friction tears flesh from Reno's hand
but he retains his grip.  Eventyally their fall is aborted.

	Jessie looks up to Reno.  Rubble continues to fall around
them as meteor's descent continues.  Jessie with
her free hand points her gun up to Reno.
"Let go Reno...... I don't want to die owing you anything.
Just let me go, or we'll go together."  "No Jessie.  I won't give up 
hope.  I won't let go.  I care too much about you.  I always have."

	Above another force gatheres arond Meteor.  A radiant
blueish green liquid forms around it.  Meteor's Descent seems to
halt.  "You see Jessie.  You can never give up.  There's always hope."
Jessie takes her aim away from Reno.  A blinding light engulfs all
of Midgar.  When it's clear Midgar is in runis and Meteor is gone. 
Reno and Jessie are still hanging from the lone steel cable
which has hung on to the plate against all odds, just like the two
souls clinging to it.  They climb back up to the upper plate.
Jessie exhausted kneels down and drops the gun.  Reno picks up the gun
and hands it to Jessie.  "It's so quiet now.  Like we're the only two
people left.  Here, do you still want to shoot me?"  Jessie takes the 
gun and stands up.  She then turns around and throws it off the plate.
"No, no more killing.  Those days are over.  Look.  even now
people are rebuilding."  It begins to rain.  The rain puts out
the fires that have started all over midgar.  "I see now that life
always springs anew.  Life goes on, never parishing, mearly changing.
And in time all wounds heal."  Says Jessie.  "So you've made your decission"
asks Reno.  "Yes.  Life has changed.  And while it may be hard from now
on it's worth living.  I owe it to myself to see where it goes."
Jessie feeling tired leans agaist Reno.  They watch as the sun 
rises over the horizon.
-------------------------------end-------------------------------------------
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