Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 2: The Second Cetra
Chapter 21 (Continued a few minutes after the end of Chapter 20)
Part 2 of Chapter 21 The Following Part of Chapter 21 is the POV of Team 2
Tifa watched as Vincent and Yuffie walked away, heading over the plains to go up the trail west of the reactor they were going to attack. She hoped they would be okay.
Then she started to put on her gloves; Gods' gloves she believed they were called. A modification of Gods' hand. The modification made the palms of her gloves steel, so she could block swords and sometimes bullets. She equipped the only Supernova Armlet they had, which they had found after their fight with Sephiroth.
She would be attacking physically, so she needed the strongest one they had. She also equipped two summonses, lots of cure magic, and one regular attack. She hoped it would be enough. Please let this work. And let Cloud be alive…he sacrificed himself for us; he deserves to be alive.
Barret charged up the Max Ray and put on his Bolt Armlet. Like Red XIII and Tifa, he also wore a Fire Ring. Most of his Materia was attack Materia; summons and stuff like quake and bolt.
Nanaki, who couldn't physically attack, was only allowed to attack with Materia. He was still weak from the bombardment on Kalm but he could use magic. He had the Wizard Bracelet on, and his father's headcomb. He felt ready; he had four Master Mp plus Materia and the rest attack so he felt ready.
They sat for a few minutes then Barret looked at his watch and said, "Lets move out. Remember, Red XIII, you are only going to where that huge boulder is. Tifa, you just charge all the way and I'll give you some cover. But remember, we cannot be seen until the Highwind attacks. Lets go."
They quietly crept out of the patch of woods and moved up the hill. Several large rocks and boulders were scattered about the hill, making it easy to move up the mountain without being detected.
Red XIII stopped at one particularly big one, about halfway up the hill. The lights at the factory made it easy to target soldiers walking around. "Good luck," he whispered as Tifa and Barret kept going up the hill.
Let this work. Let us all come back safe and sound thought Tifa.
Occasionally, a car or truck would emerge from behind the reactor and start going down the dirt road that was on the west side.
Barret felt the adrenaline begin when the Highwind's engines could be heard behind him. It would be there in about ten seconds. Barret stopped behind a rock and slowly started aiming at people. When the first cannon from the Highwind sounded, Barret started sniping people down.
Almost immediately Shinra retaliated. Though the sun wouldn't be up for another few hours, hundreds of soldiers began pouring out of the building. They saw Barret's gun flash each time he fired it and they started shooting down at him.
Spotlights suddenly lit up the hill he was on and he cursed. How can I get a hit in on them like this? Hell, how can Tifa get up there and start pounding them?
Barret started to dive behind another boulder when the boulder he was just at exploded. He flew back and as he flew, saw Tifa fly back from another boulder that was exploding. All the boulders around him started exploding, the little pebbles hitting him and more explosions tossing him around as if he were a doll.
Finally he hit the ground and saw nothing but smoke everywhere. "Tifa," he called. Bullets erupted from the top of the hill and Barret hit the dirt.
A girl's voice echoed behind him and he looked behind him. Tifa was a few yards back down the hill, her face a little bloody from pebbles and shrapnel. She gave a thumb up sign to show she was okay, other than cuts and bruises.
Barret did the same with his left hand. Then looked back at the top of the hill. The smoke was slowly thinning out, the Highwind was somewhere above him, firing all its cannons and artillery at the soldiers and tanks and helicopters. Barret started firing at soldiers that were illuminated in the light.
Tifa started running up the hill, knowing that the smoke was her cover to get close to the enemy and start pounding his ass. A thought his Barret like an anvil. Red XIII!
He looked around behind him and saw Red XIII's body starting to get up. Barret breathed easier and looked back up at the top of the hill. Fire…fire…fire! Each time he told his gun to fire, it did.
Fire…fire…
Tifa charged up the hill, seeing a few soldiers running at her. A voice in the back of her head said, "This is your chance for revenge against Cloud. Kill them with all your strength." Tifa's face became the face of hatred and she charged the soldiers.
About eight of them, Tifa counted. A hundred yards away and counting. The soldiers stopped running and it looked like they were talking and laughing with each other. That just pissed Tifa off. They were laughing at her; they think I am weak and insignificant. I'll show them.
The soldiers realized she wasn't playing games when she was close to them and they started getting ready. They pulled out swords and guns. The leader of the group, the man with the biggest sword, stepped forward and slashed at Tifa when she was close enough.
Tifa jumped up and over him, landing on one of the soldiers behind the leader. The leader yelled out in anger as Tifa spun around and kicked him in the back. The other men started attacking her and she realized these guys were stronger than it appeared.
Tifa dodged one sword, ducked and tripped two guys. She then came up and upper-cutted the leader of the group. A few of the men stepped back in surprise, and then charged. She jumped up and two of the men stuck each other's swords into each other. Three down. The leader of the group was getting back up. Make that two.
Tifa punched the nearest guy and then blocked a sword with her glove. "What the," the soldier started to say but Tifa front kicked him. BAM! She fell to the ground, someone behind her kicking her in the back. She started to somersault forward but another foot hit her ribs, probably breaking or fracturing some of them.
Tifa realized her mistake then: she had attacked in anger. Emotions had clouded her efficiency and these soldiers would be down if she had kept her emotions in check. She coughed up some blood and another foot's heel dug into her back. She yelled out in pain and hit the dirt.
The soldiers were laughing. The leader was the one that took her down.
"Look at what you did to my beautiful face, bitch," someone said behind her and she ignored it. "AAA," she screamed as someone pulled her hair, twisting her head to reveal the leader's bloody nose and bleeding chin.
"Hey, wait a minute," someone said. "This girl is the one that almost got raped in Kalm, before it was bombarded."
Uh oh, thought Tifa.
"Well then, almost you say? Then lets finish the job!"
Tifa shrieked and started kicking wildly but someone hit her in the head and things got dizzy. She didn't lose consciousness but she was aware of a figure getting on top of her and taking off her shirt.
"NO," she shrieked again and reddish light surrounded her. Beat Rush, Somersault, Dolphin Kick…she couldn't think of anymore at the moment but she exploded with energy, punching the leader of the group until the last punch made him fly back. She then turned and attacked another soldier, the one who had grabbed her hair.
She jumped onto him and then did a back flip off of him, her feet hitting his chin as she flew back and landed on the ground. The soldier screamed and fell back, dead. Then she faced another one and did a half spin hook kick mixed with sidekick. That soldier fell back, also dead.
The other soldiers backed away and took off running. One stayed and said, "I'll finish both jobs. Rape and death!" He whipped out a gun and before she could stop him, two bullets popped into her chest.
She fell to the ground, pain engulfing her body. The man then got on top of her and laughed. "I will enjoy thi-," he never finished as her knee went into his back.
"Not without a fight," she said through gritted teeth and then head butted him. He cried out in pain and fell off of her. She got up and kicked him in the head. She stepped on his neck and pressed harder and harder until she heard a popping sound.
"If Cloud can't save me from fools like you, I'll save myself," she said. Aware of the pain in her chest, she focused on curing herself, and slowly the wounds were gone. Sore, but they were gone.
She started walking toward another soldier that was staring at her. "Whatcha lookin' at bubba? Death? No kidding." She charged him and he turned to run but didn't make it more than a few feet. She jump-kicked him and he fell to the ground, knocked out.
Then she realized what the soldier had been staring at. She didn't have a shirt on. She went back and found her shirt, buttoned it up and then started attacking other soldiers.
Barret fired again, but was losing his nerve. He had one wound a bullet graze on his left temple. He fired at another soldier.
He had killed a lot of them but knew that he had only two minutes before the scheduled retreat. He had to keep going though. "FOR KALM AND FOR AVALANCHE," he yelled and kept charging forward.
Some soldiers were beginning to run but didn't make it far. Barret then saw a group of people huddled around a guy and a girl…Tifa! Barret raised his gun-arm but someone shot at him and got him in his armpit. He fell and rolled down the hill a little ways but determination filled him and he ruthlessly shot the person that was still shooting at him.
"Bastard," he mumbled but ran back up to where he could where the group had been. Now, only a couple people were there, and they were running. He watched as a topless Tifa jump kicked another man.
She then looked at herself and ran back and got her shirt. Barret hurriedly turned around and shot another man while concentrating on magic to heal his wounds. The armpit wound healed but the graze on his left temple didn't. It hurt worse than the armpit one too.
Barret opened his eyes and saw Tifa going inside the reactor. He followed her and was surprised when he entered the building. It was very nice; hallways and desks. He followed Tifa and shot a couple more people as he ran. No hesitation. You may be killing someone, but its so millions more can live.
Barret split up from Tifa and found the actual reactor part. Machinery noises filled his ears as he walked through the area. No one was there; everyone had evacuated.
Barret stopped…he thought he had heard someone… crying? He turned around in a full circle and saw that there was a second story. Railways went all around the huge room and Barret saw a soldier and a little girl in a corner. He had better not be touching that girl, thought Barret as he found stairs that led up.
He ran up them and to the two people cowering in the corner. The soldier wasn't doing anything like Barret thought he was doing. Barret watched as the little girl shivered and said, "Daddy don't let him hurt me please. Daddy, don't let him hurt me…"
Barret's eyes darted from the soldier to the girl.
Suddenly the soldier said, "Please don't hurt us Avalanche. We are innocent. If you must, hurt me but not my daughter."
Barret looked at the soldier. What am I doing, Barret asked himself. The lives I am taking are innocent, as is that little girls' blood. Barret looked at his gun-arm and decharged it. "Go on and save yourself. And your daughter…I am sorry so much.
"Shinra ruin lives. We ruin many lives and I do regret working for them…but I did it for my family," said the soldier. "Thank you." And he and his daughter started running away.
NO, a voice inside of Barret's head said. They are the enemy, the people that ruined your lives. That soldier just wants to go touch that girl somewhere else.
"NO," Barret yelled and charged his Max Ray. The soldier started to raise his hands to show he was unarmed when Barret shot him, the soldier's right arm flying away from its body. "NO," Barret yelled again. "You ruined my life and now you are trying to ruin more people's lives by getting away. YOU ARE THE ENEMY!"
Barret stood over the soldier and shot him in the head. The little girl started shaking him, crying, "Daddy? Dadd-y-y-y…"
The girl put her head on the soldier's chest and cried…
Barret stepped back, realizing what he had done. He turned and ran away from the dead man and his daughter.
Barret ran out of the building and away from the whole area. As he ran, he heard the alarms go off and a voice over the intercom and outside speakers say, "There is a bomb in the building. Evacuate. I repeat, Evacuate."
Barret ran away. Away from the war, the violence, the hate…he just ran away, thinking about Marlene and his wife…his dear, dead wife.
Inside the building, Tifa heard the intercom and said, "That's not good." She beat up the last soldier and ran out of the building. She ran down the hill and halfway down, the reactor exploded and Tifa hit the ground.
The explosion lit up the night like the sun for a few seconds and then calmed back down to a burning building. Tifa looked back and saw a few fireballs flying away from the building. It was over…she was alive. Tifa breathed a deep breath and said, "Men are perverts." She started to get up and then she said, "No…Shinra is a bunch of perverts."
Then she started walking back toward the patch of woods, hoping that everyone would be all right.