Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 1: The Recovery
Chapter 4 (Continued right after the end of Chapter 3)
Lee ran inside the building. Gloom was already inside the building somewhere; he might have the girl already. If he did...shit! I forgot to give Gloom a PHS for when he got the girl. Oh well, I will just have to send Marina to the reception area.
He turned and faced the other four members of his team. "Marina, you find the main room that has the intercom controls. If anyone finds the girl, knock her out and then find an intercom and announce it. We will get there as soon as we can. It is a big building so take your time. Fan out and find that girl!"
They started running up various stairways and eventually, everyone was split up. Somehow, the building still had power. Marina ran to the elevators and tried to remember where the reception area was for regular workers. Wasn't it...floor 32! She hit the button and the elevator started going up. Her father used to work here and would take her to the headquarters. She smiled on the happy memory.
Now, her father was dead because of Sephiroth and her mother because of Avalanche. Marina's thoughts turned grim as she remembered the fight between her and Tifa. She had hurt the bitch bad. Pretty much killed her, unless Cloud woke up in time. Marina smiled again. I will have my chance again. They will die!
*
Cloud blinked to consciousness. He immediately felt pain in his hip. And on his stomach but it was his hip that hurt. It was bleeding from...Cloud's hands felt the wound and suddenly found steel. A bullet! Cloud winced and almost cried out in pain as he pulled the bullet out. He then closed his eyes, focusing on the magic materia in his armor. He felt the little sprinkles of magic around him, swirling to his wounds. "Ugh," he muttered when the process was done. His hip was healed but it still hurt.
He slowly got to his feet and remembered the fight between...Lee. Lee was the next person to try and destroy the planet. And we failed miserably when we tried to stop him for the first time. Then Cloud's eyes really opened and he saw his friends. Most of them were dead. Cloud's eyes found Tifa, her body not breathing. A huge gash was in the back of her head. Pools of blood surrounding her body.
Clouds eyes watered. No, he thought. She is dead. No, no, no...NO! Cloud's face became a mask of rage and anger. Lee! His name was Lee. He would die! But wait! Cloud had revive materia on his armor. Cloud found his sword and sheathed it behind his back and then tried to focus on the Revive Materia. Swirls of green magic glowed around him as he prayed and used the magic that might heal her.
A small angel suddenly appeared in a pillar of light and with what looked like a wand, touched Tifa's soft skin. Then angel then disappeared and Tifa started coughing up blood. Cloud opened his eyes and looked at her. He felt a little weaker but his morale had skyrocketed. Tifa was still alive...whew!
He looked at her; she was looking at him. He smiled and then said, "Come on Tifa, we have to get these people alive and running. He started reviving Vincent and Yuffie while Tifa tried to cure Barret. Cid and Red XIII had disappeared right after they were captured*. (*Prologue)
In about ten minutes, Yuffie and Vincent were re-equipping themselves with their weapons, Barret was cussing and raving about revenge, Cloud was trying to tell Tifa that he was sorry if he made her feel bad about his visions of Aeris. In another five minutes, Cloud was telling everybody what he thought was going on.
"Barret, just shut up and listen. In my visions, Aeris said that this group and this man named Lee would destroy the world. And we can't stop him unless we have Aeris on our side. And Aeris is somewhere inside that building. We have to save her and fight for her. With out her, we are in some deep-," Barret cut him off.
"So Aeris is back alive? How the hell did this guy find out," Barret asked, anger in his voice.
Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. So lets quit wasting time and go up there and kick Lee's butt!" They cheered, but in the back of Cloud's head, he was thinking: we are gonna' die.
*
Marina had found the intercom just as Jlok was trying to report in. "Yes Jlok?"
He gave her his location and said, "I have her but she isn't..." His voice faded for a moment and then came back. "She isn't holdin' still...damn...so get everyone here quick."
"Right," she replied and then announced it around the whole building. "We have her. Floor 52. Everyone get there immediately. Jlok is having trouble." Then she herself exited the room and started going up stairs toward floor 52.
*
"Remember guys," Cloud yelled as they surged toward the stairways, "if we get separated and can't find each other, we all meet back at the shores in two days. Now lets go get Aeris!" They had heard the announcement over the intercoms and were heading to floor 52.
Cloud whipped out his sword and as he ran, he pulled out his master lightning and put in an almost master Earth. If things went to bad, he would kill everybody so know one could destroy the Planet and no one could suffer. The Plate that they were on was not very stable and one quake would send everybody to death. The rest of the Plate could collapse or the building may fall and cause a chain reaction.
He didn't know but he prayed he wouldn't have to use it. He sheathed his sword and kept running. He focused on Lee. How did Lee get that replica of Sephiroth's sword? Cloud tried to remember the name of the sword but he couldn't.
Before he knew it, he reached a door that said 'Floor 52'.
His comrades reached him and were out of breath. "We wait till we are ready," he whispered.
In about a minute, everybody had his or her weapons ready and the right Materia equipped. They had done it quietly. While they had equipped, they could hear people inside talking, but they couldn't make out what they were saying.
But one thing was certain. That thing got Cloud's blood going and Barret smiling. It also got Tifa a shy smile and Vincent a 'I am going to save her' look. Yuffie had no reaction except for teary eyes. That thing was Aeris voice. They could hear her voice.
"Everybody ready," Cloud asked in a whisper. They all nodded. "Then lets do it!"
Cloud opened the door and rushed in. Lee's group of people were in a circle and though Cloud couldn't see who was in the middle, he knew it was Aeris. "What is that supposed to mean," Lee was asking. No, not asking. He was yelling at her. Cloud let out a war cry, "For Aeris!"
Avalanche repeated the cry and surged forward. Barret immediately shot the man with the gun-arm and said, "Ain't no more killin' for you." But then another guy raised a rifle and shot him through the right shoulder. "Damn," Barret muttered but shot at the man. The bullet hit the rifle but not the man. The rifle's barrel got bent and the man threw it away.
Cloud eyed Lee's enraged eyes. They would fight. And Cloud rushed toward Lee.
Tifa saw Marina and yelled, "Ready for a rematch?" The girl turned and smiled as Lee shouted a command. "This time, KILL THEM ALL!!!"
Marina ran toward Tifa who simple sidestepped and then sweeped Marina. Marina went nose-down to the ground and rolled away from a kick. Marina's nose was broken, her beauty blown. "Now you will die." Marina attacked with her staff, swinging it from above. Tifa high-blocked it and jumped to her left. She blocked another kick thrown at her but Marina did a fake-low kick, causing Tifa to do a low block and then get hit in the head with the staff.
Tifa fell back a few steps and took another hit. Marina laughed and was about to do a sidekick when she was suddenly flying back from an impact to her head. Tifa had a limit break and totaled Marina. Marina flew back, her head rocking back and forth as if her neck was broken. As Marina hit the ground she started to cast a spell.
As Tifa ran, a sudden globe of fire encircled her and burned her skin. Tifa then cast an ice spell on her self and was immediately healed (she had an accessory ice ring). Tifa felt new energy but suddenly she was hit in the back of the head. She hit the marble floor hard. Trying to re-focus her eyes, she started to get up when a knee hit her in the stomach. She bounced up and felt someone's hand pulling her hair back.
Then it let go and a kick with so much power it her, causing her to fly back through the window and out of the building. Marina was just getting up when she saw Tifa flying by her and through the window. She looked up at Tifa's match; it was Gloom. Gloom smiled at her and then ran off to fight Barret. Marina stood for a second but then collapsed unconscious.
Sparks flew as Cloud and Lee's swords hit each other. Cloud was more than a match for Lee but Lee had a lot of talent with his sword. Cloud hadn't gotten one hit on Lee. Lee had hit him twice, once with the handle of his sword and a gash on Cloud's lower left leg.
Clang! Their swords met again. This time Cloud raised a foot to kick Lee but Lee jumped up and over Cloud. Cloud started to turn around but Lee's blade cut into his back. Cloud instinctively blocked the blade from going all the way through his waste. Lee laughed a laugh just like...Sephiroth! What the- Cloud raised his sword to block another offensive move by Lee.
Cloud tried to raise a foot again and this time it worked, his heel going into Lee's stomach. Lee took a few steps back and frowned. Then ran forward, his sword plunging straight into...air?! Lee expected to hit a target but-sudden pain enveloped Lee's back.
Lee spun around to find Cloud, holding his blood-tipped sword. Lee had a five-inch deep stab in his back; Cloud had gotten in a good hit. Lee started seeing stars but he wouldn't quit. Cloud must die! He blocked an attack by Cloud, trying hard to ignore the pain and the fact that Cloud was winning. Cloud was winning! NO, Lee yelled himself. Then, in one last effort, he swung his sword with every ounce of energy he had left.
The sword cut straight to Clouds chest, the sword going in one end, the tip of the blade going out the other. Cloud choked. He fell to his knees and hit the floor, lying on his side. He slipped into unconsciousness, hoping that he would wake up again. Lee had fallen to the floor too; his eyes rolled back to face his own brain. Then he fell, losing consciousness because of loss of blood.
Barret had hurt Gloom pretty bad but Barret was down; his gun-arm ran out of ammo and he couldn't fight very well. He had switched to magic but now he didn't have any strength. He grimaced as he fell, Gloom was already down. Barret hit the floor, trying to focus on...
Yuffie was sick. She was paralyzed and she couldn't fight. The guy she was fighting was fighting anymore either; he was-a staff came into view and nailed him on the head.
He flew back a few yards and looked up. The Ancient was glaring at him. Her eyes were not happy. "Don't ever hit a girl like that again," she said and then paralyzed him with the simple raise of her hand. Then Yuffie was un-paralyzed. She got her weapon off the floor and ran behind a desk, hoping that no one else saw her. Aeris then started beating up Jlok.
The fight had gotten out of control. Jlok suddenly had a limit break and his head started growing. Then, he whacked Aeris and she flew back. Exhaustion took over Jlok and he fell to the ground. Aeris was seeing stars as she got back up. She had to save her friends. Her powers were to limited though.
Cloud woke up and knew what he had to do when he looked around. He focused on the magic of the quake and then in one quick thought, he cast the spell. The building started shaking and then Cloud felt air and a part of the ceiling fell on him.
About two or three blocks away, Tifa woke up to a shaking ground and the Plate started to fall. She looked up and saw the Shinra headquarters falling down toward her. Tifa got up and started running. Then the Plate fell and Tifa was flying through the air. She looked behind her and the building had fallen down. Just at that moment, she landed and lost consciousness.