Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 1: The Recovery
Chapter 1 (continued from Prologue)
The group of six, three men and three women continued down the streets of Junon Harbor, their weapons shown so no one would talk to them. The weapons they had weren't illegal, and they hadn't harmed anybody (well...no had heard that they had that the village had been destroyed yet). They simply walked along the streets, through the rain and sleet as winter neared.
The leader of the group, the shortest man named Lee, thought quietly about the trick he had laid on Avalanche. Sephiroth had served his purpose, and if he had defeated Avalanche, that would be more convenient...but he didn't. Not like they were a problem. Lee had tipped off Tanner about the location of Avalanche, and with that Lee had disappeared. Tanner walked into the Shinra H.Q., said that he knew their location and was immediately promoted. Then, Lee told him how to build another Midgar, and Tanner told Heidegger that and Tanner was promoted to President of Shinra. Lee smiled. His groups of rebels were well trained, and with Tanner in place Lee's plans were going well.
Now all they needed was simple Trans-continental transportation. And Junon Harbor would provide them with that. Lee held up his hand in a fist and the others behind him stopped. He turned around and faced them and said quietly, "There is a battle coming. Arm yourselves." His team acknowledged him and started equipping themselves with various weapons and Materia.
He turned back around and continued walking, his purple hair blowing in the strengthening wind. He raised his left arm; his gun-arm and with his right hand charged up the Max Ray. Only two Max Rays were made in the world. Lee felt a sense of pride that he had one. He focused on the tunnel ahead. A dark tunnel led the group to a large hallway, an entrance in front of them and an entrance all the way down the hallway.
Lee raised his gun-arm in the direction of the elevator and said, "There is an elevator down there. We will take it to the Underwater Junon Base. There we will get transportation."
"We will follow you, leader," said a soft voice from behind him. Marina. He only nodded and started jogging down the hallway to the elevator. Then he broke into a run.
*
Vincent Valentine quietly jiggled his handcuffs and smiled. He had them unlocked. Now all he had to do was free one more person and they might have a chance. None of them were armed except for Vincent himself. He had a Master Poison Materia that he had snuck in through his shoes. They were in an auditorium, where their execution could be held on public television.
Scarlet kept on slapping Tifa till Tifa was on her knees. "You think you will get away this time? Well your wrong you stupid..." Scarlet then mumbled and walked away. Heidegger was also in here, his fat belly shaking with laughter every time Scarlet slapped Tifa, and his face scowling at Tanner every time he laid eyed on the man. Tanner had taken his presidential position with just two stupid ideas. Heidegger wanted to kill him but he couldn't...yet. Security was too tight around Tanner. Everywhere he went he had Turks with him.
Heidegger stopped thinking when Scarlet got up behind the podium and said, "Hello everybody! Welcome to the second execution of Avalanche! Straight from Junon Harbor and onto the worldwide television! These bad guys helped Sephiroth try to destroy the world, but thanks to President Tanner, they are now in custody and are facing execution."
"I don't think so bitch," said a voice from behind Scarlet. She whipped around to see Tifa, Vincent, and Yuffie free of their handcuffs and Cloud trying to get his off. Tifa went into fighting position while Vincent started casting Poison on everyone in the auditorium. Cloud go his handcuffs off and joined in with Barret and the others, who were trying to make there way to the door. Tifa attacked Scarlet, this time with grim accuracy as Tifa hit Scarlet in the stomach so hard that a sickening crunch echoed from her. Tifa had easily broken or cracked all of Scarlet's ribs.
Then Tifa jumped up and tried to help Cloud, who had stumbled and fallen. After they were captured, they had been beaten up and Tifa had a bruised face and some of Clouds ribs were broken. He tried to get back up but couldn't. When Tifa got there, he was able to and they tried to get past the panicking crowd. Some of them were glowing green from Vincent's poison. Most were trying to escape. They had no idea where their weapons were...or their armor for that matter. But they could make it.
Vincent stopped poisoning people and jumped off the stage and ran through the crowd. How they would escape was totally unknown but they could make it. He was sure.
Yuffie was pissed. First, they take her weapon. Second, they beat her up. Third, they are getting executed on public television. And now, some dumb Shinra guard thinks he can take her out. "Not this Ninja," she yelled and side-kicked him in the stomach. The man stumbled back a few steps and she ran up to him and said, "You know. You Shinra people don't learn that fast!" The man got mad and started to throw a pathetic punch but she kneed him and blocked the punch with ease. She smiled. And then upper-cutted him and he finally fell to the ground.
The crowd was now total chaos. People were pouring from the auditorium and as Avalanche went with them, the Shinra people couldn't tell who was Avalanche and who was Shinra. Yuffie ran for a ventilation shaft and then, when she felt no eyes watching her, she dived up into it. Vincent followed Yuffie up the vent. Tifa helped Cloud into the street and ran into some public restrooms and they hid in a stall while Tifa quietly nursed one of his wounds. The crowd outside roared along.
Barret didn't try going anywhere. He took out the two people that were guarding Tanner, then looked around for the snobby little planet killer. Barret's eyes seemed on fire. He wanted to kill the new President, if not for the planet then for himself. Stupid damn Shinra always screwin' wit' the damn Barret, he thought. He hoped they would learn someday and just quit causing problems. But until then...Barret's eyes found the President running into the dramatic curtains behind the stage. Barret jumped onto the stage and followed.
A little less than a mile away, a man named Reeve activated a remote control and then entered a virtual reality. He was now controlling the ever faithful, Cait-Sith.
The crowd roared into the streets, people running for their lives, thinking that Avalanche would hurt them. A doll hopped passed them, a doll with a small black figure on top. The small black figure was now back in business. With a bag full of Avalanches weapons, he hopped into the auditorium, looked around and then wondered where everybody could've gone. He looked around, and then saw the public restrooms. He smiled. How funny, he thought as he hopped toward the restrooms.
As he entered, he said in a squeaky voice, "Oh Cloud. Are you in here? Tifa?" A stall door opened and Tifa peeked out. "Cait-Sith?!"
He hopped with joy and said, "Yep!" Then he told her that he had her weapons and everybody else's and she started getting equipped.
*
Lee reached the elevator and looked inside. A young woman, about 20 years old stood at the control panel, her bright face suddenly turning into fear as Lee raised his left arm and fired. She fell to the ground. Lee went inside, stepping over her corpse to look at the control panel. Two buttons: down and up. Lee pressed down. The doors shut and a minute later, opened again.
Lee walked out, looking at the fortress ahead. The tunnel was see through, the sharks and fish swarming around the tunnel, as if attracted to the lights. Lee ran through the tunnel and emerged into a cavern of security. They had remodeled since Cloud was here. Now, instead of having a lot of tunnels, it was just one huge cavern of Shinra troops. Three submarines, a white one and two dark blue were in the three docking bays.
A massacre was about to happen.
Lee started sniping out the people and he shouted, "Go forth and kill them ALL!" His five warriors ran in front of him and started taking out the Shinra guards and workers. "Don't kill those that know how to operate the submarines," he shouted. They made no sign to show that they had heard him but he knew they did. He told the gun-arm to fire again and it did. Again. Again.
In two minutes, everyone was dead except for a group of scientists huddling in a corner, consumed by fear. Lee looked at his team, looking for wounds or any sign of blood. None; his team had killed some of the best Shinra people without getting a single scratch or hit. Lee walked in front of them and started his debriefing. "We have done well. Our first mission is nearly accomplished. Now get these scientists into one of the dark blue submarines. Then we will leave."
They hurried to follow his order. He smiled. The beginning of his legacy had begun.