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, SOLDIER 2nd Class Eli, General Kant, General Hume, and General Nietzche are original characters.

Part III: Demons

Chapter 66, The Longest Day Part 1

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 6:00 AM

Cloud watched the ground fly by underneath the Highwind as they neared the place where they were planning to meet the oncoming Deepground troops. In the morning light, the wastes look pale and empty, though he could see the canyons, hills, and ravines off in the distance, marking the last barrier between Kalm and Midgar.

"It's something, isn't it," Zack said after a moment.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "And there's still a long way to go."

Zack nodded, holding Aerith close as they all watched the army they would be leading come into view below them. It was huge, made up of every available trooper and SOLDIER Rufus could divert from Junon, every man and woman they could draw from their own reserves, and every volunteer they could find. Cloud could see several of Shinra's other airships and fighter planes soaring through the sky on patrol, and the artillery units from the mechanized division that had formerly been Scarlet's.

"You just make sure you all survive long enough to kick the Tsviet's asses," Cid chimed in. "Remember, if you live, everyone behind ya lives, if you die, everyone behind you dies. If any of you don't make it, I'll personally follow you to hell, drag you back, and kill ya again."

"How inspiring," Freya chuckled derisively. "But no worries there, we'll make it. After all, we're here now, and there is definitely something waiting for us on that horizon."

"It's ironic," Elfe said. "Once, we tried to destroy that city out there, but now we're going to liberate it."

"From the last of Shinra's mistakes," Shears finished for her.

"For those who have died, and those who still live," Nanaki said.

"And those who want to keep living and stealing materia!" Yuffie chimed in.

"I don't know about stealing materia," Barret said, "But we're gonna show those #$&$^#* what happens to folks who wanna rule the Planet!"

"We'll make sure it isn't destroyed before its time," Aerith said.

"And save who we can!" Tifa added.

"No matter what happens," Kunsel said, "We have to win."

Everyone let out a whoop as the Highwind landed near the front and Cloud saw Zack looking thoughtful as he led the way towards the hold, where Fenrir waited along with the heavier equipment. As he carried out the final check on his motorcycle, he heard Aerith ask his friend "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Zack said. "Just thinking about what we're going to say to the troops when we get out there. It's more than just saving the world. This is also a chance for us all to regain something. I want them to know that." Just as Cloud finished making sure his swords were secure, he noticed Shelke watching them from the door.

"This is true," Vincent said. Cloud hid a small smile as Zack nearly jumped in surprise. The Ex-Turk had come up right next to him without him even noticing.

The swordsman gave the Turk a wry grin. "Haven't I asked you not to do that?"

"Perhaps," Vincent said. "The latest reports are that we should be making contact with Deepground's forces in approximately half an hour."

"All right then," Zack said. "Let's make sure we're ready." He turned his attention to Aerith. "You be careful, all right?"

She nodded. "You too, you're the one who's going to be in the thick of things."

He smiled. "Yeah." With that he gave her a last kiss.

"Don't worry," Shears said, walking up behind them, "Me and Elfe'll look after her."

"You'd better," Zack said, giving the martial artist a serious look.

Cloud felt a tap on his shoulder and looked behind him to see Tifa. "Are you ready?" she asked.

He nodded and mounted Fenrir, gesturing that she get on behind him. "Hang on tight," he said. "It's time to go." That was the last thing he heard before the cargo hatch opened up and he pulled on a pair of sunglasses to block the sunlight filtering in from outside. As he rolled the motorcycle out, he found the Highwind surrounded by men, SOLDIERs, troopers, GUARDIAN, and militia members from the local villages alike. It was jarring to see this many people in one place, and as he rode ahead he could hear people calling out in recognition that GUARDIAN's leaders were here to lead the assault. Finally he reached the front of the line and waited for the others to catch up. Zack soon came after, the Buster Sword on his back, with Kunsel and Vincent next to him. The others were spreading out, Barret and Liz headed towards the artillery, while Freya, Yuffie, and Nanaki were taking positions further down in the other direction.

Zack walked forward a little until he was standing on one of the higher rocks, and Cloud heard several of the people around them muttering, wondering what would happen next. He then recognized Eli a short distance away, and on the other side, he saw a man Kunsel had identified as Bradley, who had been given the leadership position for SOLDIER after Heidegger had been arrested.

He saw Zack raise a pair of binoculars and look out on the wastes as the Highwind lifted into the air behind their forces. Tifa gripped his shoulder nervously. The entire army was silent save for a few murmurs from the back. After a moment, Zack lowered the binoculars and then looked back at the people that would be under his command, and he pulled a headset out of his pocket, clipping it to his ear and adjusting the microphone. "All right," he said, "can everyone hear me?"

His voice echoed out of a couple of speakers on a few of the tanks in the area.

"Loud and clear!" Someone called from the back.

"Great!" Zack said. "Because Deepground is about twenty minutes away right now, and before we get out there, I have some things to say."

With deliberation, he walked to the top of the rock looking out at the empty wastes before taking a deep breath and turning to face everyone as a stiff breeze blew across the silent, empty hills. "I just want you all to know, this battle is bigger than any we've ever fought. Yesterday we talked about tactics and what units are stationed where, but there's much more here than just soldiers and officers and mech units. The size of the army we're facing may not be the same as what SOLDIER faced when they fought Shinra's wars in Wutai, but this is a different kind of fight. Then, it was a fight to control a country. Right now, we're fighting for something far different. We're fighting to protect ourselves from our own shadows. The darkness that lay below Midgar is rising up to try and end the world as we know it. This power didn't come from nowhere. It was a power we helped to create when we gave ourselves to the Shinra company."

"Our friends were taken by it, our families became victims of it, and for years, we quietly let the old president do as he wanted with it. Deepground is everything that is wrong about the Shinra company. The shadow of SOLDIER, the dark side of its soul. I think you've heard the stories GUARDIAN has told through rumors. About a guy named Professor Hojo, who used SOLDIER for his own ends, of Heidegger and Scarlet, who tried to use Deepground to take over the world, and you know very well that Weiss the Immaculate's trying to do the same." he drew the Buster Sword, letting it catch the light of the morning sun.

"Back when I was in SOLDIER, there was a man who said we had to have dreams to aspire to, pride in what we were, and honor in our position as Shinra's best fighters. That man's name was Angeal Hewley, and this is his sword!" He lifted it higher so that everyone could see. "After the Genesis incident, we were forced to hunt him down like a dog. A good man, simply because he was a failed experiment. It was this kind of thinking that spawned Deepground in the first place. We allowed this to happen, because we blindly trusted. For that our dreams were taken, our pride was stripped away as was our humanity with the threat of becoming living experiments, and our honor was tarnished as we were forced to turn on our comrades who refused to follow. But no more!"

He turned around and thrust the Buster Sword in the direction of Midgar. "There is the city we once protected, and today, we move to retake it! And not just the city. This is the day we move to save our families still trapped in there. This is the day we protect those people here on this planet that are depending on us! This is the day we regain our dreams of a better future! This is the day we retake our pride as free men! And this is the day SOLDIER and any others who would fight for it… No matter what happens, we will regain our honor, as SOLDIER and as the people of this planet! GUARDIAN stands with you! Do you stand with me?! The time is now! This will be that day!"

As his shouts echoed across the wastes, cheers began to rise from the crowd and as his voice shouted louder over the assembled army, Cloud noticed fewer and fewer people holding back. It was quite probable that not everyone completely agreed with everything he'd said. Some still trusted Shinra, and there was nothing that could be done about that, but with the news that Deepground's troops were approaching, he couldn't help but join in the cheers with Tifa next to him.

After a moment of letting out the tension Zack once again thrust the Buster Sword towards Midgar. "All right, let's move out! If we see this through, we'll be at the city gates by nightfall!" With that, the army started to march towards the next hill. Cloud rode his motorcycle a little ahead, followed by Shinra military transports bearing troopers and helicopters with SOLDIER contingents and he saw Zack pull himself up into the back of one of them as they all rocketed over the wastes. It was not long before they crested over the next rise, and with the wind blowing in his hair, the swordsman saw the forces of their enemies approaching on transports of their own, with footsoldiers, gunmen, and swordsmen poised to do battle in their mako suits and Deepground SOLDIER uniforms, flanked by Black Widows and Heavy Artillery soldiers. He saw their own troops run into the fray, guns blazing, and with Tifa grabbing a strong hold around his waist, he reached for the First Sword and gunned his engine, driving Fenrir straight into the heart of the nearest cluster of enemies, cleaving several of the oncoming combatants when he strafed past them, his Wall materia flashing as he brought up the magical shield. Bullets were already pelting off it as he flew by.

He caught sight of a powerful Ice spell off to his left that Tifa had just cast. In his rearview mirrors he had already spotted Zack disembarking to join Vincent in fighting off several other gunmen though the others were all too far down the line for him to tell where they were. After that, his awareness was only dedicated to the enemies that were around him, and he brought Fenrir around for another pass, this time with a mastered Bio spell dispersing in his wake.

After landing on the ground, Zack retrieved the Buster Sword from his back and charged, focusing his energy on a Wall and rushing into the fray. As the familiar shield enveloped him he lifted his blade higher, blocking one of the regular SOLDIERs in Deepground's command before whirling around and decapitating the man. He was about to turn his attention towards his next opponent when a gunshot rang out and he saw a third Deepground soldier drop to the ground. Vincent lowered his weapon before moving to cover the swordsman's back.

Off in the distance he spotted the tail of a familiar red duster. Genesis was moving through the soldiers coming at him in an elegant flurry of strikes with Rapier. Argento was also near him, and with each blow from her broadsword another enemy soldier fell. Volleys were being traded left and right as were sword strikes as the other SOLDIERs and regulars of their own army followed them into the fray. That was when up ahead he spotted a Black Widow flanked by a pair of helicopter-like vehicles Rufus's intelligence had identified as Dragonflies coming over the hill.

Running up the incline, he downed a couple more Deepground soldiers before hopping lightly up onto the Widow's outer hull. Several other soldiers shot at him as he did so, but his Wall held and Vincent fired off five shots behind him. With the Dragonflies now in range, he deployed a Fire 3 at one of the helicopters, and its fuel tanks quickly exploded as he turned his attention to driving the Buster Sword directly into the hull of the Widow. Metal screeched as he dug into the armored vehicle and soon, the blade found the engine. The Widow sputtered, its legs collapsing to the ground as the joints and engine sparked. He was backing away from the tank so as not to get caught in the blast he was expecting when the other Dragonfly went up in a conflagration and he noticed Genesis was in the air, his wing out and his sword aflame. He reminded himself to thank the man later. For now his attention was required elsewhere. He signaled that Vincent should follow him in the direction of another Widow and they began the process of fighting through the Deepground army anew, bullets continuing to sing around them.

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 9:00 AM

Barret was riding atop one of Shinra's military transport trucks, guns blazing into the fray as they slowly made their way further into the thick of things, surrounded by variety of artillery units, including a second Motor Ball unit that had been pulled from Shinra's reserve in Junon. Several of the walkers up ahead were advancing on some Deepground regulars as the truck pulled to a halt. The last couple of hours had been a flurry of skirmishes as their unit had been fighting down three or four companies. The smoke and dirt flying through the air from the mess was making it a lot more difficult to tell friend from foe until they got up close.

Barret adjusted his gunarm, replacing the clip. They were slowly making headway into the canyons separating Kalm from Midgar, but that would make the passing even more treacherous. The road they were rolling along was open and their rear well defended, but further down on either side, he was certain their allies would be weeding out the enemy for quite some time. His attention was directed at that moment towards a pair of Heavy Armored Soldiers and he unleashed another barrage from his gunarm. He had to duck off the truck as a pair of missiles flew in his direction. Fortunately the vehicle got off unscathed but one of their helicopters went down behind him. With the inferno at his back, he opened fire again, hitting both soldiers squarely in the face, before he detected the sound of two powerful punches behind him. When the soldiers went down, he saw that Liz had appeared behind him, dusting off her hands.

"Thanks Turk," he said gruffly.

"Don't thank me yet," the mercenary replied. "We've been given the order to advance further. Intelligence says we'll be coming up against some of the higher level Tsviets soon. How are the ammunition supplies for this squad?"

Barret looked around at the mechanized units in their group. "We should be all right to last the next couple of hours."

"Good," Liz began. It was only at that moment when Barret caught the glint of a rifle up on the ridge and pulled Liz down below him, firing several rounds in the sniper's direction.

"They think they're so bad," he scoffed. "We'll show'em what's what!"

"Great, you continue on your route." Liz turned her attention to some of the SOLDIERs. "I want a few of you up on the ridges now looking for other snipers. Get to it!"

Barret nodded in approval as the SOLDIERs followed the order and turned his attention to the road ahead of the squad. There was no telling when the next unit of Deepgrounders would appear.

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 10:00 AM

The sun was getting higher in the sky as Cid piloted the Highwind over the canyons. The weapons systems were functioning perfectly and they'd had a certain amount of success with deploying operatives further down behind enemy lines. They'd had a few near misses with Dragonflies over the course of the morning, but overall, the Highwind had managed to win out in terms of firepower. It was a much larger aircraft than a helicopter, and therefore capable of carrying much heavier missiles.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Shelke at the ship's computer station. "Detecting several PT Class Dragonflies on the approach from our eleven. They seem to be deploying heat seekers."

"Cargo bay! Decoys! On the double!" he yelled into the speakers.

"Done sir!" a voice echoed over the radio.

"Brace for a hard right!" Cid turned the wheel and just out of the side of the window he saw evidence of several explosions where the Highwind had just been situated before an even larger one racked its way throught the ship. "Status! What the hell was that!" Cid demanded.

"A pair of B1 Alphas just went down a short distance away," Shelke reported. "The pilots managed to bail out, but they still need to be recovered by an emergency crew. Damage to the Highwind minimal."

"They're gonna pay for that!" Cid growled. "Return fire on my signal! Let's teach these #$%^&!#$ a lesson!"

It wasn't long before several Dragonflies crashed into the wastes below, victims of the Highwind's own missile stockpile.

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 12:00 PM

Kunsel was creeping along a deep ravine with Eli behind him along with several other SOLDIERs. The sun was directly overhead as they made their way through the rocky crags. Fortunately the ravine was sheltered in such a way that snipers would have a very difficult time interfering in the event of an ambush, but he could still hear the sounds of bullets and clanging swords echoing off the walls every now and then as conflict raged over and around the surrounding area.

Up ahead he could see the ravine was starting to open back out, giving a pretty good view of the next few hills and he motioned that a couple of the other SOLDIERs check the walls. The others were taking a moment to rest a little when his PHS buzzed. "Yes?" he said as he brought the com device to his ear.

"We're detecting an enemy infantry unit a short distance from your next checkpoint," He heard Jessie say on the other end. "There's a high chance you'll need to engage in order to reach it."

"Roger that."

Hanging up the PHS he waited for his two sentries to return. Upon reentering the ravine a few moments later, they walked up to him. "Report," he said immediately.

"Not much in the immediate area," one of the 3rds reported. "We found a few spent rifle clips." He showed him the cartridges.

"Good work," Kunsel said, turning to some of the men nearby. "Eli?"

The 2nd Class looked up from where he was talking to a couple of the other SOLDIERs. "Yeah?"

Kunsel pulled out a map and laid it out on the ground so everyone could see. "After this ravine opens out, we've got a spot where another hill causes the path to fork. I want you to take half the squad, on the left side. Stay under cover. It'll take you around the hill and should hopefully get that enemy unit from behind. I'll take the other guys to the right and run interference, since that's the way they're most likely to try any second advances."

"How do you know that?" One of the younger 3rds asked.

"Don't they still give you guys field training out here?" Kunsel returned.

"Most of it was all sims after you left," Eli said, grinning sheepishly.

Kunsel rolled his eyes. "Of course. Heidegger. Just follow your superiors, they'll know the route." He indicated a line along the topography of the hill with the point of his Gunblade. "All of you 2nds, I know you had me for orienteering. So get to it!"

"You got it Sir!" Eli said with a grin and turned to his half of the squad. "All right. Follow me, we're moving out!" Once they were away, Kunsel turned to his remaining SOLDIERs and gestured they follow him down the path on the other side of the hill. He walked quickly at the head of the line, eyes alert for anything that might indicate the enemy's presence, his gunblade at the ready. Though he could hear the sounds of aerial combat overhead, and the sound of machine guns nearby, he had yet to locate the source of the latter. Even so, things seemed to be all right when they neared the other side of the hill.

A gunshot rang echoed off the hillside and Kunsel spotted a Deepground soldier drop to the ground from where he'd been holding a rifle. He immediately looked in the other direction and saw Freya slip out of the bushes, with a couple of scouts in GUARDIAN uniforms. "Thanks," he said.

She grinned. "Don't mention it." The two of them looked up in the direction the enemy soldier had been advancing from and they spotted several more coming their way. "Looks like it's time to see how much more damage a Turk can do than a SOLDIER, huh?" Freya gave him a crazy grin, pulling back the slide on her shotgun to reload.

"That a challenge?" Kunsel asked, before firing a round from his gunblade, causing another advancing enemy soldier to drop.

"What else would it be?" Freya said. She had brought up her shotgun to line up her next kill.

"You're on." Kunsel answered, his tone dead serious, before he raced forward, leading the charge as several of his SOLDIER brethren fanned out ready to take positions on different parts of the hill. Freya caught up with him, taking point next to him as her riflemen took up positions. He brought his gunblade up and around in a wide arc to counter an opponent wielding a sword before his next strike swiftly cut his enemy to the ground. He could hear the lady Turk pause to aim a shotgun blast at three more Deepgrounders. Two of them dropped and another was cut down by one of the other SOLDIERs.

The brown-haired ex-SOLDIER and the lady Turk raced across the battle field occasionally cutting down enemies. At one point, Kunsel heard a bullet whiz by and stopped to fire his gunblade at another Deepground soldier that was aiming for his compatriot's head. She had just spotted it and ducked, firing a blast of her own through the brush. "Was that yours, or mine?" she asked when the man dropped.

"I think it was me," Kunsel said.

"You sure?" she asked. Their banter was interrupted when a flash of red loped down from a nearby cliff, followed by a Conformer which deftly connected with another enemy soldier's head.

"Hey guys! I'm here!" The ninja landed next to Nanaki, catching her conformer out of the air before touching the ground.

"We've got something big headed this way!" The red lion said. "It appears to be one of their Black Widow units, though it seems to be more heavily armored." His tail swished impatiently.

"In that case, everyone get to cover, we'll take it as it heads near that canyon over there," Kunsel ordered. "Move it people!"

Everyone retreated to cover and waited. After a moment, the mechanical monstrosity appeared over the ridge they'd just occupied. He sincerely hoped Eli hadn't been too early in getting to the next point on the map because that thing looked like it might have been headed straight from their next checkpoint. After a moment, he reached into his pack, producing a grenade. A couple of his other SOLDIERs did the same, and after pulling the pin out, they each threw their explosives in unison and ducked for cover. He ground erupted around the Widow and once he was certain the way was clear, Kunsel ran forward, putting up a wall as Freya loaded her weapon with single-shot slugs. Machine gun fire peppered the ground around him and he rolled under the machine as several of his squad sparred with the Deepground soldiers escorting the mech. Looking at the underbelly of the thing, he thrust his gunblade up with all his might cutting into the hull with all the strength a SOLDIER could muster.

Once he felt the blade penetrate through the hull, he fired several shots. Sparks flew and he pulled free just before a small explosion wracked its way through mech, sending out a small shockwave. The swordsman had just spotted another Heavy Armored Deepground Soldier coming their way when he heard a gunshot behind him. Sparing a glance, he saw Freya running up after him and an enemy SOLDIER dropping to the ground. She took up a position behind him, covering his advance.

"You all right?" she asked.

He turned his attention back to the Heavy Soldier and fired two bullets from his own weapon. One of them went wild, but the other connected with the man's chest. "Perfect," he said. He was about to fire another shot when a conformer flew out from behind the rocks they'd been sheltering under.

"Yeah!" He turned to see Yuffie jump up and down in celebration. "We got him!"

"Shouldn't we celebrate later?" Nanaki said, padding up next to Kunsel.

Kunsel let out a breath and took stock of their men. Most of them seemed to be all right, with a scratch or a wound here or there, however a couple of his 3rd Class SOLDIERs lay still on the ground where they'd fallen to the Widow's machine gun fire. "All right," he said, raising his voice to take charge of the situation. "We'll give ourselves a moment to patch ourselves up and then we'll continue to the check point. We can't keep Eli waiting." They'd been lucky this time, even with a couple of casualties. Even so, they were managing to advance, and every step closer to Midgar, meant a few less innocents might die at Weiss's hands.

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 2:00 PM

The sun had almost been blotted out by the smoke from gunfire and explosions as Zack and Vincent hurried along a cliffside that ran parallel with a ravine. They'd been making good progress so far. Midgar was almost within sight, he just knew it, and it would probably take the rest of the day to fight their way to the city gates. The Deepgrounders had been falling back for the most part, something he was grateful for, though he and Vincent had been keeping an eye out for any sign of more powerful adversaries.

Vincent materialized next to him. "How are things on the other side of the cliff?" Zack asked.

"The others seem to be holding their own," Vincent said.

"Good…"

At that moment, Zack's PHS buzzed and he hit the button that would direct the call to his headset. "Yes?"

"The satellite is sending us data indicating the chips corresponding to Rosso the Crimson and Azul the Cerulean are nearing your combat zone. Prepare to intercept."

"Thanks Shelke. Just keep doing that great job as our eye in the sky, okay? We're counting on you!"

There was a silence and then the girl on the other end answered "No one's ever 'counted on me' before General. It feels rather strange."

"No worries, I'm still having trouble getting used to being called 'General' and it's been months since that started." Zack said with a grin as he crept further, bringing his voice low. "It's actually kind of nice to be counted on, isn't it?"

Shelke considered. "Maybe, but I need to get back to my duties."

"Don't worry, you're doing fine. Over and out." Zack hung up and crept over the hill, his hand already on the grip of the Buster Sword. He could hear Vincent behind him, Cerberus at the ready. The two of them rushed over the summit and hurried back down the dip to the other side. A swordsman and his shadow under the darkened skies. They were nearing the next portion of the ravine, and another cliff loomed overhead on the other side when Zack felt the vibrations of something very large approaching through the ground beneath his boots. He paused, looking out over the path ahead and he went into a forward stance, his weapon in a guard position, a Wall spell coming into existence.

Vincent stood at his left at the base of the hill and they waited as the origin of the vibrations approached, coming into visible distance as he stepped out of the haze of exploded dirt and smoke.

Azul's eyes lit up and he grinned wickedly upon seeing the two men. "There you are," he said, lifting up the hand cannon he was carrying.

Zack adjusted his grip on the Buster Sword. "Yup, here we are." There was no point in exchanging pleasantries at this time. He ran forward dodge-rolling as he went to avoid being hit by the blast of a shot Azul had been aiming at his head before bringing up the sword to connect with the handcannon's barrel, finding himself in what was for him, the unusual position of being faced with a fighter taller than himself. As Azul pushed down on the shorter man's blade, Zack narrowed his eyes at his opponent, pushing back through the deadlock. Even with his own advanced strength, he could feel Azul's raw power through the force applied, but he had not been training all these months for nothing. He could withstand this crushing force for at least a few more seconds.

At the edge his awareness Vincent appeared at the top of the nearest hill and aimed, firing directly at Azul's head, causing the Tsviet to duck out of the way, breaking contact and firing his gun rapidly. Zack dodged into the bushes as Azul sent a line of machine gun fire after Vincent who had begun running quickly across the battlefield, returning fire with a strafing run of several bullets from Cerberus before folding into his cloak and out of danger.

Zack took the opportunity as the gunman vanished to run forward in another assault, however, this time, Azul was too distracted allowing Zack to jump up, a boot landing square in the Tsviet's face before leaping to the wall of the cliff. Using his momentum, he pulled for as much altitude as he could before coming down on his opponent, using gravity to bring the blade hard across Azul's shoulder. Azul blocked again however, his large hand catching the Buster Sword and knocking the swordsman away, down into the ravine.

As he was about to climb out, ready to go in for the next assault, he noticed Vincent reappearing in the branches of a dead tree just above him and fire several shots before fading back into himself and floating up onto another boulder.

"Hold still Vincent!" Azul growled, sending out a shockwave that knocked Zack back down. "I need to make sure you end up like your friend."

Zack chuckled derisively as he pulled himself up once again. "Please." He took a running leap, hopping off the side of the ravine in order to get a good foothold on the cliff walls and land back on his feet in front of the blue giant. "It takes a lot more than that."

To his surprise, Azul stopped firing and began laughing on his own. "Hahahaha! This is how a battle should be! Don't you think so?"

Vincent reappeared nearby, Cerberus aimed at the Tsviet's heart.

"Not really," Zack said. "If it were up to me, we wouldn't be trying to kill each other."

Azul laughed again. "But then what else is there?!" he demanded. "It's that sort of weakness that will be your undoing! Now, feel my truth strength, feel the wrath of Azul the Cerulean!"

With that, their smokey surroundings became brighter than the light of the sun. Zack heard a roar that sounded more like it came from an animal than a man and through his fingers as he tried not to be blinded, he could see that some kind of transformation was taking place. It was the reverse of what had happened with they had been escaping from Midgar. The Behemoth-like beast emerged as the light died and Zack and Vincent were forced to dodge in opposite directions as the monstrous Tsviet charged.

Cloud and Tifa had gone farther out into the field after the advancement of the gasoline trucks had caught up enough for Fenrir to be refueled and they were currently speeding through a series of plateaus to help support another squad of GUARDIAN soldiers that had advanced further ahead of the main line. His eyes were on the route ahead, scanning for any sign of enemy activity, as the wind blew through his hair and he felt Tifa holding him tight, the ground flying by underneath them.

The way opened out for a bit as Fenrir screamed through the gully and over the next hill before he swerved hard to avoid the next cliff. The speed was exhilarating, and even though motion sickness was always threatening to strike when someone else was driving, the open feeling and the sense of control had been more than enough to dissuade it. The engine roared beneath him, as he prepared himself for the next curve.

A flash of red caught his attention a split second before Tifa raised a hand to indicate it, and both of them leapt from the seat of the motorcycle a split second after he drew the First Sword and slammed on the brakes. Tifa grabbed onto a nearby ledge before pulling herself up while he used his own forward momentum to propel himself towards their opponent. Rosso's blade met his and they were knocked apart by the sheer force of their blows before landing on the ground.

Rosso kicked off the face of the cliff before grabbing a handhold and pulling herself effortlessly over the edge to stand above the two of them. "Vell Cloud Strife, so good to see you again. Vould you and your friend like to play?"

"Do we have a choice?" Tifa asked.

"Probably not," Cloud murmured.

"Get up here, both of you! Or I vill come down and haf my vay with you vhere you stand!" Rosso taunted.

Cloud motioned that Tifa follow him up the path slightly to the right of where they stood. Fortunately, he had slowed Fenrir enough that it was able to come to rest in a stand of bushes nearby, but he would have to fix the paint job at a later time. Right now, he only spared a moment to attach one of the notched blades to the first sword before continuing up the rise.

Upon reaching the top the two of them spotted the Crimson Tsviet who lifted her bowlike weapon and fired off several strafing shots as she ran towards them. Cloud raced through the blasts, dodging and weaving to come at the woman before they traded several strikes. Out of the corner of his eye as her blade clanged against the First Sword he noticed Tifa getting ready to rush the Tsviet from behind. Good. He pressed the assault but the Tsviet reached out with a kick, attempting to trip him. He evaded the maneuver but his rhythm was thrown off sufficiently that her next strike knocked him backwards into the side of a large boulder.

Tifa picked that moment to jump in, running forward and landing a hard kick to the Tsviet's back. Rosso let out a grunt and then turned around, attempting to punch at her with her free hand. Tifa was having none of that and weaved to the side before landing a heavy uppercut to Rosso's chin. The Tsviet staggered for a moment before glaring at the martial artist and ran at her in a charge with a furious battle cry. "You! I'll haf you're head for that!"

Taking advantage of the Tsviet's distraction, Cloud lifted himself up onto the rock and cast a Fire 3 at the Tsviet's back. Unfortunately it missed as she spotted it and rolled to the side. The spell lighted a stand of brush just behind her. The flames crackled under the clouded skies which were starting to become darker overhead, but it had gotten Rosso's attention. She scaled the top of another rock and took a running start. Cloud followed suit and the two met in the air once more, their swords clashing several times before they hit the ground.

Tifa was behind the Tsviet again and Rosso had to back away a couple of steps so that the two of them were at a better angle for her to defend. She was forced to bring up her blade with one hand to defend against one of Cloud's swordstrikes but that left her vulnerable when Tifa used another nearby boulder to push off of and land another kick to her exposed right side.

Rosso was quickly losing her poise, and she let out another angry yell as she attempted to bring her blade around to try and slice Tifa in two, but the martial artist was too fast and was able to duck into a crouch. She attempted a hard side-kick from the ground but Rosso blocked it. It still knocked her back a couple of steps though and put her barely a few feet away from a ledge jutting out from the plateau.

She paused a moment, a crazy smile crossing her face, and she laughed loudly. "Now you vill see vhy they call me Rosso the Crimson!" An eerie red glow culminated around her and her eyes glowed a brighter red than usual. Trying to head off whatever bizarre ability this might be, Cloud lunged and was caught by surprise when the Tsviet stepped to the side directing his blade and therefore the force of his attack over the cliff.

"Cloud!" Tifa called in alarm as his boot found air and he felt himself starting to drop before he disengaged the notched blade and jammed it into the rock face. He slid several feet before the blade stopped, and standing atop it he looked up at the Tsviet, who was aiming her weapon at him, ready to fire any second.

June 21st [ ν ] – εуλ 0008, 2:15 PM

Elena was standing near Rufus on a balcony overlooking the communications room where Reeve was working busily, alongside Shalua, Veld, and a large number of technicians who were overseeing the war effort. The latest reports were coming to them in a live feed on a screen conveniently set up right in front of them. The battle seemed to be progressing relatively well from where she was standing. Rufus took a sip from a cup of coffee before placing it on a table in front of him. Down below, one of the technicians received an indicator of an incoming call from one of the generals. "Yes?" Reeve answered it.

"General Kant of the Shinra Infantry reporting. Our troops are making excellent headway and have nearly reached checkpoint Delta in the wastes."

"Good work, please proceed as soon as the Air Force has provided adequate covering fire," Reeve answered.

Shortly afterward another report came in "This is General Hume of the Shinra Air Force reporting in from the Gelnika. Commander Highwind of GUARDIAN is in position and all air support units are prepared to launch missiles in preparation for the next phase. We've had some heavy opposition thus far but we've managed to evade too many losses."

"Excellent," Veld said. "Please continue." He turned his attention to another communication terminal. "General Nietzche, what is the status of the Mechanized division?"

"We're A-okay down here. Those #$*%&#$ took a big chunk out of us earlier, but Commander Wallace has been keeping the heat off of us and we're good to go…"

At Shalua's com station another man's voice rang through the speakers "This is Commander Drake of GUARDIAN. The SOLDIERs are holding out fine in our sector, though our own men have encountered Azul the Cerulean and Rosso the Crimson. General Fair, and Commander Strife have engaged with Commanders Valentine and Lockhart assisting…"

It was at that moment when she heard Rufus muttering "Is it really that simple?"

"Sir?" Tseng asked.

Rufus looked back at him. "We've been progressing at a relatively steady rate up until now, and only two of the Tsviets have shown themselves. Where could the other two be?"

"Perhaps still maintaining order in the city?" Elena suggested.

"Perhaps," Rufus answered thoughtfully, "Either that or they're planning something we aren't aware of…"

As if on cue, Veld's com-station buzzed another alert.

Shelke had been working at a com station in a planning room off the Highwind's bridge when suddenly the console sparked and then died. Grabbing her PHS she hurried to the bridge just in time to hear Cid yelling into the ship's radio "Hey! Engine room! What the hell's goin' on down there?! Engine room! Damnit!"

"What is wrong?" Shelke asked.

Cid ground his teeth with agitation. "Don't have a damn clue! All of a sudden the engine levels started droppin' like crazy! We haven't taken any direct hits so everything should be runnin' like clockwork!"

"I will go have a look," Shelke said.

"Thanks," Cid said. "Countin' on ya!"

With that, she turned around and hurried back into the depths of the airship. Upon rounding the last bend of the corridor to reach the engine room she found it aflame with traces of black mist everywhere. "It can't be," she said softly.

"Fancy meeting you here Shelke," a voice came from the corner.

Shelke already knew its owner before she even turned around. "You," she said.

"Quite unexpected," Nero said, stepping out into the room, the black mist swirling around him.

"Why did you come here Nero?" Shelke asked.

"Why?" Nero replied, apparently surprised that Shelke would need clarification on such a thing. "I was… short a few souls, and came to collect." She could almost see a small grin underneath the part of his headgear that obscured his mouth.

"What did you do with the crew?" she pressed further, walking a little closer, her stance guarded.

Nero chuckled at that. "Need you ask? Look around. My mission is complete."

"Oh," at that point she spotted a Cait Sith doll lying on the floor. Probably the Cait #6 unit Reeve had spoken of. She didn't know if robots could be considered noble but the little cat had probably been rendered completely inoperable in his activities to serve GUARDIAN. She took stance, lifting her two EM sabers in preparation for combat.

"And just what do we think we are doing?" Nero asked.

Shelke would have shrugged if such gestures had been normal for her range of expression. "I don't really know. However, since coming here, I've realized one thing. I don't want to let down anyone who's counting on me."

"Pure nonsense," Nero scoffed.

"Nonsense?" Shelke activated her EM sabers and her eyes began to glow orange. "Perhaps." With that, she charged, slashing at Nero with her sabers, a Barrier forming around her as Nero fired several shots.

Happy 4th of July!

Next week, the battle continues!

See ya soon!