Chapter 10
The noise is what keeps us on edge. The screeching blades against one another, and the screams.
Barret pushes me backwards, as does Cid; they're both scared of what lies beyond the door to the power plant. They know they've sent capable and experienced men beyond those doors, but the sounds we hear say otherwise; screams of pain, and of tearing and shredding metal and equipment.
"What do we do?" Cid grunts.
It sounds like an unstoppable force in there, but we know, we can't back down. I can't back down. I have to do what I can to protect and heal the people I can, not only in the name of the planet, but also in Tifa's memory.
"We have to try," Barret says, surprising me. "We have to see what's happening."
Cid nods his head reluctantly. He plants his hands on the wheel of the door, twisting it with pent up frustration and strength. The door swings open, squealing.
I peer out over Cid and Barret's heads, looking at the power plant.
There's a glowing, massive tube of mako suspended in the center of the power plant; catwalks spread out from it in different directions and on different levels. Cloud is pinned to the mako tube by a thin sword held by a tall, thin man.
I blink, in the half second I see this.
Sephiroth...
Cid slams the door back shut and Barret curses.
Lost children from a lost child... the planet coos in my ear.
"What the fuck do we do?" Cid asks.
"I don't know!" Barret yells. "How were we supposed to know Sephiroth would show up!"
"That wasn't Sephiroth," I say calmly.
Barret and Cid both glare at me silently.
I swallow, "He would never do that to Cloud, no matter what. Cloud saved his life!"
"Well something's changed," Barret says, matter of fact. "In case you forgot, Cloud abandoned the company!"
"No," I state calmly. "I know that Sephiroth still wouldn't do that to him. Open the door back up."
Lost child lost children lost souls...
"NO!" Barret shouts. "We have to get out of here."
"Even if that isn't the Sephiroth Cloud and I know are you really going to abandon everyone in there?!" I shout.
"No!" Barret says again, but not quite as loudly. "But they all knew the dangers they signed up for."
"Open the door!" I yell. "Open it!"
She's coming...not in time...she's trapped...
Cid is the one that complies, spinning the wheel of the door and easing it back open while Barret curses.
There's a body on the catwalk, headless. I can tell it's Sephiroth's; I recognize his jacket.
Reno though, is standing on the end closest to us, his hands up in surrender as he slowly edges back towards us. I know it must be bad if he's trying to back out while Rude is still in the facility somewhere.
"Cloud," Reno say softly, his voice shaking. "I know...I know that was intense, but we're your...allies...your friends."
I peer out over Cid and Barret's heads, not believing my eyes. There's no way Sephiroth is dead. There's no way Cloud, even in a mako rage, would be able or capable of killing him. Sephiroth trained Genesis, and trained with Angeal. Sephiroth trained Cloud and Zack. I feel Barret's hand on my shoulder, ready to yank me away from danger...
But if Cloud is truly in a killing mood, truly in the mako insanity I know Barret and Cid won't be able to protect me against him, even if we slammed this door shut right this second.
There's still time...it's just beginning...
I shake my head to clear my thoughts and think of my child; my hand reaches down to grip my stomach. How could I be so foolish as to bring him here?
"He's right, you know," a low, steady, even voice echos from somewhere above. "I really don't want to have to fight you again."
I tilt my head up, feeling a lurch in my stomach. There's no way.
He's there, standing on one of the catwalks far above us.
Sephiroth.
"Especially with all that unfiltered mako in your veins," he finishes without emotion.
Maybe that's why the planet's voices are so loud, so pressing on my brain. I push them back out; I can't figure out what they're trying to tell me right now, and being away from the present feels especially dangerous.
I glance to the body laying on the catwalk before us; it is Sephiroth, I know. I've seen him enough in the past.
But the man that stands on the upper catwalk can't be mistaken for anyone else, and he draws his sword. Masamune gleams in the green light, shining wickedly.
Cloud's green and unfeeling eyes are turned towards him, and I feel a sudden fear, a sudden dejavu. I push past Barret and Cid; I feel their coarse hands trying to grip my wrists and ankles but they miss.
"Sephiroth! He isn't himself!" I shout. "Please!"
He hurts, she tries, she's trapped.
Sephiroth steps up onto the railing of the catwalk. "Cloud," he says, almost gently.
I hear Cloud growl, and I see those green, vibrant eyes flash between Sephiroth and myself.
Reno is before me, his hands shaking in the air, reaching out.
"Stop her!" I hear Cid scream, and Barret echos his cry.
Reno reaches out, but his hands are jello, I know, from the fear. I don't blame him.
She can't save herself this time. Come to us...come to her...come to them...
I squirm, twisting to the side. His fingers brush over my arms, and latch, catching me at the elbows, his Turks training kicking in.
"Stop!" I screech. "He'll kill him!"
"He'll kill us all!" Reno shouts back, hooking his arms through my elbows, and jerking me back over his hip.
At first I think he means Sephiroth, but then I think of Cloud's eyes. Of course he means Cloud. And what was I thinking? I saw his eyes. But why? Why were his eyes like that? And what is the planet trying to tell me? They have to speaking of Tifa...she's trapped? But she can't be trapped. She's dead. I burned her body.
I watch, no longer fighting Reno as he presses a secure arm around my waist to pull me back towards the doorway.
Sephiroth steps off the side of the railing, dropping thirty feet to the catwalk below. I expect to hear a giant crash, and to see a huge dent in the floor of the catwalk. Instead it's as if a cat has sprung onto a bed, leaving a slight dimple in the covers with hardly any sound. Cloud is still standing with his back to the giant pulsing tube. I notice, as Reno and I reach the doorway that the tube is leaking mako and Cloud's skin is traced with bright, neon green lines. I refuse, though, to be dragged into complete safety. I plant my feet at the doorway.
Whatever Cloud fought before now was not the true Sephiroth; I watch the Sephiroth before him now and I know, both by the planet reassuring me, and just by the way the man moves, that it is the true Sephiroth.
Reno seems to sense my reluctance to move, and stops trying to tug me through the door, though he keeps one arm around my waist.
I notice, beyond the green, glowing tube, a door at another catwalk slides open. Vincent and Rude stand on the other side but they both freeze at the sight before them.
"Cloud," Sephiroth's low, and calm voice rings out through the room.
"No," Cloud spits back.
I've never heard him sound that way before, but again I'm consumed by what the mako must be doing to him. Pure and unfiltered like Sephiroth said.
"I killed you once, I'll do it again," Cloud spits, his muscles bulging in anticipation.
Sephiroth almost looks lazy standing opposite to him.
"Cloud," he states softly. "I'm here to help you."
"How?" And I can almost picture green flames pouring from his lips.
"Tifa sent me a letter-
Cloud springs forward, and I gasp.
I'm sure Sephiroth's head will follow whatever it was that Cloud already killed before, but it doesn't happen. Sephiroth meets his blade with ease, or so it seems to me. The blades scream in protest, sparks flying through the air. They clash, again and again, Sephiroth keeping his back to us. I know, I know that Sephiroth is protecting us, keeping Cloud from springing past him to cut us down. He's holding him back.
Cloud springs backwards away from Sephiroth through the air and lands with his feet against the mako tube.
"Come now, Cloud," Sephiroth says quietly. "Stop acting like a child. All that strength and you can't focus it!" he spits viciously, with more emotion than I've ever heard Sephiroth use. I wonder if it's to bait him in.
Cloud roars with rage, launching down towards him. They collide in a blur of sparks and light. I see them both silhouetted against the leaking, mako tube. Sephiroth doesn't attack Cloud but repels each of his attacks. Even I can tell Sephiroth isn't doing it easily; there's a sweat breaking on his forehead but he doesn't show any other sign of exertion and tiring.
Cloud on the other hand, seems to be wilting. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing; Cloud, while I want to be successful, I know isn't acting in his right mind. I also don't want him to kill Sephiroth, one of his own mentors, and one of Zack's mentors. I also know as much as I support Cloud and speak for his sanity that this show of strength is doing nothing to win him favors. Reno, although no longer shaking with fear, seems to be calm. I don't want him speaking against Cloud's sanity, neither do I want Vincent or Rude discrediting Cloud. But who could blame them? Yes, he is possessed by pure, mako fury, and yes the likelihood of it happening again is low. But who is to say once we finally get to ShinRa tower Cloud won't loose control because of something the company had done or some kind of trap against all SOLDIERs to force them to work for him.
Cloud and Sephiroth meet one last time, Sephiroth overpowering him easily. Their swords clash and Sephiroth plants a boot into Cloud's chest, kicking him backwards down the catwalk towards myself and our friends.
We all jump backwards away from him, lurching, but Sephiroth is quick on his heels.
"Grab him, by the arms. We have to get out of here."
"What is going on?!" Reno shouts. "Cloud killed you!"
Cloud is groaning on the ground before us; his veins are still glowing green, but his eyes flash between blue and green. Sephiroth scoops up his unattended blade.
"No," Sephiroth states calmly. "He killed who he thought was me."
"So you set that up?" Reno spits back viciously. I hear clanking coming up the catwalk behind Sephiroth and Vincent and Rude join us, almost breathless. Vincent stares down at Cloud with some distaste and I swallow grimly.
"No," Sephiroth states again calmly. "Get his arms," he directs to Vincent and Rude. Sephiroth meets my eyes. "You have to hold him," he says gently.
"What?"
"Hold him, in his normal state. The mako is too raw right now. He's fighting it, but without help..."
"How do I help?" I ask wildly.
"She would," Sephiroth says quietly, almost to himself. "But she's trapped.
I swallow, "She?"
Sephiroth meets my eyes. "Feel the planet. it will tell you what to do."
"She's dead, not trapped," I spit again.
"Yes," Sephiroth states. "Just as he killed me but yet I still stand."
And it clicks, suddenly. It's as if the planet has been whispering in my ear the whole time but I haven't been able to hear them.
"Hojo," I whisper quietly.
Sephiroth and Vincent both hear me, their eyes snapping to mine at the same time.
"What gave it away?" Sephiroth asks.
I swallow, straightening my back to stand tall. "The planet."
"Hojo?" Vincent asks grimly, even as he hooks an arm under Cloud's shoulder. "How? How did he finally figure out clones?" he says plainly, as if this is something we've been trying to figure out for months.
"Tifa," I find myself answering, this time without the planet's help.