It was early the next morning that a healthy breakfast and some coffee later, they got up from their table, ready to leave in pursuit of Ultimate Weapon again, that suddenly the current television program broadcasted on the huge flatscreen hanging behind the bar was interrupted by some special announcement.
The familiar voice of President Shin-Ra making them stop dead in their tracks, Lightning looked up to watch his face appear on the screen. The fatso sporting a serious expression, she instantly knew it couldn´t possibly mean anything good.
The bartender grabbing the remote to turn up the volume they all paused to listen.
All the eyes in the room fixed to the television screen Lightning felt her chest constrict fiercly, making it almost impossible for her to take a breath. It was only marginally that she perceived Zack's hand coming up to squeeze her's.
The tension in the room was almost tangible. Everybody knew what the president´s appearance meant.
There was only one reason to cut off the program these days, only one thing to announce really.
Now she thought about it, Claire Farron realized she had been waiting for the bombshell to be dropped for some time now.
Still, it felt kind of hard to focus on the words, to understand the meaning behind them, as the man on the screen announced the end of their lives, the ultimate destruction of the whole of Gaia, the apocalypse, a cosmic spectacle that was going to wipe the life off the surface of this planet for good, scheduled to happen sometime within the next 24 hours.
Because yes.
According to scientist´s calculations they were not going to see the light of the next day.
Claire Farron only marginally registered the fact that she wouldn´t be going to see the sun rise ever again. And how she had wasted her last chance of seeing it by sleeping in this morning.
Tearing her eyes away from the screen, they immediately darted over to meet Sephiroth´s mako green ones, already trained on her's as if he had been waiting for her to look up for some time now. Their gazes locked once more.
Lightning gave a small defeated sigh.
A life full of wasted opportunities. That was all her´s had ever been.
The silver haired first class taking in the news completely unimpressed, she knew the General had anticipated this to happen some time ago. She had expected it herself since the night they had talked on top of HQ.
Still. Suddenly now that the moment had come, it was hard to digest.
The fact that they'd all die tonight.
All the people in the room rooted to the spot, they silently watched as the setting switched to show video footage of Midgar where Heidegger had apparently attempted to fight off Meteor with the use of the giant Sister Ray. The cameras temporarily blinded with a blazing white light, it proved a futile attempt as after some time it took for the dust and debris dispersed by the firing to settle, a bright sunny sky was revealed.
A beautiful summer sky stained by the faintly pink glowing calamity of Meteor. Sitting on the firmament completely unfazed.
They switched back to the studio where the show carried on with scientific speculations on how meteor was going to unleash cataclysm on Gaia and how it had come to all of this, ensuing a debate about how this disaster could have been averted.
Lightning didn´t care to listen.
Those were empty words anyway.
Shin-Ra would never admit their mistakes, not even in the face of extinction.
But she knew the truth.
They had brought demise upon all of them by unintentionally activating an ancient weapon designed to destroy the world when searching for a matter of mass destruction to use against the wutai.
Ignorance and delusions of grandeur, that had been the toxic cocktail that had lead humanity to inevitable disaster.
Shin-Ra.
She kind of admired all those people´s spirit, working to keep up the television program, although they were going to die in less than a day, ensuring that somehow the show would go on instead of spending their remaining time with their beloved ones. But really, where they any better? They were still tracking after Ultimate Weapon or weren't they?
Less than a day...
Lightning's brain somehow didn´t seem able to process the information.
She wasn´t exactly the only one.
The people around her looked shocked, devastated.
She had forgotten how to most of them the news of the end of the world were coming out of the blue.
It took several long minutes for people to start moving again, for soft whispers to break out all around the room.
'What... but...' she heard Cloud babble right beside her, his mouth gaping in shock as he was lost for words.
Of course he had known of Meteor´s existence. But at that point the rocket mission hadn´t been from the table yet and for some reason people hadn´t given up their hope in Shin-Ra. Maybe some of them wouldn´t until the very end.
It was Genesis right next to her who snapped out of it first. Trying to compose himself he hesitantly reached inside his pocket to take out his phone.
The others shot only him questioning looks.
'Calling Lazard... Ask for instructions...' he murmured somewhat desolately.
Lightning waited as the phone beeped indicating that a connection had successfully been established but it was no use. Nobody cared to pick up on the other end.
She heard the redhead give a disappointed groan as he closed the communication device shut with a snap.
It was only a few seconds later that suddenly all their phones went off at once, chiming in many different tunes. They quickly shared bewildered glances before Lightning gave in and took out her own, flipping it open to read the screen.
One new text message.
'Members of SOLDIER, In the name of President Shin-Ra, I thank you for your daily hard work...'
Blah blah blah... It was always the same bullshit.
'We deeply regret the way things have turned out...'
Really? Are they serious?!
Claire Farron couldn´t help but scoff as she scanned the empty letters. This had to be some kind of a bad joke, surely.
'We appreciate your loyalty to the very end. There will be no further instructions. May Etro be with you.'
How tragic...
Reading the mass mail penned by Lazard once more, Lightning closed her phone shut and threw it into the dustbin next to the wall, where it hit the inside of the plastic walls and reached the ground with a final thud.
Pompous assholes.
She really could care less.
The voices from the TV echoing through the Inn, all of them staring at the insultingly stupid message they had received just seconds ago, nobody dared to say a word.
Sephiroth was the first to move. Setting the stuff he had been carrying on the ground next to his feet, he averted his gaze.
Lightning knew he was contemplating on what to say, or maybe on what to do really.
'Ultimate Weapon has been sighted not far from here. I´m going after it.' the silver-haired General announced after some time, looking into the faces of all of his comrades in turn. His voice was smooth and determined. If he felt something like uncertainty or apprehension, he definitely didn´t let it show, hiding his feelings behind his emotionless pokerface as usual.
'Since there are no orders from Shin-Ra anymore you guys are free to do whatever you want.' his eyes lingering on his pink haired comrade at his last words, the general picked up his stuff again and turned to leave.
Lightning wasn´t sure what to do.
Join the fight against Ultimate Weapon? Stay?
Nothing she could do would make any difference anymore, she guessed.
Feeling new resolve building up inside, she snapped out of her trance and picking up Blaze Edge, she headed for the exit as well.
She couldn´t let him face that monster on his own, could she?
No. Shin-Ra or not. He was still her general. And where he'd lead, she would follow.
Not that there was really anything else to do anymore...
'You´re going with him?!' Zack called out behind her, his voice sounding both, confused and maybe a tiny little bit betrayed..
Turning to face her best friend, Lightning could see him look at her in disbelief, big blue puppy eyes staring at her with complete lack of understanding.
'Yes...' his female comrade told him, her voice suddenly low but determined.
No matter what he´d done to her. No matter what had happened between them, or what could have. Wherever Sephiroth went she was going to follow.
She knew that now. Was sure of it. Jenova cells or not. She was going with him.
She wouldn´t just sit around and wait for Meteor to crush her. She couldn´t bear the thought of it. She needed distraction. She needed something to do. To get her mind off the impending doom literally hanging over their heads now.
And there was more.
She wanted to stay close to him. She wanted to be at his side. It somehow felt like the right thing to do. Felt where she belonged.
Her eyes on Zack´s sky-blue ones she sensed Angeal and Genesis making to leave as well.
Zack didn´t say anything. Anything at all.
Staying where he was, he anxiously shifted his weight, while Cloud was still sitting at the breakfast table following their conversation with his mouth gaping open stupidly.
'You´re in?' Lightning finally asked, offering a small smile.
Zack just shook his head.
No.
There was a pained expression on his usually cheerful features.
'You can´t be serious guys...' he finally said looking over at Genesis and Angeal too. Angeal was already shouldering the buster sword.
'Why are you going to fight it?! You´re going to get yourselves killed! I mean what for?! There´s no reason for all of this anymore!' Zack Fair blurted out, a pleading look taking over his features.
Lightning could hear the hysteria lacing his words, the panic bubbling close under the surface of his selfcomposure, threatening to break through any second now.
Poor Zack.
She definitely couldn´t blame him.
The impending appocalypse, it effected everyone different.
Still.
No matter how much she loved Zack and Cloud, Lightning found she could not stay.
She belonged with Sephiroth. She belonged on the battlefield.
It was the only place where she felt alive, felt real.
The only place she could call home anymore, ever since she'd woken up from Hojo's transformation.
'Zack, where´s your honor?!' she heared Angeal scold him, the burly first class raising his eyebrows confusingly as he shook his head.
Lightning couldn´t help but think that this might not be the right time for one of his lectures. She for her part accepted Zack´s decision. It was neither her´s nor Angeal´s to make after all. If Zack and Cloud wanted to stay, that was fine by her.
There was a crushing silence where Zack looked down at the floor obviously ashamed of himself where she just wanted to slap Angeal in the face, where she just wanted to scratch his eyes out, for treating Zack like that in a situation like this.
On the very last occasion that they met.
But it was neither her place nor the time to do so.
She looked at Zack for another few seconds before finally, hesitantly, she turned to walk towards the huge inn entrance doors.
Her decision had been made.
She didn´t know whether she would ever see them again. Probably not.
Even if opposing Ultimate Weapon wouldn´t kill them she doubted there would be enough time for them to return to Palumpolum once they were done.
She guessed it didn´t matter.
All of this was going to be over soon.
And saying her silent good-byes to the both of them, she stepped out into the warm morning sun to follow the path laid out for her, the path of the SOLDIER.
It took them the better part of the day to chase down Ultimate Weapon.
The sun shining down on their backs, burning their arms and necks, completely oblivious to the fact that one of it´s fellow planets was going to be wiped off the solar system in merely a matter of hours, following the directions they had received from some of the locals who had been kind enough to tip them off, they headed south.
According to the information they had been able to pry from the resident people, the beast they were after had attacked a small town some miles away, having wreaked havoc there the entire night. Rumor had it the local militia, who had done a good job chasing the weapon off had even managed to injure it.
One of the famers they met on their way told them he had seen them nearly take off one of it´s wings with a grenade launcher and that the thing had dragged itself west from there, indicating the ruined cornfield right behind him.
From there they just followed the swath of destruction Ultimate Weapon had left in its wake.
They were catching up, closing in on it, and this time, without the ability to fly, without being able to bolt again, it would be done for. Lightning could feel it.
It was already afternoon when finally they found it nestled into a ravine, seeking shelter against the rocky walls, nursing it´s wounds. Only the cliffs and the sea lying in front of it, Lightning wondered how the beast had actually gotten in there. It had probably fallen.
Some of the rumors seemed to be true though. The beast seemed to be injured indeed.
A huge part of its left wing missing now, it was apparently unable to fly anywhere, which was rather convenient. At least this way it wouldn´t be able to escape again.
'Shit, that thing is huge...' Genesis observed looking as though he´d just pissed his pants.
'Your chance to become a hero.' Sephiroth teased.
The redhead just glared in response.
Quickly regathering his composure he straightened up and drawing his Rapier, he took down the steep path that would take him down to the cliffs.
Angeal Hewley throwing the rest of them an accusing look, he quickly made to follow after him while Sephiroth and Lightning just stared after them, trying to assess the situation and figure out a proper strategy.
'The cliffs aren´t in our favor.' the General pointed out. 'If it manages to push us back...'
Claire Farron knew exactly what he was talking about. She´d been been thinking along the same line. Looking over the edge of the cliffs, she could see the pointy tops of sharp rocks produding from the waves.
'Or maybe we could use them to our advantage...' she quickly voiced her thoughts.
Maybe, just maybe, if they were lucky enough and managed to scare that thing into bolting again... Maybe it would be desperate enough to leap to its death.
'Hm... or get ourselves cornered with the rock walls at our backs.' her comrade said somewhat thoughtfully.
'Without any route of escape at all... I guess I´d prefer the cliffs.'
He was probably right.
Being penned in between Ultimate Weapon and a rock wall... It didn't really sound very appealing.
Still. What else could they posibly do? They could not attack it from above. And luring it away to somewhere else was not an option either. There was nowhere to lure it to exactly.
'Too bad that thing shredded Bahamut..." Lightning mused looking at the redhead disappearing down the rocky slope.
'I guess it would have come in really handy now.'
The general just snorted at that, then they took down the path together.
To say that the beast wasn´t happy to see them would have been the understatement of the century.
The moment they arrived at the bottom of the ravine the thing had already pounced at Genesis and Angeal.
Their weapons hadn´t been much use in blocking it either.
Greeted with several heavy fire attacks, the two of them managed to take shelter behind some of the bigger rocks, barely escaping the beast´s brutal assault.
'This is going to be tough...' Angeal commented pointing out the obvious.
Genesis Rhapsodos now looking as though he´d pissed his pants twice, Lightning couldn´t help but feel her heart sink. Maybe it had been a stupid idea to come here in the first place.
Maybe she should have stayed with Cloud and Zack.
Well... It didn´t really matter. Now that they had started it they might as well bring it to an end too.
With death looming up above them, it wasn't as if they really had anything to loose.
The battle seemed to go on forever.
As all of their usual 'just charge at it and move in for the kill' strategies wouldn´t work and even Sephiroth´s 'just chop it´s head off and be done with it' tactics wouldn´t be of any use, they needed to think of something else, obviously.
With this the only sort of strategy coming to their minds (and there wasn´t really anything else to do anyway) they agreed to concentrate mostly on getting it´s armor down which proved a task harder than they had anticipated. And although Lightning guessed they were doing a great job considering the superiority of their opponent, in the end it didn´t need much for them to get themselves cornered.
The thing sensing it´s demise had suddenly gone berserk.
There was not much left to do for them but try to get out of the way while still alive.
The weapon lunging at them again and again, Genesis and Angeal managed to bolt for the cliffs while Lightning stood just rooted to the sport unable to move at all. In the face of death, her body was playing the deer in the headlights on her again.
It was Sephiroth who pulled her out of harm's way and towards the walls. It was exctly like the general had feared. There was nowhere else for them to go.
Trying to block one of Ultimate Weapon´s attacks with Masamune, that thing disarmed him easily, ripping the katana out of his hands without effort (something Lightning would not have believed if someone had told her), it came to land out of his reach meters away.
'Let's get out of here!' the general yelled, yanking at his comrade´s arm when she didn´t make a move.
But no.
Instead of thinking about escape, Claire Farron´s eyes were fixed on the armour around the beast´s head.
Having glimpsed a spot at the neck where it had nearly come down completely, maybe just maybe, if she managed to put enough force behind her attack, maybe she could bring it down.
Sephiroth seemed to get the hint.
'Lightning! No!' she heard him shout in warning, but the pink haired female didn´t care.
This way or the other, her life would end that day.
Better to die this way in the heat of battle then waiting for a rock to crash down on top of your head.
Charging forward, she managed to force Blaze Edge deep into the weapon´s armor, bringing it´s shield down completely and exposing the soft tissue around it´s neck. She didn´t have the time to retrieve her gun blade to finish the job though as in the blink of an eye the beast lunged itself at them once more.
Retreating backwards fast, she tripped over a rock on he ground.
Losing her balance, she felt her body fall and her backside hit the ground.
Seeing Ultimate Weapon pounce at her, unable to get up again, she only marginally registered the presence of her silver haired comrade trying to pull her away.
His attempts were futile. They were going nowhere. They weren´t fast enough...
The pink haired first class merely watched as the thing gathered it´s powers for it´s final attack and she knew they both were done for the second their backs hit the rocky walls.
They were dead.
There was nowhere for them to go.
Nothing they could do to defend themselves.
She felt the silver haired first class´s arms coming up around her as protectively he tried to shield her from the attack with nothing but his body.
Burrying her face in his coat, she held her breath as ready for death she waited for the impact.
But somehow it never came.
What did come there instead was an ugly gurgling sound and two strangely familiar looking blades protruding from the beast´s throat where Lightning had gotten rid of the armor just seconds ago.
The edge of the blades stopping just above their faces, the two unsuspecting first classes were showered in vast amounts of gushing hot crimson blood.
The beast falling forwards, General Sephiroth Crescent managed to pull his female comrade out of the way just in time to avoiding the both of them getting crushed by the massive monster´s weight as it landed at their feet with a deafening rumble.
'Conflict resolved' Zack's voice announced from somewhere above.
'DADADADAAAA DADA DADADAAAA!' Cloud roared as he flew towards them with waving arms.
The rest of them could only stare.
'You didn´t seriously think we´d leave you to take down that beast all by yourselves?!' Zack´s voice permeated the dust that had been swirled up from the battle
'Planning to claim all the glory for yourselves again, were you?!' Lightning heard Cloud call out from behind him, as moving towards them they both came into focus.
Zack?!
Cloud!?
Lightning had never been happier to see their faces.
Not knowing what else to do, the six of them decided to head back to Palumpolum and check in at the Inn again.
It was only afternoon and there was still time, plus there wasn´t really anywhere else for them to go. After spending some hours walking they were lucky enough to meet some farmer kind enough to give them a lift in his yellow pick up truck as he was on his way to Palumpolum anyway.
Filthy, covered in the weapon´s blood already dried, Lightning watched the scenery fly by from her place on the car´s platform.
Now that their hunt was over and they had managed to defeat the beast, with the adrenaline´s aftereffects fading and no tasks assigned, no duties to fulfill, she suddenly felt empty and sad.
This was what she had been dreading all along... The moment when there would be nothing else left to do but wait. Wait for the end to come. And for a brief moment she hated Zack and Cloud. Hated them for killing that thing a second before it would have shred her to pieces, because yes... Somehow when she had chosen to go with Sephiroth, she had hoped she might not make it. That maybe the weapon would kill her and she somehow would be able to escape the fate millions would face before the sun would rise again.
She would have died with Sephiroth. Would have died in his arms...
But no. It wouldn´t be that easy. Fate was cruel and now it would force her to sit it out.
Great.
The others seemingly thinking along similiar lines, the mood on the pickups's platform was tense.
Nobody said a word for the entire ride.
The silence was killing her. It was driving her crazy. But Lightning couldn´t bring herself to start a conversation either.
What was there left to say, really?
She was glad when finally they arrived at the Inn.
Finally able to move her feet she got up from the platform and headed up to her room without explanation. Once inside she went straight for the bathroom and into the shower.
Even if the world was going to end in a few hours time she needed to get rid of the weapon´s juices.
She would die with her skin clean and in a pair of fresh clothes.
It was already evening when finally Claire Farron entered the lobby again, where she met the others who seemed to have taken their time to clean up as well.
'Ah, my Lady... Decided to join us after all?' Genesis greeted her in his weird melodic voice. His speech sounding a little slurry, Lightning realised he had already started the party without them.
His pink haired female comrade just gave him a toxic glare.
Oh she was so not in the mood for any of his games.
'We were just discussing how we are going to spend our last night alive and... Well... Any ideas?' Zack Fair piped up from somewhere behind him.
Her eyes subconsciously darting over to where Sephiroth had taken a seat next to the wall, Lightning just shrugged her shoulders.
He had hugged her. In the face of death he had put his arms around her.
And she had felt safe.
In the face of death she had felt safe.
She should have died in his arms then.
She really should have.
'I don´t care.' the pink haired first class she said. It was the truth. There wasn´t really much for her to do...
Of course there were things she wanted to do before she died. She wanted to see Serah again at least, but with Bodhum a fair distance away, there wasn´t nearly enough time to make that wish come true.
'Can´t we just return to HQ?' Cloud asked somewhat shyly, confusion in his eyes.
There were a few minutes of silence when nobody said anything. It was Angeal who broke it first.
'We´ll stay here for the night.' he announced decisively. His voice was determined.
Then turning back to Cloud he added: 'We wouldn´t make it back in time anyway.'
They all knew he was right.
There was no way they would make it back to Midgar sooner than in two days time at least.
'But Tifa...' she heard Cloud Strife whisper. His eyes glazing over, she cought Zack brotherly pat his shoulder to try and comfort his comrade and friend. She couldn´t help but pity him. He probably hadn´t even had the time to say good bye.
'Angeal´s right.' Sephiroth said. 'Just take the night off and enjoy yourselves.'
She felt his gaze on her at the last part, lingering there for a few moments before he turned to leave the Inn.
The rest of them left behind to shoot each other puzzled glances, the others got up to leave as well.
Claire Farron just stood there not sure what she was to do exactly.
She was saved finding an answer by Zack, who quickly grabbing her wrist, dragged her along and out into the streets.
An unpleasant numbness settling inside her, Lightning let him steer her through the crowd.
A lot of people seemed to have gathered on the streets looking up at the sky, looking up at Meteor.
Some of them were crying, some of them were laughing. Some of them just looked plain scared. Some of them accepting.
Lightning realized she didn´t care. She. Just. Didn´t. Fucking. Care.
As a member of SOLDER she had learned to live with the prospect of her own death. It wasn´t a big deal exactly. Dying was something everybody would eventually have to do. For some it came easy, for some it was hard, but in the end everybody did.
The kind of death awaiting them wasn´t really the worst case dying scenario she could imagine either. No. She figured it would all be over relatively quickly.
Not much time for any suffering.
Zack´s arm never leaving her wrist, she tagged along, as following Genesis´ lead they finally arrived in front of some ugly, abandoned building.
A miserable excuse for a door that wasn´t much more than some piece of rusty metal really, revealed a narrow set of stairs leading to the basement. The stench of cigar smoke and vomit wafting out onto the street made the pink haired female scrunch up her nose in disgust.
They had obviously managed to find the most run down bar in all of Palumpolum.
She should have known. There always was a bar.
There always fucking was.
