At Shinra Headquarters, President Shinra sits at his desk looking at Heidegger with a stern look and asks, "Are we on schedule?"

Heidegger replied with a laugh, "Gya, haha, ha! The Turks are on top of it. Yes, there will be no delays."

"Please, Mr. President! I am asking you to reconsider, no, begging!"

President Shinra narrowed his eyes at the man who made the protest. The gentleman's name is Reeve Tuesti, who's the head of urban development. Reeve has black hair, a mustache, and a chinstrap beard. He wears a dark blue business suit with a white shirt and a red tie.

Reeve continued his protest, "The Sector 7 undercity is home to more than 50,000,"

"Director Tuesti.." President Shinra scoffs at Reeve.

But Reeve gritted his teeth and pressed on, "At least issue a warning, sir!"

Heidegger pinches his nose and says, "The stench of the director's cowardice fills the room yet again."

Reeve glares at Heidegger for that insult.

Unlike Heidegger, who's ruthless and never cares for the lives of others. Reeve was the opposite of that when he heard that Shinra would intentionally drop the plate of Sector 7. He quickly rushed to the president's office to convince the president to reconsider the order. But Reeve knew that convincing the president would be hopeless; at least Reeve would try.

"Reeve." President Shinra called out.

Reeve looked at President Shinra, seeing those eyes filled with nothing more than ambition and lust for power. In Reeve's heart, he knew that his plea never fell through.

President Shinra, "Progress requires sacrifice. Learn to live with it."

Reeve said nothing, only clenching his fists as he could feel the defeat weighing on his shoulders.

Cloud slowly opened his eyes and lifted himself. The first thing he saw was Sara, Tifa, and Aerith lying on the damp floor in front of him, unconscious.

As he stood up, he heard something move from behind. He grabbed the handle of his sword and turned only to find that there was nothing, just a dark tunnel.

Cloud wondered, "Where in the...?" Then his nose wrinkled at the awful smell, "Damn, it reeks."

That is when he knew exactly where they are. They were in the sewer system.

Cloud looked at the girls and decided to walk over to Sara. He gently shook her shoulder, hearing a moan from her. Sara opened her eyes, blinking several times, and looked at Cloud perplexed.

Sara, "Cloud?"

Cloud, "You okay?"

Sara nodded, "Yeah." Then she recalled what Corneo said and immediately stood up, "Shit! That bastard better not be messing with us."

Cloud, "Yeah, I hope he is just bluffing."

Sara, "But we need to get to Sector 7 as quickly as possible."

Cloud agreed with her. Then, Aerith and Tifa started to wake up, both feeling the pain from the impact of the fall.

Aerith groaned, "Dammit."

Tifa hissed, "That bastard."

Suddenly they heard the sounds of something thumping on the ground. It sounded enormous and probably not friendly. Sara saw something emerge from the shadows of the dark tunnel. It was a weird-looking creature with the head of a boar, the tongue of a snake, fangs from a dog, legs of a goat, arms of a gorilla, horns of a bull, and a long tail with spikes at the end.

The beast looked at the group with drool dripping from its long slippery tongue. The shackles around its massive wrists dragged on the floor as its yellow eyes hungrily look at the group. It jumps down from the edge of the tunnel and lets out a roar.

Cloud immediately draws his swords and asks the girls, "You ready?"

Aerith replied, "You bet!"

Tifa, "Bring it on!"

Sara draws her sword and humphed, "I'll make this quick."

Before Cloud had a chance to ask, in a blink, Sara was already behind the creature. The beast didn't have time to react before Sara's sword stabbed it right underneath the base of its tail. The beast roared in pain and quickly ran right towards the wall busting it through and runaway leaving everyone except for Sara in shock.

Aerith tilted her head, "What just happened?"

Sara chuckled, "I gave it a good kick in its ass or a stab in the ass."

Cloud looked at Sara with a stern look. Sara looked at him and shook her head. She was telling him not to say a word about what he saw. Cloud knew that Sara did something that no human alive could do; it was impossible. To get behind the enemy quickly, either that person was born super fast or had to be from SOLDIER. Luckily, the girls didn't seem to catch on Cloud's suspicion, for there were more other things to think about.

Aerith looked at where the beast made the hole in the wall and wondered, "Do you think it lives here?"

Cloud replied, "It was probably Corneo's pet, and we were dinner."

Aerith made an exasperation shake disgusted that they were supposed to be food for Corneo's pet. Yet, she also felt sad about the rumors of the girls who were previously Corneo's brides and did not obey him and how they mysteriously disappeared. Now they've seen where the trapped door took them and the monster that was supposed to eat them. It was likely that monster was the thing that killed the poor helpless brides of Corneo.

Tifa looked at her friends and wondered, "Hey, you don't believe that crazy story of his, do you?"

Sara crossed her arms and began to think about it. Tifa looked at her and asked, "Sara, you've said before that you used to work with President Shinra closely, right? There's no way he would do something like that just to take out Avalanche, right?"

Sara frowned her brows and replied, "That's where it's got me puzzled."

Cloud, "Puzzled?"

Sara explained, "I know that President Shinra is a power-hungry man and will do anything to get what he wants as long as he can profit from it. So for him to issue an order to drop a plate down only to take out an enemy while sacrificing so many lives, no way will make a profit. It will hurt not only the company's wealth but also its reputation. But I have seen his inhumane character before, so a part of me thinks that he would do something like this, and the other part is wondering how this will profit him unless he's got something bigger like a backup plan."

Tifa's heart sank, and she said, "So he would do something like that."

Aerith jumped in the conversation, "But if it turns out that Corneo was lying, then so what, right?"

Tifa seems to doubt it, and Sara tried to cheer her, "Hey, the sooner we get out of here, the better chance we have at returning to Sector 7. Once we arrive there, we'll find out if Corneo was lying or not. And if he was lying well, you can bet that we'll find a way to kick his ass."

Tifa nodded, then she looked at the massive hole in the wall where the beast barreled through and dashed over to there. Sara was about to follow after when a firm grip prevented her from going. She turned to Cloud, who had an icy look on his face.

He spoke in a low voice, so the others won't hear, "I know that what just happened was not normal. The way your movement speed was is a sign that tells me you're hiding something from us. So, who are you really?"

Sara put her hand on Cloud's and gripped it tight, and replied with a small plea, "Cloud, I'm begging you don't ask me now. I'm not ready. What you saw is nowhere near as important as finding out about the plate. So hold that question for later. However, I will say this I will use that speed secretly to get to Sector 7 quickly. I meant what I said before about being puzzled by what Corneo said."

Cloud said nothing but let go of Sara's shoulder. Sara had a point, and Cloud didn't want to admit it but getting to Sector 7 is more important than figuring out who Sara is. Yet, he wasn't going to let her off that easily. Cloud knew he had to wait for an opportunity to ask her the same question.

Cloud and Sara rushed over where Tifa and Aerith were. The hole that the beast made revealed another damp tunnel that seemed to have connected with another tunnel.

Tifa exclaimed, "I knew it! These tunnels are all connected. I'm pretty sure we can use these tunnels to make our way back to Sector 7. The sewers under Sectors 6 and 7 should be connected. As they say, if you get in trouble, just follow the stench."

Cloud asked, "Another one of those lessons from life on the ground?"

Tifa replied, "An Avalanche saying, actually. We use them to move around the undercity in emergencies."

Cloud, "You sure we're not lost?"

Tifa nodded, "Positive. There should be a big waterway just up ahead. Let's find that first."

Aerith, "Lead the way."

The group started walking through the sewer system. Long tunnels filled with muck and gunk, dim lights that made the tunnels look a bit creepy to go through. Yet, there was no time for setbacks; they had to move quickly as possible. They even ran into some monsters that live in the sewers. But those monsters didn't stand a chance against Sara and the others.

After walking through a few more tunnels, they came up to a corridor and saw a door that had bright light underneath it. Sara opened the door, and they came across the sewer system trunk line. The place had multiple concrete platforms with bridges going across the sewage moat.

Tifa paused and recalled something, "Wait a minute. I know this place. Sector 7 should be just on the other side of this waterway."

Cloud, "So this is where Sector 6 ends."

Tifa nodded, "And where Sector 7 begins. Once we cross over, we can start looking for a way back to the surface."

Cloud looked around and saw that getting across won't be easy, "Might be harder than you think."

Tifa suggested, "Let's just try to make our way down this tunnel. See if we can't use those gates to clear a path. We can do this. We'll figure it out."

Aerith smiled, "Yeah, for sure."

They started looking around and found three platforms that seem to be used as a bridge to get across the moat. The only problem is that the canal was drained entirely. Yet, Cloud saw a lever near the flood gate; he climbed down the steel ladder and pushed the lever that made the flood gate opened, and the moat was filled back up.

Seeing this, Tifa rejoiced, "All right! Now we should be able to get across."

Cloud turned to the ladies, "I'll go first, okay?"

The ladies replied, "Okay."

Cloud stepped onto one of the floating platforms. He walked slow and steady making it look easy. As Tifa watched, her mind trailed off and thought once again about what Corneo said.

Tifa cursed, "Dammit. I can't stop thinking about what Corneo said."

Aerith nodded, "I know...me too."

Sara agreed, "It's something that's not easy to wrap our minds on."

Tifa, "It's gotta be a trick. There's no way they'd go that far. But...but what if Corneo really was telling the truth. We have to get there in time to stop it. We have to."

Aerith muttered, "Right."

Tifa noticed Aerith's expression that seemed to be filled with pain. Tifa questioned her, "Aerith, what are you not telling me?"

Aerith looked at her, surprised and confused. At that moment, Cloud made it across and shouted, "Guys! Come on; we gotta keep moving."

Tifa replied, "Coming!" She turned to Sara and Aerith, "I'll go first."

After that, Tifa walked on the unsteady platform and made it across with no problems.

Sara turned to Aerith, "I'm next."

Aerith, "Okay."

Sara jumped on the platform and crossed it as if she was strolling on a bridge. After she made it across, Sara turns to Aerith, "All right, Aerith! You're up!"

Aerith, "On my way!"

Aerith stepped on the floating bridge and was unsteady at first. The floating bridge seemed to move beneath her, and she tried to find her balance. Just when she made it to the end, the bridge collapsed. Aerith was about to fall, but Tifa grabbed her wrist and pulled her right before she touched the murky water.

Tifa looks at where the bridge was and sighed, "That was close."

Aerith smiled, "Thanks, you saved me."

Tifa chuckled, "It was nothing. Least I could do."

Aerith looked at Cloud, "Hear that, Cloud?"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders that made the girls giggle. They climbed up the ladder and made their way to another bridge that is made out of concrete.

Tifa sighed as she tried to focus on the present, "Focus."

Aerith could tell that Tifa was in distress and asked, "Still thinking about the plate?"

Tifa replied, "Yeah."

A long pause followed before Aerith spoke again, "The future isn't set in stone. That's what I always tell myself."

Tifa nodded but still spoke in doubt, "Yeah? I hope you're right."

Sara also tried to cheer Tifa up, "An old friend of mine once said to me. "Even in battle, nothing is for certain about what will happen next. This is why we must keep moving on and never look back." I always remember what my friend told me, and it helped me when I'm faced with uncertainty."

Tifa noticed how Sara looked out into the distance as if she was looking back into her past. Her eyes were filled with regret and sadness.

Aerith seemed to notice and asked, "Is your friend still around?"

Sara sighed, "Sadly no, he....was killed in action. All three of them are dead."

Tifa, "All....three?"

Sara nodded, "Yeah, they were like my closest friends."

Aerith could sense that the topic started to become gloomy and thought of something cheerful, "How 'bout this, then? Think of something fun. After saving Sector 7, you're gonna?"

Tifa thought for a moment, then replied, "I'm gonna...go shopping at topside! I'll buy...stuff for the bar! Decorations, coasters."

Aerith asked, "Can I come?"

Sara, "How about me? Mind if I join?"

Tifa replied, "You bet!"

Tifa seemed a little better after thinking more about the positive on things rather than the negative.

Aerith smiled, "Then it's a date!"

The three of them laughed. Tifa looked at Cloud and then spoke in a low voice, "Cloud can carry all our stuff."

Aerith, "He'll be our pack Chocobo."

Sara nodded, "Definitely!"

Cloud heard his name and asked, "What was that about me?"

The girls laughed, and Tifa answered, "Nothing!"

Suddenly the bridge beneath the girls' feet begun to collapse.

"What the?!" Tifa gasped as the bridge below her become unstable.

Tifa and Aerith tried to run to make it over to the other side. However, they felt someone lifting them from the backs of their clothes, and in a blink of an eye, they made it on the other side. Aerith and Tifa didn't know what happened at first until they saw Sara lying on the edge of the broken bridge, grunting. Aerith and Tifa rushed over and saw that Sara was holding Cloud's hand, keeping him from falling into the moat.

Sara groaned as she tried to lift Cloud, "Damn it, why do men get to be so heavy!"

Cloud lightly chuckled and thought, So you have super-human speed, but no super-human strength. Or are you just pretending for the sake of appearances?

Whether Sara was playing for real or faking it, Cloud noticed that the other two girls were oblivious to Sara's hidden skill. Luckily Tifa and Aerith helped Sara in lifting Cloud to safety. Tifa and Aerith grabbed Sara's arm, and together they pull having Cloud pull himself up and standing.

Cloud looked at the girls and said, "Sorry about that."

Aerith shook her head, "No need."

They walked over to the exit, walked down more dark corridors, and came across a large open area. The area had a sizeable murky pool that was probably sewage water and large filtered tanks. As they looked around, Aerith spotted a ladder that had a bright light above it.

Aerith pointed to the ladder and exclaimed, "Look, that must be the way out!"

Tifa looked at where the ladder was located on the other side of the murky pool. She had seen this type of area before; this place treated the sewage water and filtered it for the people on the topside.

Tifa said, "I wonder, there must be some way we can lower the water level."

Tifa spotted a door nearby and went inside. It was a maintenance office that had old computers and control panels to control the water system.

"Seventh Heaven's water tank has something similar. I'm betting we can use this to control the sewage level." Tifa looked at the large control panel.

Cloud spotted the lever on the control panel and pulled it down. Only to find that nothing seemed to work, and a red light blinked on the control panel.

Cloud clicked his tongue, "Must be busted."

Tifa noticed a poster by the control panel. She found something that could be the problem and read it out loud, "A red light indicates a blockage." She reads on and finds something useful, "We can use the hand pump to clear the blockage. That sounds about right; I remember having to do this at the bar before."

There were times when Tifa had to clear out blockages for the slums of Sector 7. She had to go down to the sewers and use a method similar to what the poster explains.

Cloud nodded, "Alright, I'll.."

Tifa cuts him off and looks at Aerith, "Aerith, you mind giving me a hand? Cloud, you stay put. Keep an eye out for more red lights."

Cloud protested, "Wait, I'm not sure."

Tifa shook her head and said, "Trust me. This is the best way to handle it. We'll be back soon."

Sara asked, "And what about me?"

Tifa replied, "You can stay here and make sure that Cloud doesn't get bored."

Cloud sighed and leaned against the wall, "Just shout if you need anything."

Tifa and Aerith went back out to fix the blockage. At the same time, Sara decided to stay behind and sat across from where Cloud stood. Silence fell upon the two, not wanting to say anything. Yet, the atmosphere felt heavy, and Cloud knew that Sara was hiding something from them. It seemed that she was not willing to open up and say anything. However, Cloud was still ready to try and get Sara to talk.

Cloud lifted his head, looked straight at Sara, and asked, "Are you going to say anything to me?"

Sara let out a sigh and didn't say anything. She knew Cloud was looking for answers. Yet, she wasn't sure if now is the time to reveal everything.

Instead of answering, Sara threw in a question, "Cloud do you think I'm an enemy?"

That left Cloud stunned, he didn't think that Sara was an enemy. After all, they've been through, and there was no way Sara was a person with ill-intent.

Cloud shook his head, "No, I don't think you are an enemy. It's just I can't help but feel that you are hiding something big, something that could change mine and everyone else's perspective of you."

Sara chuckled, "You're right. If I told you all everything about me, it would."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "So why are you not telling us?"

Sara sighed, "Because, for many reasons, one is that my presence by itself will put you all endanger if I told you the truth. If word reaches President Shinra and especially that walking-bucket-of-mess, Hojo, that I'm alive and walking in Midgar. They will turn Midgar upside down just to find me and lock me up in someplace where the sun doesn't shine. This leads to my second reason, you all are not ready to know. If I told you everything about me, you probably would find it hard to accept."

Cloud asked, "Then how will you know when we are ready to learn? You know that I can handle everything."

Sara raised a brow and shook her head, "No, Cloud, you especially are not ready. Why? Because I feel like you're not willing to risk it all. Even I can see it in Tifa as for Barret, he's willing to risk it all, but at how much cost is he willing to take? Then there's the third reason."

Cloud, "And that is?"

Sara bit her bottom lip, and her eyebrows frowned as if she struggled to tell her answer. She muttered, "I...can't tell you that either..."

Cloud frown and wondered, How long does she plan on keeping us waiting? Just what is this big secret she has that's keeping her from telling us?

Before Cloud could ask any further, Aerith and Tifa returned. Aerith pulled the lever down again, and this time a green light appeared.

Tifa turned to Aerith and smiled, "We did it! We make a great team!"

Aerith cheered, "Go, team!"

Cloud took the lead and went out of the room, seeing that the murky pool is now low enough that there is even a small walk path that wasn't there before. As Cloud and the others went down to the walking path, something jumped out of the murky water.

A tall green slippery creature tall as a full-grown man with webbed feet and hands, holding a harpoon, having a turtle shell on its back. It was a Sahagin. Sahagins are aquatic creatures that have taken up residence in the sewers. They are intelligent enough to have created their own language, and they defend their territory with harpoons of their own fashioning. More of them started to jump out of the waters as Cloud, and the others began to defend themselves.

Tifa grunted as she kicked a Sahagin in the face and noticed that the enemy's numbers were increasing. She yelled, "There's too many of them!"

Cloud swung his sword and noticed that the exit was just around the corner. His eyes turned to Sara, who looked like she was struggling, but only to discover that she was gritting her teeth as if she was holding back.

He had an idea and shouted, "Tifa! Aerith! Get to the ladder, now!"

Tifa was surprised and asked, "What about you and Sara?"

Cloud shook his head, "Don't worry about us! We'll handle it!"

Tifa was about to protest, then Sara yelled at her, "Quit worry so much and just get out of here! We'll be right behind you!"

Tifa finally complied and ran straight to the ladder, with Aerith following her. The two girls made it out safe and waited for Cloud and Sara to come up.

Once Cloud noticed that Tifa and Aerith were out of sight. He deflected another attack from a Sahagin.

He turned to Sara and said, "All right, they made it out safe."

Sara gritted her teeth as her sword and a harpoon was locked in place. She asked, "So does that mean I can cut loose?"

Cloud nodded, "Yeah."

Sara smirked, and in a split second, the Sahagin that was in front of her was cut in half!

Cloud watched the scene unfold before him. What was a scene full of twenty sahagins that were ready to fight was now a bloody scene full of dead sahagins. It all happened in a blink of an eye. Standing at the center of the bloody scene was Sara. There was not a speck of blood on her clothes beside her sword. Even still, Cloud knew after seeing this fight that Sara is not an ordinary person. At the same time, he understood why Sara is keeping her true strength under wraps.

Sara pulled out a small cloth from her jacket and wiped her blade, then sheathed it. She turned and faced Cloud, then sighed.

"Now, you see? This is why I must not let anyone know about the real me." Sara explained, "What you saw right now is a sign that I'm no ordinary person."

Cloud nodded and spoke, "I won't say a word. However, if it does come to it, I will ask you again, and next time do not avoid it."

Sara smirked, "Deal."

The two of them went up the ladder to meet up with the others. As they finally made it up to the surface, they saw a helicopter that was heading straight for the pillar.