A/N: Thank you, FaeTian, for your reviews. Sad enough, you seem to be the only one enjoying the story. --. All well. As long as someone is reading it and enjoying the story. Anyway, you may hate me for this next chapter.
Chapter 24:
Far across the ocean away from them, Rufus was standing in his office, looking very stern and was explaining something to Reeve, who looked very forelorn. Reeve was listening to another crackpot idea of Scarlett's and he was already doubting what they were going to do.
"That's why, Reeve, it's your job to adjust the reactor's output." Rufus told him.
Reeve sighed as he looked away. "...I see..." He turned away from him. He then gave Scarlett a look as she stepped closer to him. "Hah, hah, hah! Don't worry about adjusting it, Reeve." She said smacking the air with the back of her hand. She was ignoring the looks she was getting from both Reeve and Rufus. "Once you open it up all the way, everything will go full speed!" She said merrily.
The fat General beside her nodded. "Gya hah, hah, hah! The President's sure done it this time! If we can only defeat Sephiroth, the idea that Meteor will also disappear is based on different objectives!" He laughed.
Scarlett nodded before she smiled seductively at Rufus, who gave her a very dark look for it. "Please remember, Mr. President, that it was my idea to fire Mako reactor powered shells."
Rufus glared at her before he ran his fingers through his hair. "Will the shells really reach the far Northern border?" He asked. Scarlett nodded. "Ah, hah, hah! Of course!" She then smacked the air again with her hand. "But, Rufus darling, please do not call it a Mako cannon. This new weapon will be called..." She paused before smirking. "Sister Ray!" She said merrily.
"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" the blonde president growled at her. Scarlett frowned as she stepped back. "Oh! Sorry, Mr. President!" She said before she turned around. "I didn't mean to." She lied before leaving the room.
Rufus heard her mutter something vile about Lilie and it took a lot of effort in not shooting her in the back. He knew that he couldn't. Right at the moment, he needed her to work the Cannon. He gritted his teeth waiting for Heidigger and Reeve to leave before he looked out the window, his face falling into a sad look. "Lilie..." he whispered. He had already heard what Lilie was doing from Reno and then the reports he got from Rude while in Rocket Town. He couldn't believe that Lilie was working with Avalanche against him. Why would she do that? Of course Reno had told him what Lilie told him. And so did Rude. It had made him smile when Rude told him what Lilie said about the rough kitty. But it still saddened him to hear that Lilie was working with his enemies.
Rufus sighed softly. "She must be doing it because she has no choice." He gritted his teeth and balled up his fist. "Damn, Cloud and his crew! They'll pay for this! Turning Lilie against me!"
"Rufus, she's doing it because she knows it's the right thing."
He turned around to see Reno standing there, along with Rude and Elena. "What are you three still doing here? I thought you were going to go check the..." Rufus was saying.
Reno shook his head. "We decided to stop by first." He frowned. "Look, Rufus. You know Lilie. She wouldn't do if she knew it was the wrong thing to do. You have to trust her."
Rufus looked away, out the window at the darkening ocean. His eyes then slowly looked up at the white moon in the sky. "...I know. But I just...I don't want anything bad to happen to her." He said in a quiet voice. Reno's lips curved upward before he shook his head. "Don't underestimate her, Ruf. You know when you do, she always surprises the hell out of you." He shook his head again. "We're going to head down and keep an eye out for Avalanche and Lilie. But you gotta remember...Lil knows what she's doing."
Rufus didn't look at him but he nodded. He was quiet for the rest of the few minutes before the three Turks turned and left the room. He looked at the moon again. "...Lilie..."
Lilie was hurrying with the others out of Bone Village. Along the way, they all planned to go to Midgar and confront Rufus about this plan. They knew how dangerous it was to use the Mako for the attack on Sephiroth. Lilie was in a frantic mood and she knew that she had to get to Rufus before they fired that weapon.
As they started towards the Highwind, it was at that exact moment that the ground starting to shake. "Huh?! Wh, what the?!" Cloud and the others exclaimed. The ground started shaking harder, making it harder to walk. "Hurry! Let's get into the air and get a better look!" Cid exclaimed running for the ship. Everyone hurried after him.
They hurried onto the Highwind and into the cockpit where lights were just flashing bright red and there was a shrill alarm going off. "What's wrong?!" Cid demanded as he hurried to the trainee pilot. "It's a strange signal, sir!"
There was more flashes of light.
Everyone was looking around. "From where?!" The grumpy pilot demanded. The trainee pilot turns and points towards Cait Sith. "It's coming from this...person?" he said in confusion. Lilie hurried towards Cait Sith. "Cait! What are you doing?!"
Cait Sith raises his arms before hopping over to the middle of the room and spins in a circle. "Wow!" He did it again. "Hey!" He then looked at everyone. "That was a surprise, the controls went crazy. This ain't good!" He said sounding worried. "Weapon came out of the sea and is heading straight for Midgar!"
Lilie clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no!"
Cloud shook his head. "The new weapon should stop him, right?" He asked, concerned. Cait Sith shook his head. "I don't know if it's ready or not." He said sounding even more worried. Barret then hurried forward. "Hey! What's gonna happen to Marlene?!" He demanded. Cait Sith shrugged. "Doncha worry none. Marlene's in a safe place. She's with Aeris's mama." he tried to reassure him.
Barret scratched his head, still looking worried before turning away. Cait Sith seemed to see right past that look. "Barret!!" He hopped off the giant mog and waddled over to the big black man. "What was that scratching just now?! As long as Marlene is safe, who cares what else happens, right?" He then sighed and slowly walked back to his giant counterpart. "I been itchin' to say this to ya fer a while now." He said hopping back onto the mog. His face now looking stern. "When ya blew the Midgar No 1 up, how many folks d'ya think died?"
Barret looked just a little ashamed but he growled at the cat anyway. "...that was for the life of the planet. Ya gotta expect a few casualties." He said. Lilie frowned at him. "Barret!!" She said, putting her hands on her waist. Barret ignored her.
Cait Sith just waved his arms above his head wildly. "A few?! Whaddya mean a few?! What may be a few to ya'll is everything to them who died!" He exclaimed before turning away. "Protect the planet. Hah! Y'all sure sound good! Ain't no one that'd go against ya. So ya think ya can do whatever ya'll want?" He asked, in a very moody way.
Barret spun around looking outraged. "I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra..." He growled. Cait Sith sighed, his head lowered. "...nuthin' I can do 'bout that..."
Lilie frowned as she started forward. "Well, you're going to hear anyway, Barret! I can not believe you just said what you did! Maybe that was what President Shinra said when he had his men destroy Corel!" She glared right back at Barret when he turned a very nasty look on her. He started to open his mouth to argue with her but both Cloud and Vincent stepped into the way.
"Stop it!!" Cloud demanded.
Vincent nodded. "That is enough. Arguing at this moment is not going to help."
Tifa frowned, looking between Cait Sith and Barret then at Lilie. "Lilie, that was just a little cold on what you just said." But then she looked at Cait Sith. "Cait Sith...Barret, he knows what he did. What we did in Midgar can't be forgotten no matter what the reason." She said in such a sad way. "Right? We haven't forgotten right?" She asked, looking at Barret, who didn't say anything. Tifa turned back to Cait Sith. "I know you. You can't quit the company because you're worried about the people in Midgar, right?" She earned a nod from the cat but then she looked at Lilie. "That goes for you too. You joined Turks, not to protect the company. But to protect the people, right?" She asked. Lilie slowly nodded. "Yes. I did." She murmured. Tifa then looked at Cloud. "Cloud?" She asked softly.
Cloud was silent for a minute before he nodded. "OK! Let's go! We'll beat Weapon ourselves!"
Cid folded his arms. "Hey, Cloud...You think we can win against that monster? We got a chance of winnin', right?"
Cloud shrugged. "How would I know? But that's no reason for us to just let him go! We're goin' to Midgar and fight Weapon! Come on! And we're doing it together! No matter what happens." he then looked at Barret then over at Cait Sith. "No matter who it's with. With Shinra employees or not! We are not letting that monster hurt those people in Midgar. There are children in that city and we are not going to let them die!" He said. Everyone nodded their agreements and immediately started to prepare their weapons.
Lilie, however, felt ashamed of what she had just said to Barret. She bit her lip before moving over to him. "Barret...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I..."
Barret waved his big hand towards her, while loading up his gunarm. "Don' ya be apologizin', Lil. I know why ya did." He then looked at her, giving her a faint smile. "I shouldn' have said it either." He looked over at Cait Sith, who was eyeing him from across the room. "...'M sorry to both of ya."
The cat smiled back and nodded. "Thank you, Barret." He said before he hopped over to Lilie and the cat jumped up into her arms, giving her a hug, who laughed softly as she held the cat. "An' ya know. Rufus is lucky to have a girl like ya, Lil. That's me sayin' it and not the maker." He said being careful in not revealing Reeve's name. Everyone who was listening just nodded. "He's gotta point. That little jackass better take care o' ya when this's all over or I'm gonna pound his ass." Cid said. Lilie laughed shaking her head.
The airship quickly flew over to the Midgar area and landed near the beach where the Weapon was going to meet them. Lilie stood next to the others, her hands tightly clutching her Psis as it was approaching. She had to crane her neck just to look at the thing's face. It was huge, at least the same height of the Shinra Headquarters.
Finally it reached them and everyone charged as one. Everyone began throwing attacks at it as hard and fast as they could. Lilie began to spin in circle's slashing the Weapon's legs along with Cloud, Cid and Red XIII. Vincent and Barret were taking off shots towards the head, aiming for the red eyes. Tifa was pounding her fists against the bony structure of the Weapon, sending chips flying. It was amazing how this thing was even alive. Cait Sith was throwing massive spells at it.
Suddenly the Weapon gave a loud roar before it opened up its chest and shot a beam of light at them. Everyone barely had time to move. Lilie fell onto the ground as the attack whizzed by her, incinerating grass and trees behind them.
"Oh sh-----it!" Cid exclaimed.
Cloud gritted his teeth before he leapt high into the air. "Attack the head! Maybe it'll kill faster! Vincent, Barret! Aim for the chest!" He called as he landed on the Weapon's arm and began slashing everywhere. Everyone nodded and began to attack the Weapon, jumping high into the air and making their attacks. Lilie gritted her teeth before looking up at Vincent. "Hey, Vince! I can't just as high as Cloud can! Mind giving me a leg up?!"
The Ex-Turk smirked as he held out his golden arm for Lilie to step up on. Lilie nodded as she put both of her Psis into one hand and used the other to steady herself as she quickly stepped up on Vincent's golden claws. With only a grunt of effort, Vincent threw her into the air towards Weapon. Lilie kicked off his arm as he threw her, making her fly higher. She reached out towards Tifa who was pounding at Weapon's head.
"Tifa!" Lilie called to her.
The martial turned sharply around before she spotted Lilie flying towards her. She quickly held out her hand and grabbed Lilie's pulling her up beside her. "Let's have some fun!" She said as she helped her steady herself. Lilie nodded and began to slash at the Weapon's eyes. The Weapon finally let out a roar of annoyance before tossing its body around, knocking them all off it. Everyone landed on their feet or went down to their knees as they watched the Weapon suddenly turn away from them, looking back towards the sea. Everyone just stood where they were.
"What's wrong? Are you still looking for something?" Tifa asked it, though everyone knew it wouldn't answer. Cloud shook his head. "No, it's...feeling something. Yeah...it senses murder." He told them. They watch the Weapon lumbering its way towards the ocean, its eyes aimed towards the North.
"To my ship!" Cid barked as he turned and rushed away. The others followed quickly but then Cait Sith gasped. "Oh no! Let's hurry out of here! Something big...I'm talkin' REALLY BIG"s comin'!!" He yelled as he picked up his pace. Everyone did the same. They quickly boared and stood on the deck while the ship took to the air.
Back in the Headquarters, Rufus was staring out the window at the Weapon. He had watched the fight that Avalanche had fought with it. He was hoping that Lilie might have been there, and was safe. He faintly smiled to think of her fighting that monster. 'She was always so brave. I wouldn't be surprised.' He thought to himself. He then tilted his head as he heard Heidigger's voice coming from the intercomm.
"Hah, hah, ha, Mr. President, preparations for Sister Ray are now in order." Heidigger told him.
"Hah, hah, hah! Anytime is fine." Scarlett spoke up.
Rufus slowly nodded as he looked back out the window. He was quiet for a few seconds as he glanced at a picture of Lilie on the corner of his desk. "Lilie...this is for you..." He whispered before turning back to the window. "Fire." came his order.
Outside, all around the Headquarters, each Mako Reactor began to glow brightly with Mako energy just flaring right out from the tops of eac hole. Mako energy began to flow through large tubes towards the Sister Ray cannon, which started to glow at the barrel. A brightly colored halo surrounded the barrel and sparked with the Mako energy. The lights of the city below began to slowly go out as the Mako was preparing on firing. It slowly goes pitch black and then there was a loud rumble. The rumble soon turned into a very loud blast making glass shatter from every window and rubble flew off the headquarters. The brightly blast of Mako at the cannon's barrel blasted through the air, flying at top speed towards the Weapon's back.
Inside his office, Rufus lift up his head, looking almost proud. "Checkmate and game." He muttered before he flips his bangs out of his eyes.
From the airship everyone was watching as the blast came very close to hitting them before it flew right on by. Everyone jerked around and saw the Weapon slowly turning around as if it could sense the attack coming towards it. The bony plates of armor on its body started to stretch out and several bright masses of energy shot out of its body, shooting right back at the Mako blast coming back at it. Lilie's eyes widened as she watch the Weapon's blasts soar right through the Mako blast.
"Which direction is it going to attack from?" Tifa asked with horror. Red XIII threw his head back and roared, "Midgar!"
Everyone ran to the railing and looked down at the Weapon, the airship starting to circle from above. The blast from the Sister Ray shot right into the Weapon's chest, throwing its large body back. Everyone watched in horror as the blast cut right through the Weapon's chest, making fire fly out from its chest. There was a large hole torn right through the Weapon's chest as it crashed to the ground with a loud bang and the ground shook. The sound waves from the ground made the airship rumble just a little but they were safe enough in the air. The Weapon had been destroyed.
"Damn..." Barret hissed shaking his head.
"It went right through Weapon..." Red XIII muttered. Cloud then gave a loud gasp as he shook his head. "I see! They're after Sephiroth! The crater on the Northern boundary!!" He yelled pointing. Everyone looked just in time to see the Mako blast fly over the icy mountains, sending a few loose trees flying as it flew over them. Then the blast slammed right into the barrier surrounding the crater. There was a loud bang and the barrier slowly dissipated. They could see energy fly away as if it had been water from a hose striking a tree stump.
Everyone was astonished but Lilie wasn't looking at the crater anymore. She was looking with horror towards Midgar. "NO!" She screamed. Everyone jerked around and looked towards the city, their eyes widening. "Oh no..." Tifa gasped as she saw the Weapon's many balls of energy flying towards the city.
Inside Rufus's office, he was still standing there, watching the Sister Ray's blast destroy the Barrier around the Northern Crater. His blue eyes narrowed, waiting for the report. His chin digging into his neck. Had it worked? There was a possibility that it hadn't. At least it had stopped the Weapon in its tracks.
"Sir! Weapon's been defeated! And the barrier has disappeared!" He heard the operater report.
Rufus slowly nodded as he turned around and walked towards his desk. He faintly smiled as he looked up at the cieling. "Go get 'em, Lilie." He whispered.
"Sir!! A mass of high-density energy is heading towards Midgar!!"
Rufus's eyes widened before he jerked around and looked out the broken windows. He could see the bright energy flying towards him. "No..." He whispered. He stood taller, glaring at the energy as it began to pound into the City. He lowered his head a little, his teeth clenched tightly.
'No! This isn't fair! I can't die! I'm suppose to live my life with Lilie after she helps Avalanche destroy Sephiroth!' He thought quickly. His eyes light up as he watched one blast of energy flying towards his office. "Lilie...I love you." He whispered before he doubled over, wrapping his arms around his own chest as the energy hit his office. He was thrown back as the flames of the attack consumed his office.
Far from there, on the airship, Lilie watched in horror as the top of the Shinra Inc. Headquarters exploded into a ball of flames. A mushroom cloud full of smoke and flames flew up into the sky. She felt her heart start cracking right there. She knew Rufus had been in his office during the attack. Where else would he have been? It was like how she always told him. Always stay in his office when there was danger.
Lilie felt her knees suddenly give out as tears flooded her eyes. "NO!" She screamed before she fell to her knees and curled up on the ground. "No! Gods, no! Rufus!" She screamed into the ground. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes and shock. Vincent was the only one to recover fast enough. He rushed over to Lilie's side, bending down to one knee and trying to pick her up. Lilie burst into tears right there before trying to jerk away from Vincent, who refused to let her go.
So, feeling defeated, she buried her face into his chest and sobbed harder than she ever did. She shook her head and gently beat her fists against Vincent's chest, though he did nothing to stop her. He just let her do it, his arms wrapped around her to try and comfort her.
Cloud turned to Cait Sith who was staring towards the office with wide eyes. "Ca-Cait Sith...where was Rufus?" He asked weakly already knowing the answer.
Cait Sith looked at him before lowering his head. "He...he was in his office. At the top of the Headquarters. He's...I don't know if he's dead though! I'll try and find out, Lilie! I swear! He's alive!" He said trying to reassure her.
But Lilie kept her head lowered as she let the tears roll down her face. "Rufus...no." She whispered in pain.
Vincent stayed by her side as Cloud turned towards the door. "Come on. Let's go find out what happened to Sephiroth. Cait, you try to find out what happened to Rufus." he told him. Everyone hurried inside, though Vincent had a little trouble trying to get Lilie to walk on her own.
On the bridge, Lilie sank down to her knees in a corner and stared off. She could almost feel the cracks in her heart, slowly shattering her heart. She was in pain, almost exactly like what she felt when she first lost her parents. Now she had lost Rufus.
"What happened to...Sephiroth?" She heard Cloud say.
She didn't look up from the ground. She could see Vincent standing by her side, not moving one inch. He was going to stay by her every second if he had to. "Northern Cave...let's go see what happened to it." Cloud spoke up. Everyone quietly nodded, some looking towards Lilie. Tifa was watching her with pain as was everyone else. Yuffie had leaned against the wall, looking away. She didn't want anyone to see the tears in her eyes.
The airship flew over to where the Northern Continent was standing. The barrier around the mountain had completely disappeared. "Sephiroth's energy barrier is gone..." Cloud muttered before he looked over at Cid. "Cid! Can the airship get inside?" He asked. Cid nodded. "He's my student, aint he? Of course he can go anywhere." He said. Cloud nodded. "Right, sorry about that."
Barret then turned to Cait Sith, who was looking at Lilie while muttering to himself. "Yo, Cait Sith! Now what?!"
The cat looked at him alarmed but then he turned away. "Hold it!" He hopped away from everyone but he knew they would hear him say it anyway. "Scarlett Heidigger! What's going on?"
Inside the Headquarters, Reeve was keeping his control hidden in his hand as he turned towards the two laughing maniacs. The woman in red was looking out the window while Heidigger was trying hard to get in contact with Rufus. "Strange. I can't reach the President." The fat General said sounding very clueless. Reeve looked a little pained to hear that but he shook his head. "Not the president. To Sister Ray!" He said, his voice slightly crossed with the one he was using for Cait Sith.
The two gave him an odd look. "What is it, Reeve? You're speaking strangely."
Reeve cleared his throat, wincing a little that she had used his name. He only hoped that Cloud and his crew hadn't heard that. He shook his head. "None of that matters!" He snapped. "The Reactor's output is increasing all by itself!!"
Scarlett looked alarmed. "Ww, wait a minute! That's not wise! It must be cool for 3 hours or it won't work! Reeve, shut off the machine!" She screeched. Reeve shook his head as he looked at the controls for the cannon. "We can't do that! It's inoperable!!" He quickly grabbed a portable phone and held it up to his ear.
"Someone has switched the machine over to mainframe operation! We can't operate it from here." An officer reported to him.
Reeve jerked around looking at Heidigger. "What about the mainframe? Who?!" He pointed at the fat man. "Hey, call the mainframe!" He ordered. Heidigger nodded before he picked up the phone, then halted. He gave Reeve a look as he put it back down. "Huh? Why are you giving orders?" He asked suspiciously. Reeve gritted his teeth with rage at the fat man. "I don't give a damn about the details!" He snapped before he grabbed the phone and made the call since Heidigger wasn't going to do it. Over the phone, he could hear someone laughing wickedly.
"Hahaha! Just you wait, Sephiroth. I'll give you all the Mako you want." He heard Hojo's voice.
"Hojo, Stop! The cannon, no, Midgar itself is in danger!!" Reeve yelled into the phone.
"Hahaha...One or two Midgars? It's a small price to pay." He heard Hojo say.
"Hojo! HOJO!!" Reeve yelled. He heard Hojo just chuckling wickedly.
"Show me...Sephiroth. It should be near. Ha, ha, ha...Go beyond the powers of science. Before your presence, science is powerless. I hate it but I'll concede to it. Just let me see it..." Hojo muttered insanely.
Reeve sighed with frustration as the call was cut off. "Damn it!" He turned back to his controls for Cait Sith, knowing that Avalanche and Lilie had heard the entire thing.
On the airship, Barret was jumping and down with rage, his arms swinging above his head. Lilie was looking on with horror. She knew that she couldn't grieve about Rufus right now. The entire city was in trouble. Grieving for her beloved would have to wait. She forced herself to stand, with Vincent's help.
"YO! Do somethin'! Ya big cat!!" Barret roared.
Cait Sith slumped over as he hopped over to Barret. "We're sunk. Hojo's doing this on his own..." He then looked very alarmed as it wasn't his voice that came from the cat's mouth. It was Reeve's. Lilie winced heavily knowing that he was caught. The cat quickly turned around. "I don't like this..." he said as if he was looking at something else.
Barret stomped his foot at the cat. "You're busted, Reeve!" He snapped.
The cat jerked around, waving his arms above his head. "Too late tryin' to hide it now!" He said with Reeve's voice.
Cloud shook his head as he walked closer to him. "Can't you stop the Mako Reactor?" He asked. Everyone stepped closer. Cait Sith sighed, shaking his head. "...we can't stop it."
"You're from Shinra, ain't ya? So why's it impossible?"Cid asked in a grumpy way. Cait Sith turned away and Cid shook his head. "We came a long way to get here. You better not double-cross us now!" He barked.
"I can't make you trust me..."
Cid began throwing a tantrum. "You damn fool! Don't you understand anything I'm saying?! I don't give a damn about Shinra. If you're a man...no, if you're a human being, you'll save the Planet!! Don't you even care?!" He exclaimed. Lilie hurried over to Cait Sith, putting her hands on the Mog's back, defensively. "He can't do it, Cid! Can't you see that?" She asked seriously. The cat shook his head as he wrapped his paws around Lilie's arm. "No way! If we shut down the reactor, all hell will break loose." he told the pilot.
"Why? Can't you just shut off the valve?" Cid asked.
Cait Sith nodded. "Yeah, it's easy to shut off the reactor's pipe valves...but the reactor made a path fro the energy to escape from below. Once you open that, it'll be impossible to close it until everything blasts out...and we can't try to stop the energy from gushing out..." He said. Barret stepped back in alarm. "An explosion!!" He gasped. Cait Sith nodded. "This blast'll be way stronger than when the number one reactor blew up."
Barret winced as he turned away. "Damn...!" He exclaimed.
The cat shook his head. "Forget about that!! The cannon!! We've got to get to Midgar! That's the first thing!"
Cloud nodded as he looked at Cid, who was already making the orders to the pilot. "Must stop Hojo...first."
Cait Sith turned away and Lilie could hear Reeve speaking to Scarlett and Heidigger. By the sounds of things, things were not looking his way at all.
"Hey! Wait!!" Reeve yelled but then Cait Sith turned around looking helplessly up at her. She was understanding the look that the cat was giving her. "Cloud, everybody! Sorry. But! But you'll come, won't you?" He asked sounding very hopeless. Cloud walked over placed his hand on the cat's small shoulder before nodding. "I know." He looked around at everyone who all nodded.
Cid threw his fist up into the air. "Hey!" He barked at one of the pilots. "I'm leaving the ship in your hands! I'm heading for Midgar!"