Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Eleven

Two hours had passed by before the group finally saw their first sights of Rocket Town. They thought they would never reach the town, and were immensely relieved as they passed the small hill and saw the town standing in the middle of the fields, probably no more than a few miles away.

The journey had proved much more tiring than they had first thought. Two long, agonising hours had been spent in the blazing sunlight. No sooner had they stepped away from the mountains did the breeze shift its direction so that it no longer blew from the west. Nor was there any comforting shadow from the mountains, for as the sun moved further to the west it pushed away the shadows of the mountains, leaving them only with hot, tiring sunlight. Even Aeris had lost her thrill for the light and the warmth, her boots tied loosely around her neck so that her feet could cool down against the soft stalks of grass.

True to form, Cait had got his information completely wrong. The one-hour journey he had promised had quickly extended as they headed across the Kutai Plains, with no sign of any town anywhere. Cait blamed the mistake on the fact that he was calculating how long it would take them to travel by buggy – except that they had left the buggy outside of Nibelheim. And as Barret chased the cat and Mog across the fields, his anger fuelled by the heat, the cat shouted, "It's not my fault! I'm just a simple fortune teller!'

At which point Barret had replied in a fit of rage, "I ain't gonna need a fortune teller to predict YOUR future!"

The Nibel Wolves that stalked the Kutai Plains hadn't made the journey any easier, either. The small pack of wolves had been following Cloud and the others ever since they exited the winding paths of Mt. Nibel, waiting for the right time to attack. They found that time about an hour later, when the group sat down in the middle of the field to fuel themselves with water and food they had picked up in Nibelheim.

They had attacked in a sudden, vicious onslaught, but everyone remained surprised at how easily they had been dealt with. It would most certainly stick in their minds as one of their most bizarre victories to date. In fact no one even noticed the wolves arriving, until Aeris had suddenly stood up, staff in hand, and held it out level in front of her.

As the bearer of the Choco/Mog materia, Aeris had expected the comic duo of Chocobo and Mog to emerge from the materia and simply chase off the beasts approaching them. Yet, as the materia flashed with a deep red passion and ejected a thin red line of light into the air that flew up and burst with a puff of white smoke, she realised that something else was happening.

The underside of the cloud rippled and then parted as something large and yellow dropped down from within. It was at this point that the others noticed what was going on and looked up, their eyes wide as they saw the yellow creature that was being dropped from the cloud.

The creature was a Chocobo, but not the usual kind. This Chocobo was large, much larger than any Chocobo they had ever seen. It was also incredibly fat, its body like a large, bulbous ball of skin, feathers and fur. Even its face was fat: humorous eyes looking out from a podgy little face.

The wolves were still running at that point. They did not notice the giant shadow that had suddenly formed above them and was gradually growing bigger as they ran. It was only within the last few seconds before the Fat Chocobo hit the ground with an almighty thud that the wolves finally spotted it and swerved aside.

One wolf did not manage to run aside in time. The giant body of the Fat Chocobo landed directly on top of it, squashing the beast under its heavy bulk. Only its tail could be seen twitching at one side, the rest of its body pressed beneath the summon monster. The rest of its pack had fled in fear, leaving their companion behind to the fate of the Fat Chocobo.

The Fat Chocobo had then smiled happily with its tiny little beak, and then dispersed back into the air in a second puff of white smoke. It left behind the Nibel Wolf, lying flat against the grass in a groove made from the Chocobo's form. It was still alive, albeit unconscious, but it would certainly take a while to recover.

With the Nibel Wolves removed the group quickly chose to move on, the sight of the Fat Chocobo still fixed in their minds as the most bizarre summon they had seen and would probably ever see. Not surprisingly the wolves did not bother them again, and they were free to enter Rocket Town.


Rocket Town

The group was very surprised as they passed through the gates of Rocket Town and stood on its dusty path. Surprised because there was no sign of the Shinra or even a Mako Reactor anywhere within the whole town – from what they could see.

There were even people walking around – people who did not carry the usual expressions of sadness and misery that they had seen in so many previous towns like Gongaga and North Corel. The people of this town appeared to be normal, unaffected by the effects of the Shinra. Some people even managed to give the group a warm, welcoming glance as they entered the town.

The town itself was plain and simple enough. There was a bar and inn, a weapon and an item shop, all the usual homes and shops they expected to see in a small town. Although they did notice that the homes looked in quite good condition, unlike the older homes they had seen in many other towns, all shabby and rundown. Perhaps they hadn't, because Cloud felt certain that on the older world maps he had seen this town hadn't been placed on it.

It almost felt a little strange entering a town that apparently seemed unaffected by the Shinra. They had become so used to seeing miserable faces and hearing stories of loss and broken promises that they expected it, even in this town.

Cautiously and somewhat uneasily, Cloud and the others stepped forward into the town. At any moment they expected to turn a corner and see the ruins of another failed reactor, or a mass graveyard, or something that showed any signs of misery caused by the Shinra.

Cloud turned his head from left to right, very nearly desperate to spot something that related to the Shinra. He got his answer when he looked right ahead towards the strange structure that they had seen out in the Kutai Plains. "What's that…?" he exclaimed, pointing up the structure.

Everyone looked up, and was just as surprised as Cloud was. In the distance they had thought the structure to be nothing more than a tall building, but up close it was clear that this was not the case.

It was actually a rocket – a very old and worn rocket at that. It was made of strong, study bronze metal that had become so rusted with age that most of the colour was gone. Instead of standing upright like a normal rocket, this one was slowly tilting onto its side, held up only by the edges of the metal pillars that surrounded it. Yet even those were failing, gradually bending as the weight of the rocket pushed on them and pushed them aside.

"A rusty old rocket…" said Cloud as he gazed up at the rocket. "Wonder what they'd make something that huge for?"

While he spoke the others walked past him and strolled into the town, taking the time to explore. Cloud followed, eventually, after spending another minute or so gazing up at the leaning rocket. There was some writing on the side of the rocket that he couldn't make out – worn off with age – but Cloud didn't feel it was really that important to know.

So, with nothing better to do than to wait, Cloud began to explore the town on his own. He saw the others as he walked, gathering information about the town from the townspeople. He even saw Barret and Vincent inspecting the Weapons Shop near the entrance of town, although there was not much worth buying. There was some interesting stuff in the Item Shop, but that was all.

Cloud left the Item Shop without buying anything, and stood in the middle of the town. From where he was he could see pretty much all of the town – the rocket to his left, the town's entrance to his right, and a few houses behind and ahead of him. There was also a quaint little house just ahead of him, but it didn't strike as important then, either.

Suddenly getting the feeling that he was being watched, Cloud tensed up and looked to his left. He relaxed when he saw that it was an old man just sitting in a chair outside the weapon shop, gazing at him through old, grey eyes. They were not the eyes of someone who had been hurt tremendously over the years. Rather they were the eyes of a happy, content old man, gazing at the young man before him as though basking in some distant memory.

When he had finished looking at Cloud the old man turned away and turned away in his chair to look up at the rocket. Cloud was about to walk away when the old man suddenly said, completely out of the blue, "This used to be a Shinra base where they used to launch rockets."

Cloud stopped where he was and looked back at the old man, wondering what had made him speak so suddenly. The old man didn't turn, and continued to look up at the rocket as he spoke again. Assuming the old man was talking to him, Cloud didn't move from where he stood.

"You saw the leaning rocket, right? That's Shinra No. 26. It never got off the ground though. It just looms there. That's how the town got its name… 'Shinra No. 26'." The old man slowly turned his head and looked at Cloud again, his grey eyes glimmering hopefully. "Want to look at the rocket with me?"

Cloud stared uncaringly for a second, but then his face softened and he smiled. "Yeah, let's take a look," he said.

The old man's face creased into a warm smile before he turned and looked up at the old rocket ahead of him. His face just seemed to lighten up the longer he gazed at the old thing, admiring its structure and the way it was perfectly balanced on the metal pillars. Although it was worn and old and so close to falling over, Cloud got the feeling that the old man could see something about the rocket that he couldn't. Something mystical… perhaps magical… No… that was just silly.

Eventually the old man sighed and climbed out of his chair, turning around to face Cloud. The smile remained on his face even as he stood, looking at Cloud with a certain admiration.

"I get so impressed every time I look at it," the old man said cheerfully. "Sorry to get you into this. For me, it's a kinda hobby. But, out of appreciation, let me give you this." He reached out behind his chair and pulled out a sword. "I wish you'd take care of it and use it…"

Cloud didn't say anything as he accepted the sword, closing his hand around the handle and holding it out in front of him. Despite its age it was a beautiful sword, and was much thinner than his sword. Yet, somehow Cloud got the feeling he wouldn't use the sword much, although he didn't feel right to refuse the man's kind gesture.

It wasn't that Cloud didn't like the sword. It was a beautiful model, known as Yoshiyuki, and was in a sense more practical than his sword. Even so, Cloud didn't feel able to give up his Buster Sword. He had used it ever since Midgar, and it held such a strong attachment to him that he couldn't explain it. So he just smiled at the old man, and placed the sword behind his back, hooking it alongside his Buster Sword. The two swords together were heavier, but Cloud figured he could manage until he could find somewhere or someone to give the sword to. Someone who could use the sword, like the old man wanted.

Leaving the old man to continue gazing at the old rocket, Cloud headed over to the inn back at the town's entrance. He figured that they would all need to gather sometime soon and discuss what they should do next. If the Shinra were heading west then they should turn up sooner or later… he hoped. At least he now knew that the town did have a connection to Shinra, albeit a past connection.

Cloud pushed open the door to the inn and walked boldly inn. As he entered he saw that the inn also doubled up as a bar as well as an inn, with the bar positioned to his right, while the innkeeper's desk was directly ahead. He wasn't interested in booking a room though, so instead he just turned and headed straight towards the bar.

As he walked up he saw that he hadn't been the only one with the idea of waiting in the bar. Aeris was there too, having a drink at one of the tables in the dim lighting. Red XIII was on the floor beside her, his tail swishing lightly between the legs of the table. Lastly there was Cait Sith, standing silently in the corner with his back to them. He was completely motionless, and Cloud figured maybe he had somehow turned himself off for a while to conserve his energy. Cloud did wonder what Cait ran on, if he was indeed mechanical…

Cloud looked at Aeris. She was sat quietly at the table, her finger lightly tapping the edge of the glass, like she was lost in thought. She looked it, too, her face in a very serious expression that Cloud rarely ever saw on her. Aeris was always so light-hearted and cheerful around the others, but maybe she also had a lot of things on her mind that she didn't share. Cloud decided that maybe she wanted to be on her own, so instead of going over to her he went over to the bar, where the barman was polishing a glass behind the counter.

"Would you like something to drink?" the barman asked without looking up at him.

Cloud nodded. The barman put down the glass he was polishing and began to mix up a drink from various bottles that were lined up along the bar. Cloud watched him as he worked. Eventually his thirst for knowledge about the town got the better of him as he asked the barman about the town. "Let me hear your story," he said.

When the barman was finished mixing the drink he placed the glass in front of Cloud. "Did you meet the Captain already?" he asked in exchange, continuing to polish his glasses. "He's really the town's representative, so you should really talk with him."

It wasn't the first time Cloud had heard the name 'Captain' mentioned. A number of people in the town had advised they talk to the Captain about the town. Cloud didn't know whether they were just being evasive, or if they were just genuinely advising them to talk to this 'Captain'. Either way he really did seem like an important figure amongst the townspeople.

"Better ask the Captain about this town," another man piped up from one of the tables. "He's the one in charge of it."

"Captain? Who's the 'Captain'?" Cloud asked.

The man took a long, hard swig of his drink and swallowed it in one gulp. With the glass now empty he put it on the table and turned to look up at Cloud. "The Captain was a pilot when Shinra was still interested in their Space Program," he explained briefly. "He was going to be the world's first astronaut, but there was an accident… Ever since then, he's been wasting his life away here dreaming about going into outer space."

Hearing what the man said made Cloud think. Perhaps this was the reason why Shinra were heading west. Was there something in Rocket Town that they wanted, or did the 'Captain' know something about Sephiroth? Either way it sounded like a safe bet that they find the Captain and find out before the Shinra got there. Even so, Cloud couldn't help but ask.

"Did you see a man in a Black Cape?" Cloud asked.

The man leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. He thought seriously for a minute, before he eventually shook his head. "A man in a Black Cape?" he repeated. "Nope… don't know a thing about it."

His answer seemed genuine enough, so Cloud had no real reason not to believe him. The man and the barman said no more, so Cloud quickly finished his drink and broke Aeris from her thoughts, along with Red XIII. Getting Cait back online took a few more minutes before the cat finally realised someone was shaking his body and looked up, confused. When he was awake they headed back out into the town again, rounding up the others before gathering outside the house that the townspeople pointed out to them as the Captain's house.

It was quite a quaint little house, with a dark-tiled roof and four glass-paned windows that overlooked the town. There was no garden that they could see, but the small white fence that surrounded the house extended all the way to the very back of the house. When they looked they could see that it extended even further than that, and there was a glimpse of something pink and blue there.

Ignoring the back garden for the moment, Cloud and the others went up to the front door and knocked gently. They waited a moment for an answer, and when they got none, Cloud knocked a little bit harder. Cloud tried the door handle, and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked. After a confirmation nod from each of the others, he opened the door fully and walked inside.

The house was just as quaint inside as it was outside. It was nothing fancy – the living room/kitchen took up most of the house's interior, with three other doors leading to smaller rooms. There was a small circular table in the middle of the living room with four chairs around it, placed on a green rug that had lost most of its softness over the years.

"Doesn't look like anyone's here," said Tifa, as they looked around the living room.

She was right. Although the other doors were shut so they couldn't see, there was no sound of anyone else in the house, unless they were being extremely silent. There was one other door in the house, hidden at the very back down a small passageway. It probably led to the back garden. Cloud remembered the strange object he had seen from his glimpse outside the house and headed for the back door.

The door did indeed lead to the back garden of the house, and it was larger than they expected. The garden bordered onto a field that joined up with the rocket launch pad area. But it was what was in the garden that caught their attention.

The pink and blue object they had seen from the front was a small plane. It was not a very fancy-looking plane, and most of the paint was worn and a little bit dirty with age, but it was still in good condition. The blue bit they had seen was its nose, and it had more blue bits patterned across it. It had a blunted nose rather than the usual smooth point, with the propellers on the wings. There was also a very familiar logo painted on the side. In spite of its age it looked very airworthy – just perfect for travelling some distances.

"There's a Shinra logo on it," said Cloud. He walked up close to the plane and wiped away some of the dried dirt on the side of the plane, revealing the plane's name. "Tiny Bronco…… This is cool."

"I wonder if we can borrow it," said Tifa.

Cloud nodded thoughtfully. If they could borrow the plane then they could make excellent time on their journey – far better time than they had made with the buggy. With that plane, the two-hour journey they had taken just to get to Rocket Town would have taken them no more than twenty minutes. Possibly less or more, depending on how fast the plane could fly.

"The Shinra always keep the most useful things to themselves. Let's steal it!" snapped Barret fiercely. The fiery glare was back in his eyes, fired up at the thought of stealing from the Shinra and making them squirm. Yuffie had the same glare in her eyes, her fingers twitching as she itched to make some trouble for the Shinra. Cloud sighed. They would never change.

"Um… may I help you?"

The group all tensed up and stood rigid in front of the plane as the soft and slightly trembling female voice spoke out to them. When the shock subsided the group slowly turned around and saw a woman standing behind them, peering out at them through a pair of old glasses.

She looked to be in her late twenties or perhaps early thirties, and was wearing a long, white lab coat. At first they thought she was a scientist, until they saw specks of oil on her face and hands – an engineer, maybe? Her brown hair was slightly scruffy, tied back in a rough ponytail to keep it away from her face, although a few strands managed to break free and hung over her face. She seemed friendly enough.

"No…" Cloud replied, being the first to break from the shock-induced tautness. "We're just looking at it."

The woman stared at him for a minute, before her mouth upturned into a smile. "…If you would like to use it, please ask the Captain," she told him. Her voice had a very anxious, wavering tone to it, like she was nervous about speaking. "The Captain should be in the Rocket. I'm Shera. And what are your names?"

"I'm Cloud," Cloud said, giving a nod. He looked round at the others, who had now all broken from their own nervous stances.

"Tifa. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Barret, of AVALANCHE."

"I'm Aeris."

"Nanaki, otherwise known as Red XIII."

"I'm Yuffie!"

"Fortune telling machine Cait Sith here."

"Vincent. My occupation is…… forget it."

Shera looked round at the group of eight and nodded. She smiled again, but there was a slightly disappointed look in her brown eyes, as though she was expecting them to be someone else. "Hmm…" she mumbled wistfully, her voice muffled as she folded her arms and put one hand thoughtfully over her mouth. "So you're not with the Shinra. I thought the approval for the reopening of the Space Program came."

Cloud's eyes opened wide. "……?" he exclaimed. So the Shinra were coming to Rocket Town, after all. What for?

Shera nodded again, the loose strands of her hair flying across her eyes. "President Rufus is scheduled to come here," she explained to them as she wiped the strands aside. "The Captain's been so restless this morning."

The woman then turned away and headed back inside the house, leaving Cloud and the others standing outside in front of the plane. When she was gone and the door was shut, Cloud turned to face the others.

"Rufus?" he exclaimed.


Chibis: Happy birthday to Cloud! Happy birthday to Cloud! Happy birthday dear Cloud! Happy birthday to Cloud! Hee hee!

Cloud: Umm… thanks?

Emerald: Happy birthday, Cloud-kun! Now for your birthday glomp! Muses… GLOMP!

Cloud: AAAAHHH! –runs like hell-