TOMB OF LIFE
TOMB OF LIFE
CHAPTER 14
Cloud lay out in the dessert looking up at the clear, night sky. It was beautiful; the stars were twinkling as he counted how many shooting stars he had seen in the past hour. He was pensive as he lay on a pallet next to the small fire he had started after making camp. Fenrir, like a loyal beast was parked a few feet from him.
It hadn't worked, Cloud's quest to distance himself from what he was feeling for Lara and the world in general. He had been riding around for days but was still only a couple of hours away from Midgar. He had been riding in circles yet it seemed he had yet to realize it meant that he didn't want to distance himself from his friends.
He hadn't been sure what to do – his mood had been so dismal after the ShinRa party, he thought it would be better if he went under the radar for a few days since he didn't trust himself not to snap at his friends or worst, the children. He was doing this for their sake as well as his own, that was the justification he kept repeating over and over in his mind. They would understand.
"Cloud,"
The blond tensed and bolted upright. He found Vincent Valentine looking at him from across the fire. Cloud relaxed but knew he was in for a lecture, which for Vincent wouldn't be much of a play on words but he'd get his point across. He sighed, "Well I suppose if anyone could have tracked me it would be you."
"I only learned you'd gone missing yesterday," Vincent stated, as he knelt before the fire glancing at the dancing flames briefly, before placing his piercing crimson gaze upon Cloud.
"I need time," Cloud explained, hoping that his offer of an explanation for his actions would stave off the coming lecture.
Vincent tilted his head to the side slightly as he observed the blond – he was silent for a few minutes before he finally said. "I do know what it is like to be in love. Even though it was short lived, Lucrecia and I had something very special."
Cloud glanced over at the older man a little surprised by the way the conversation was going. It was unlike Vincent to open up about his past to anyone.
"She blamed herself for my father's death though I was unaware of it at the time. And when I became gravely injured, she did all she could to save me," Vincent began, lowering his gaze to the licking flames once more. "I wasn't exactly grateful to be alive, Lucrecia had become distant and aloof and I thought it was due to the monster I had become. I believed I was doing Gaia a favor by sealing myself away in that coffin and locking the world out. But I couldn't have been more wrong." He glanced back up at Cloud. "And as a result, the woman I loved died alone, leaving my son to be raised by someone else."
There was silence for a moment as both men looked at each other. Cloud had a feeling he knew why Vincent was telling him all this and that the Ex-Turk would get to the point fairly soon. It was so unexpected from Vincent that Cloud wasn't sure how he would respond.
"Running away from your problems doesn't solve anything – it makes them worse. I should know," Vincent stated.
Cloud closed his eyes rubbing them as the wisdom of Vincent's words sank in. He was punishing himself and everyone else around him by not knowing how to deal with Lara's rejection. Instead he should have been looking for a way to move on and not dwell on the past. "Thank you for telling me this." He felt sorry for the gunman, knowing that his mistake not only cost him the mother of his child, but his son as well. Sephiroth had vowed never to forgive him.
Vincent stood up. "You're welcome – now why don't you turn on your phone and tell whoever has been trying to reach you that you are alright."
Cloud nodded in agreement before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his cell phone. After turning it on, he realized he had over half a dozen messages. Before he could even begin checking them, the phone rang, it was Zack.
"Cloud! Thank goodness you finally picked up. We're in trouble here! Midgar is under attack by monsters, we need all the assistance we can get."
"I'll be there straight away," Cloud stated before glancing over at Vincent. "Midgar is under attack, I think we could use your help."
Vincent nodded. "I'll meet you there." Vaulting into the air the gunman transformed into his airy mist form and began to sail towards Midgar at breakneck speed.
Cloud put out the campfire quickly before jumping onto Fenrir and following on Vincent's heels.
--
"Come on move this thing," Zack complained to the helicopter pilot as he stood in the doorway of the chopper -- the wind whipping through his spiky hair.
"When did you last contact them?" Angeal asked from within the chopper.
"Last contact was about five minutes ago," Zack explained, then his Mako blue eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the people they were looking for. "Look there they are."
Angeal and Genesis both glanced around Zack to see Lara and Sephiroth battling monsters in the middle of the Midgar streets. "By Shiva, they are pinned in!" Angeal exclaimed, as he saw the creatures advancing on them from all sides.
"Get us down there!" Zack yelled.
Meanwhile, Lara and Sephiroth were doing their best to keep the monsters at bay. Most of the civilians seemed to have sought cover which allowed the seasoned fighters to unleash their fury.
Sephiroth hacked and slashed with the Masamune, decapitating and severing limbs and appendages that got in his way. The creatures were tough – they were mostly humanoid with scaly green or black skin and blood red eyes. One creature had got a lucky slash which left a red welt on Sephiroth's left cheek. He had rewarded the creature by relieving it of its head.
Lara on the other hand was fending the creatures off mostly with Excalibur's ranged attacks. These were the same creatures of which her bullets could not penetrate their tough hide. To her dismay the creatures also had ranged attacks, not only bladed projectiles but fireballs. One fireball attack skimmed by Lara at such a close angle that her coat caught fire, forcing her to peel it off and toss it away.
Lara couldn't understand where they were coming from, unless there was a portal close by to justify the large number of creatures they were encountering. Soon, she found herself back to back with Sephiroth as they were completely surrounded by the monsters. Yet the determination on their faces revealed that they would continue to fight, for the good of the Midgar population and the world. These creatures would tear through normal civilians if they did not stop them.
Suddenly, gunfire from above began to pelt into the crowds of monsters. Lara glanced up to see a ShinRa chopper that was now raining SOLDIERS, offering them some cover fire. Lara smiled – with the added backup, her and Sephiroth began their fighting with renewed vigor.
Angeal and Zack were mowing down as many creatures as they could with their respective buster swords, and Genesis was using a combination of ranged attacks and sword fighting.
The fighting continued for another 20 minutes until finally it seemed the onslaught was over. Zack flipped open his phone and made a call. The ShinRa troops as well as the Turks had been mobilized, and the SOLDIER soon learned that the creatures were either dead or had retreated from Midgar, there were none left in sight. Zack relayed this information to his companions. "Are you both ok?" He asked, looking at Lara and Sephiroth. They didn't seem any worse for the wear, Sephiroth's cut on his cheek was slowly healing and Lara didn't seem to be injured but she was minus one coat, which revealed her hour glass figure that was tightly encased in her patent leather cat suit. About her waist was a girdle reminiscent of a corset that was black leather laced up the front from the lower waist to just below her full breasts.
"We're fine," Sephiroth replied, glancing at Lara who nodded in agreement.
"It almost seems like they were drawn to this area," Angeal said.
"Their sudden appearance must mean that a portal was opened in the city," Lara stated. All the men present looked at her, the concern on their faces evident. There was no reason to indicate that the portals could not be opened anywhere other than the prediction cave, yet this proved for a fact that was so.
"They could have come from anywhere," Genesis commented.
"What if they are here because of me?" Lara voice was barely above a whisper.
Sephiroth glanced at her – the thought that Lara may be the target on some monster hit list made him see red. "Let's get out of here." The chopper had left to aid another nearby team once the pilot saw the SOLDIERS had the situation under control, Sephiroth now recalled it.
Lara crossed her arms across her chest, there was something about this whole situation that didn't bode well, and something told her she'd be smack in the middle of this drama.
--
After returning to the ShinRa building, the group entered the lobby to find Cloud Strife there with cuffs around his arms, and a group of ShinRa troops escorting him to the elevator.
"Cloud!" Zack cried out, running towards him and ordering the troops to stand down.
"We have our orders to take him to prison," The lead troop officer stated.
"You will stand down." Zack glared at the man whose face he could not see, as it was covered by the standard issue ShinRa troop helmet.
"You do not have the authority to make that request. Neither do you sir," The officer said, glancing at Sephiroth. "These orders are from president ShinRa himself."
"What's going on Zack? You ask for my help and then I learn that there is a warrant out for Avalanche's arrest?" There was a confused expression on Cloud's handsome face. He had only spared Lara a brief glance, realizing that seeing her again would inflame the ache in his heart.
"President ShinRa doesn't know all the facts. Once he realizes what is happening here, he will have to let you all go," Zack explained.
"Right, so I guess I'll be waiting in jail with the others while you guys sort this out." Cloud sarcasm was obvious as he was shoved into the elevator by one of the officers.
Zack shot Cloud an apologetic look then ran to another elevator with Lara and Sephiroth close behind him. Angeal and Genesis went about their business, but both SOLDIER's hoped that the three on the way to Rufus's office would be able to convince the president to drop the charges against the captives.
After being shown into Rufus's office, the threesome found the president standing at a window peering outside of it. "Mr. President we need to talk," Sephiroth began, and waited for the sandy haired man to turn around and acknowledge them.
"I know what you're going to say Sephiroth, and the answer is no. I cannot release the prisoners," Rufus said, leveling his forest-green eyes on the three fighters now standing in his office.
"Sir, do you even understand what happened out there tonight? We have a new enemy – we need to unite against this," Zack pleaded.
"The enemy is defeated. The Turks have confirmed there are no more of them left," Rufus replied.
"I'm almost certain that was only the first wave," Lara spoke up, her tawny eyes glaring at him unwaveringly.
"Why don't you just admit it?" Sephiroth said taking a threatening step towards Rufus. "You want to hold them so that when it's all over you can pin this on them as well? I know they never attacked our Mako reactors. This is simply you doing what you do best – classic Rufus ShinRa."
"I understand you're distraught, so I will let that insubordination slide. However, my decision stands." Rufus folded his arms across his chest.
Suddenly the phone rang. It took Rufus a good minute before he reached to answer it. "Yes Tseng," He said in greeting.
Lara watched as Rufus visibly paled from the news he was receiving, then saw as he dropped the phone receiver and ran to the window. She followed him over to it with Zack and Sephiroth close behind her. The night sky had come alive in a purplish hue and right above the center of Midgar, a huge swirling portal had opened. Descending through the portal was something that looked like a city in the distance. Winged gargoyle-like creatures could be seen flapping around the gray stone structures. The mysterious city came to hover just above Midgar.
"What the heck is that?" Rufus's voice was barely above a whisper.
"The attack we knew would come," Lara replied.
Running back to his desk, Rufus completed his phone call with Tseng before hanging up and dialing another number. "This is President ShinRa – I authorize you to release the members of Avalanche."
Without another word, Sephiroth turned and left Rufus's office, Lara and Zack following close on his heels. They had gotten what they came for, and now had more pressing matters to attend to. "Have to get out there and set up some kind of defensive perimeter." Sephiroth had no idea what these new winged creatures were capable of and that left him feeling a little disconcerted.
Sephiroth gave the order to have the Turks, SOLDIERS and Avalanche exchange numbers. It seems they were in this for the long haul and would have no choice but to work together for the survival of the planet.
--
The following morning found a contingent of ShinRa personnel atop the roof of the main ShinRa building that was so large it boasted a helipad. This was the tallest building in Midgar and it provided the best observation point of the mysterious, floating city that had come through the portal.
They could still see the winged creatures flying around but surprisingly, they had made no move to attack Midgar. They had instead remained within their city, constantly circling but never leaving it to begin an attack. It was extremely puzzling and had made for a mostly wasted night on the part of the ShinRa personnel, who had remained awake the entire time expecting an imminent attack.
Lara stood with Sephiroth, Zack, Angeal, Tseng and two members of Avalanche atop the building. Even though she had been awake for over twenty four hours – energy still hummed through her veins. However that feeling of dread continued to eat away at the pit of her stomach, something was definitely not right about this whole invasion.
Barret and Cloud were the Avalanche members that had stayed behind. Tifa had returned to her bar to check on the children and Red XIII, an intelligent catlike mammal with red colored fur had opted to join the ShinRa street patrols. Cloud had managed to keep his distance from Lara, yet the fact that she was standing a mere few feet away from him made him wonder how much longer he could keep that up. She had inquired about his welfare briefly the previous night, and he had responded that he was fine. He noticed that Sephiroth hadn't glanced over at them – could it be the General now trusted her enough to know he had nothing to worry about where Lara was concerned. He wasn't sure, but whatever the reason, Cloud was grateful he didn't have to put up with constant fights with the General and still worry about the Midgar population.
They had tried attacking it with choppers during the night, but an invisible shield apparently protected the small city. Cid's fleet of airships had also joined the fight, but nothing seemed able to penetrate the shield. That is when the decision was made to have the Mako Cannon in Junon shipped to Midgar. However, it would take several hours to get it there.
"I really thought they would have made a move under the cover of darkness," Tseng said as he watched as the sun began to rise in the distance.
"Perhaps this was their plan all along, to keep everyone awake all night with anxiety and attack in the morning. Tired and weary troops are more easily defeated than well rested ones," Lara commented.
"By Shiva, you could be right," Sephiroth commented, his eyes never leaving the floating city. Suddenly he saw a bright ball of fire come careening out of the city headed directly for them. It seemed the city's shield defenses must have been lowered long enough for the attack to be fired. "Head's up!" Sephiroth shouted, but soon realized that they wouldn't be able to avoid the fast moving fireball before it struck.
Lara's eyes widened as the flames encompassed the group. It took her a short moment to realize that they weren't being burned alive. The flames had streaked across the top of the building forming a transparent flame wall, which seemed to separate Lara from the rest of the team. Cloud, Barret and Angeal stood on her right while Sephiroth, Zack and Tseng were on her left. She saw Sephiroth pull his hand away in pain when he attempted to touch the flame wall. He then grasped the Masamune and swiped at it, Zack and Cloud did the same with their respective weapons, but all to no avail.
Lara was about to try her own weapons when the flames seemed to form into a humanoid shape before her. Lara watched dumbfounded as the flame figure transformed into the demon form of Jacqueline Natla.
"Hello Lara, did you miss me?" Came the familiar husky voice of the former CEO of Natla technologies.
Lara grabbed her pistols and began to fire, only to realize that a flame wall now separated her from Natla as the others did from her friends. The gun shells made pinging sounds as they fell to the concrete floor.
"Is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Natla chuckled.
Lara ceased fire and stared at the seven foot tall demon, the red leathery skin, extremely slender body, dark scales for eyebrows, flame hair and glowing red eyes were the same as Lara remembered. She felt a lump in her throat that threatened to choke her, but she finally struggled to get the question out, "How?"
"Oh yes, last time we met you were in the process of trapping me under a pillar for five years." At the surprised expression on the adventurer's face Natla continued. "Did you think I had been trapped there for the full ten years? Oh no my dear, I escaped and journeyed to alternate universes in search of the ultimate army. You may have foiled my plan to rule earth with an army of Atlanteans but really I should thank you for that. The Atlanteans simply didn't have the longevity that these creatures do."
Natla smirked before continuing. "So, did you think that it was some fluke accident that brought you from Earth to Sclementia? No dear, that was all careful planning. Of course, you escaping and scrambling the portals was not something I counted on. But alas we are here and all is going to turn out as it should be."
"What do you want?" Lara asked through clenched teeth, she was aware that her companions were listening on in silence and she couldn't help wondering what they were thinking. All this was happening because of her, the feeling of dread had now been realized with this demon from her past staring her in the face.
"Well, trust that I'm not here to ask you to join me again. I've learned my lesson never to offer an ungrateful tomb raider part ruler ship of the world ever again," Natla said with a chuckle then she instantly sobered. "We could have made a great team, but you had to let your misguided morality get in the way. Well here's what I think of your morality." Natla took a few steps closer to Lara, which prompted adventurer to fire her guns, and once more the bullets were deflected by the flame shield. "I am going to destroy this planet, and all your little friends, I shall take great pleasure in killing them."
Suddenly the flame wall lowered and with a quicksilver slash of her leathery wings, Natla knocked Lara's guns from her hands. Almost immediately, her clawed fingers were grasping the gunwoman tightly around the neck. She lifted Lara a couple feet off the floor and dutifully ignored the enraged yells of her companions that were trapped behind the flames.
"Don't worry Lara. I'm not going to kill you – yet. You must live to witness the fruits of your deception," Natla began, still holding Lara tightly by the throat. "When I am through with this world, we will journey to Earth and I shall take care of your precious little humans there as well."
"No!" Lara choked out, her hands attempting to claw at Natla's unrelenting arm that was slowing squeezing the life out of her.
"Oh quit complaining, look how truthful and honest I am being with you. All your enemies should be this dignified," Natla said before flinging Lara to the ground. With a flap of her powerful wingspan, she vaulted into the air and flew back towards the floating city.
Once Natla was out of range, the flame barriers vanished and Sephiroth was able to run to Lara's side. There was a small bruise forming on her forehead where she had struck the concrete and Sephiroth found the redness around her neck rather alarming. "We should get you to the infirmary."
"I'll be fine," Lara protested while gasping for breath. "She's going to begin the attack."
"Born in Kalm my ass!" Barret yelled. "You came from another world just like those creatures did!" He accused.
"Barret," Cloud said sternly, glancing at the big black man. Barret seemed to calm down after he realized that now was not the time to be casting blame.
"It's true, your world may be destroyed because of me," Lara acknowledged, as she allowed Sephiroth to help her to her feet.
"Don't blame yourself, we're not dead yet," Sephiroth stated.
"In another four hours the Mako Cannon from Junon will be here, if we can hold out until then we should be able to destroy that city in one blast," Tseng stated.
"You don't seem to understand, even if you manage to destroy the city, Natla cannot be killed. She is neigh indestructible. I was only able to defeat her by trapping her under several tons of rock. I very much doubt that is going to work again," Lara explained. "She seems different this time, she has new powers and abilities and I have no idea to what extent."
"We'll find a way – I won't give you up to that madwoman," Sephiroth declared.
"If she's indestructible, then perhaps we should fight fire with fire," Zack spoke up.
Sephiroth glanced over at him. "Vincent," He said softly.
"I know Vincent is in the city, he came back ahead of me," Cloud stated.
"Then we just need to send him a message," Zack said.
"Well then I suggest you boys get to it," Barret spoke up, as he grasped his metallic right arm which began to rotate and swivel about transforming into his automatic gun arm. "'Cause it seems we're about to have company."
The others glanced up at the floating city to find that the creatures were now flying out of the structure in hordes. There were perhaps hundreds of flying demons that descended upon the Midgar.
Nearing the end, story is complete yet reviews here will influence the potential book 2 of this series, so please, don't remain silent, though you have the right to. -o