Standard Disclaimer: I'm out of ideas for a disclaimer, so here's something simple: I don't own Final Fantasy.
Author's Notes: The BTC has captured Hirum and his Guardians! Will things turn out okay? Well…let's just see.
To the reviews!
Assamite: I actually saw your review before the system ate it (the last week has been subject to heavy updates, so it's not really a surprise that happened). The break-in just sort of leapt out at me, so I wrote it in.
By the way…Sabra? O.o And in your old review, you said "Uri's from Besaid"…who's Uri?
Anime obsessed fan: Good golly miss Molly! You need a new hobby. 0.0;
Begin!
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I guess…you're the key to my humanity.
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Chapter 37: In the Belly of the Beast
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/3:07 NT, Bridge, Subnova/
"Three hovercraft lost?" said Turo incredulously.
An Elite that had gone on the mission nodded. "Yeah. We also lost all but ten Elites, myself included."
Turo frowned…and then he started chuckling. "I told Hiregor he should've sent someone else. Send Bevelle Guardsmen that are loyal to the BTC, I said! But no…" Then he began a rough imitation of Hiregor's voice. "'The Guardsmen have an image! Elites do not! Blah blah blah!' What a rip." Turo snorted as he leaned back in his chair. "Stupid…Elites were made for infiltration and quick hit-and-run ops…not kidnapping, especially when the objective's heavily guarded…sure, we have sufficient battlefield tactical training, but we aren't like the ABTC's Lussyhtu Cxiyt…"
The Elite remained quiet at Turo's confession…but he had a point; the Elites were made for deceptive infiltration. The Lussyhtu Cxiyt were made for black-ops combat.
Clearing his throat, the Elite said, "Anyhow…the girl and her friends are locked up in the brig. The rest of the Elites – plus the five on board – are guarding the cells as we speak."
"Good…now all we have to do is perform a clean sweep of the ship to make sure no hostiles snuck on." Turo took note of the Elite's groan. "Hey, it's protocol; won't take us more than thirty minutes." With that said, Turo stood up and walked out of the bridge.
He had a brig to visit.
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/3:09 NT, T-Intersection, Subnova/
Cid remained deathly silent as CESS Operative #13 kept the BTC-4 laser rifle's barrel pressed against the back of his helmet.
Cid mentally cursed; he should've been more careful…he should've looked behind the struts more carefully. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this situation…
But he was in this situation. He would have to improvise.
"CESS Operative #34," said #13, his boyish voice calm and professional. "We were notified before the mission that you would be a possible hostile. Judging by your unwillingness to meet up with us, I WOULD assume that you're the objective's ally…of course, I could be wrong."
Cid was quick to reply. "CESS Operative #13, I don't know who hired you, but I am on a mission of my own. That red-haired girl is MY objective as well…but it is my job to protect her from anything and everything…even you."
#13 frowned inside his helmet; he detested the idea of facing another CESS Operative as a foe. Over the course of their training, the CESS Operatives had become a well-oiled machine; all parts acting as one, yet being a machine that was more than the sum of its parts.
It was safe to say that all of the CESS Operatives treated each other as loose family members, out of professionalism if nothing else.
That's what made #13's impending task so difficult. "I'm sorry to hear that." With that, he pulled the trigger.
CHOOM!
The laser bolt rocketed out of the barrel, hitting the wall in front of Cid. As for Cid himself…he had ducked.
He quickly swept his left leg around in a reverse-180 degree arc, tripping #13 and sending him to the floor. Cid quickly got up and pulled out his BTC-4 laser rifle.
Cid quietly said, "Don't make me kill you. I'm just going to go the brig and retrieve my objective…but if you interfere, I will use lethal force."
#13 remained silent in the face of the laser rifle, his back to the floor.
With a swift movement, he raised his right leg and kicked Cid in the wrist, causing his aim to falter. #13 used this time to leap to his feet and take aim with his laser rifle. "So will I."
With that, both CESS Operatives opened fire.
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/3:12 NT, Brig, Subnova/
Man…her head felt like a sledgehammer had hit it (which wasn't too far off, ironically). Teela groaned as she opened her eyes, looking out with her gray irises.
She blinked; she was chained to the wall by metal shackles five inches thick; her wrists and ankles were held by these thick shackles, causing her body to be spread out in an 'X' pattern.
She was inside a cell; a dour, cold, metallic gray prison cell. Fifteen feet away were metal bars, in front of which two Elites stood. Teela boggled at her current situation. What the…how'd I end up here?
In a cell right beside hers, Hirum was chained to the wall by similarly thick shackles. Right now, he was ruing his current situation. Just perfect…JUUUST perfect…I'm a summoner. A SUMMONER. I'm supposed to travel northward to Zanarkand, claim the Final Aeon and die whilst destroying Sin. That's how it's supposed to go! So why am I here in an airship's prison cell? "Gah…"
"Shut up in there." At the command of one of the two Elites guarding his cell, Hirum shut up.
In the cell on the opposite side of the hall – the Subnova's brig was comprised of a long hallway which contained two rows of cells with twenty in each row – Aaron stared at the two Elites with contempt; they had been eyeing him ever since he had been thrown in there…and they had kept their BTC-4 laser rifles pointed at him as well. Finally fed up with it all, he indignantly asked, "Mind explaining the hostility!"
"You're an Al Bhed. We're with the BTC. Get the picture?" frankly answered the left Elite.
Aaron grimaced as he sagged against his shackles; things were going down the toilet…one thing was for sure: there would be repercussions for this.
Meanwhile, in the cell right next to Aaron's, Trigon stared ahead at the THREE Elites guarding his cell…and they had put three with him for a good reason; he wasn't shackled.
Why not?
Well…let's just say the Elite who had tried to shackle Trigon up had had his right arm cleaved off by the warrior's katana; that Elite was in the Medical Bay at the moment.
However, Trigon had not shown anymore hostilities…and the reason being was because of one phrase he had said.
"No chains, no problems."
Right now, Trigon was leaning against the back of the cell wall, his masked head the target of the rifles of three Elites.
As for Serena…
Serena kept as far back from the prison bars as possible, her arms holding onto Mog tightly. The eyes of five Elites – all hidden behind thick shades – peered into her cell…and they were scaring her.
Finally, the young Psy Mage asked, "Why did you capture us…?"
"Because you are valuable to the BTC."
Serena blinked as a new voice echoed into her cell; another Elite stepped in front of her cell, his face contorted into a cocky grin. "After all, you ARE the end result of the ABTC's secret project…why else would we send so many Elites after you?"
Serena looked up at the Elite – Turo Kerio – with a confused stare. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Those words, however, nearly caused Aaron's eyes to bug out of his head. WHAT! HOW DID HE KNOW?
Turo smirked at Serena's confusedness. "Eh, whatever…you won't have to worry about any of that soon." With that said, Turo left the brig, a satisfied smile on his face.
At that moment, another Elite entered the brig…but his face was twisted into a vicious scowl…and a number of bandages were wrapped around the six-inch stump that had once been his right arm. He quickly strode over to Trigon's cell and glared straight at the warrior in black. "Hey! HOTSHOT!"
Trigon raised his head quietly. "You're speaking to the wrong man. Hold that thought." The masks switched. "Eh…say, somebody call for a hotshot?"
The Elite snarled as he pointed at his bandaged right stump. "You see this! When we get to Bevelle…I'm going to tear off BOTH OF YOUR ARMS!"
If Trigon's face could be seen, he would be smirking at the frustrated Elite. "What? Am I supposed to be threatened?"
Meanwhile…
Teela's eyes narrowed as she slowly began summoning pyreflies, hoping that her cell's guards wouldn't turn around before then. Chain me up, will you?
One minute later, one of the Elites turned around to check on Teela…and balked. "SHE'S GONE!"
This impulsively caused the other fourteen Elites to gather in front of Teela's cell. Sure enough, the thief wasn't there. "What the…? Where is she!" demanded one of the Elites.
In their sudden rush, they were all oblivious to the yellow goop that was pooling around their feet…and by the time one of the Elites noticed it, it was too late.
The fifteen Elites howled as electricity poured over their bodies; after several seconds of the ferocious assault of Thunder magic, they all collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Moments later, the yellow puddle of goo shivered over to one spot on the hallway's floor, rematerializing into Teela. She had transformed into a Flan Amarillo, resulting in her body falling out of her chains…and you know the rest.
'Terrible Teela' flashed a smug grin at the unconscious Elites. "No one keeps me in a prison." And that was true; after all, she had been in Luca Penitentiary quite a few times in the past…and each time, she had escaped.
With that said, she summoned another fiend part – the muscular legs of the Behemoth fiend – and kicked the cells' metal bars open, releasing the prisoners within. Of course, she had to unlock the shackles (courtesy of the keys conveniently 'dropped' by an unconscious Elite) binding Hirum and Aaron.
"Dang! You just keep getting more impressive by the minute!" exclaimed Trigon, complimenting his statement with a whistle.
"Enough! Can't we just get to the hangar and get out of here? I want normalcy for a change!" yelled Hirum, his tone laced with exasperation.
"But what about Mr. Cid?" asked Serena, anxious with worry. "I want to know if he's okay!"
"Relax kid," said Teela reassuringly as she reached for the automatic doors at the end of the brig's left side. "He's probably still at the Moonflow, wondering where we are."
The instant the doors' sensors sensed Teela's presence, they opened…and in doing so, revealed the battle beyond.
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Cid had engaged in a continuous exchange of laser fire for the better part of the last five minutes; after all, the hallway's struts provided perfect barricades for the two CESS Operatives.
Cid pulled his head behind a strut; #13 unleashed a relentless barrage of laser fire with his BTC-4 rifle, firing from behind the cover of a strut.
The rapid succession of the lasers meant one thing; #13 was depressing the trigger. The BTC-4 laser rifle had an automatic fire capability, but it had a price; if put on auto-fire for too long a time – say, ten seconds – the battery module would overheat and melt down, causing the laser rifle's light amplification system and the electronics within to completely fry. This was why more experienced marksmen – like the CESS Operatives – preferred firing single bolts.
And that was what troubled Cid; at this rate, #13's laser rifle would-
A sudden hissing sound was heard, followed by crackling; it was the sound of the battery module melting, with the frying of electronics following.
Cid took this opportunity to come from behind cover and open fire-
SLAM!
#13 slammed his fist into Cid's sternum, sending the CESS Operative backward by several feet.
As #13 followed up his initial punch with a series of quick strikes to Cid's pressure points, he smiled; his ruse had worked.
You see, he had actually jammed the trigger into the laser rifle and wedged it into a strut; with his superior strength, that wasn't a problem. Whilst the rapid laser fire had kept #34 in hiding, #13 had quietly advanced toward the strut his foe had been hiding behind.
And when Cid had come out of hiding to return fire…well, you know the rest.
#13 quickly hit Cid in the head with a roundhouse kick, following it fluidly with a sidekick to the gut, sending CESS Operative #34 into the wall.
#13 remained silent as he held Cid against the wall; with his free right hand, he reached down for his belt's lone holster and pulled out a small semi-automatic pistol. "Do you wish to surrender now?"
Cid stared at #13 quietly…then he rammed his head into #13's visor, causing the CESS Operative's pistol to lose its target…for a moment.
Without hesitation, Cid quickly pulled out his right B4 SMG, aiming it at #13's head; at the same time, his left hand went for his fellow operative's neck. By this time, #13 had regained his composure.
If one were to watch this – and right now, Hirum and the others were watching from far off – one would've sworn that he were watching a mirror. The 6'6" Cid held his opponent's neck with his left hand, whilst his right hand – which held a B4 SMG – was right next to #13's head.
The 6'7" CESS Operative #13 held his opponent's neck with his left hand, whilst his right hand – which held a semi-automatic pistol – was right next to Cid's head.
Cid and #13 remained deathly silent…it would be so easy for one of them to pull the trigger.
But they couldn't.
They were CESS Operatives. They were one and the same. Asking them to kill a fellow CESS Operative would be like asking them to commit suicide (even though they would say they wouldn't hesitate to do so); it was unthinkable.
So, in the end, what occurred next wasn't really surprising.
Cid and #13 used their left hands to slap away their respective opponent's guns; immediately after this, #13 reached for the wall and wrenched a pipe off. Steam vented from the broken pipeline as #13 swung his crude cudgel.
Cid immediately went for his combat knife; he blocked the pipe with his knife, using both hands to keep #13's pipe from striking him.
"You're making a mistake #34…you shouldn't have interfered with my mission," said #13, his tone calm and even.
Cid's was equally calm. "The same could be said for you; you shouldn't have tried to interfere with MY mission."
"Mr. Cid! DUCK!"
Cid impulsively ducked, allowing #13 to see a purple orb of light come his way.
-Psychic Magic Technique: Psy Blast-
#13 didn't have the chance to do anything as the blast of magic phased through his helmet and collided with his mind…and his reaction was much like Cid's when HE had first endured the Psy Blast.
CESS Operative #13 was sent backward by several feet, his mind completely shut down by the Psy Blast.
Cid looked down at #13 calmly. He then turned around to see Hirum and his Guardians advance toward him; Serena was smiling happily, and Mog was on her head. Patently, the little moogle had used his Mana Conduit to amplify and direct Serena's Psy Blast.
Calmly, Cid reached down and picked up CESS Operative #13. Without saying anything, he immediately turned down the hallway and towards the hangar.
Confused by Cid's actions – they had expected him to immediately check on Serena – Hirum and his guardians followed the CESS Operative.
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/3:24 NT, Bridge, Subnova/
In the bridge of the Subnova, Turo Kerio watched silently as CESS Operative #13 was picked up by the rogue CESS Operative. He had watched the entire fight via cameras untouched during the two soldiers' heated battle…and he had to say that he wasn't happy.
Another thing that upset was the fact the prisoners – and the objective – had escaped.
"Well…that's not good." With that said, Turo left the bridge and went for the nearest elevator; it would lead him to the ship's armory.
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/3:27 NT, Hangar, Subnova/
Whirr…Cid watched quietly as the hangar doors – which were built into the hangar's floor – opened with a metallic groan, revealing the Moonflow and the low clouds that hung over it. Once they finished opening, Cid turned back toward one of the nine black hovercraft. He advanced up the entry ramp and into the hovercraft's cockpit.
Sitting in the pilot's seat was the unconscious CESS Operative #13…and Cid had already entered the coordinates into the ship's autopilot computer. The only thing needed was the actual activation of the ship.
With the press of one green button, Cid turned on the hovercraft's engines. With the press of a small blue button near a small screen, the hovercraft's autopilot function was activated.
Cid quickly stepped out of the black hovercraft as the entry ramp automatically closed on its own. He silently watched as the vehicle was released from the prongs holding it in place, and then descended through the hangar doors. With that done, the hovercraft burst off to the north.
"Mind explaining what you just did?" asked Teela incredulously. "You just let him get away!"
Cid calmly responded with a professional air. "CESS Protocol dictates this: operatives wounded in battle – and are unable to continue their current mission – are to be evacuated by their fellow operatives by any means necessary. He was dealt a grievous wound by the objective, thus requiring immediate evacuation."
"All fine and dandy…but where'd you send him?" asked Aaron with quiet curiosity.
"A classified fallback point in Bevelle," curtly replied Cid. That was all he had to say on that matter.
That pretty much sealed it for Aaron; Cid – this 'CESS Operative' – was somehow connected with BTC. But how…
Can it be…can it be that he's part of the BTC's secret project? Augmented super soldiers? It would make sense; in the entire history of the ABTC and BTC, their 'secret projects' had often varied. The ABTC's secret projects always dealt in aspects that would change many facets of life, both in and out of the militaristic side of things. BTC secret projects rarely veered from the militaristic side of things.
"Can we just LEAVE? I want normalcy for a change!" screamed Hirum; the young summoner had quite frankly had it with all of the strange goings-on.
Trigon's masks switched. "Calm down, Summoner Hirum. We are all stressed as you are…but let's look at the bright side of things; despite the fact we were captured by a powerful enemy, we have managed to escape relatively unharmed."
"Not quite!"
Everyone whirled around; on the opposite side of the hangar was a large elevator platform descending from the ceiling. On it was a massive mechanized combat chassis; two metallic arms ending in pincer-like claws; two hulking robotic legs armed with missile pods; all connected to a glass bubble in which the suit's pilot sat.
In this case, the pilot was Turo Kerio. His voice came through small slots in the glass bubble. "BTC Class-1 Battle Mech. Nifty, eh?" Without saying anything else, he attacked.
-C-1 Battle Mech Attack: Missile Barrage-
A pair of missile pods on the legs opened fire, unleashing a barrage of orange missiles at the group of prisoners. Of course, Turo was still on a mission…and thus, he only targeted Hirum, Teela, Aaron, and Trigon. Serena and Cid were left alone…and this meant Mog was out of the question, since he was perched on Serena's head.
Cid quickly formulated a plan…of course, that plan revolved around one thing; the protection of the objective. He quickly grabbed Serena by the waist and ran for the nearest hovercraft.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Turo, preparing to fire at the hovercraft itself.
"Blizzaga!"
Turo quickly raised one of the battle mech's arms up; the orb of frigid ice magic splashed over the side of the arm, but did little else. Turo chuckled as he stared at Trigon. "You numbskull…magic resistant armor! You won't break me like that!"
The masks switched. "Very well…if magic won't do the job, then let's see if steel can cut steel." He held his katana with one hand, letting it dangle over his shoulders.
"HA! I'll crush you before you even get the chance!" With that, Turo widened the mech's claws and stepped forward.
Suddenly…
BABOOM!
The Elite winced as a pair of two blue lasers crashed into the missile pods he had tried to fire, causing a small jolting sensation in the suit's cockpit; he turned around to see Hirum piloting the Machina Maw…and the two blue lasers had been the aeon's Homing Ray.
"How about you fight machina to machina?" challenged Hirum.
Turo smirked as he widened his claws. "That sounds dandy to me." With that, he charged.
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Inside the hovercraft, Serena winced as Cid dropped her on the floor. "Owie…what's your rush Mr. Cid?"
"Apologies for the rough treatment, but I'm eager to remove you from this hostile area as soon as possible." With that, Cid – having ample experience time with piloting hovercraft during his CESS training (although he didn't know that…at the moment) – activated the hovercraft and closed the ramp.
Grasping the hovercraft's joystick, he directed the vehicle out of the hangar and into the open sky beneath the Subnova before blasting off for the Moonflow's northern bank.
Serena balked as she realized that they were leaving…without Hirum and the others. "Mr. Cid…why are we leaving them behind?"
"Your protection is secondary to nothing, not even their welfare. I had to get you out of that hostile environment as soon as possible." As Cid said this, he was moving towards a forested part of the Moonflow's northern bank.
"But…I'm Hirum's guardian! I can't just leave him!" implored Serena. As if backing her up, Mog angrily chanted, "Kupo kupo! Kupo kupo!"
"No," sternly said Cid. "That's placing you in a danger zone, which is unacceptable."
"But-"
"As far as I'm concerned, anything else that threatens your current security is a liability. If those other people are linked to situations that will put you in danger, then I will cut off contact with those people, despite your protests. That is final." With that, Cid continued his piloting in silence.
Serena frowned as she leaned back against one of the hovercraft's onboard weapon lockers in silence; suddenly, the notion of having her own guardian didn't seem all that swell anymore.
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Meanwhile, back onboard the Subnova…
"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? BACKSTABBERS!" roared Trigon as he shook his fist angrily at the retreating hovercraft that now held Cid and Serena.
"We can trounce em' later!" yelled Teela as she swung her IG-Sword at the C-1 Battle Mech, hacking off his left arm; Trigon had already cut off the right arm with a clean swipe of his katana.
Turo sweated as he backed up against the wall that held a large yellow panel on which red letters were written. He couldn't believe it; BOTH objectives had gotten away, and now the rest of the objective's motley group of allies was cornering him.
"PISTON PUNCH!"
Turo resisted the urge to scream as a blast of air shattered the surface of his cockpit; several shards of glass wedged themselves into his skin. He glared daggers at the Al Bhed, who had donned black robotic arms. "You'll pay for that…you'll ALL pay…no one defies the BTC!"
"Tell it to the judge," retorted Aaron with spite.
Turo sneered as he whirled around, staring at the yellow panel in the wall. "Fine then…at least I'll be making the BTC's job easier…the girl and the rogue operative won't stand a chance without you guys backing them up!" He kicked a hole in the panel with his battle mech's leg, revealing wires and circuitry underneath. As he took aim with his missile pods, he said, "The circuits and wiring behind this panel are part of the Subnova's fail-safe system…several of these panels are located throughout the ship. If one of them is turned off or destroyed, the reactors in the engines immediately shut down…"
Everyone already knew where this was going. Hirum quickly yelled, "DON'T!"
-C-1 Battle Mech Attack: Missile Barrage-
A devilish laugh escaped Turo's gullet as numerous missiles entered through the hole in the yellow panel, utterly annihilating all of the electronics within in a hellish blast of red fire. Turo's laugh was drowned out as he – and the rest of his mech – was incinerated by the blast.
It took a full three moments before Turo's desired affect took place.
The entire airship suddenly lurched downward at seventy-degree angle, causing the entire hangar to tilt over.
The Subnova was in a freefall.
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/3:33 NT, Top of Easy Sleep Inn, Southern Bank of Moonflow/
C-Agents #43 and #59 fought the urge to gape; from their vantage point on top of the Easy Sleep Inn – they had gotten there via a gutter pipe – they could see the Subnova lurch downward toward the Moonflow.
C-Agent #59 groaned. "It's official…crap crap crap…the boss is going to have our heads in a sling."
C-Agent #43 found himself agreeing with C-Agent #59.
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/3:34 NT, Forested Alcove, Northern Bank of Moonflow/
Cid had set the hovercraft down in a small, forested alcove; it was connected with the rest of the forests to the Moonflow's north, which meant they – Cid, Serena, and Mog – could get away from the Moonflow in relative secret.
Right now, Cid was rummaging through the weapons locker onboard the hovercraft; he had currently found two BTC-4 laser rifles, three B4 SMGs, several semi-automatic pistols, and plenty of ammunition; there were even a few battery modules, should the laser rifles' current battery modules completely lose power. "Excellent."
Meanwhile, Serena – with Mog on her head – stared at the Subnova…and when it started free falling, she gasped. "OH NO! Mr. Cid! The airship's falling!"
Cid stood up and looked outside to see the Subnova in what seemed to be a slow motion free fall…of course, the slow motion part was only due to his enhanced nervous system. He felt no remorse for the people onboard. "Only makes me more relieved that we left. You could still be on that ship."
"But I'm Hirum's guardian! Maybe I could've made a difference…maybe WE'VE could've made a difference! We need to help them!" beseeched Serena, her eyes full of unshed tears…and they mostly coming because of Cid's callous attitude toward her charge's and fellow Guardians current predicament.
"No," curtly replied Cid. "I've already said enough on the matter. If they survive, then that's fine. If they die, then that's still fine. I don't care either way…only as long as you remain safe." With that, he turned his attention back to the weapons locker.
Serena couldn't help but have her mouth drop in response; how could Cid act so cold-hearted at Hirum and his Guardians' plight? Didn't he care that they could die? Serena found herself frowning as she thought, Cid…you big meanie!
SPLOOSH!
Despite her anger at Cid, Serena couldn't help but wail as she whirled around to see the Subnova hit the Moonflow. A tremendous geyser of water shot upward as the Subnova plunged underneath the surface, its massive form causing water to ripple outward in large waves.
Serena sank to her knees, letting her tears loose as she did; she had failed as Hirum's guardian.
The Subnova – a mighty airship – was now without its heart: the engines that powered it. Bubbles filled with oxygen leaked out from slots in its hull – most notably the open hangar doors – as it sank further and further downward, becoming one with the ancient machina city of 2000 years past.
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To be continued…
Next time…
Chapter 38: The Depths
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Author's Notes: FFX-3 is now the largest story in the FFX-2 section! WONGA.
POTENTIAL SPOILER UP AHEAD!
Well everyone, a big revelation about Serena's psychic powers comes in the next chapter. And is Cid truly the best thing since sliced bread? Well, find out next time!
See you soon, and please review!