Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 2: The Second Cetra
Chapter 24 (Continued one day after the end of Chapter 23)
Cid Highwind winced as they stabbed him again. This time in the leg. It hurt but he tried not to show it. The Turk with the blade, who happened to be Rude, laughed at his wincing and said, "This is to make sure that your dumb asses don't try to escape. You can't because your hurt and you will be guarded by Turks."
Rude stabbed him again, this time in left shoulder. "There, that should be enough. Can't stab you too much or you won't have enough blood to make it to the execution." The Turk laughed and un-strapped Cid. Cid fell off the vertical table and landed on his knees.
That hurt even more than the stab wounds. "As if getting electrocuted for a week wasn't enough," he mumbled and the Turk elbowed him in the back.
Cid Highwind cried out in pain and hit the ground.
"Someday, Mr. Highwind, you will learn that even though you are scheduled for execution, we could cancel it and do it here…now." With that the Turk named Rude left the room and two Shinra soldiers helped Cid to his feet and started escorting him to the ceremony.
*
The girl moved her fingers back and forth and started to smile. There he was the one that the original loved. Sure, she had feelings for him too; after all, when you are cloned you begin with the same feelings. But over time you develop a personality of your own.
Still she loved him. She wasn't the original but he didn't have to know that. She had faked him out once; she could do it again. With or without Hojo's consent. She gazed at the little television screen, the little monitor that showed what a camera was seeing in an underground lair.
He was handsome, his muscular arms and broad shoulders. But that black stuff that seemed to cover his arm and ran over his skin like a liquid…that made him seem like a freak.
The girl got up, her pink dress tighter than the originals. Another difference in personality between the original and I is that I am a lot more like a regular human. I am more interested in sex. The original's life must've been boring without it. I've even made love to the one she liked, when she never had the guts to.
With that, the girl stole into her bedroom and went to sleep her thoughts on the clone named Cloud.
*
"Alright, what do we know about the Lifestream and Mako, and Heidegger? We know that Barret will carry out the assassination of Heidegger; we know that Tifa and I will go to wherever we think that the person dumping Jenova's Cells is. And Yuffie has volunteered to go to Junon with Barret to rescue Cid. So I guess that the real business is figuring out where the Dumper is."
They had found out about Cid's being held in Junon by an announcement by Tanner on TV. He said that Cid was the last of Avalanche and would be publicly executed today. Nanaki looked at all of them. "Pilot, where would you like to go, or do?"
He looked at Nanaki and said, "I will serve you till the end, in honor of my co-pilots."
Nanaki nodded and said, "Keep the course for Junon. It should take…what…two more hours to get there?" The pilot nodded. "Good, then let's do it." They had been on their way there for a day.
Tifa spoke up. "Wherever is there good access to the Lifestream, someone could dump the Cells into it."
Red XIII nodded in agreement and Barret said, "I need to get a break from this. I'm gonna go watch some TV." With that Barret left the room, everyone giving him a quizzical look before he left."
"Ooookaayy," said Tifa. "Cosmo Canyon had access to the Lifestream through Bugenhagen's door but if Cosmo Canyon is destroyed then…so is the Dumper! Which means are mission is already complete!"
"Then lets show those Shinra bastards what we're made of," Yuffie said, flicking her arm out as if slapping an imaginary soldier.
Red XIII frowned. They were forgetting something and he knew it. He just couldn't figure it out. She is right, but Bugenhagen would've known if the Cells were being dumped there.
"Guys, get yer' asses in here now!" It was Barret, yelling from the lounge. They all got up and started walking toward the lounge when they heard, "Hurry up!" It did sound urgent so Red XIII ran into the lounge and looked at the TV.
It was a Shinra newscast, the words 'special report' written across the top of the screen. The female reporter was saying, "…this phenomena is amazing. So far, no explanation has been given but it certainly isn't normal."
The camera turned away from and focused on what looked like a giant arm reaching out of the ground. Dark clouds swirled around above it and light rain was falling. It had three fingers and was purplish and bluish. "What the hell…" Barret was saying but Tifa hushed him as the reporter started talking again.
"Villagers nearby say it started a week ago, the first finger coming out of a tree in nearby woods. Now the tree is transformed into a giant hand emerging from the ground. A SOLDIER quad team is on their way from Junon to try and isolate this thing, along with a team of Shinra scientists." The hand was about sixty feet high, and at least a good twenty feet wide.
Barret snorted at the word scientists.
The reporter continued as she was told. "We will give you up to the minute stats on how this situation develops. This is Lockly from Mideel." The camera blinked out and then showed Junon, from a helicopter, a male voice saying, "And this is where the great President Tanner will be giving his speech concerning the phenomena."
The TV switched off and Barret looked at his fellow friends. "I don't know how you feel, but this is pretty stinkin' shitty."
They nodded and Red XIII whispered one word that sent chills down their spines. "That was… that was Jenova."
Tifa looked at him and a look of understanding crossed her face. "Then…but how could this happen so soon? I mean, Bugenhagen said it would take twenty years and whoever has been doing this couldn't have already been doing this for that long."
They all agreed and Red XIII said, "Mideel. That makes perfect sense. That is where the Lifestream gushed out and whoever is doing this had easy access."
Yuffie made a mad look and said, "So lets go kick their fat-"
Nanaki shook his head. "We continue with the plan. Only now we don't have time to land a few miles from Junon and etc. Barret, you and Yuffie go onto the deck and you will parachute out. Remember, get Cid, kill Tanner and bail. The Highwind will pick you up over at the Chocobo Farm in two days.
"If it takes any longer…uh…you know that new company World Fairy's? Take that down to Mideel. Alright then, lets get equipped and go!"
"Right," they all said and did what they were told.
Nanaki sat in the lounge, alone. He sighed and turned the TV back on. He had seen what Barret had done. He had changed the channel. The reporter was just taking a break and would have started back in a second.
Could it really have been…Cloud? How could he have survived the explosion? It was impossible. No way. But it was him. Barret had spotted him and changed the channel before Tifa could notice. Nanaki shook his head. It was going to get bad. Real, real bad.
*
Vincent shivered as he saw the town come into view. Nibelhiem. Where so many secrets still remained and so many answered yet to be said.
Sharon Hatch paused and said, "See that plane that is right behind the mansion? That's the one we are taking. All the way to H.Q." Then she added, "Wherever that is."
Hojo had rearranged the plans for Vincent and Sharon, so now they would leave from Nibelhiem, not Rocket Town like the original plan.
He still felt unclean. Sharon had touched him and manipulated him. He liked it but it didn't feel right. He felt unclean and yet…free. He had lived his life without the sense of touch, until Sharon, the bitch, tranquilized him and…
They approached Nibelhiem and in a few minutes found the pilot of the plane at the inn. He didn't say anything but quietly led them to the plane and in another hour they were in the air. The plane was bigger than the typical private plan.
The cabin was large enough for ten people, with a door separating the cabin from the cockpit. Sharon liked it and Vincent found a corner that he could sit in and sleep.
Yuffie, I know you think I am dead. But I'm not, and when this is over I will open my heart. I will try to share my feelings and-
Suddenly there was weight on his lap and he opened his eyes to find Sharon grinning devilishly. She sat there and said nothing, but Vincent knew what she wanted. He almost lost control for a second but stopped. She is trying to seduce you. RESIST IT!
Before he knew she was taking off her shirt, revealing her well-rounded breasts…NO! Resist it!
Then she pulled off her blouse and before he knew it, he was kissing her and taking off his clothes…Yuffie forgive me, was his last thought before Sharon took him over, with her seduction.
*
Barret stuffed the parachute into the sewers and did the same with Yuffie's. "Aw'ight, now remember what Nanaki said. We kill Tanner save Cid and get the hell outta here."
"Right," Yuffie said and they started heading for the soldier-training forum.
*
Red XIII equipped himself with Full Cure and other various Materia. Tifa was doing the same, her face obviously telling Nanaki that she was in deep thought. The head pilot had just turned and they were heading full-speed for Mideel.
A few minutes ago, on the news, the reporter said that the hand had doubled in size. And there were other large lumps emerging from the ground. They were unable to tell what they were but they were definitely part of Jenova.
The head pilot of the Highwind kept his eye on the sky and reported seeing many dark clouds spreading over the area. "Hell," he had said, "I haven't seen nuttin' but dark clouds in the sky for the past hour."
Nanaki only closed his eyes. I will honor you Seto. I swear it.
The final battle is coming. We are going to fight Jenova and face an enemy worse than Sephiroth. We are short of manpower and all of us are stressed out. Help me Seto, as I will help honor you.
Tifa said something. "You know, I thought I saw Cloud on the TV earlier today. But I guess that because I miss him so much that…that I am starting to see things." A tear, one solitary tear formed in her left eye and she said, "That's the last tear I shed for him. Because now I must fight. Now I must fight for the same thing he fought. For Aeris, and for the Planet. And for ourselves."
The Highwind flew into raining weather, still heading relentlessly for Mideel.
*
Cid limped along with the soldiers that were escorting him. His vision was blurry, his body weak. There was no way he could escape on his own like he had planned. They stabbed him and then made him walk around Junon for hours, making him weak.
For Avalanche, he thought. And for the Planet, he thought as they entered the room that led to the gas chamber.
Authors Note
Can anyone tell what's goin' on? Its getting close to the end, I'll tell you that, but one small twist and it might not be. It's up to the people that review. I am getting pretty excited about this. But I have a question before I write the next chapter. Do you want me to divide it into two different parts again? Or should I just write it out? Mention it in the review and I do whichever has more votes. Thanx for readin'!