Cloud slowly woke up and saw that he was surrounded by mud. As he looked around more, he saw that he was not exactly surrounded by mud, but with Terra in a muddy hole. The hole was twelve feet deep, and wet. Terra was laying down in human form, aparently unconscious. Cloud looked at the walls of the hole, then pulled out his sword and stuck it in the mud, so he would have a hand hold to climb up on.

Suddenly, the same violent wave of energy started to ripple through his being. He ripped the sword out of the wall and stumbled back. The enrgy wave stopped.

" Well, well, well." A voice said above him. " It's nice to finally see the famous AVALANCHE member I heard so much about."

Cloud looked up to see a man in a suit standing over the edge of the hole with the device the crippled him earlier. " Bolio, I presume?" He asked.

" That is correct." Bolio answered. " The richest man ever, and soon to be ruler of all. I've been looking for you...Cloud wasn't it? Yes, Cloud. I've been looking for you Cloud, because I want a real warrior with me, far superior to these lackeys I hire. You, the great warrior who bested Sephiroth. I need a real fighter to work for me. I would prefer both you and the woman, but she has already made her decision."

Cloud for the first time noticed a device fixed to Terra's arm. It was pumping her with some liquid.

" That will keep her unconsicous as long as it works." Bolio explained. " I wouldn't rip it off either, it will detonate a small explosive that should be potent enough to kill you both. What do you say Cloud? I'll pay you top dollar, and you'll be the best warrior ever."

" Forget it." Cloud replied.

" Oh well," Bolio said. " I guess I can't change your minds. I might as well tell you what I'm going to do.

" I've been researching this coming event for some time, the Tunnel To The Heavens. I found out it has great time travel capacities for the Traveler, the one that uses it. However, the Traveler won't be returning in it. Instead, I will. Me, as well as all sorts of soldiers, weapons, and technology.

" The world is in chaos in her time. The planet is dying, people are getting despondate, and the world's saviors won't come for another six months. I shall rise to power then. I'll use my technology to dominate the despirate people. I'll make their lives easier and destroy their oppressors. In return, they'll worship me as a god."

" And if they don't?" Cloud asked.

" I'll have them destroyed." Bolio repiled. " Besides, they'll have no choice. I will conquer both their problem and the timeline as soon as I arrive."

" What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

" As soon as I arrive in that time, two missles will be fired. One of them will be much larger, and will destroy the area known as Kefka's Tower. Kefka is the ruler at that time, and people will worship me for his demise. I'll build a much greater tower in it's place.

" The second missle will be fired at what was simply known as The Solitary Island. It will result in the deaths of two figureheads, Professor Cid, and General Celes Chere. Even if Celes survives the blast, Cid will be gone and unable to take care of her, she'll die in her coma. With Celes gone, no one will ever reunite the party that brought down Kefka. I will replace that part in history."

" How far is the area of the Tunnel from here?" Cloud asked.

Bolio chuckled. " All right." He said. " You might as well know. It's only ten miles east of here, and the event occurs tomorrow. Unfortuately, this is as far as you'll ever go. You see this hole is unscaleable, and the sun get's awefully hot during the day. It will dry up the mud around here, and you'll have nothing to keep you cool. In a few days, all that will be left will be two dehydrated bodies. If your lucky, time will alter before you succumb and you'll be reduced to slaves of my generation."

Cloud, in anger, surged at the walls of mud again. Bolio pressed a button on the device, and once again he fell back in pain. Bolio left the button on and set the device down.

" Well, goodbye Cloud." Bolio said. " This device will ensure that you never escape, and Terra will sleep through her own death. I'm off to conquer an intire new time." Then Bolio turned and walked away.

All Cloud could do was whrite on the ground.

" Finally." Wes said. " I can see that they were past here. If they had those two with them, then we must be growing close."

Wes and Tia marched down the long set of tire tracks. Nobody drove a car up here, unless they were carrying something valuable. This reeked of Bolio's

" Operation ".

It was a very hot day. They had used most of the water they had brought with them. Plus, these hills didn't help much. They were both tired and sweaty, but Wes kept them both himself and Tia going on with his lust for revenge.

" Look." Tia spoke up. " There's a big hole right over there."

" An ideal spot to drop our little friends and let them dehydrate." Wes replied. " Let's check it out."

The two started walking to the hole. As they marched on slowly, they suddenly noticed their bones were aching. It wasn't pain or exhaustion, it was as if some enrgy force was ripping into them. As they got closer, it increased and started to ring. Both SOLDIERs couldn't take it anymore, they both slumped to the ground.

" What is it?!" Tia screamed over the loud ringing in her own head.

" It's coming from near the hole!" Wes replied. " Use your grenade!"

Cloud had continued to wallow in the hole all night and into the morning. The hole had dried up just in the intense sun, and he was dehydrating quickly. Terra had barely moved for the past night and morning, and now was no exception. Cloud wondered when the device would run out of liquid.

He then wondered when he was going to run out of liquid. He was very thirsty.

Suddenly, a small boom exploded from the edge of the hole. The ringing in Cloud's ears stoped. The pain in his body ceased. He stood on his feet. Must have short circuited, Cloud thought. He looked at Terra. He would have to get her out later. He needed water first. He looked around the hole for a way out.

Suddenly, a rope was thrown over the edge of the hole. Cloud was surprised, but thankful. He grabbed the rope, and let whoever was on the other end pull him up. But his happiness was short lived, as he saw who was holding the other end.

" Alright," The first SOLDIER said, as he and the second SOLDIER drew their swords. " Now we're going to kill you both. It should be easy to get rid of you. You have two against one and you're already weak."

Cloud put his hands up. " Before you strike, let me tell you what your employer is going to do."

" We don't work for Bolio anymore." Tia said. " We're killing you for vengance."

" Still, let me tell you." Cloud said the entire plan of Bolio.

The second SOLDIER slowly lowered her sword. " Whoa. That's intense."

" I need your help to get a bomb of my friend and help me stop Bolio before he does something terrible. The entire future as we know it is at stake." Cloud said.

" I don't care." The first SOLDIER said. " I have yet to kill Bolio, but I will kill you first. You ruined my reputation as a mercenary. Now I'm nothing, nothing but an escaped experiment of Hojo. I will get revenge on you."

" I know your mad." Cloud said. " And I'll be glad to finish this later myself. But right now, an event bigger than both of us is happening, and we need to stop it, fast. I need your help."

The SOLDIER kept his sword pointed at Cloud, but slowly lowered it. " After this mission." He said. " I'm Wes, this is Tia. What do you want us to do first?"

" Help me get Terra out of the hole." Cloud replied. " And get some tools."

Terra had been removed from the hole and Cloud had opened part of the casing. " I've never seen a bomb like this." Cloud remarked. " I have no idea how to stop it."

" Let me have a look." Wes said. He bent down and looked at the interior housing. " This is a special proximity bomb. It works sort of like a Venus Fly Trap. Touch the sensors wrong, and it will go off. Actually, this is different. You touch the sensors and the bomb is armed. Release the sensors and the bomb goes off."

" Can you disarm it?" Cloud asked.

" Yes." Wes replied. " But I'll need you to touch the sensors."

" No way." Cloud said. " It's a trick and a lie."

" I don't lie." Wes said. " And besides, you don't have a choice."

" I won't do it." Cloud said.

" Very well, disarm it youself." Wes repiled. " Keep in mind if you do one thing wrong, it will detonate."

Cloud paused for a while, then finally sighed. He did have no other choice. He waited until Wes was about to start before putting his hand on the sensors. Wes grinned for a moment.

" It would be so easy now..." He said. " But I don't lie. I'll disarm it." He cut a few wires and twisted a few pieces of metal. The liquid stopped flowing and the bomb's lights went off.

Cloud started to remove his hand, and Wes quickly stopped him. " It's still active."

" How do we stop it?!" Cloud asked, growing angry.

" We don't. I just turned it off it's other sensors and liquid so we could get the girl out." Wes replied. Tia came over, undid Terra's arm, and dragged her away. " Your sensors are still active. It would take months of deduction to determine how to disarm this. We don't have time. Keep your hand on it and follow me."

Wes placed his hand under the bomb and lifted. Cloud followed with him until they were both standing. Wes led Cloud behind a pile of rocks.

" Now," Wes started. " We can't disarm the bomb, but we can possibly detonate it safely. Behind this pile of rocks we're pretty well protected. On three we'll throw this bomb into the hole."

" I thought you said this had a proximity fuse?" Cloud asked.

" It does, but it may be a junky bomb and have a half-second delay. Knowing Bolio though, it probably doesn't."

" How does that help us?"

" It doesn't. We don't have any other choice. On the bright side, I'll die too in the blast, so nether of us are going to one-up the other. On three."

Cloud reluctantly nodded.

" 1...2...3!"

Both men hurled the bomb into the hole and ducked. Lucky for them, it was a junky bomb. It was in the hole before it erupted in an explosion.

They both stood up after the boom and looked around. Tia and Terra were well away from the blast, and Terra was waking up. After seeing the blackened hole and the two SOLDIERs, she was puzzled.

" Um...what happened?"