Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 2: The Second Cetra
Chapter 22 (Continued a few minutes after the end of Chapter 21)
She pulled the string and the parachute flew out of her back and stopped her from falling. She was about four hundred feet high now. The burning reactor below had just suffered its fate, as would the rest of the planet, she thought.
Frosty wind pushed her away from the building and brought into the person she wanted to see. Poor Vincent. You told me you wouldn't die. She landed and unhooked the parachute, then tossed it into the flames of the burning building.
Sharon Hatch then turned back and walked towards Vincent, who was sprawled on the ground. By now, the rest of them should be at that patch of woods and the Highwind should be landing.
Sharon sat down next to Vincent's body; she could see that he was breathing and he was in a puddle of blood…but she had stolen the 'Full Cure' Materia from Cloud's room when everyone else was gone.
Her plan was simple enough. Hojo had a small private plane waiting at Rocket Town for her and Vincent. She was to leave a note in her room, parachute out of the Highwind right after the battle and then get Vincent and herself to that plane. Then they would go to H.Q. Wherever that is, Sharon thought.
She sighed and healed Vincent. Slowly, he came to consciousness and she smiled at him. She loved him…loved him so much that if Hojo had said he couldn't work with them, she would've quit working for him.
And that would cause problems for her and Vincent. Hojo was the one that hired the hit man to go screw with Tifa at the bar in Kalm. The hit man did die, but the plan worked; it screwed up Cloud even more, and messed with Barret's emotions.
Vincent rolled over and sat up, looking at the burning refinery, then back at his gloved hand. He had worn a Fire Ring, so he had been invincible to fire… he looked at Sharon and thought, Not you. I have to go check on Yuffie. I must find Yuffie and see if she is dead…
"Hi," Sharon said happily. "You weren't dead, I just helped you a little."
Vincent blinked and looked around. "Where is…Avalanche? Did they survive?" Vincent went into his role as Avalanche hater. He hated acting, especially acting like he didn't like Yuffie. That was the worst part.
"Oh I think that most of them are alive, but you and me must get going. We have to get to Rocket Town as fast as we can. You are going to meet my boss, Hojo, in person!"
Vincent blinked. "What about Avalanche? I thought we were to spy on them…"
"Hojo changed his mind. There are some people at H.Q. that I want you to meet also. I bet you will like what Hojo has in store for you."
"What does Hojo have in store for me?"
"I don't know, but when he said that to me, it was great…he used a machine and pointed it at my head and a little beam popped out of it. Then I had a vision, a vision that showed you and me in love! It was a prediction of the future! And all I had to do was do this mission for him and then I…you and me are home free!"
Oh no, Vincent thought. What have I gotten myself into? "Well, in that case, lets get going. Rocket Town is a few days away if I remember right."
They hopped up and Vincent started walking down the dirt road. "No silly," Sharon said from behind. "We are taking a shortcut."
Vincent stopped and turned around. "Oh," he said simply. "Lead the way and I will follow."
*
12 Hours Later…
Yuffie's tears came to her eyes like the rain fell from a hurricane. Tifa had found her on the dirt road that led up to the factory, unconscious and bleeding from a small wound in her head. Yuffie was now in her room that she should be sharing with Vincent but Vincent is…Yuffie couldn't accept it.
Vincent couldn't be dead. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and she jumped up and cried, "Vincent!" Then she ran to the door and opened it to see…
Tifa. Good ol' boring Tifa. Yuffie's face sagged and she went back to her bed to cry some more. Tifa watched her go back to her bed and asked, "Can I come in?"
"What the hell do you want," Yuffie asked, more harshly than she meant.
Tifa lowered her head and said, "I know how you feel Yuffie. I know exactly how you feel but we can't…we can't let it get to us."
"You don't know how I feel," Yuffie said, knowing that wasn't true. Cloud was gone, had been gone for over half-a-week now.
"Yes I do," Tifa said, tears coming to her eyes. "Cloud is gone, he is dead. I can't help it, I can't change it but I can stay happy."
Yuffie looked at Tifa, who was beginning to cry too. "But Vincent is gone," Yuffie said. "How can I be happy when my main happy charm isn't even here?"
How can someone so quiet and mysterious make you happy, Tifa thought, then shrugged. "You just…well…get over it. I know it is hard…I have lost Cloud several times and…each time he comes back. Vincent will return, and when he does you can give him a big hug."
Tifa didn't think Cloud or Vincent would come back…
*
A few minutes after Sunset…
"This is an efficient shortcut," Vincent said admiringly, nodding his head while looking at a map. "Very efficient."
"Hojo showed me before I departed for the Highwind," Sharon Hatch replied. "He knew about the hidden reactor and showed this as a 'just in case' sort of thing."
Vincent nodded again and looked at her. She was pretty; her soft face, brown hair and brown eyes… focus Vincent, he told himself. Seduction is a weapon, and you must be alert when someone is pretty…especially Sharon. "Hey, uh, I have a couple questions about Hojo."
Hojo is dead. "How is he alive? I mean, I killed him about a month ago with Cloud and Cid."
Sharon smiled. "He will tell you." The moonlight shone down on their little campsite, the fire gleaming in her eyes.
"And you…you said the name…" For some reason, Vincent found it hard to say her name. "You said…Aeris…right?"
Sharon hesitated, then said, "I will tell you everything if…if you love me." Her eyes glistened and Vincent caught himself thinking, get her now. Vincent shook his head. "Hojo wouldn't like it."
Sharon stood up over him, put one of her hands in her coat pocket and said, "He said he didn't care what we do." Suddenly she dove toward him and landed on top of him…
Vincent felt something enter his neck and then come back out. Almost immediately his vision started to blur. He turned his head toward the fire and the light exploded, blinding him.
He yelled and pushed Sharon off of him and he, somehow, focused on Ice3. The fire went out and Vincent fell back to the ground, his head exploding in pain like fireworks. His eyes were in so much pain. He felt something roll him over so he was lying on his back…then everything went black.
Sharon smiled a victorious smile. "Tranquilizer is a wonderful thing. I am sorry Vincent, but I couldn't go another minute without touching your body," she said to him, even though he was unconscious. Then she slowly got on top of Vincent and said, "Finally, your body is mine!"
*
Red XIII was outside the Highwind, the stars showing brightly. Poor Barret, he thought. Barret had finally questioned the reality of his missions, and what he was doing to people. So many innocent people had been killed in his war against Shinra. If Tifa hadn't walked in on him this morning…
Earlier this morning, Barret saw a soldier in the reactor they were destroying. The soldier had his daughter with him, and claimed to work for Shinra for his family; no other reason. Barret shot him anyway. And the man's daughter cried…and Barret realized he was doing the same thing to thousands of other people.
Harming innocent blood, just to make Shinra hire another one. So Barret lost it, and for the first time in his life, ran away from the battle. This morning, a few hours after they had stopped searching for Vincent and Yuffie, Tifa walked into Barret's room to find him about to commit suicide.
Tifa knocked him out with a vase nearby, but Barret still hadn't changed. Barret didn't want to live anymore. He felt that he had taken to many lives, his hands too stained to raise Marlene or continue with Avalanche…
Nanaki shook his head. It was sad. Definitely sad.
Tomorrow morning, Avalanche was going to go to Cosmo Canyon to go visit Bugenhagen. Marlene was also there, along with a few of the Highwinds pilots.
Red XIII raised his head and looked in the direction of Cosmo Canyon. Only twenty miles away and…Nanaki blinked. What was that?
A flash of light appeared in the sky. Another and then another…followed by gunfire and cannon fire. Red XIII gulped and looked again. The armies that bombarded Kalm are… bombarding Cosmo Canyon!
It hit him like a bag of rocks, and though he couldn't run very well, he sprinted inside and started shouting, "There are destroying Cosmo Canyon. Get the Highwind going, hurry! They are destroying Cosmo Canyon!"
A few minutes later, the Highwind's engines were warming up and getting ready. Everyone was on bridge but Barret. While the engines were warming up, everyone was getting equipped and ready for yet another fight. "Why would they bomb Cosmo Canyon," asked Tifa in wonder as she equipped herself with Materia.
Everyone was silent but Yuffie broke it by saying, "Tanner finally figured out where people get info on the Planet…they figured out where Avalanche was getting its information and reasons to destroy Shinra."
"Well they aren't going to destroy while I'm around," said a voice from outside the room. Barret ran in and said, "Marlene is there. And if they f*****' kill her, they will all DIE!"
"When are we leaving," Barret barked at the pilot. It didn't seem like a question but the pilot did answer, "In one more minute."
They all sat quietly, with no noise in the background or any noise coming from…
"They stopped," Tifa said suddenly. "Listen."
She was right; there were no more distant explosions. Red XIII's head lowered. "They are done… Grandfather is…gone."
Barret yelled for Marlene as the Highwind began to take off; its engines screaming in protest as the pilot put them at full throttle toward Cosmo Canyon.