By a Fraction of a Degree
A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129
Rated T for Violence and Language.
I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spin-offs That honor goes to Square-Enix.
SOLDIER 1st Class Bradley is an original character.
Part III: Demons
Chapter 65, Preparations
June 20th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 7:30 AM
Cloud was waiting by the door to the town hall with Tifa when Freya appeared with Argento, Shelke and Shalua, and the swordsman was surprised to see she was wearing her old Turk suit. "They haven't started yet, have they?" she asked as the other three walked past them.
"Not yet," Tifa answered, appearing to be equally surprised. "I haven't seen you wear that in a while."
She shrugged, flashing a sheepish grin, "I know, but I guess… Back when we were still Shinra, we were always in uniform for briefings. That's just how it is."
"Even if you're an ex-Turk?" Tifa asked.
"The vast majority of us that are left may be renegades," Freya said. "But being a Turk is more than working for Shinra, and I guess, some things don't change so easily."
As if on cue, Cloud spotted Liz, Elfe, and Shears coming up behind the lady Turk, and the mercenary Turk was also sporting her suit. Shears and Elfe gave the three of them a nod of acknowledgement before walking into the town hall. Liz paused. "I see it still fits," she said.
"Like a glove," Freya returned.
"We should find our seats before the soldiers Rufus picked for his part of the delegation take them," the mercenary suggested.
"I know," Freya chuckled, "It's really kind of funny, there are so many with GUARDIAN or taking part as independents, he was probably afraid he'd be outnumbered."
Cloud saw Zack and Aerith coming up behind them followed by Vincent and Kunsel. When Zack reached them, he grinned. "Hey Cloud, you guys didn't have to wait up for us. We were on our way."
Cloud shrugged. "I preferred the fresh air," he said at last.
Zack nodded in understanding. "I know these guys aren't the people we'd rather deal with, but it's either this or go it alone against Deepground. Seeing how easily they took Midgar, we need all the help we can get. Even Godo agreed once he saw the recordings we sent."
"So he's going to be part of this too?" Freya asked.
Zack nodded. "Over an encrypted channel. Veld and Reeve are taking care of it. He's probably going to stay out of it since the Wutai military still isn't what it used to be, but even a few troops wouldn't hurt."
He and Aerith walked through the door and Cloud fell in step behind him with Tifa. Kunsel, Freya, and Vincent brought up the rear as they entered into the main room of the town hall. It was a traditional building, with a high ceilings constructed of wooden beams. Several Shinra Infantrymen stood guard at the door to the actual meeting room. Upon seeing them enter, they pushed the door open and Zack purposefully led the way inside. This second room had a fireplace on one end, though it was empty, since the weather was quite warm, and a variety of projectors had been placed around the room, as had about thirty or so seats centered in a semi-circle around an empty space, where three long tables stood in a square arrangement so that the occupants of those seats could see each other, as well as the goings on as the speaker who had the floor could give reports. Rufus already sat at one of these, with Tseng in the seat next to him, and Elena behind him. SOLDIER 1st Class Bradley, as well as three other military leaders Cloud was unfamiliar with also sat at the same table. He saw that Reeve was waiting at the table set aside for GUARDIAN, and Zack sat down next to him while Cloud took the seat to his right. Kunsel took the seat next to him and he noticed that Cid was occupying the space next to Reeve's.
Barret, Nanaki, and Yuffie were already waiting for them, and with Tifa, Aerith, Vincent, and Freya also there, GUARDIAN as an organization had quite a large presence.
He also noticed that Veld was seated at the third table, along with Elfe, Shears, and Shalua. Argento had calmly placed herself in the final seat, the honor of which she had acquired by claiming to be an independent operator in these proceedings. Genesis and Shelke too, were present, though the transparent Tsviet sat behind Argento and the red-haired ex-SOLDIER was standing in the back, seeming content to only watch the goings on rather than taking part.
After a few minutes, where a few other leaders from Shinra, GUARDIAN as well as the leaders of a number of volunteer militias that had come to assist in the defense of Kalm arrived, Reeve got to his feet, clearing his throat. "I presume we are ready?" he asked.
"We're ready," Zack confirmed.
Rufus nodded. "Let's get started."
Reeve walked to the center of the floor. Tseng joined him and after a moment working at a portable console they'd brought in, a screen lit up on one side of the room, revealing the Emperor of Wutai.
"President Shinra? General Fair?" the man asked.
"Is your end of the equipment working properly?" Tseng asked.
"I can here you perfectly well," the Emperor replied.
"Excellent," Reeve said. "Now that all parties are assembled, we can begin. Tseng, if you would update us on our current knowledge of the enemy."
Tseng reached for a file he had been carrying under his arm, and opened it. "Here is the situation as it stands right now. According to the reports we have been gathering from our operatives stationed throughout the city, the Deepground troops have been maintaining their presence in the various sectors. Rosso the Crimson and Azul the Cerulean seem to have taken charge of mustering forces for the assault tomorrow and are amassing their troops near the Sector 6 gate."
"Our operative there has reported at least four division-sized units of soldiers with various squads incorporating specialized troops and mechanized units. They are primarily utilizing Deepground equipment, including a series of walkers we have identified as Black Widows. It would seem they intend to overwhelm us with firepower." He walked over to the table where Veld sat retrieving a file he had placed in front of him. "In our report from Veld and his Turks, Nero seems to be directing all activities at Midgar's military airport. They will be utilizing primarily advanced assault helicopters, dubbed Dragonflies in the report from our operative in Sector 3. That concludes the Turks' report."
At that point, Reeve took the floor. "Thank you Tseng." He went back to the console. "I would now like to direct your attention to the projector on the far side of the room."
The image on the screen cleared after a second, revealing what looked to be the viewpoint of someone crawling on the catwalk. "What's that?" Yuffie asked.
"It is a feed from Cait Sith #6," Reeve replied. "After he parted ways with Zack, I sent him down to investigate Deepground. Unfortunately, what we found wasn't the prettiest of pictures. The faint of heart might not want to watch."
At that point, the view shifted and the little cat seemed to be watching a great pool of Mako over which a large container was being directed before it was dropped into the mass. As it did so, through the speakers, everyone in the room could hear a mass of screams and they heard the voice of the little robot whispering "Good gracious me!" After a moment, the viewpoint shifted again revealing a view of a man in a black mako suit before they heard Cait speak again. "It's Nero the Sable! Oh dear!"
At that point, the video feed went blank.
There was silence for a moment before Shears spoke, the shock coming through in his words. "There were people in that container that was dropped in that lake, weren't there."
Reeve nodded in confirmation. "Based on our intelligence, for whatever reason, Nero has been utilizing troops to gather Midgar's citizens and summarily execute them in this fashion… We are not sure why at this point."
"We can answer that," Argento spoke up. "Weiss seeks to utilize Omega as Hojo did. However, doing so requires a large amount of pure Mako unadulterated by Geostigma. Further, once enough lives have been poured into that stream they will most likely seek to utilize power from the reactors too, in order to trick the Planet into thinking Omega's time of awakening is at hand."
"Regardless, it needs to stop," Kunsel said.
"There is no disagreement on that," Rufus affirmed. "However, I am curious. What is this Omega, you speak of?"
"The final Xenoform," Shelke said. "It is a being similar to the beings that you know as WEAPONs. However, Omega, like Chaos is tied to the end of the world, that is as much as I know at this juncture. Once I have managed to uncorrupt Dr. Crescent's data, we will be able to paint a better picture, but its awakening, if the data fragments I have are providing an accurate picture, will result in the Planet's permanent death."
"So, by slaughtering thousands of innocent souls, and creating a pure lifestream, Deepground, based on Hojo's late guidance, is trying to trick the Planet into thinking the end is near, so that they can harness Omega's power and take control of it before it deploys?" Reeve summarized.
"That is correct," Shelke agreed.
"Why those conniving…!" Cid started and then when everyone looked his way he glared around the room. "I don't know what this Weiss character is tryin' to prove, but he's crazy if he thinks we're gonna let him get away with it!"
"Damn straight," Zack said, his brow knitted. Cloud noticed he was holding Aerith's hand underneath the table as he spoke. He was just as mad, and probably more worried, though outwardly, he was still keeping up a calm demeanor. It wasn't just the burden of a hero, it was the burden of a leader. "Seems it would be best to just put a stop to before it even happens," he observed. "The longer we wait, the more people are going to die and the closer they'll get to summoning this thing."
Cloud was definitely in agreement there. If this thing was anything like how Zack had described Zirconiaide, then he was perfectly happy not seeing this thing deploy at all.
"Maybe we should just get rid o' those reactors," Barret said.
"Out of the question," Rufus said. "They are the primary financial investment of the Shinra company, if they go down, Midgar will go down. Without power, everything will stop."
"Midgar, or at least the cities under the plate did just fine without you before," Shalua commented.
"That's true," Elfe said. "Most towns did fine without Mako power for years. Even in towns that have power there are many homes that are still not connected to the grid. We are not without alternatives."
"It's possible that even without that factor, we may have no choice," everyone looked in the direction of the independents table and Rufus's eyebrows rose as they saw that it was Veld who had spoken.
"Why would that be?" Rufus asked.
"Not only is there the strategic possibility of using the reactors to fuel Omega, but according to our sources there is a key factor in relation to Deepground's units that make them different from a normal SOLDIER," Veld said.
"Mako," Freya observed. "That's right!"
Veld looked in her direction and nodded before speaking again. "As we all know, SOLDIERs are exposed to it, but they aren't physically dependent on it. Without a steady supply, the Deepground troops will be unable to function. As long as they have access to those reactors and the means to process the substance down to tolerable levels for exposure, they will be able to hold the city for quite some time. However, because of this, they are tied to the city to a certain extent, and it is something we can exploit."
"Cruel," Argento commented, "But possibly an effective strategy assuming you can get into the reactors to destroy them."
"And in order to do that, we'll have to actually beat them back enough from their march on Kalm that we can get a few teams in there," Zack said.
Rufus's eyes narrowed but he nodded. He knew the voice of reason when he heard it. They would have to get past over forty to fifty thousand Deepground soldiers in order to get to Midgar's walls. Before they even got that far, they needed a strategy. Finally Rufus turned his attention to Zack. "Well then, General Fair, as the leading authority on invasions and insurgencies, what do you have for us?"
Zack smiled seriously, the usual cocky attitude nowhere in sight. "That depends on what we have, so let's go over that and then we can come up with a plan. One thing we can't do is sit here. Those divisions are marching on Kalm first thing tomorrow morning, and the people in Midgar are counting on us."
June 20th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 12:00 PM
The meeting had taken several hours as everyone worked out what would be done. It was all too tempting to try rushing in and taking the Deepgrounders by surprise, but even the most hot-headed among those at the briefing had to admit it would take an entire day on its own just to get that army together that could stand against such a force. As it was, getting everything they needed by tomorrow morning was going to be a stretch. When everyone had left to deliver individual orders to their various personnel, Zack made a motion as though wiping the sweat off his brow. "Phew, glad that's over," he said, once they were a safe distance away from the town hall.
"You aren't the only one," Cloud agreed.
"Don't relax too soon," Cid said, putting a cigarette between his teeth, we still have that army to fight tomorrow."
"And there's still so much to do before then," Tifa mused.
"I know," Zack said. "But we'll get things worked out. Rufus sent word to Junon that whatever troops couldn't be spared from guarding the city were to get here on the double, and we've got our own troops here. We can do it."
"I hope your right," Aerith said.
Zack took her right hand in his left reassuringly. "Of course I am, we'll get out of this okay, just so long as we keep it together." He looked around at the other GUARDIAN members. "I know all of you have things to do, so don't wait around for me. I'll come and check in on things in a bit, all right?"
"You got it," Barret said. With that, he and Nanaki headed off in one direction while Yuffie went off in another.
Tifa and Aerith headed back towards the safe house with Cloud in tow, and Kunsel was about to follow them in order to go check on the situation with their own forces when he heard Zack say "Hang on a second." The swordsman paused along with Freya and Zack turned to the lady Turk for a second. "Freya, could you give us a moment? We'll be right behind you."
She nodded and walked out of sight behind one of the buildings. Zack gestured that Kunsel follow him and the two SOLDIERs headed towards the wall. "What is it Zack?" Kunsel asked after a second.
"I guess I just wanted to talk for a second," his friend sat down on a bench midway along the wall. "After what happened in the church…"
"Well, can you blame me?" Kunsel asked. "If you're worried that I'm angry Zack, of course I am. I'm angry that you'd think I couldn't handle the fact he was thinking of turning you in… Just because he was dying…"
"It's no excuse," Zack agreed. "But considering what he went through, wouldn't it have been better that way?"
"We both know he wasn't perfect," Kunsel said. "No one is, I guess. But at the same time, I really wish you'd have told me the truth. He was my friend too. Or at least, I think he was," he paused, frowning as he considered what he wanted to say.
"It was the only thing I could do for him," Zack said.
"Even though he could very well have acted on what he was thinking of doing," Kunsel replied, shaking his head. "Idiot… I know why you did what you did," he said at last. "Just don't try and protect us from the truth. I can take the truth. It's the subterfuge I can't stand. Shinra does that too much already without you joining them."
Zack nodded in understanding. "I guess that's true," he stood and looked out over the wastes that made up the gap between Kalm and Midgar. "I'm sorry," he said.
"I'll forgive you this time," Kunsel said. "Just don't do that again."
"I won't," Zack agreed. "That's a promise, okay?"
Kunsel nodded, and the two old comrades spent some time thinking about moments past as the noonday sun beat down on the Kalm parapet, and the dust outside blew across the wastes.
After a moment Zack asked "So, are we good?"
Kunsel looked back over at him, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, we're good. Let's see about winning that battle tomorrow."
"You got it," Zack grinned and after a moment, the two parted ways, Zack to go back to the safehouse, and Kunsel to go take a look at GUARDIAN's equipment to check everything was in order. As he neared the barracks he saw Freya leaning against the wall of a nearby building. She had apparently stopped to wait for him.
"You ready to do some inventory?" she asked.
He nodded, offering her small smile. "Yeah." He felt a lot calmer now than he had since the mission. Luxiere had his faults, and maybe he'd even believed in Shinra's promises, but without that company's deception he wouldn't have been led down that path in the first place. Pulling back the curtains on Deepground, on Shinra as a whole for the entire world to see, would be the greatest service to his friends who had been hurt by them that he could think of. No matter what happened, after this, Shinra would be a shell of itself, its power gutted by the single act of preventing its own creation from destroying it outright. Perhaps it could grow back as a more honest company that didn't try to dominate the world with power, or perhaps it would disappear forever. Either way, he didn't care. Once they got to that point, there would be too much other work to do.
"Anyone home?" he snapped out of it to see the lady Turk standing in front of him.
"I'm here," he replied.
She shook her head and laughed. "Something happen? You aren't usually such a space case. Come on! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go do something a lot less boring." She walked a few steps away before waiting for him.
He followed after her and after a moment she asked a question he may or may not have been dreading. "So what do you think of those Tsviets that came back with you?"
Kunsel nodded to one of their own guards as they walked into the warehouse they were currently using to hold munitions, and various other supplies for the assault. "I'm not sure," he answered. "Based on what we know, they've had a pretty hard life. It's not so surprising they came out of it a little… damaged… I guess."
Freya nodded. "Perhaps in different ways than Zack and Cloud, but you're on the mark. Still, I think they'll be all right, if we give them a chance."
"Even with what they did?" Kunsel asked.
"Maybe. But then, don't forget, I've still got some blood on my hands, friends I didn't save…" Freya trailed off as she examined a rifle on a rack nearby. "But I'm here now, and I've already made my choice. Argento's made hers, it seems like, and I think if we let her, Shelke will make the choice that's best for her too."
"And what was your choice?" Kunsel asked.
Freya looked up at him affectionately, her copper-colored eyes glowing faintly in the dark of the warehouse, slightly backlit by the light from his own hazel ones. "I decided that I'm not going to fail to protect anymore friends. For a while there, I wasn't sure who I was anymore. Could I even say I was really still a Turk when I was helping you destroy the company that brought the Turks into existence? But then I remembered recently what Mao said once. He said he had set his own mission for himself when he decided he wanted to help you for Cissnei. Well, that's the mission I've set for myself as a Turk, and you know what they say…"
Kunsel nodded. "No mission is impossible for the Turks."
The two stayed that way for almost half a minute, each with their own thoughts before the lady Turk turned away from him, busying herself with looking over the status of some rations on a shelf nearby, and Kunsel took the clipboard over to another shelf and started checking that all the numbers matched up. Nothing more needed to be said.
June 20th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 2:00 PM
It was sometime later and Zack and Cloud had just returned from a joint inspection with Rufus and they had decided to have a short spar out in the yard behind the safe-house for a bit. Cloud, having retrieved the rest of the Fusion Swords had placed the various pieces out along a bench and was wielding the two notched blades against his friend in a few sparring drills while Tifa, Aerith, and Denzel watched. Aside from their time at the meeting, during which he'd been asleep at the house, the boy for some reason had taken every opportunity to stick close to Cloud.
"It's because you're his hero," Zack had said when he'd asked him about it on the way back from the inspection. "You did protect him at the Sector 5 reactor after all, and…" he looked a little saddened as he continued. "I hate to say it, but you might be all he's got right now. It's really not that surprising, if you think about it."
Cloud considered that as he and Zack clashed swords. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising, but that made it a little terrifying. In some ways it reminded him of a younger time, when he'd first learned about… he shivered. He wasn't like Sephiroth, no matter how much that man had tried to convince him otherwise. He was Cloud. He was himself, and he would do everything he could to help Zack and GUARDIAN destroy Deepground so that they could get on with their lives and hopefully find Denzel's parents alive and well. He and Zack had fought too hard over this for it to be any other way.
He stepped to the side, parrying the Buster Sword in a particularly deft maneuver and Zack backed off a step, working defensively to compensate for his right side as the muscles in his left arm worked. Months of training his left arm to carry the sword's weight on its own for longer and longer periods were bearing fruit now, and as Cloud blocked the next strike in the pattern they were cutting across the yard, he was almost certain that the strength behind it was at least equal to what he had been capable of with his right hand. It was almost hard to believe he'd been anything but left-handed.
He had stepped back again to avoid a particularly powerful swing and they had brought their swords together when they noticed Argento standing at the door. As the duel continued, she walked over to the bench where Cloud had left his other swords and, out of the corner of his eye he could see she was visually examining them.
About a minute or so later, they paused, having decided they had practiced enough for the day. "Nice job, Cloud," Zack complimented as they headed back over.
"You too," Cloud returned. As they neared the others, he reached for his maintenance kit and sat down next to where he'd placed the First sword, carefully looking over the notched blades for any sign of wear or damage.
Zack was doing the same, albeit very gingerly nearby, using his left hand to hold the sword in place while he used his right hand to clean the blade. His movements were slow and deliberate, as sometimes his muscles would still protest and cramp on occasion and Cloud knew they no longer had the strength required for his friend to use his formerly dominant hand to carry the Buster Sword's weight. They no longer possessed the dexterity for particularly delicate things either thanks to the damage Sephiroth had done, but smaller tasks like cleaning were not beyond him, and he wasn't about to let anyone forget it. What he couldn't do normally, he found workarounds for.
Denzel came over and sat on the grass, watching as the two men worked and not saying a thing when Argento spoke. "It seems my interest has not been unfounded. Your levels of skill are quite impressive."
"Thanks," Zack said. "Was there something in particular you needed?"
"Not especially," Argento replied. "I find it quite informative for taking the measure of a swordsman to see how he fights. However, the real test is on a true battlefield. And it is one I wish to observe."
"And that's why you're fighting with us tomorrow?" Cloud asked.
"These Fusion Swords as you call them, could only be made by a member of the same clan that forged the Buster Sword. It is only right that such a lineage be deserving of equally skillful sword masters. I hope I will not be disappointed."
"I'm pretty sure you won't be," Zack said. "Though a battle isn't exactly for spectators."
"Naturally," the Tsviet agreed. "Which is why I don't intend to be one. If Omega is permitted to coexist with Weiss, the Planet will not survive long. If not for that, I would be long gone by now."
Cloud had just finished cleaning the notched blades and was walking over to the side of the yard where he had parked Fenrir and opened up the compartments. They had been a project he had been working on since he'd ordered the Fusion Swords from Okazaki Sensei. For the first time he actually had blades to store in them and he carefully placed them in each individual slot.
He had just put the First Sword in its last compartment when he noticed Denzel standing behind him. Placing his maintenance kit into one last storage container on the bike he turned around. "Is something up?" he asked.
"My mom and dad…" Denzel said. "They're not dead… are they?"
Cloud tried to think how to answer this. He knew he didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep, especially with the unconditional trust in the boy's eyes. He glanced over at Zack, who was talking quietly with Aerith, and wondered what he would do. Surely whatever he himself came up with wouldn't be nearly as helpful. After a moment, he knelt down next to his motorcycle, checking the condition of the engine and the tires before facing the boy at eye level. "The truth is it's not looking very good right now…" He immediately regretted that as he saw the kid's eyes widen with worry. "But…" he continued, "We can't know for sure until we get in there. There's going to be a lot happening in Midgar, but we will look for them."
Denzel nodded but didn't really say anything.
Cloud was silently hoping what he'd said was the right thing when his shadow asked another question. "What's it going to be like out there tomorrow?"
"Pretty scary," Cloud replied as he stood, dusting off his gloved hands. "But we aren't going to lose. That's for sure."
"Of course you won't!" Denzel nodded in agreement and Cloud was relieved to see the kid seemed to relax a little. At least that couldn't mean he'd completely screwed up, right? He noticed Tifa walking over to join them.
"Don't worry about a thing," she said, smiling at the boy as she put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'll be riding with Cloud tomorrow, and we'll do everything we can, okay?"
Denzel nodded. "Thanks…" he said.
"There you are, 'General Fair.'" The three of them looked up to see Genesis glide around the corner of the building with the grace of a cat. He was grinning a little at the sound of the title from his own mouth. "I don't know if I'll get used to that after all that time you spent as a fugitive."
"What is it Genesis?" Zack asked from across the yard.
"I was simply wondering if you had the chance to see after my sword." The tone of his voice clearly indicated he thought that to be far more important than anything else that was going on.
Zack sighed. "Yes, I did, it should be coming in on our next flight from Widblain."
Genesis gave him a look of surprise. "You've been keeping it that close to Banora? It seems almost a shame then. I could have simply picked it up."
"What are you going to do there?" Aerith asked curiously.
"That is none of your business," Genesis replied.
Zack cleared his throat, and spoke quickly, clearly trying to head off any arguments. "Actually, the plane should be coming in pretty soon. Cid told me he detected it on the Highwind's radar not that long ago. Why don't we go out to the airfield?"
"Perhaps we should," the red-headed SOLDIER agreed. The two of them started in that direction, and once he was sure Fenrir was secure, Cloud decided to follow after them. He wasn't sure how much he trusted Genesis, to be honest. Based on what he'd heard of Zack's stories of him, the man was unpredictable. Not something you wanted under these circumstances.
Half a second later however, he noticed he wasn't the only one doing some following. Denzel had apparently opted to trail after him. He paused, allowing the boy to fall in step next to him, though he wasn't entirely sure if there was something he should do or say to acknowledge this allowance. He settled for continuing on in silence while the kid walked slightly faster to keep pace with him. He shouldn't be out for too long, given the Geostigma, but Cloud decided for now to let it be.
They followed Zack and Genesis towards the town square, leaving the others behind at the safe house and then out the gates to the open field where an even distribution of GUARDIAN and Shinra personnel had set out the boundaries for their airfield. A small shed with a couple of generators attached to it had been set up for the air traffic controllers and Zack led them in that direction, after nodding to one of the guards who was from their side. The emblem sewn onto the simple green uniform the man wore was quite concise. It had been debated on for quite some time among the organization's founding members. But there had been no debate as to the meaning behind it. In the foreground, a single broadsword stood upright, thrust into the ground with the view pointing up at a clear sky in the background. The man saluted at Zack's approach, and maintained it as Cloud followed after, though he seemed slightly curious about the other man and the boy that were with them.
Cloud and Denzel caught up with the other two at the control shed to find Zack returning from inside. "They say the plane should be coming in to land in a couple of minutes," he said. "They just passed over the mountains not that long ago."
Genesis nodded. "Good."
Zack shrugged and leaned against the wall of the shed while Genesis stepped away slightly to watch the sky. After a moment or two, as Cloud and Denzel also stopped to wait near the dark-haired swordsman, Zack called out to the red-head, "So Genesis, I get the whole needing to save the Planet, but there's something else I don't quite get."
"What would that be?" Genesis asked.
"Well," Zack looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "I've been thinking. It seems to me that what Weiss is planning won't exactly help you that much. If he succeeds then this Omega thing'll be constantly hanging over the Planet, threatening to destroy it if the Tsviets don't get their way, and if you're planning to die to save it from… whatever the Planet wants you to save it from… isn't that kind of… not what you want to happen?"
Genesis gave him a withering look. "As long as Mr. Valentine is able to keep that Protomateria of his secure within him, there's no need to worry."
Their conversation was interrupted as their attention was directed to an airplane that was coming in for a landing out on the airfield. It flew around the field before approaching the ground, coasting to a stop on its landing gear. When it came to a complete stop, Cloud saw the door pop open and a couple of familiar figures stepping out onto a set of stairs one of the technicians had rolled up.
Zack also recognized them and gestured that they walk out to join the new arrivals, and offered them a wave.
Jessie waved back, an object wrapped in canvas under one arm, and Dr. Rayleigh smiled as she carried her doctor's bag down the steps. "I found what you asked for Zack!" Jessie called as they came within earshot.
"Great," Zack said. He accepted the canvassed item from her. "Thanks for bringing it."
"It was no trouble," Jessie said. "I did volunteer to help Shalua with tech support after all!"
"I know she'll be grateful for that," Zack agreed, turning his attention to the Doctor. "It's good to see you both made it safely. I know the field hospital is already dealing with its share of issues."
The doctor nodded. "I've brought as many supplies and volunteers from the Mideel clinics as I can."
"Great," the group walked back over towards the air-traffic-control station and he motioned for one of the other GUARDIAN troopers who had been waiting there to come over. "If you would," he said, show the Doctor and her helpers over toward the hospital, and then take Jessie over to our own intelligence center."
The soldier nodded and Zack turned back to the new arrivals. "I'd love to chat, but we've got a battle to get ready for."
"Of course," Rayleigh agreed. "We'll see you later then."
After the two walked out of sight, along with the rest of the plane's passengers, Cloud saw him hand the canvas-covered object over to Genesis. "I hope this is what you've been looking for."
Genesis' expression lit up as he removed the canvas and Cloud finally saw that it had been covering a familiar red steel blade. The swordsman was looking over its condition with apparent approval. "It's in good condition I see. I suppose you were able to retrieve it before it accumulated too much rust, and you cleaned it properly," he murmured.
"Yeah," Zack said, before bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "The truth is, we don't know anything about how Vincent can keep that thing safe, we're not even entirely sure what the Protomateria does at this point. Are you sure you want to take that chance?"
Genesis was silent as he considered his erstwhile enemy's question. "The wind sails over the water's surface, Quietly, but surely."
With that, he sheathed the sword and to Cloud's surprise, a single black wing shot out of the man's back. Without another word, the man took flight, disappearing in the direction of the mountains to the east of town.
June 20th [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 4:00 PM
Vincent once again stood at the window in the computer lab where Shalua and Shelke had been working for the last couple of hours. Once Jessie had joined them, things had gone a bit faster.
"So once we finish with this equipment, you'll be able to fix that data Doctor Crescent put together?" Jessie finished screwing shut the casing for one of the computers as she asked the question.
"Correct," Shelke confirmed. "As I explained, I should be able to resolve the errors on the virtual network. This should help us get a clearer picture of the details of her thesis, on which Professor Hojo based his own efforts."
"With any luck," Shalua agreed. "I think I'm all set over here. What about you Jess?"
"I put it all together, just like you told me," Jessie confirmed.
"In that case, let's begin," Shelke walked over to the reclining chair in the corner of the room around which another one of those bell-shaped devices had been set and picked up the headgear she'd been working with earlier that morning. After sitting down, she prepared to put the headgear on, though Shalua walked over and stopped her for a moment. "Is there anything else you need?" she asked.
"I have everything for commencing the data repair procedure," Shelke confirmed. "From here on in, I will be completely self-sufficient."
"Just… be careful," Shalua said. "We still have so much to catch up on."
Out of the corner of his eye, Vincent saw the door open, revealing Zack, Cloud, Reeve, and surprisingly, Yuffie entering the room.
"If you say so…" Shelke paused as she considered this before lowering the headgear over her brow until her eyes were obscured. "Engaging Synaptic Net Dive in three… two… one…" her body sagged slightly against the back of the chair as her consciousness was more fully devoted to existing within the virtual network and Vincent noticed that a small holoscreen in the center of the room had started glowing.
The new arrivals climbed the stairs to the balcony so they wouldn't be in the way of the two women working below. "So they already got started?" Zack asked.
Vincent nodded. "Just now."
"We would have gotten here sooner," Reeve said, "But our briefing for our own forces ran a little longer than we anticipated. Not only that but Veld needed to make sure everyone was using cleared communication channels."
Vincent nodded, turning his attention back to the scene below. "How are the men handling things?" he asked.
"They seem to understand what's going on," Cloud answered.
"We'll show those Deepgrounders a thing or two!" Yuffie said. "I can hardly wait to take a crack at'em myself. Once they see the White Rose of Wutai's coming after them, there's no way they'll do anything but run for their lives!"
"We can only hope," Vincent said trying to conceal a wry smile below his collar. At that point, everyone's attention was drawn to the projector down below.
"Wow…" Yuffie breathed. Everyone quickly moved to close any window shades that might be open as the projector was now showing a holographic image of the universe. Stars and galaxies floated through the room, reminding Vincent very much of Bugenhagen's observatory. However, he was completely unprepared to hear Lucrecia's voice echo through the room.
"Just as we return to the Planet when our life-light has faded, the planet returns to the cosmos when her time has come."
The image began to focus in on a particular galaxy, going deeper into it, passing clouds of gas, meteorites, stars and comets of all shapes and sizes until finally centering on a single planet Vincent recognized as their own. Lucrecia's voice continued. "Anything that has definite shape will one day cease to exist. The same is true for this world. Before she takes her final breath, the pure lifestreams that flow freely beneath her crust will be brought together into one… by Omega. The ultimate lifeform. His purpose? To gather all life, sentient and non, and lead it into the sea of stars, where it will embark on a fabulous journey, along a road untraveled."
A great cataclysm hit the planet within the image, as the Lifestream gathered at a singular focal point and fire and destruction reigned on the rest of the globe. Soon, the lifestream was jettisoned off the world, leaving it empty and barren. "However, when Omega has lifted the life from this planet, all that will remain will be an empty shell destined to die silently, in the limitless void of space." The universe faded back into the room as Lucrecia continued to speak. "Omega is of the beings often identified as WEAPONs, and Chaos will herald its awakening…"
"All of that's interesting," Yuffie said, "but its stuff we already sort of know, isn't it."
"Perhaps," Shalua said. "But, on the other hand, it looks like there are several other files in here," she had sat down at one of the computer terminals and was scrolling through a series of documents as Lucrecia's voice had gone silent. She paused. "It seems she left some notes here. Most of them do seem to confirm what we already know, but…"
Vincent walked down the stairs to stand behind her and read over her shoulder. "Omega Reports… On Chaos… My conscience tells me that I must leave some sort of record documenting all that I have attempted. That which slumbers within him… The antithesis of Omega… Chaos… Soul wrought of terra corrupt… Before Omega begins his journey to the sea of stars, Chaos will Scourge the world of all things living, sending them back to the Lifestream… Only to be left with the burden of bearing the discarded remains of a dying world. And it was I who… I am so sorry…" His eyes fell to a different file, that was labeled "Protomateria" and began to read the note attached to that one. "I have determined the materia found by Dr. Valentine at the fountain of Chaos to be a type of refined anti-matter formed within the grotto over the past several millennia. I believe the Planet created this instrument out of necessity as a means to control Chaos and prolong its own inevitable fate. By controlling Chaos, the Planet also succeeds in preventing the advent of Omega. If Chaos is allowed to fulfill his destiny of destruction, Omega's awakening cannot be far behind. That is why I…"
A realization dawned on him at that point and he stepped away to stand by one of the windows as the others went to take a look at Shalua's computer monitor.
"Only to be left with the burden of bearing the discarded remains of a dying world…" Reeve mused. "That can't mean…"
"Possibly," Vincent said. "I don't know. There is a lot we still don't know."
"Like how we can protect this Protomateria," Zack agreed. "I'm starting to wonder if it's safe for you to be out on the battlefield tomorrow."
"I should be all right," Vincent said.
"Regardless," Zack said, "I'm going to be sticking close to you. We can't be taking chances."
"Definitely not," Reeve agreed. It was at that moment when Vincent noticed that Shelke had removed the headgear and was resting on the chair.
"If that's how it must be," Vincent said.
She noticed him watching her and said softly "Vincent Valentine…"
He walked a little closer. "What?" he asked.
"This feeling, is this what you meant, by doing something for someone you care about?"
"Perhaps…" Vincent said.
She smiled. "Dr. Crescent's data has begun defragmenting within my mind. I can see many different images. Images she experienced with you. Interference… recovery… so… so tired…"
Vincent gave the girl a last look before rejoining the others, though he noticed Shalua carrying a blanket over to her sister and pulling it over her so she could rest.
June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 1:00 AM
Vincent was sitting by the pond in Lucrecia's cavern, looking up at her form, and hearing the whispers about the cave. "I… I saw you again… Just like you were all those years ago… But Lucrecia… is it true? Even so, I'm still the one to blame… I couldn't stop you… I just…"
"I'm… sorry…" A voice answered.
"Lucrecia?" Vincent asked.
The world seemed to fade into the depths of his subconscious as Lucrecia's words echoed after him… "I'm so sorry…"
The next thing he knew, he found himself in a world of pain. The thought of a young girl lying on the ground floated just out of focus. "Sis… it hurts… please… come save me…" Those thoughts were not his own…
His eyes opened and he found himself sitting up in a corner of the safehouse. That girl in the image… Shalua? Then… He shook his head. Now was not the time to be troubled by such things. There was a battle to be fought, starting in a few mere hours. He could not let himself be distracted right now.
June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 5:00 AM
The sun had just breached the horizon when Zack awoke the next morning. He and Aerith had been sleeping in one of the rooms of the safehouse and now that they were up, they wordlessly went about preparations for the day. Aerith was making sure her staff and materia were in order as Zack debated what sword he was going to use. He could take the broadsword with him, but something about the situation told him no. He would be leading an entire army… and somehow as his eyes fell on the Buster Sword, he realized it was time. He was ready.
Taking up the blade with his left hand he secured it on his back and he and Aerith walked out onto the landing to find Cloud waiting for them, his own swords prepared, and Tifa standing next to him, her fighting gloves donned. Down below, he saw Freya with her shotgun over her shoulder and Kunsel with his gunblade slung across his back. Walking down the stairs, he saw Nanaki checking that his own equipment was in order as Barret finished some last-minute maintenance on his gun-arm. Upon going outside, he saw that Yuffie was holding her shuriken in one hand while Cid was balancing his spear over one shoulder. Off in the distance, he saw the Highwind, ready to depart, and he knew, it was time to go.
Elfe and Shears stood nearby, ready to join them at the front. They would be providing support to the medics on the field. Once everyone who had been at the safe house was assembled, Zack silently gestured that they walk across town to the air field. As one, everyone made their way in that direction, and Zack could see women and children looking out the windows as they passed. Most of the able-bodied men along with several women had volunteered once it became clear what the repercussions of failure would be. This was it.
They soon walked out of the city gates and through the refugee camp until at long last, they had reached the airfield and the Highwind, although at that point, he had a surprise waiting for him. Argento and Shelke also stood there, and that had been expected, along with Liz, the other Turk who had returned from the operation to remove the Restrictors, however Rufus, Tseng, Veld, and Elena were also there, as well as a familiar man in a red duster.
"So you decided to come back?" he asked.
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return. It occurred to me that perhaps you did need my assistance after all," Genesis said haughtily.
"As for ourselves," Rufus said. "We thought it appropriate to see you off, given the possibility you might not be coming back."
"I'd rather not think about it," Zack said. "But think about this Rufus, if we don't, what's left between you and them?"
Rufus smiled. "Let's hope we don't find out."
"For once, I think we totally agree," Kunsel said.
With that, Cid led the way up the ladder into the Highwind and once everyone was on the bridge he took the helm. Zack walked to the front of the deck looking out over the village and refugee camp. The truth was, they couldn't fail. The entire world was counting on them. "Cid?" he said. "Let's get going."
"Roger that, General."
With that, the airship lifted higher into the air and made its way west to where their forces would be set up on the edge of the wastes.
Next chapter, the battle for Midgar begins! Don't miss it!