Summary: Cid Highwind finally realizes his dream of flying into space...but at what cost? Inspired by the lyrics of "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, this is a plotbunny that's been nibbling for a very long time. This was also written for a word prompt for my fic group - the word was "space", so of course...I naturally thought of Cid.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Squeenix does; nor do I own any song lyrics quoted within. This is written for fun and not profit.
Pairing: established Cid and Shera, though I also touch heavily on Cid's friendship with Vincent here. Rated T for some language (this is Cid after all!)
For here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do
Though I'm past
one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
"Space Oddity" - David Bowie
"Captain Highwind, we are ready for launch!"
Cid grinned widely upon hearing the voice over his headset, up in the cockpit of the space shuttle that was just moments away from propelling him into space; those words from ground control were words he'd been waiting so long to hear, ever since the failed launch in Rocket Town so many years ago.
Shera...I did ya wrong back then, and I'm sorry fer that, Cid thought, strapping himself into the pilot's seat. I hope I've made it up to ya in the years since then. Cid glanced down at the plain gold band encircling his left ring finger, and smiled. Why that woman didn't kick my ass to the curb, I'll never know, but I'm happy as hell she didn't. A small color photo of Cid and Shera was tucked into the control panel of the cockpit, just over Cid's head, and he touched the edges of it, grinning. It was their wedding photo; they'd been married in an informal, impromptu ceremony at the Gold Saucer, with none other than Dio presiding over the proceedings, he being an ordained minister.
Yeah, it was a casual wedding, but still - the guy could have put a fucking shirt on, Cid noted, smirking as he glanced fondly at the photograph. Or some goddamned pants, shit. In between himself and Shera stood Dio, clad only in his usual bikini briefs, showing off his well-muscled body as he always did. Like most things in Cid Highwind's life, the wedding had been completely unpredictable and non-traditional, but when all was said and done, even Shera had said she wouldn't have had it any other way.
Snapping out of his reverie, Cid tucked the photograph further back into the control panel. He tapped his headset as he settled into the pilot's seat, and spoke into the two-way speaker. "All systems are go here, I'm ready!" Cid felt like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey; how long had it been, that he'd wanted this?
All my life, all I ever wanted...was to get out there and to touch the stars, Cid mused, waiting for the countdown to start. Doesn't even feel real now, but this is it...it's finally happening. Today.
It was to be a quick solo flight, to the moon and back; the inaugural run of a new rocket that had been developed by Shinra, Inc. Cid looked up over his head as he lay back, eyeing the monitors and webcams overhead that would link him back to Ground Control on Gaia, allowing everyone there to peer into the space capsule. The event was drawing great publicity and was to be televised globally. Naturally, Rufus Shinra was in attendance at Ground Control, along with his Turks, as well as Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine. Shera was one of the scientists supervising the launch; she wore a headset and was sitting in front of a computer monitor, all of Cid's friends looking in on her through the large window. The spectators were just outside mission command, and could easily see and hear everything that was going on inside.
"I'm going to the fucking moon, Vin!" Cid shouted, drawing a smile from the gunman. "To the moon! See ya when I get back! You holding my ciggies for me, right? Shera says I can't smoke up in this tin can, yadda yadda." He winked at Shera, grinning like an idiot; nothing could ruin Cid's enthusiasm on this day, not even the fact that he wouldn't be allowed to smoke for the duration of the trip into space.
Vincent grinned and nodded through the glass, giving the thumbs-up sign. Of course…got them right here, chief, and he gestured, patting his chest. The pack of cigarettes, half-empty, lay inside Vincent's inside pocket of his jacket. Though he didn't like the fact that Cid still smoked; knowing, of course, that smoking tobacco could cause some serious health issues, Vincent didn't really mind holding the pack for his friend. It was more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, anyway. Vincent planned on looking in on Shera during Cid's absence as well.
Earlier, just before takeoff, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret showed up, along with Nanaki. "He blast off yet?" Barret asked of nobody in particular.
"Not yet," Cloud replied, exchanging a worried glance with Vincent. Think he'll be okay up there? the look seemed to say.
Vincent correctly interpreted the gaze, and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "This is the Captain, Cloud," Vincent murmured softly. "I'm sure everything will be fine." He didn't want to admit out loud that he was having the same forebodings that Cloud was. "Besides, Shera's not about to let anything happen to her husband, right?" Vincent smiled as Shera glanced back at the group, waving at them. Her expression was calm, unworried. They'd been through countless test launches before, every one of them had gone textbook-perfect. Shera was elated that Cid would finally realize his dream; she only wished that she could have gone with him, but there was a very good reason why she'd remained behind, content to monitor the launch back on Gaia.
Cid's face appeared on her monitor; he'd switched on the webcam in the cockpit, and he gave Shera a toothy grin. "How's my babe doing?" he asked, voice gruff, yet his gaze at Shera was tender, something nobody would have predicted years ago when the two former roommates had fought like cats and dogs.
"Doing just fine," Shera replied, running a hand over her abdomen. By the time Cid returned from his three month trip to the moon and back, their child would be born. The pregnancy had been a surprise, but then, the marriage had also been a surprise - even to Cid himself, who had sworn up and down that he was a confirmed bachelor.
"Takin' yer baby vitamins, Shera?" Cid began to lecture, and Shera grinned.
"Aye aye, captain," she replied, giving him a mock salute. "No more coffee, either...this is decaf," Shera added, pointing to her coffee mug.
Cid's expression was one of abject horror. "Thank Shiva men can't get pregnant," he groaned. "I need my goddamned caffeine!" The two laughed a moment, then Shera's assistant appeared by her side, handing her a report.
"Nearly ready for launch, my love," Shera told Cid, blowing him a kiss. "Stand by...did you go through your pre-flight checklist?"
"I did," Cid confirmed, blue eyes twinkling. "I pretended you were standing right over my ass, naggin' me," he added good naturedly.
Shera snorted. "You're terrible," she replied, grinning.
Cid's expression softened. "Shera - I just wanted to say - all those years I was such an asshole to you - I'm sorry. I did ya wrong, I know I did, and I regret it."
"And you've more than made up for everything since then, Cid," Shera argued. "No regrets. I wasn't exactly easy to live with then, either - kind of a dingbat, wasn't I?" She smirked as Cid erupted into laughter.
"Yeah," he replied, snickering. "You...kinda were. Hey, I'm gonna go over everything one last time, babe. Safety first, ya know."
"Good," Shera said, cracking her neck to relieve the tension there. How long had she been parked in front of this computer monitor, anyway? "I'm glad you're doing that, Cid. I'll be right back, I need to stretch my legs a bit before the launch begins."
"You do that," Cid told her, reading from his chart as he flipped switches on the control panels of the spacecraft, checking everything one more time. "Take care of yourself...and our son."
Shera laughed as she stepped away from the console. You know it's a girl, you stubborn old goat, she thought, chuckling. Shera exited mission control, and joined Vincent and Cloud and all of Cid's friends out in the waiting area. "Thank you all for coming," she said graciously. "Cid is so pleased all of his friends are here, I'd told him when you all arrived."
"I couldn't miss this for anything," Vincent said warmly, red eyes twinkling. He was excited to see his best friend finally realize his dream; finally, perhaps, things were starting to turn around for this small group of friends who had saved the Planet not just once, but twice.
The diminutive Shera smiled up at the imposing-looking former Turk and impulsively pulled him in for a hug. Vincent was her husband's best friend, and Shera didn't really know how to put into words, what that friendship meant to both herself and Cid. All the test runs that had been failures, Cid's frustration at thinking his dream might never be realized - Vincent had been there through it all, always willing to listen to Cid's ranting and raving and cursing about everything.
"Cid wants you to be the godfather, you know," Shera said, looking up at Vincent again and smiling. Cloud heard this and grinned.
"I know. He asked me as well," Vincent replied. Then, he frowned. "What does a godfather do, exactly? I'm not terribly experienced with children, as you know. Especially...infants."
"Means you gotta change its crappy diapers, Vinnie!" Yuffie interjected, guffawing. Shera smiled.
"Well...perhaps," Shera said, chuckling. "Though I don't think we'd be that cruel to you, Vincent. Mainly...you'll be a role model and a support to the child as she grows. And watch out for her if her parents cannot do so."
"She?" Vincent repeated, smiling at Shera. "The Captain keeps talking about a son."
"It's a girl," Shera said firmly. "Cid is just in denial."
"Well….he seems to have accepted the fact that he's going to be a father pretty well," Cloud said, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I've really wrapped my head around it, actually." The group laughed at that; really, nobody present, Shera herself included, could really picture Cid Highwind changing diapers, and getting up for middle-of-the-night feedings. Yet here it was, about to happen, along with a trip into outer space. It was all too much to comprehend at times, for those who knew and loved Cid.
Nigel, one of the senior engineers from Shinra's space program, came out into the spectator's area, and signaled to Shera.
"We're go for launch, so I need you back at your station," Nigel told her. "Very exciting day, isn't it?" he commented as Shera bid Cid's friends farewell, then returned to her workstation back inside.
"Yes," Shera replied, nodding her head vigorously. "Very exciting." Shera's stomach did a flip as she sat down once again, and put her headset back on. Exciting…and also terrifying. Even though countless tests had been done on the spacecraft in the past year, Shera was smart enough to know that even though something might look good on paper, anything could go wrong during the actual launch, or afterwards, once Cid was actually in outer space.
As Shera spoke to Cid one more time, reminding him to check everything over yet again, she said a silent prayer to any deity who might be listening.
Bring him back safely, Shera prayed. That's all I ask. Please…
A jarring voice crackled over the intercom, and the countdown began. "Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven..."
"This is so exciting!" Yuffie squeaked, her eyes wide with joy. Tifa smiled at her.
"It really is," Tifa replied, moving closer to Cloud. "We're watching history being made."
"Quite impressive, really," Rufus murmured to Tseng, nodding. Mental note, increase the budget for the space program if this mission goes off without a hitch.
"Five...four...three...two...one. Ignition!" The roar of the rockets could be heard via the two way-speaker in the cockpit, as well as outside the facility. Vincent strode over to a window, glancing at the spacecraft some distance away; Rufus and the Turks joined him there, just staring in awe at the thing.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Rufus murmured, clearly pleased. "I'm glad I've re-invested in our space program…our engineers have really outdone themselves this time, in building this rocket. And Captain Highwind, of course…I can think of no better man to pilot the craft on its maiden voyage."
"Nor can I," Vincent replied, surprised that he actually agreed with Rufus Shinra on anything. But what the man said was true. Cid knew what he was doing, and there was no better qualified pilot on the planet to take the rocket on a solo trip to the moon.
Up in the spacecraft, Cid's excitement was such that he felt he was about to come right out of his skin. He couldn't hear much of anything above the deafening roar of the rockets, and he'd barely heard the voice in his earpiece counting down. The force of the rocket lifting off thrust Cid back into the seat, hard; he was basically lying on his back looking up as the spacecraft took off, reaching maximum velocity in what felt like just seconds.
"And we have liftoff!" came a voice over the PA system; all eyes turned toward the window as the rocket lifted off of the Launchpad, and ascended into the heavens, breaching the stratosphere. Cheers broke out from the control room, with everyone hooting and hollering. It would be a month before Cid reached the moon, then another month for the return voyage; Shera sucked in her breath, relieved that the launch had gone well, first and second-stage separation of the rockets had gone well also; now, all they could do was to watch, wait, and pray that everything went well.
After it was safe to move around the cabin, Cid unbuckled himself from his seat, floating about and feeling utterly giddy, being weightless. He'd gone through the simulator back on Gaia, but this was the real thing, and already it was beyond his wildest dreams.
Cid had finally done it. He was in outer space, quickly adjusting to weightlessness, moving about the cabin with an ease that seemed innate, not something he'd had to learn and master in the zero gravity simulator back home. He was born to do this, and it was everything he'd ever dreamed of, and more. Funny, he thought to himself as he entered the small galley kitchen, preparing one of the freeze-dried MRE's that would serve as his lunch. Time was when I thought I'd like to go to the moon and never come back. Cid glanced out of the small window over his head, and his jaw dropped open. Out there, set against the inky black nothingness of space, was the Planet, bright blue swirls of blue and green and white, luminous in its appearance.
"Holy shit," Cid cursed in a whisper, nearly dropping the MRE from his hand. He didn't know what else to say, really, he was so awestruck by the sight. Cid tucked the MRE packet back under his arm, and swam through the air, back to his sleeping quarters; there, he had a bag stuffed with his personal effects, strapped down to prevent it from floating away.
He took a camera out of the bag and strapped it to his wrist to keep it from floating about the cabin, and took a picture out of the window, zooming in on the western continent, and the general area near Rocket Town; this one was for Shera. Cid then took a few more, those would be sent to the space program's director once they were uploaded.
"Home," Cid uttered out loud, his voice echoing loudly throughout the cabin, making him painfully aware how alone he was out here. "That's my home."
A/N: So much for a little one-shot, eh? Up to 5,000 words (and counting!) on this fic, it's getting so big I had to split it up into two chapters. I hope you all enjoy this, this is an idea that's been brewing for some time, and I'm glad to finally get it written!
I have about 99% of the next chapter completed, so I hope to post that soon as well. Please let me know what you think!