Ambush
11:26 am…
A few hours ago, Cloud awoken everybody and continues to proceed with the evacuation. Two hours and ten minutes after that, the engineer rehabilitated the engines, and the pilots were replenished and set to bring the people to their new domicile. All of the citizens were excited and ready to get to a place where a bed is present rather than a hard ground of crawling insects. Cloud, the Guardian Corps General, is in the large room, which is called the cockpit, with 6 pilots. The Captain of the ship is handling the controlling of the ship and the other pilots maintain the ship's conditions. The blonde General is next to the Captain, advising and keeps up with an update. Meanwhile, Lightning and the group has already boarded the fixed ship, and waited by sitting next to the glass walls.
"Ow…Daddy, your hand is too tight!" Dajh whines
"Nuh-uh…I'm not gonna lose you again. Remember what happened last time?" Sazh reminds
"But…that Cloud man came to the rescue!"
"Well, maybe this time, that Cloud man won't be around…and you could get in deep trouble."
"But…!"
"No more buts, Dajh! You're staying with me now." Sazh commands
"Aww…" Dajh sways side to side
"Don't worry, Dajh. Your Daddy will protect you now." Serah smiles
"Where's that Cloud man?" Dajh asks
"That Cloud man is up at the top with the Captain." Serah answers, "And with pilots, just like your Daddy…"
"Wow!" Dajh exclaims, "Can we see him? Please, Daddy…?"
"Not now, Dajh. He's probably busy. Since when did you start caring for a stranger? What did I tell you about strangers?"
"Cloud's is not a stranger! I like him! He's a cool hero!" Dajh excitedly states
Lightning and the entire group looks at the little boy with amusement. It looks like a boy is fascinated and has an idol. Even though this idol was someone he had only seen for a couple of minutes. Regardless, for a young boy, it's understandable. It took only those few minutes to have an impact of his life.
"You really like him, Dajh?" Serah asks
"Yeah! You shoulda seen him! He was like…POW! Then he…SWOOOSH! And…and…DA DA DA DA DA DA!" Dajh eagerly describes with many hand movements
"I know, Dajh. I was there." Serah is fascinated by the boy's thriving energy
"Heh…Well, did you see ME, kid?" Snow cockily smirks, "I was doing pretty cool myself."
"You only beat one of the guys, Snow…" Serah reminds
"Uh…Well, I took him out pretty good. I saved Cloud from that guy. If anyone's a hero, it should be me!"
"Yeah, but did you see the Cloud man? There were like 50 guys. And…and…and he was like POW POW POW! Then, WAK, BOSH, BAM! And…and…" Dajh continues
Snow feels himself lowered. He watches as the little boy waving his hands back and forth to expatiate his experiences of seeing the blonde soldier, and going on about how cool that soldier is. Snow starts to see that his "hero status" cannot compare to Cloud's. Some hero he thought he is. Cloud defeated one large human giant and nine criminals with his own two hands. Now that's a hero for certain.
Hope, on the other hand, is facing towards Lightning, who is in front of the glass wall and watching the scenery.
"Lightning…? What do you suppose would happen once we get to this Midgar place?"
Lightning takes her eyes off of the windows and looks at Hope. He seems to be filled with qualm. Not rare for a young boy who is trying to survive on his own.
"Who knows? This Midgar is not something I'm familiar with. If what Cloud said was true, then it's the place where everyone can cope with."
"…"
"But we should keep on our toes. We don't want to let our guard down in a place we don't even know about."
"…right…" Hope nods
"And…maybe you can find your dad there too." Lightning reminds
Hope keeps in mind of his father. He is alive and safe, based on what Cloud said. With any luck, Hope will be able to reunite with him. Maybe this Midgar could be a place of salvation. It's the starting point of a new world that everyone could finally live in peace. No more terror, no more tension, and no more hatred.
"Yeah." Hope smiles
Lightning responds the same way and turns back towards the glass again.
She spots something unusual…
Outside, it is foggy-like and the vapor is thin, wisplike strands. It prevented Lightning from seeing the field and sky. The air has completely altered and they are in a different atmosphere.
"Guys…" Lightning catches the attention of the group.
"We entered the Midgar area, Captain."
"Good. Maintain normal speed and prepare for descending." the Captain said.
"Midgar…" Cloud mumbles to himself
"General…Is Midgar really what you said it is? A safe place for all of us…?" the Captain questions.
"It's the only place where anyone can go now. If Midgar is the same as I remember it, then there's nothing to worry about." Cloud assures.
"Can't wait to see it…" the Captain utters "Descend now."
"Yes, Captain." One of the pilots replies, "Lowering altitude…"
As the ship begins lowering down, the foggy-mist slides up upon the ship's hull. All of the citizens look down from the glass walls and watches what shall be revealed. The pace was slow and heart-racing. Like the water droplets transcending across the metal of the ship, sweat forms and releases out of their hairs. Everyone wonders what could lie down there that will be their new future home. In the cockpit, as the beeping of the machines echoes through their heads, the pilots look up to the master screen to see the full scale scene of what's to come. Cloud watches also and feels a slight change in his heartbeats.
The fog begins to fade and something below starts to appear in the passengers' eyes.
Lightning and the group looks down and sees a circular plate in a field of gray. Filled with green glows and blackish-gray buildings, the plate reveals to have a very tall building right in the center of the plate. All the small buildings are surrounding it. Also, there is another area of buildings locating on the south-east of the plate. Altogether, it is an extremely momentous metropolis.
They have finally arrived to the city; the city…of Midgar.
"Whoa!" all of the people awes in unison. They press themselves onto the glass walls to have a better look at the city.
"Daddy, look!" Dajh points
"I know, son." Sazh smirks
"Wow…" Serah gasps
"Now that's an interesting place…" Snow comments
"Except…it looks…The land looks dead…" Hope said
It is just like how Cloud described it. The field is nothing but a wasteland. Around the city, there is only a dark empty space. Nothing but dirt and gray color…It looks really gloomy to look at.
"Welcome to the city of Midgar." a voice announces through the speakers
Lightning recognizes that voice. "Cloud…"
The pilots in the cockpits all clap their hands; cheering for their success of arriving.
"We did it!" the Captain cheers. "WE FINALLY ARRIVED, EVERYONE!"
"Yeah! Woo!" the pilots continues on with their applause
Cloud, however, is still staring at the master screen.
"It's been a long time. I'm…back. I'm back…home."
Then, his eyes catch something on the screen. In the on-screen picture of Midgar, Cloud notices a small spark appearing in the city. He wonders what it was, but has already deduced it. It was a small explosion…a familiar explosion when heavy artillery fires its cannonballs. Cloud quickly grabs the wheel, which controls the ship, and turns it. The ship tilts strongly and unexpectedly, and everyone falls away from the glass walls. Lightning and the group plunges the same way and slams into the solid black walls on the opposite side.
"Wah!" the pilots and the citizens scream as the ship suddenly turns and they slide horizontally on the floor.
Right after the ship shifts its axis, an unanticipated, sonorous, gargantuan outburst of smoke explodes with a compelling outward force that shudder the entire ship into a state of instability. The floor wobbles and the passengers bounce up and down. Everyone, who's yelling and pushing, is in shock and in fear for their life. Cloud looks at the master screen again and sees more small sparks in the city, but this time, in great numbers. The Captain instantly grabs the wheel and maintains control once again.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING, GENERAL…?" the Captain yells in confusion
"FLY UP! FLY UP! FLY UP, NOW!" Cloud blaringly orders
The Captain quickly responds and carries out what he adjures. He pulls back and has the ship going upwards. The ship turns its axis to a 45° degree angle vertically. Using the abrupt reposition, the pilots recover from their fall and goes back to their positions.
"POWER THE UPPER THRUSTERS TO 83%. NOW…!" the Captain commands
"YES CAPTAIN!" a pilot presses a few buttons and the ship's velocity increases.
The ship rockets upwards, towards and back into the foggy-mist. The passengers couldn't get back on their feet. They are sliding down backwards on the floor and ends up sticking to the walls. Lightning and the group grabs some ledges of the walls and keep themselves still. Snow is holding Serah close to him, and Sazh hugs his son on his chest.
"What the hell's going on…?" Sazh yells
Lightning looks around and goes to the glass walls again. She leaps out and holds onto the frames of the windows. She looks outside and shifts her eyes down. Lightning watches as mayhem begins to unfold…
"What…?"
The entire plate of Midgar is lit up with blinking sparks. More explosions rumbles around the ship, making it rock uncontrollably. The entire sky is engulfed with black smoke. Incontinently, one explosion rings intensely, and the ship immediately gyrates in a circle and falls back downwards.
"Agh…!" Lightning's hand is forced to release the frames. She is pushed back to the wall and slams on top of Snow and Serah.
"WE'RE HIT, CAPTAIN!" one of the pilots reports
"Ugh…!" the Captain tries to hang on to the wheel with Cloud as the forceful gravity pushes sideways on them
"WE'RE GOING DOWN REALLY FAST, SIR! WE CAN'T GO UP!"
"WE LOST ONE WING, SIR!" another pilot announces
"DIVERT ALL ENERGY TO THE OTHER WING NOW!" the Captain instructs
"NO!" Cloud disagrees, "TURN IT ALL OFF! CONSERVE FOR MAXIMUM DISCHARGE!"
"WHAT? WE'RE GOING TO FALL AT A RAPID RATE!"
"FALL BEHIND THOSE LOW HILLSIDES! WE CAN LOSE THE ATTACKS!"
"BUT…!"
"DO IT! TRUST ME!"
"..."
As the danger beeping echoes in the cockpit, the pilots are already following Cloud's instructions. The ship's engine is turning down and what all is needed, is the Captain's directing the ship to goes towards the low hillsides on the ground, that is far from the Midgar city. The Captain had no time to emotionally react, he spins the wheel around and the ship is heading towards the direction of the hillsides. Going through the multiple dusts of black smokes and the city is getting farther away. The striking forces of the attacks are still being fired. All of the passengers are gripping tightly to the wall, crying and screaming for help. Lightning is holding onto Serah's hand, who is holding Snow's, going against the forces that is pushing all of the citizens to the wall. She notices outside that the gray ground is getting closer and closer.
"Oh no…" Lightning closes her eyes.
"WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL!" Cloud tells to the pilots
1,000 yards from the hillsides…
"…"
842 yards…
"Hold…"
632 yards…
"WAIT…"
402 yards…
"READY…"
218 yards…The pilots are sweating and shaking. Waiting for the signal to press the ignition button…
"…"
156 yards…
"NOW!" Cloud yells
The pilots all press the ignition button on their station desks. The ship's engine goes on full blast and the wing's thruster blows out a blistering power. The descending slows down rapidly. The reaction of this movement causes a jig that makes the pilots speedily recoil.
"PULL!" Cloud yells to the Captain
The Captain pulls back, and the ship goes back to its horizontal axis. The ship keeps on going down and the bottom hits the ground. The rebound force has everyone in the ship jump high and land on their knees.
The ship continues to slide across the soil and eventually stops…
It dies down and the whole system terminates.
Lightning finds herself to be lying down on the floor, along with Serah, Snow, Hope, Sazh, Dajh, and the other citizens. It seems the turbulence is all over. She quickly stands up and studies her surroundings. All of the citizens are groaning and moaning, deeply affected by the sudden turn of events.
"What…what happened?" Snow groans as he sits himself up with Serah
"…" Lightning looks outside of the glass wall, seeing nothing but smoke
Then, a door opens across the hallways. PSICOM soldiers and Medics, seemingly unaffected by the sudden impacts, exit and witness what has happened. Citizens, all nauseous and infected with drowsiness, are rolling around on the floor and all the children crying against their parents. It is a sight that is truly disturbing to the soldiers and Medics. They mumble to each other, shocked at the sight they are seeing. An elevator opens its doors and out comes Cloud and the dizzy pilots.
"PSICOM! ON ME!" Cloud calls
The PSICOM soldiers instantly react and follow him. Cloud heads to the open doors, opposite to where Lightning is facing. The soldiers march off with Cloud outside. Lightning walks a few steps up after hearing his voice again…
"Cloud…!" Lightning calls for him
However, he didn't hear her. The marching of the PSICOM soldiers is too loud. The Medics hastily attend to the citizens.
"Daddy…" Dajh moans
"It's okay, Dajh…I'm here…" Sazh hugs his son tightly
"Snow…" Hope rubs his head
"Ugh…what's going on?" Snow slowly gets back on his feet
"I guess…it's something Cloud didn't expect to happen." Lightning states
All of the people exit the heavily damaged ship. Everyone stays outside in the cool breeze. The PSICOM soldiers surround them to make sure that no one gets separated. The sky is dark and hoary, and there is no sunlight. The wind is cold and the ground feels hard to stand on. They are in the middle of low level hills. This gives a covering hideout for the people. However, the smoke coming out of the ship is giving away their location. But who would for look for them, other than help? Lightning and the group walks around a bit through the crowd to see why things turn out to be this way.
"What's going on? All of a sudden we were being attacked…" Sazh questions as he carries his son
"Don't know. But something tells me that the city we were going to, is not giving a very welcoming gift." Snow assumes
"This is crazy!" Hope exclaims, "We were going to a place where we can all be safe, and now look at what's happened!"
"I know, Hope" Lightning agrees, "But this is the time to find answers, not sulking."
"We could…just go find Cloud." Serah suggests
"Not the best idea. If I would have to guess, I say he's working out a new plan." Sazh states
Likewise, the howling sound of an airship is heard. Everyone looks towards to one of the hills that cover the horizon, and spots a wisp of dusty dirt blowing off of it. A big white flying vehicle hovers lowly across and flies down, landing at a distance from the crashed ship. The vehicle is also an evacuation ship. Everyone watches the ship being turned off and the front doors opening.
Lightning watches as two Guardians in white uniforms with red stripes coming out of the ship. She recognizes both of them. One is with black hair and tall and the other short and fat. If she remembers correctly, their names were Shinra and Tuesti. They are the Generals that Cloud met before the meeting back at the camp site.
Then, out of the crowd, Cloud comes through and walks towards them. Lightning catches him at the corner of her eye, and watches him as he begins to approach the two Generals.
She then hears Cloud's voice loudly, filled with anger.
"What in Etro's name happened…?" Cloud questions as he stands in front of the Generals.
"What happened? You got shot down, that's what happened!" Shinra yells.
"Why did Midgar shoot? I thought they were supposed to open the landing area."
"Well, you're wrong! The only landing area they want us to land on…is outside of the city!"
"Didn't you tell them that we were coming?"
"Couldn't contact them…not from the outside anyway…"
"Calm down, both of you…!" Reeve tells, "Now we know that Midgar doesn't want anyone to enter its perimeters…"
"Where's everyone else?" Cloud asks.
"…"
"What…?"
"They got shot down too, in case you haven't noticed." Shinra puffs
Cloud's heart trembles in fear. His sweat just freezes on his blonde hair. All of his joints are stiff. His mind momentarily blacks out. The wind makes a sound that gives a sense of loneliness and denial.
"WHAT…?" Cloud repeats with much more bewilderedness
"Only a few of us survived. About 50…all casualties…They are in the ship." Reeve points
"Marshall Rhodes is dead too. All of the PSICOM Generals and Guardian Corps are gone as well…" Shinra takes another puff
"…"
"General Cloud…"
"WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?" Cloud screams at the top of his lungs
"…"
"SHINRA…!" Cloud grabs the man's collar, making him drop his cigar.
"IT'S YOUR SON WHO IS CHARGE OF MIDGAR! WHY DID HE ALLOW MIDGAR TO SHOOT…?"
"I DON'T KNOW, KID!" Shinra pushes Cloud's hand off, "I TOLD YOU! I COULDN'T CONTACT HIM BEFORE WE EVEN GOT HERE!"
"Cloud…calm down." Reeve holds Cloud's shoulder.
"NO, REEVE! I CAN'T CALM DOWN! YOU JUST SAID THAT ALL OF THE SHIPS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, ALONG WITH SO MANY PEOPLE!"
"…I know…"
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEIR LIVES… WERE ENTRUSTED TO ME! AND THEY JUST DIED LIKE THAT?"
"I'm sorry…"
"…" Cloud exhales frustratingly.
"After we were attacked, we sent a radio message to all other remaining ships." Reeve informs.
"…!"
"Since you were the last one to enter the Midgar skies, didn't you receive the message?"
"…" Cloud falls silent for while, "No…our ship needed repairing yesterday. All of our communications were turned off."
"…"
"Feh…!" Shinra lights up another cigar.
"Now what, Reeve…?" Cloud, saddened, asks.
"We…have to get all of the remaining people on board. Then make haste. We cannot linger here or in the skies."
"And where do you suppose we go, Tuesti?" Shinra angrily questions, "Best for the swamps? Where Amams and Behemoths alike eat us all?"
"…I don't know where we shall go to. But I know…that Midgar isn't our choice any longer." Reeve states.
Cloud is emotionally destroyed. He was the one to suggest that everyone was to go to Midgar, the safest place he knew that could contain the citizens of Cocoon. But now, about 92% of the surviving citizens and 97% of the remaining military were killed due to Cloud's suggestion. He never felt so much grief brought down upon him. It was all Cloud's fault…It was him who killed all those people…
"Go tell the people, Cloud." Reeve advises, "It's best if they hear from you."
Cloud looks into Reeve's eyes. He knows that Reeve also feels that same way, since Reeve also suggested everyone to go to Midgar. Both share of guilt vaguely lessens…
"Right…" Cloud nods
"What's going on over there?" Hope wonders.
"It seems Cloud's upset with something…" Serah worries.
"Whatever it is, it's something big after what's happened…" Snow presumes.
"Daddy…I'm scared…" Dajh whimpers as he's holding onto his father's shoulder.
"It's okay, Dajh…Everything's gonna be all right…" Sazh undertakes.
Lightning watches as Cloud walks back from his conversation with the two Generals, who are also going back into the ships.
"Cloud…"
She sees a dreadfully heartbroken expression on his face. The same face when Cloud first talked about revenge. As Cloud slowly draws near to the citizens, he observes at them. They are all crying and hugging each other, desperate to get somewhere safe. All of them are suffering and in shock. Their spirits seem to be wrecked. After losing Cocoon and attacked by the very city that could be the possible home for them, they are down to their knees…losing faith. Cloud can't afford to lose these people either. His hands crunches up, and his will appear to be still strong, however, a bit degrading.
"EVERYONE…!" Cloud calls, "PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!"
The entire clutch quiets down and listens to their Guardian Corps General.
"I BRING…grave news."
"…!" Parents and children begin to grasp each other hands tightly.
"Midgar…is no longer our choice of home. Many ships have been attacked. We have only a few survivors left. They are in the ship over there. As of now, we are what remain of Cocoon."
All of the people begin to tremble and scream viciously. They shed tears of horror and despair. The only population remaining of Cocoon…it is all too dreadful. Even the PSICOM soldiers, who were trained to be strong, drops their weapons and stilled with their minds disturbed.
Lightning, who is at the end of the first row, heard all what he just said. She, too, is in cavernous shock.
"We…are the last…?"
"Oh…no…" Serah drops on her knees and forms tears.
"That's…that's…crazy…!" Hope's mind went blank, nothing but what's known now is in his head.
"Daddy…!" Dajh cries.
"D-Don't worry, son…It's…It's nothing to be worrying about…!" Sazh is truly petrified.
"What the hell…?" Snow squeezes his hands.
"What about my Julia…?" a random man comes out and lands on his knees in front of Cloud.
"She's on ship number 19…! Is she safe?" the man cries out while grabbing onto Cloud's hands.
Cloud turns around and studies the ship behind him. The ship's number is imprinted on the nose. It is number…301.
"I'm sorry, sir." Cloud deeply apologizes, "I don't know if she did…survive."
The man drops his hands and sobs on the ground. Other people who have people they know on other ships start to do the same. At Cloud's feet, there is but dirt and pain; the suffering of the result of the crystallization of Cocoon. This is the outcome of Cloud's choosing of coming to Midgar. This is what he didn't want to happen…
"What do we do now, sir?" a woman asks with a mournful cry.
"We…can only move into this ship." Cloud points, "We can only hope to find a place where we can settle…"
"…"
Hope's mind then has a quick snap. His father's face appeared. Was he…?
He runs out of the crowd and heads towards Cloud…
"Hope…!" Lightning notices the boy running.
Cloud spots Bartholomew's son coming to him.
"Cloud…!" Hope calls
"Hope…?"
"WHAT ABOUT MY DAD?"
"…" Cloud's eyes widen.
"IS HE…?"
"I…I…I don't know…" Cloud turns and looks at the ship behind him.
Hope shakes with fear. He looks at the same ship Cloud's is looking at. "Dad…"
He instantly heads for the ship. Hope passes by Reeve and Shinra, who didn't need to stop him. Cloud watches the boy in yellow-orange clothing of Palumpolum. Then, Cloud feels a small rumble underneath his feet. No one else seems to notice it. He looks at small pebbles on the ground. They are quivering in a chaotic matter. Cloud's ears hint a sound of cars. Lightning, Snow, Serah, Sazh and Dajh all comes up to Cloud.
"Cloud…" Snow calls
However, Cloud didn't seem to notice them. He is facing at the ground in a trance-like state, like he's daydreaming…
"Cloud…?" Lightning tries to get his attention
Cloud listens attentively to the sound he's hearing. Cars…The noises of rubber grinding on the hard dirt, are very familiar. Cloud picks up a very large quantity of cars driving on the ground. The noises are getting louder, which means…it's getting closer. And those noises…those cars…they sound…so…recognizable.
"Cloud…!"
Those noises of cars…are Midgar jeeps. Vehicles of the Midgar military forces…
Cloud looks back up and sees Lightning in front of him.
"Lightning…?" he notices.
"Cloud…what's going on…?" she asks.
Cloud's eyes then wander off at the top of the hillsides. They detect an armored vehicle there. A man with bluish uniform and a helmet of three red dots is sitting on the front seat, and another man, with the same uniform, is holding a machine gun connecting to the back. There's no mistaking it…Those are Midgar soldiers. Since Midgar shot the ship down…Cloud realizes that he and the citizens of Cocoon are their enemies now. Cloud spins around and yells to the PSICOM soldiers.
"AMBUSH!"
From all sides, numerous armored jeeps go above the hillsides and drives down. PSICOM soldiers immediately take action. They head towards the middle of the area and starts sending fire. The machine guns on the moving vehicles fire back. Bright bullets are zipping everywhere. Some PSICOM soldiers are hit and some of the drivers receive a bullet to the chest. And some stray bullets, take the lives from citizens. Everyone starts to panic and instinctively makes their way to the ship. General Shinra and Tuesti didn't have any weapons on them, so they fall back and go inside of the ship where Hope just entered.
Cloud impatiently tells Lightning…
"Lightning…! Get everyone in the ship!"
"…!"
"NOW! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF AS LONG AS I CAN!"
Cloud draws Zack's Silverwater Saber and his other unknown name gun blade, and starts shooting while running away.
"Wait…!" Snow tries to stop him.
"Snow…we have to move!" Serah hold his hand.
"Well, let's go!" Sazh heads off with Dajh without delay.
As Sazh runs for it, Snow and Serah follows. Lightning, however, takes one quick glance at her surroundings. So many gunfire…She sees Cloud, who is next to one of the PSICOM soldiers, delivering fire to the vehicles. The armored cars seemingly didn't receive any damage and the soldier with the gun in the back gives many. Most of the PSICOM solders get hurt and drops to the ground, leaving the defense heavily open. That's when she spots one of the firing vehicles heading towards her sister's direction. The vehicle turns and brakes in front of Snow and Serah, separating them from Sazh and Dajh.
"Serah!" Lightning calls.
The soldier, with the machine gun, aims at them. Snow quickly stands in front of her. Just before the machine gun could even empty its magazine, multiple bullets hit both the gunman and driver, killing both of them. Serah turns and spots Lightning with her Blazefire Saber out in gun mode.
"Go!" Lightning tells Snow and Serah.
Snow grabs Serah's hand and takes her around the car. Lightning pursues and protects them from other vehicles that are trying to kill them. As she is firing, the enemies conclude that Lightning is the enemy as well. Lightning is then surrounded by infantry of soldiers. Following that, they are holding rifles and aiming them at her. Lightning swiftly takes action. As the rifles shoot out quick bullets, Lightning dodges them and jumps on the jeep with the machine gun. She grabs the triggers, targets the soldiers, and lets a flurry of firepower. The surrounding infantry obtains heavy blows of metal.
They all drop dead, bleeding on the ground of dusty rocks. The machine gun runs out of its ammunition and Lightning gets off.
However, as she gets her feet back on the hard dirt, a known person comes across her line of sight. He is gigantic in size and his black hair and moustache is too decipherable. It is that giant man who was taken into custody by Cloud. He is holding a metal pipe and he's smashing the soldiers' heads with it. He's too wild and reckless…He spots Lightning and an angry expression shapes his eyes.
"You…" he growls.
The giant starts charging towards Lightning.
"Ugh…I don't have time for this." Lightning infuriatingly rumbles.
Right when Lightning brings up her gun to shoot him, the giant knocks it away with the pipe. Lightning's arm swings to the side and he's still vigorously moving the pipe at a wide arc. She's able to dodge him, but his wild manner of fighting is giving her no time to counter. Her dodges are taking a toll on her legs and energy. Her back is against the side of the armored vehicle and has no room to dodge again.
"You're mine!" the giant prepares to swing again
Just before the pipe could be brought down, Cloud's voice plays through in Lightning's head…
...
"Would you like for me to…teach you?"
...
Lightning recollects and her body impulsively accommodates. Her gun transforms into a sword and her arm brings up the upcoming outbreak. White lines form throughout the giant's body at a very high-speed. The giant didn't even attack yet…He's standing there, with abundant cuts, oozing out with blood.
"N…Not…A-ag…again…!" the giant moans and falls to the ground on his back, dropping the pipe.
Lightning amazes herself and takes a look at her Saber.
"It…really does work…" she comments on the FLASHES technique
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire snaps Lightning's attention back. She scans her eyes around and cannot see Serah and Snow, or even Sazh and his son.
"They must be in the ship already…" Lightning thinks
"LIGHTNING…!"
An infantryman holds up a rifle up to Lightning's face. Her body grips with fear and she didn't even try to move somehow. Timely, a different gun shoots down the soldier. Lightning exhales out of relief and sees Cloud pointing, in gun mode, Silverwater. His other gun is firing at a different direction. As he's shooting, Cloud makes his way to her. Lightning helps him and herself out by targeting more invading soldiers in the vehicles. Their backs meet each other. Their range of attacks covers around in a 360° area.
"You got to get the ship! Tell the Generals to take off!" Cloud yells
"What about you?" Lightning manages to kill a driver and have them crash to other moving vehicles
"I have to help the PSICOM soldiers here. There are too many of them attacking us…!"
"I bet they're from Midgar…Am I right?" Lightning infers
"Since they wanted to kill us from the skies, it's relevant to why they are doing this now."
An opportunity arises. No enemies are within their range for now. Both of them turns and face each other…
"We have to make sure that everyone, as much as we can save, can get out of here. You have to get the ship ready to take off…I'll be on soon. I'm counting on you to do this…"
"…Got it." Lightning nods and heads to the ship
Cloud gives Lightning back-up fire as she runs; except…something else catches his attention. Cloud spots a big machine on top of one of the hills; a big dish of mirrors with an antenna like rod in the middle. Ripples of blue energy are being charged up and Cloud sees it's aiming at the ship. Cloud panics…
"LIGHTNING!" he calls.
She stops at his call. She rotates and sees the same thing on top of the hill. Lightning can tell it's pointing at the ship. She's too far from either one of them. The ship is too distant for her to get there in time. Cloud is shooting at the soldiers who are occupying the dish, but they are too far away. Then, the dish sends out a blue ray of pure energy…Lightning looks to the ship with deep fright…
"SERAH!" she screams.
The ray penetrates the ship. The white flying transportation explodes with a terrifying external might.
Everyone outside, including Cloud and Lightning, is pushed back and trips onto the ground. The ship explodes three more times and each one results in humongous flames, burning the nearby lingering citizens of Cocoon. The last hope of flying out of this place has been destroyed and there's nothing left…
Lightning gets back up and stares at the remains with an unpleasant emotion taking hold of her. The sounds of the battle deafens out. The color of the surrounding area fades. She walks slowly to the ship, ignoring the scuffle around her.
Serah…
"No…no…no…"
Water begins to drip from her eyes.
Just as she starts to run to the ship, Cloud grabs her. His arm wraps around her shoulders and pulling her back. He is yelling something, but she couldn't hear him. She tries hard to get to the ship, but his strength keeps her from going. Her struggles are now useless. Her own hands are holding onto Cloud's wrist, shaking with solicitude.
"No…no…no!" she cries out with water dropping down on her cheeks.
All of the PSICOM soldiers are executed. The remaining Midgar soldiers notices Cloud and Lightning. Cloud's words begin to come into recognition…
"Lightning…we have to get out of here…!" he is yelling, but his voice is quiet in her ears
Her legs reluctantly trace Cloud's. He opens the door to the vehicle, which Lightning previously stopped, and sits her in the passenger seat. Just before he closes the door, he sees streams of tears all over from eyes to chin. She is motionless and mute. Cloud ponders for a slight time, but keeps on moving. He shuts the door and hurdles to the driver's seat. Cloud pulls the dead driver out and replaces him with himself.
The vehicle is already still on. Cloud slams on the gas pedal and heads for the top of the hillside. He passes by the other vehicles, but they are now on pursuit for him. As Cloud drives over the hill, he spots Midgar in the horizon. He decides to take his course there, even though it is the most stupid choice to make. He accelerates for the city, but there are many vehicles on his tail. The worse part, Cloud is up front. He has to shake them off.
This is a barren wasteland, there's nothing to drive around on or anywhere to hide. The only choice is to use the machine gun…Cloud has to drive and someone else has to take the gun.
"Ligh-" Cloud takes one glimpse at her, and knows that she is unable to comply, due to her state of shock.
Cloud forgets it, and chooses to do it himself. He places Silverwater against the gas pedal, so the car won't stop accelerating. Cloud gets up and then bullets fly across him. He grabs the triggers and aims. He presses it, but nothing shoots. The machine gun is empty, due to Lightning's usage.
"Damn it…!"
Cloud search around in the jeep. He sees a rectangular box behind his seat. Cloud grabs it and opens the box, finding a chain of bullets. He instantly reloads the machine gun and looks behind him. Midgar is still far away…Cloud finishes and closes the chamber. As the enemy vehicles come closer, Cloud unleashes a barrage of bullet fire. Aiming for the drivers, Cloud shoots continuously. The drivers receive many shots to the head and the vehicles stop. One vehicle is using its machine gun and shoots at Cloud. He promptly evades the bullets by kneeling down. Once the short moment of reloading presents itself, Cloud gets back up and shoots back. This time, Cloud has been aiming at the vehicle's source of power. The machine gun is able to pierce through the armor and damage the engines. The vehicle flares up into flames. The last of the pursuing vehicles has been taken care of…
Cloud breathes out, sits back down on his seat, and puts Silverwater back into his metal casing. Cloud continues to drive, leaving the area of battle behind. He takes a quick look at her once more. She is still in the same position when Cloud placed her there. Her beautiful blue eyes are like jewels of depression. Unspeakable and dead-like she is. Her once-bright face is now dirtied with little spots of dirt and dried up from the tears she poured. To Cloud, on the other hand, he seen this look before…when he looked into a mirror a long time ago.
"Lightning…" Cloud lowly calls
"…"
Cloud wanted to say something to comfort her, but he has no words in his inventory that could help. It's difficult to console with others if they have just lost their loved ones…He just shifts forward and keeps on driving to the outside city of Midgar.
Cloud and Lightning sit there…in silence.
The gray skies seem darker than whence they came.
"Will that be all, ma'am?"
"Yes…"
The woman gives the owner a total of 10 gil. She takes the bag of apples and bows, out of respect. She walks off and heads off to the center of Edge. Many people are busy and trying to get to wherever they needed to go.
"So many people today…" the woman remarks.
As the woman continues to walk around the circular center of Edge, a male citizen yells out…
"LOOK!"
The nearby people begin to look at the direction the citizen is pointing at. They gasp and move out of the way. A damaged armored vehicle proceeds down the street and heads straight to the center. The woman notices the vehicle as well. Everybody keeps their distance away from the vehicle as it parks next to the memorial statue of METEOR.
"Why's a Midgar vehicle doing here?" a man whispers
"I thought Midgar soldiers are not allowed to be here…?" a different person whispers
The woman strives through the crowd to get a better look at the vehicle.
As the whole area lays their watchful eyes on the vehicle, like vultures, a man steps out...
Everyone gasp at the man. He is wearing an entire different uniform; a sleeveless dark black overcoat, black metallic pauldrons on both shoulders with red stripes, a short black cape, with red underneath, black wrists guards with glowing red stripes, black pants, knee-high black metal guards, and black leather boots with multiple straps
"What kind of clothes are those?" a person murmurs. "Not Midgar..."
"He's certainly not from around here…"
The woman studies the man. His black uniform and cape are really odd; completely deprived from the Midgar uniform code. However, her eyes open much more as she distinguishes the man's main feature. His golden blonde hair shines into the dark city of Edge. Everybody from street to the top of the buildings can see him. The woman steps forwards and moves closer to the man…
"Lady! What are you doing…?" someone whispers loudly
The man turns and sees the woman with the bag of apples. All of a sudden, nostalgia from a memory slaps him in the heart…
"Want an apple, Cloud?" a young girl asks with the fruit in her hands
"Sure…" the boy smiles
The woman sees the boy's smiling face overlapping with the man's. The blonde hair is longer, and his red and blue eyes are much more fulgent. His body has developed and is much more bigger than the boy's small body. The man sees the young girl once again in front of him. Her dark brown chestnut hair flows across her back. She wears a white shirt under a black zip-up vest with black shorts that fold at the waist, forming an additional utility pocket at the front and a short duster at the back extending to her heels. Quite enlarged chest size and long legs…but the trait she has, rich brown-red eyes, reminds him of home.
They stared at each other, while the whole center area of Edge is dead silent.
"Cloud…" the woman remembers.
She drops the bag of apples and sprints towards him with open arms. Those arms wrap around his neck and holds on firmly. The man embraces her as well, but much more gently. What really made the man a bit embarrassed was how he feels the "soft cushion" between him and her. He hears her lowly-toned sobbing on his shoulder.
"…you're back…!" the woman said in a happy and sad tone
For long he had wanted to say her name once more…
"Tifa…"
A/N: Review please if you liked this chapter!