Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 2: The Second Cetra
Chapter 16 (Continued right after the end of Chapter 15)
Sometime around 8:30. Barret was sleeping upstairs, Red XII with him. Cloud and Tifa were eating a late dinner and Marlene was sitting on the sofa, thinking about something. Vincent was somewhere in Nibelhiem, Yuffie and Cid hopefully back from Junon, and Aeris was…dead. Well, she had been for quite a while now, but when she came back…
Cloud thought he heard a whistling noise and looked at Marlene. The noise kept up but she wasn't moving, and neither was Tifa. Cloud frowned and looked up the stairway; no one was there. The whistling noise grew closer and before anyone could say anything or be prepared, the worst day of their lives just got a lot worse.
The ground was suddenly lurched, the house lights went out, Marlene started screaming and Cloud thought he heard an explosion. He got up and more whistling noises filled the air. The house shook again as another explosion filled Cloud's ears, this time seeming much closer.
Oh no, he thought as he realized what was happening. Shinra knows we are here! Shinra is bombarding the city! Cloud ran upstairs to find Red XIII gone, a window broken and Barret shouting something. "Come on," Cloud yelled and then added, "Where is Red XIII?"
Barret pointed out a broken window with his gun-arm and then yelled, "What the hell is goin-," he was cut off as a sudden explosion hit right in the middle of town. The house fell apart, the second falling and crushing the first.
Barret was thrown out a weak wall and into the streets, and as he started to get up, a bomb burst behind him and he was thrown into a stone wall. Barret lost consciousness.
Cloud was thrown down the stairs and as he rolled he thought of two names: Marlene and Tifa. "Tifa," he yelled. She was on the first floor! Cloud frantically looked around, and kept on shouting her name and Marlene's name. Another bomb burst nearby and Cloud was thrown onto a burning stove.
He jumped up, his lower back and right hand now had first degree burns. He yelled in pain and he fell onto debris ridden ground. He sat there, groaning in pain for nearly half-a-minute and then, anger filled him. Anger at Shinra.
They were destroying a city because of him, and they wouldn't get away with it. The bombs bursting left and right, Cloud looked up and saw that hardly any other houses stood. A shell hit the ground about ten feet behind him and he was forced off the ground, the force carrying him through the air and another bomb burst in front of him and he was flung back.
Tifa was holding Marlene, under a lot of debris and praying that while she was trying to escape that no cannons would hit her. She saw Cloud starting to get up when the bomb burst behind him, and he flew. She flew too, away from Marlene.
"AAA," she screamed and hit the ground. She bounced and when she stopped rolling she got up and started running back to Marlene. Marlene was trapped under the second floor of the house, nails that used to hold up the walls poking at her. "Help me Tifa," she cried.
Tifa reached her and grasped her hand. "Push on the ground Marlene," Tifa said as she tried to pull Marlene out.
Cloud was seeing stars and blood on his hands. He got to his feet and another bomb burst nearby, followed by a scream and an arm landing in front Cloud. Rage. Rage was all Cloud could think about. The green mist began to emerge from his eyes, his glowing green eyes.
"YOU WILL DIE," he yelled in the direction that Shinra was shooting from. Forgetting all about Barret, Marlene, Nanaki, and Tifa, he started running in Shinra's direction.
Red XIII got to his feet only to be showered in blood from a nearby victim's demise. Nanaki grimaced and saw Tifa trying to get Marlene out. He ran to her aid, ignoring the pain in his back. He whapped away all the boards that blocked Marlene and Marlene was pulled out.
He looked at Tifa and said, "I have to help survivors; it isn't over yet-," he couldn't finish, his body propelled away from them by a nearby explosion. Nanaki saw only the moonlit sky before blackness.
Tifa held onto Marlene as hard as she could as they were blown away by another bomb. Tifa felt something go into her hand and out the other end into Marlene. Marlene screamed. Tifa hit grass and let go of Marlene. They rolled down a hill that was behind the city of hell and when Tifa reached the bottom she looked at her hand.
A piece of metal had gone through it and into Marlene. Tifa ran to the now unconscious girl, unaware that she was bleeding badly from the wound. Tifa started running toward the mountains. They were a few miles away but she couldn't survive back there. A stray cannon hit nearby and Tifa flew, losing Marlene in the air.
Tifa's head hit a rock and she went out cold.
*
Yuffie heard the echoes of explosions coming through the area and she jerked awake. "Kalm," she said softly and ran outside the Highwind where the crew was watching the flashing lights in the sky. "What's going on," Yuffie asked.
The nurse, Ms. Hatch, turned to look at her, tears waterfalling from her eyes. "Someone is bombing Kalm." A man suddenly popped out from a trail that led to the top of the mountain.
He had binoculars in his hands. "Guys," he said breathlessly. "Its horrible; they have hundred of men and hundreds of artillery tanks and a whole convoy of ammunition. Not to mention a HUGE…robot or something."
He bent down and tried to catch his breath. "And Cloud is running toward the army." Everyone gasped and Ms. Hatch said, "I can't even listen," and she ran to the Highwind, climbing the ladder back inside. One of the crewmembers shook his head and followed Ms. Hatch up the ladder.
Yuffie shook her head when she saw him peeking up Ms. Hatch's very short nurse skirt. Yuffie turned back to look at the trail that led to Kalm. She was debating whether to go down there or not. Vincent would, a voice in her head said. She nodded and took off for Kalm.
*
Commander was counting the rounds they had all fired. Nineteen…twenty! "Hold your fire," he yelled and all was quiet. The Proud Clod 2 twisted to look at him and he nodded. The huge machine turned back around and started toward Kalm, to kill any survivors. Four miles to victory thought the Commander as watched the Proud Clod 2 walk away.
*
Cloud was running as fast as his legs would allow without tripping. The green mist coming from his eyes, the bruise that sweat was sweating so much that his whole right arm was pitch black. But he didn't care; he didn't even notice. He kept running toward the army that he couldn't see over the hilly country.
He had no idea how many people there were, how many tanks, whatever. Only one thought: revenge. Revenge for what they had done to Tifa, revenge for Marlene and the Planet and…
Cloud raced ahead. He didn't know if any other Avalanche member was alive; he didn't know or care. The rage, the revenge, and the emotion consumed him.
He would kill them all, even if he had to die. Tifa, Aeris, the Planet…all because of Shinra.
*
Yuffie's breath was gone but she didn't stop. Couldn't stop now. Had to keep going. They might still be alive. Barret might. Cloud might. Tifa and that cute little girl that was Barrets daughter. They all might still be alive. And it's up to me to help them out.
*
President Tanner sat down, pouring wine for himself. He was celebrating his victory over Avalanche. They are dead, he thought with much pleasure. And Scarlet will destroy any survivors with her remotely controlled Proud Clod 2.
Tanner laughed to himself, pleased that the anonymous tipper had helped him out. It had been weeks since the last tip, and Tanner figured that the man named 'Lee' wouldn't help out anymore. Tanner was in office, defeating Avalanche and modifying Mako reactors into atmosphere reactors.
Tanner poured another glass. To the happy days ahead, he thought, and drank down his second 8-ounce glass of wine.
*
When Barret opened his eyes, he was flying through the air like a limp rag doll. At first he thought he was dead, but when he hit the cold hard pavement of the city's center, he realized he wasn't. And neither was Red XIII, whose dog-like body was lying against the only still-standing wall in town.
The cannons weren't being fired anymore, and if Barret remembered what Cloud had once told him, Shinra bombardments only went twenty rounds, and then they would send groups to go look for survivors.
Marlene! Barret ran to where his house had been and looked in the debris. No sign of her here. He then remembered, vaguely, that Tifa was helping her. Barret tripped on something and landed on wooden boards that used to be his house. Marlene is okay, he told himself. Tifa got her to safety. Marlene is okay.
Barret sat up and got to his feet, immediately knowing that he would be very sore tomorrow. He was bleeding in some places, but nothing real serious, and when he reached the unconscious Nanaki, he saw that he was the same.
They managed to get nothing but cuts and bruises, he thought bitterly, while everyone else dies. You are a lot stronger than most of the people here a voice told him. But it's not worth them dying and me living he thought back.
Barret woke up Red XIII, who said he couldn't move. "What the hell do you mean, you can't move? Get the hell up; we ain't got time for games."
"I can't move," he said again. "All I can move is my head and what in it."
"Oh no," said Barret and he gently turned Red XIII's body over, revealing a huge hole in his back, and lots of pieces of little metal. "Oh boy. Uh, I guess I'll have to carry you up that damn mountain to the Highwind so Ms. Hatch can work on you."
Red XIII groaned at the mention of Ms. Hatch. Ms. Hatch was the Highwind's nurse that they picked up in the snowy fields a couple days after the fight with Sephiroth. She insisted on staying their nurse since they saved her life.
Nanaki mentally frowned. She was nice, but she kept teasing him about a female like him. She kept saying that she had seen one up there, and still insisted on it. Red XIII knew there was no more like him, and didn't like it when Ms. Hatch teased him about it.
Barret picked him up and Red XIII let out a yell in pain. "Sorry," Barret mumbled. "Can't blame me, you're the injured one."
Barret started the trip toward the mountains when he thought he heard something. He stopped walking. Boom! Barret frowned and turned around. Nothing was there, but he could here a very low-boom-in the ground. Barret looked in the direction that the Shinra tanks were and saw something blocking the stars.
Something in the shape of…a very large human?! Barret squinted, not like it helped. It had to be past midnight by now and…then he recognized the shape of the arms and hands. The thing was a lot bigger now, he thought. Then turned to run.
The Proud Clod was behind him. The second one and it would not be friendly. Red XIII's heavy body slowed him down but he would stop. Barret was sweating hard. He wouldn't stop. He looked behind him-boom!-the Proud Clod had taken another step.
Barret only cursed and kept running. It had to be at least a mile away and plus he had Cloud on his…where is Cloud? Oh shit.
*
Cloud saw the huge robot looming over him, the green mist that was emerging from his eyes clouded his vision but he could still make it out. No doubt the occupants inside had seen him and he yelled out with no fear in his voice, "You will die again. All of Shinra must DIE FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE!"
Cloud's voice had as much rage as ever and the speakers that were attached to Proud Clod's shoulders turned on. "Not this time, Cloud Strife."
Cloud made a sour face. Scarlet again, probably not in the controlling it this time. She continued, "You can't beat me. I have Huge Materia on this thing, and my beam cannon is over one hundred times more powerful than the last time you fought it. So, let DANCE!" She screamed out the word dance with such rage that Cloud stopped for a second.
Then he pulled out his sword, and ran toward Proud Clod 2, for a fight in the moonlight.