Chapter 6 – Death squad
Aeris floated through the lifestream, a solid personality amongst the mixture of souls. Her soul had held together for longer then all of the others because she was a Cetera, or rather half Cetera.
She was free to sift through the knowledge of all those who had lived, searching for something which could help her friends against the impending menace she could feel. She also searched for the Promised Land, and the other Cetera, their souls had to be here somewhere, so why couldn't she find them?
"…then the whole bridge collapsed…"
The voices of the recently dead could be made out amongst the background noise of the planet, Aeris listened in to thousands of lives, looking for clues.
She had been looking for Hojo mostly. He would know everything about the Jenova project in all of its details. If she could find him before his soul was recycled she would have a considerable advantage.
She knew now that Cloud and Sephiroth were not the only people that Hojo had altered with Jenova's cells. She had found others, failed tests and normal people who had been slightly influenced. When they died all of the traces of Jenova were washed out of their spirit and they were purified before they too dissolved and were recycled.
"…this isn't a typical mission."
Aeris paused. That last voice sounded so familiar, it also made her shudder.
"Oh, that's right..."
"You may visit your family and friends."
Could it be?
"Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother."
"...the Black Materia!"
Sephiroth?
~ ~ ~
As the assembled SOLDIERS prepared to fire Jess was running. She got to the centre of the settlement to find it as she had left it, although most of the Shinra rescue team were filing up towards the developing scene behind her.
"EVERYONE!" she shouted.
A few curious heads turned to look at her. "IONA NEEDS OUR HELP!"
Quinn Vig jogged over to her. He vas very short compared to her but still looked more confident then she did as he approached. "Who are you, and what has happened to Iona?"
Jess paused for a moment to catch her breath and push her hair back. "Iona isn't in immediate trouble as such, but we all have a crisis developing fast. I'll explain on the way, just pick up your weapons and materia and then follow me."
The crowd looked bemused but Quinn told them to do as she said.
As they got moving Jess asked Quinn, "why did you trust me so quickly?"
He gave a quick smile and gave a reply as he equipped his materia. "I could tell by your tone of voice and the look in your eyes that you were telling the truth, and I would do anything to help Iona after the amount that she helped me."
He ran a hand over his materia and watched it glow as the residents began to assemble. They were a roughly dressed militia, everyone was wearing rags, but they were still dangerous. "Come on," he urged. "Let's get moving!"
~ ~ ~
In the meantime Iona herself had snuck up behind Tifa, with her sword ready.
"Don't worry," she whispered, making Tifa jump slightly. "I'm here to help you. Just stay quiet."
Tifa looked forwards as the SOLDIERS all clicked back their rifles at once. In the same moment Iona swung her sword around and broke Tifa's handcuffs.
"Just stay there until things get messy, there may be a fight coming up."
Tifa turned around to looks at her liberator. "Thanks," she whispered back.
"No problem. Any enemy of Michael Saldana's is a friend of mine."
Michael had gotten to "FIRE" when Iona started whispering to Cloud. Fortunately for her, something unexpected had happened.
~ ~ ~
Cait decided at the last minute to make a last ditch attempt for freedom. He jumped behind his stuffed moogle just as the president shouted "FIRE." He held his paws over his ears as the multiple shots flew through the air where he had been standing moments before. Once they saw what he had done they aimed lower and Cait winced every time a bullet hit the moogle.
The SOLDIERS were slowly tearing it to pieces.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" came the new command. Again Cait had to think fast. He could dimly hear new orders being given out. Slowly the crunch of approaching boots could be heard. The cat's mind was racing, he couldn't think clearly. He had a chance at resurrection but he still didn't want to die.
Cautiously he peeked around the side of the crippled moogle he only had a fraction of a second to survey the scene before he was forced to jerk his head back under a rain of bullets. As he waited for the fresh onslaught to end he thought about what he had seen.
The makeshift death squad was still standing in a line, ready to shoot anything that moved. They were SOLDIERS and Cait knew that he had been very lucky so far; they rarely miss. Cait had also seen the lone SOLDIER walking towards his hiding place from the side, obviously intending to flush him out without getting in the way of the other SOLDIERS. Behind all of them he had caught a fleeting glimpse of the new president of Shinra, arms folded impatiently, waiting for this to be over with. But he also saw something that filled him with hope.
In the brief moment when he saw his captive friends Iona had cut Cloud's handcuffs with her sword. Cait knew that this mysterious new woman had to be an ally. If he could just stay alive for long enough they would have to make a break for it. If they didn't rescue him then, then he would have to run under whatever confusion they cause. Of course, Cloud wouldn't leave him there to die. Cait knew his friend better then that.
The cat listened closely as the footsteps got louder, he needed more time! Desperately he tried to push himself into the soft fabric of the moogle, hoping it would swallow him up and out of sight, but found himself out of luck.
Perhaps he could slow the approaching threat by showing himself again for a brief moment, encouraging another round of bullets. He gulped and decided to stick a paw out and back in again, hoping that he would be too quick for them again.
Again Cait was unlucky; a bullet hit his paw immediately and caused his hand to explode! Cait couldn't feel the pain directly, it was suppressed by whatever program he was running on, but the loss registered to him.
Now he was one limb less, and had only bought himself a few more seconds. He couldn't keep this up for long.
Taking a few deep lungfuls of air he took a quick look at the situation again. He spotted the group approaching quickly from the town, his saviours if they could get to him in time. As he pulled his head back down, he realised his lucky escape again as a bullet flew through his right ear, leaving a hole but no critical damage.
Cait thought he had to look in a very sorry state indeed now. He was covered in dirt from throwing himself on the ground repeatedly, missing a hand, shaking from fear and had a bullet hole in one ear.
'Help me someone,' he thought as the shadow fell over him.
Tifa saw the SOLDIER reach down to pick up Cait and couldn't stop herself from shouting out a warning. "Cait, run now!"
She watched in horror as the cat sprinted into the open, only to be met with several accurate shots. His tiny body flew backwards and skidded to a halt on the dirty ground. Michael Saldana's attention had been attracted to her by her call, but his eyes locked with those of Iona's.
"Men!" he shouted. "Seize her immediately!"
He hadn't even mad sure Cait had been hit, he was confident in the abilities of his men. He knew what SOLDIER training was like, albeit second hand.
The trio suddenly found themselves the targets of the line of SOLDIERS.
The air between Iona and Michael seemed to shimmer as they gazed into each other's eyes. Iona's face was contorted into a grimace of hatred while Michael's face showed mostly surprise but he was also wearing a cruel grin. Iona forced herself to break her stare of pure hatred to quickly check on her approaching reinforcements. The president licked his lips quickly and then followed her glance.
"Men, look ou-!"
"DIAMOND DUST!"
An icy breeze swept through the ranks of SOLDIERS, causing them to all turn to face Jess, the breeze ruffling her hair and causing her torn clothes to flap about, and with her hand held above her head where her red Shiva summon materia shone brightly. The younger SOLDIERS shivered while the older; battle veterans recognised what the young woman was doing.
The sky darkened and a thin layer of ice began to form on the ground and rubble around the group.
Michael watched his breath form a white cloud in front of him and braced himself for the inevitable. With a sudden crash, a block of ice rose from the ground in front of Jess, Shiva broke out of it and blew her dust forwards. The SOLDIERS held their positions as they were encased in ice that swiftly shattered.
During the distraction Cloud and Tifa ran back to a safe position, but Iona held her gaze on the president and stood her ground.
As Shiva disappeared the targets revealed themselves to still be holding their ground. The squad leader eyed the advancing group with worried eyes.
"Sir! I strongly suggest we pull back and wait for reinforcements, we couldn't deal with this rabble without significant casualties."
Michael gave one last look at Iona; she was advancing with her sword drawn. "Fine, let us regroup back at the entrance to the bunker."
They gave a quick salute and the squad marched back the way they had come. Saldana left a remark for Iona. "I'll see you again soon my dear!"
The rabble let loose a volley of spells after the retreating enemy, the air boiled as the spells mingled and conflicted, but the targets were always a little too far away.
~ ~ ~
As the SOLDIERS led by president Saldana and the Neo-Midgar rabble lad by Iona left Cloud's field of vision he ran over to where Cait still lay.
He kneeled down to get a good look at his fallen ally, another friend lost. He felt an anger he had not felt for a few days rising within him again. He was aware of Tifa as she walked over and sat next to him. "Can he be brought back again?" she asked.
Cloud was about to answer when he saw movement in the torn and bloody cat. Cait looked a pathetic figure, lying on one side injured fatally. As the pair watched he rolled over onto his back to face them and tried to speak.
"Cait!" exclaimed Cloud. "How bad is it?"
Cloud knew from the look in Cait's only eye that it was no use. As the cat stopped moving he uttered a few words. "It's no good…I'm a gonner…but…I'll be back."
Tifa's head slumped as the last energy left in the frail body dissipated.
Then there was silence for a while, apart from the wind and the distant sound of bolt spells.
Eventually Cloud stood up. "We should bury him here." It was a simple statement but Tifa understood. How could Cait Sith return? Reeve was missing and Midgar, where he was created, had been turned into ruins.
"…And then there were seven," Tifa muttered below her breath.
~ ~ ~
The SOLDIERS were surprised by the strength and ferocity of the mob. They seemed highly organised and their leader gave them obvious morale. The retreat had become a run and now the last SOLDIERS stood guarding the entrance to the Shinra bunker to keep the others safe as Iona approached.
"Get out of my way!" she screamed. "I have no problems with you, let me in so that I can face him!"
The guards kept their cool and professional SOLDIER faces, devoid of emotion.
"No miss, I think that you will find that fighting us is useless. You will not get past us."
The corridor was narrow and the security door behind them was sealed. They were sacrificing two SOLDIERS to give the others more time.
"So be it." Iona narrowed her eyes and began to run towards the waiting SOLDIERS when the ground began to shake. "Wha-?"
She was thrown of balance and stumbled to a stop. The world became a wall of noise, dust and heat. Through smoke that was pouring from the ground Iona could make out the shape of a tower rising out of the ground quickly. It had been rising out of an area near to where the bunker had to be located.
The heat, noise and smoke became more unbearable until Iona realised what was happening. The Shinra executives were escaping in an underground rocket!
The Shinra no. 27 rose into the air steadily, an extravagant escape vehicle carrying an unknown number of people and equipment up into the sky.
When it was high enough for speech to be heard, one of the SOLDIERS shouted to Iona. "While this has been going on, the rest of the SOLDIERS and other Shinra military personnel have been gathering behind you. Now you are the ones who are trapped. If you give up now, Mr Saldana has said he will be especially lenient with you Miss Iona."
Iona wanted to strike them down but realised that her fight was pointless. It was over already. She collapsed onto the ground clutching her head, then slowly rose. She could already see some of the SOLDIERS in the distance, blocking off the only path back to the town. "So do we surrender or go down fighting?"
~ ~ ~
Cloud and Tifa were hiding together under a sheet of corrugated metal which had fallen at an angle so that it gave them protection from the eyes of the newly arriving SOLDIERS. Already there were more of them then before, but they were also with others and people were constantly arriving.
They could hear conversations going on and had worked out that the remaining population of Neo-Midgar had been rounded up and were being watched over. The military were ready for a battle but were hoping for a peaceful resolution to the problem.
"Damn Shinra!" whispered Cloud. "They kill Cait and now their rescue teams are doing more harm then good!"
"We need some sort of miracle to save us now," added Tifa. "We can't hide forever."
As the rocket was lost in the blue of the sky the dark clouds loomed closer, the black trail of the rising rocket was lost against the dark background.
As they watched and waited the SOLDIERS equipped themselves and were almost ready to move onwards when a new hum in the air caught their attention.