Chapter Fourteen: Shattered Dreams
Cloud stared ahead in amazement as he pulled the little buggy in front of a modern day ghost town. Nibelheim had indeed been rebuilt, but it was deserted as far as Cloud could tell. There wasn't a single person walking in the streets. He knew it had always been a small town with little influence on the rest of the world, but at least the town itself had usually been busy.
"I guess they rebuilt it, but where is everybody?" Cloud asked rhetorically.
"I wonder why they rebuilt it. Do you think the Shinra restored everything after the fire?" Tifa asked, ignoring Cloud's question.
"This was their hiding spot for the experiments in the basement of the mansion." Cloud replied. "They need this town to be here so that nobody gets suspicious about that mansion."
"I want to go see if they rebuilt my house." Tifa said, walking through the open town gates.
"Looks like they rebuilt everything." Cloud replied, following her. Barret followed behind, significantly less excited about the town than Cloud and Tifa. The others stayed inside the buggy, some catching up on much needed sleep.
Tifa stood looking in wonder at the house in front of her. It was identical to the one that she had once lived in, which had burned down five years ago. It was as though she had traveled into the past, and was looking at a building that looked exactly as she remembered it. The lights were off inside, and it looked as if no one was there.
"Does anybody live here?" Tifa asked Cloud.
He shrugged.
"I don't know but the lights are on in the inn. I'm gonna go check it out." He replied. He walked into the small inn which was near the entrance to the town. There was an older man standing at the counter. He appeared to be the only one inside, and there was no noise coming from the floor above.
"Have you always worked at this inn?" Cloud asked. "Tifa and I used to live here before the town burned down five years ago."
"I don't remember anyone named Tifa." The man answered. "What's your name?"
"Cloud."
"I don't remember anyone by that name either."
"Well, did you live here before the fire?"
"No."
"Well…uh…that explains it doesn't it?"
Cloud scratched his head. This was kind of strange. Who the hell was this guy?
"Can I help you folks?" The man asked pleasantly. "Would you like to rent a room for the night?"
"There's nobody here." Cloud replied. "Who the hell do you sell these rooms to?"
The man remained silent.
"Ya know what, fuck this." Barret said. "What the hell is with this guy anyway?"
"Cloud come out here!" Tifa called from outside the inn.
Cloud immediately turned away from the man and ran outside. Tifa was staring at a man wearing a black hooded cape. His face was pale white. He looked almost like a ghost, and Tifa looked almost like she'd just seen one.
"Who's this guy?" Cloud asked.
"I don't know." Tifa replied. "When I asked him how long he'd been here he started mumbling something about a reunion."
"A reunion?" Cloud asked, suddenly very interested. "Do you think that has anything to do with the reunion Hojo was talking about."
"I have no idea, but this guy's really creeping me out." She replied.
The man took a step closer to Tifa, and Barret immediately whipped out his gun-arm, ready to fire. The man did not attack, but simply mumbled.
"The Reunion is near." He spoke, though the words were slightly garbled.
It was around this time that Cloud began to notice other hooded figures wandering around the town. Most of their faces were shrouded by the hoods. One of the figures close by appeared to be a young boy.
"Oh my God." Tifa whispered as she got a closer look at the boy, who was wearing a blank and expressionless face. "I recognize this kid."
"What are you talking about?" Cloud replied. "We don't even know who the hell these people are."
"No I'm serious, I recognize him." She responded, indignantly. "I remember seeing him around when I used to live here."
"That's impossible." Cloud replied. "Everyone died in the fire."
"How do you know that?" Tifa asked. "You and I left before the fire even died down."
"Well then answer this," Cloud retorted, "If you remember this kid than how come he hasn't grown up since then?"
Tifa didn't have a chance to respond because Barret took action.
"Man, this shit is freaking me out." He said. "Let's get inside."
Tifa nodded, and opened the door to her home which was the closest building. There were no hooded figures inside, as far as they could tell as they entered.
"Did you look in here before?" Cloud asked.
Tifa shook her head.
"Go upstairs and make sure none of those guys are up there."
She nodded and ran upstairs. Cloud pulled aside the drapes to gaze outside the window. The people had not pursued them, but rather stayed where they were staring ahead blankly as though they had all been lobotomized.
"What the fuck's goin' on here?" Barret asked.
Cloud shrugged.
"I have no idea." He replied. 'I honestly didn't even think the town would be rebuilt. I definitely wasn't expecting people to be here, freaks or not."
He was about to say something else when he was interrupted by another call from Tifa, this time from upstairs. He ran up, and Barret followed. They found her sitting on the side of her bed reading what appeared to be a file of some sort.
"Looks like Hojo spent some time here after the Shinra rebuilt the town." She said as Cloud approached.
"Shinra rebuilt the town?" Cloud asked.
"That's what it says here." Tifa replied, pointing to the document she was holding. "These are Hojo's research notes. I guess he stayed in my room while he was doing research here."
"What else does it say?"
"Those people outside are the results of the experiments Hojo was doing." Tifa said as she glanced over the pages of the file. "After the fire he gathered up the bodied and began doing reanimation experiments. He was able to reanimate a lot of the people that died in the fire, but he considered them failures because they became like the zombies outside."
"How did he reanimate them?" Cloud asked.
"It's kind of confusing." Tifa replied. "But it seems like by adding Jenova cells and doing some other stuff he was able to bring them back to life indefinitely, but only in the almost brain-dead state like the ones we saw. The guy in the inn works for the Shinra. It says that he's there to make sure that none of the experiments leave the town."
"Wow." Cloud said. "Hojo's more of a sick bastard than I thought. Is there anything else in there?"
"Yeah, there's something about a guy named Vincent Valentine that he says was his only successful reanimation, and there's a paragraph about Sephiroth."
"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked, his ears literally perking up.
"Don't get too excited, all it says is that he was the most successful experiment involving Jenova cells. Oh yeah, and there's also a couple of paragraphs about the mutated people that you told us about when we were in Kalm. It says that they were all failures, and most of them were killed before he started experimenting on the corpses from the fire."
"This is some heavy shit." Barret said. "How many experiments did this guy do?"
"A lot." Cloud said. "And I'm sure I don't know about all of them. Hey Tifa, does that file say anything about the library that was at the bottom of the mansion?"
"Yeah, it says that the library survived the fire completely. Everything that used to be down there still is." She answered.
"I want to go check it out." Cloud said. "You guys gonna come with me?"
Tifa shrugged.
"Sure, why not."
Barret didn't say anything, but he followed when they left her house and headed for the mansion. He kept his gun-arm tense as they passed the hooded figures on the way. When Cloud opened the door to the mansion he noticed that there were a few inside there as well. One was very close to the door, enough so that Cloud could see a number tattooed on his bare, pale arm. The number was 22. He walked closer to another person, who mumbled about the Reunion. He had the number 11 tattooed on his arm.
"Looks like Hojo gave numbers to his experiments." Cloud observed.
"I wonder how many there were in total." Tifa said.
"Had to have been at least 22." Cloud replied, smirking for a second.
Then the humor left him once more and he headed up the stairs and to the right. The closest room on the right once he had ascended the stairs had its own set of stairs, although these were of the winding type and had to be accessed through a door. Cloud sighed as he opened the door and beckoned for Tifa and Barret to follow him into the darkness below. The last time he'd gone down these stairs it was to find his leader, Sephiroth, who had gone insane in the library below surrounded by books that told him that he had been created and not born. It was odd, but he found himself feeling very much the same way that he had the last time he was here. He could almost feel Sephiroth's very presence here.
The stairs were very long, and their legs ached by the time they reached the bottom. Barret muttered something about the stairs being worse than the ones they had climbed at the Shinra Headquarters, but of course that was an exaggeration. The basement area which they had entered was dank and cold, almost like a dungeon. It was exactly as Cloud remembered it.
"The library is straight ahead." Cloud said, pointing in front of him.
It was a short trip down a dusty hallway to get to the library door. As soon as Cloud opened it, he visually confirmed what his feelings had already told him. They were not alone in the basement. Sephiroth had beaten them into the library, and was seated at a desk reading a large book. His eyes looked up from the book, and seeing Cloud enter the door they suddenly burned with rage.
"Human infidel!" He cried, standing up from his chair. "Spreading like a pestilence, even into my sacred library!"
He threw an object at Cloud, knocking him to the ground , and then flew out of the door past Barret and Tifa. They ran into the room to help Cloud off of the ground.
"Wasn't that Sephiroth?" Barret asked.
"Yeah." Cloud replied, dusting himself off. "And he threw this at me."
He held up a green materia crystal.
"It looks like a low level spell materia." He continued. "I have no idea why he'd throw something like this at me."
"Probably because he's completely insane." Barret answered nonchalantly. "I say we get the fuck outta here, cause this place is still givin' me the creeps."
"Alright, let's grab everybody from the buggy and head through Mt. Nibel." Cloud said.
He hurried out the door to the library, but Sephiroth was gone. Cloud guessed he'd probably teleported the way he had on the Shinra boat. The wall to his right was cracked open, probably the work of Sephiroth, and what appeared to be a secret door was exposed.
"Where'd that door come from?" Tifa asked. "It wasn't there before."
"Looks like Sephiroth busted open the wall on his way out." Cloud replied. "Come on, let's go check it out.
The door was old and rusted. Cloud wondered how long it had been since it had been used. It was stuck in place, and it took a good deal of work from both Barret and Cloud to pry it open. When they did, they were greeted by a small chamber that smelled of dust and looked almost like an antique operating room. There were tools on shelves that lined the walls, and toward the center of the room was, of all things, a closed coffin.
"What the hell is a coffin doing down here?" Barret asked to no one in particular.
Cloud knelt beside it and probed the edge of wooden casket with his fingers. It was slightly rotten, but it was for the most part preserved since there was no moisture inside the chamber. It gave no resistance as Cloud lifted off the top to reveal a body inside. It was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He was wearing a red cape and his shoes had pointy steel tips, which was a popular style around 25 years before Cloud was born. The body of the man was perfectly preserved, as though it were not dead at all. In fact, when it sat up to stare into Cloud's frightened eyes it revealed that it was indeed very much alive.
"Why did you disturb me?" He asked stoicly, moving nothing but his mouth so that he could speak.
Cloud was speechless, and actually quite petrified though luckily for him no one else noticed.
"We're sorry." Tifa stammered. "We didn't think anyone was alive in here."
"You were right." He replied. "No one is alive in here. Now please, leave me alone."
In one quick movement he grabbed the edge of the coffin's top and pulled it back over him. Perplexed, Cloud lifted the top off again.
"What do you mean no one is alive in here?" He asked.
"I meant exactly what I said." The man answered, clearly agitated. "There is no one alive in here. Now leave me alone!"
He again pulled the top over him, this time not as gently as before. It made a slamming noise that echoed through the basement as it closed.
"Aren't you alive?" Tifa asked, without lifting the top.
There came no answer from inside. Suddenly, Tifa's eyes lit up as though she'd just had somewhat of an epiphany.
"I know who you are." She said happily. "You're the guy I read about in Hojo's notes. He reanimated you and put you, alive and unaging, in this coffin."
The top of the coffin slowly rose, and the man inside sat up to face her. He was very close to her and she noticed that his face was white and pasty, which was understandable. He hadn't been exposed to the sun in over twenty years.
"Did you say Hojo?" He asked softly.
She nodded.
"Professor Hojo?" He clarified.
She nodded again.
"Where did you find his notes?"
"They were in the house that used to be mine before this town burned down." She replied. "He must have been staying there, and he forgot them when he left."
"How careless of him." The man responded, almost sarcastically. "What else do they say about me?"
"All it says is that you were his only successful reanimation." She replied. "And that your name is…"
She trailed off, snapping her fingers as she tried to recall his name.
"My name is Vincent Valentine." He said, helping her out. "It figures he wouldn't mention in his notes how I came to be a dead man in the first place."
"Did he have something to do with it?" Cloud asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Vincent answered. "Are you here because you are seeking Hojo?"
"We came here to look for a man named Sephiroth, but when we leave we have to stop Hojo from destroying the world." Cloud answered, nonchalantly as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about this.
"That sounds like him alright." Vincent said. "Are you going to come into contact with him?"
"Most likely."
"Are you going to kill him?"
"After we've learned as much as we can from him, yes."
"Then I will come with you." Vincent concluded. "I will help you on your mission. All I ask in return is that you may lead me to him, so that I may confront him and kill him myself."
"Got a little personal vendetta going on here?" Cloud asked, amused.
"In, time I may tell you." Vincent replied. "For now, help me find my weapon so that I may be of better assistance."
"What kind of weapon is it?" Barret asked, suddenly interested in the dead guy standing before him.
"It was a shotgun." Vincent replied. "A very nice one too. Oh there it is!"
He pointed toward a 12-gauge shotgun hanging from the wall of the chamber. It was dusty but appeared to be in good shape. Slowly and painfully, he rose from his coffin to retrieve the gun. There were a few ammo boxes filled with shells nearby, and these he slipped into the concealment of his coat.
"You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little slow at first." Vincent told them. "I haven't used my muscles since Hojo put me in there."
As Vincent had warned, he slowed them down considerably as they made their way back to the buggy. When they arrived, Cloud explained to the others how they had picked up another passenger. Needless to say, they were confused about Vincent's origins, but they accepted him since Cloud and Barret had already done so.
Cloud had to break the unfortunate news to everyone that they would have to leave the safety and comfort of the buggy for the time being. He knew this wouldn't go over well with them, which was why he'd kept his mouth shut about it until now. As he explained to them, the buggy would never be able to make it over the foot paths of Mt. Nibel. They would have to make the trek on foot.
It took them about an hour to assemble everything they could carry from the buggy. Luckily, Dio had packed backpacks and other luggage bags into the trunk. Red XIII found these as he was rummaging through the inside of the buggy, and soon afterwards everyone began to pack their things. Even Vincent took a backpack, but it was packed lightly so as not to weigh him down too heavily. They didn't want to stress him too much, after being "asleep" for so long.
The travel through the mountains was long and arduous. The sun beat down on them throughout the afternoon, and in short time even Aeris and Tifa were sweating profusely. Only Vincent seemed to enjoy the sunlight. It was something he hadn't been able to experience since the experiments, except in his dreams.
As night fell it began to get cooler, and the trip became slightly more comfortable. Still, everyone's legs were tired, and the bags they carried seemed heavier than when the trip had started. When the last hint of sunlight disappeared from the sky, Cloud realized it was probably a good time to stop and get some rest. He was relatively free of fatigue, as he had made far longer and harder walks during his time in Soldier, but he knew the others were beginning to suffer. He gave the okay for everyone to stop, and they were quick to sit down and make themselves as comfortable as possible.
Barret was starving, and he quickly found a few portable burners and began heating up some canned food they had packed with them. The others laid down and rested as best they could. Cloud was still restless, and began to walk around and survey their position. As far as he could tell they were coming close to the foot of the mountain. They had made their away around its side, and he suspected that when they began walking again in the morning they could make it out of the mountains within a few hours. From there it would be an easy trip to Rocket Town.
The night passed uneventfully. Cloud was pleased to find that as a result of his technically being dead, Vincent did not actually need to sleep. Cloud was able to get some rest while Vincent kept watch over their makeshift camp.
When the sun began to rise over the horizon early in the morning, Cloud woke everyone up so they could once again pack their things to leave. The packing process was quicker this time, and soon they were on their way. The rest of the trip was easier, as they now found that the trail was taking them downhill. By midday they had reached the foot of the mountains, and ahead lay their destination.
"It's amazing." Aeris said in wonder as she stared at the rocket that stood in the center of the town. It towered high above the scattered houses and airfields that surrounded it. It was sturdy on its launch pad, but it leaned to the side almost like a space-age Leaning Tower of Pisa.
It was about another hour's walk before they finally reached the entrance to the town. There was an inn near the front gates, and Cloud noticed a sign saying that there was an information desk inside. Cloud bid everyone wait outside while he went in to ask a few questions. He was in and out of the building within five minutes.
"The clerk told me to talk to a guy named Cid Highwind." He said as he approached the group. "He lives in a house on the far end of town. He has a small plane that should be big enough to carry us all, if we squeeze in tight."
He turned to Barret and then Tifa.
"I want you two to come with me. Everyone else can stay in the lobby of the inn for the time being. Let's hope this guy will give us a ride"
Barret and Tifa followed, and the others headed for the inn. Just in case there was any trouble, he wanted to have Barret along for his brawn. And in the case that this Cid guy needed to be persuaded, Tifa's charisma would be far more effective than anything Cloud could muster.
The house was small and humble in appearance, but at the same time it appeared cozy from the outside. There were flowers on the window sill, and they were well tended. It reminded Cloud more than a little of Aeris' house. He rang the doorbell, and a woman who appeared to be in her thirties opened the door.
"Can I help you folks?" She asked. She had a warm, inviting voice.
"Uh, yeah." Cloud responded. "We're looking for Captain Cid Highwind."
"Oh he's up at the rocket, hon." She replied. "But he isn't a Captain anymore, and if you call him that he'll get angry. He gets angry at a lot of things."
She lowered her eyes as she said the last sentence. Cloud felt a strange awkwardness about the situation. He scratched the back of his neck.
"Are we allowed to go up there and talk to him?" He asked.
"Sure." The woman answered. "Just don't sneak up on him or nothing like that. Trust me, he'll get angry."
Cloud nodded, and then thanked her. There was a road not far from the house that lead to the launch pad on which the rocket was sitting. From where they were standing the rocket leaned to the right, and it was quite a sight to see, especially as they walked closer to it. As they approached, they noticed that a hatch on the left side was open, and there was a rolling ladder connected to it.
"I'll go up and talk to him first." Cloud volunteered. "If he seems alright, I'll let you know so you guys can come up."
Barret and Tifa nodded, and Cloud headed for the ladder. It was basically a simple metal scaffold, and he was able to climb up quickly. With a quick movement, he swung himself up and into the hatch. He just barely missed knocking into the man inside, who had his back turned to the hatch. Cloud noticed the man's cigarette drop from his mouth and fall to the floor, still smoking.
"Goddamnit!" He yelled. He turned swiftly around to stare at Cloud in the face. He was an older man, perhaps in his forties. His face was somewhat wrinkled, giving him somewhat of an older, wiser appearance. His stare was cold and uninviting. "Why the hell did you sneak up on me like that? I swear, I get this every fucking day."
He squashed the fallen cigarette with the heel of his boot, and then immediately brought a pack and a lighter out of his pocket. He lit it up and took a long draw, and then looked back at Cloud.
"So what the hell you want?" He asked. "You gonna talk or what."
"I was waiting for you to finish with your cancerette." Cloud answered. "Didn't want to interrupt you."
He was already beginning to dislike the man.
"Yeah real funny, asshole. You got a lot of wit. So answer my question, what do you want?"
"Well first of all, are you Cid Highwind?"
Cid took another draw from the cigarette, and then nodded.
"Yeah, so?" He responded. "Hey you aren't one of those Shinra bastards are you? Nah you're too young you couldn't be."
"No actually." Cloud said, rubbing the back of his neck again. "What I'm here for is to ask you for a favor in return for some money."
"Oh shit." Cid responded, glaring at Cloud. "You're another one of those goddamn fags. Why don't you people stay in the Midgar slums with your own kind."
"No, no, no." Cloud protested adamantly, trying not to laugh. "I didn't mean like that. I mean, I'd like to ask for the use of your airplane in return for money. Or at least for you to fly me somewhere."
"Well that's less discomforting then what I thought you meant, but the answer's still no. Now get outta here, and tell those morons in the inn to stop sending vagrants to my house."
Cloud got angry with the man again.
"Listen, dickhead." He said, losing his patience. "You've got to be the rudest guy on the planet. I'm willing to pay you for a ride. Now why the hell are you gonna turn that down? It would be helping myself and my friends out a lot."
"You mean there's more of you?" Cid responded. "Now the answer's definitely no. I don't taxi people around in the Tiny Bronco. That's my own plane. Now get outta here, I'm trying to do something here."
He turned back to what he had been doing before.
"Whatever, asshole." Cloud responded, now visibly angry. "I'll let you get back to playing with yourself. Can you at least tell me where we can stay in town for awhile."
"Are you still here?" Cid asked, turning again from his work. "Talk to Shera."
"Shera?"
"She's the bitch that's living in my house. Go talk to her."
Cloud sighed with hopelessness, and then descended the scaffold. He gave Cid the finger behind his back as he made his way down.
"Any luck?" Barret asked when Cloud had reached the ground again.
"Nah, the shithead would barely even talk to me. He just blew smoke in my face."
"So what the hell are we gonna do?"
"He said to talk to Shera. She's the woman who talked to us at the door."
They walked back toward the house and Cloud once again rang the doorbell. Shera answered once again, and she didn't look at all surprised to see them.
"Cid said to talk to you about staying here in town." Cloud said.
"Oh, well you're welcome to stay here for a little while." She replied. "I'd love the extra company. Come on in, I'll make you some coffee."
Cloud couldn't turn down the offer. He was beginning to get hungry anyway.
"So what did you want to talk to Cid about anyway?" Shera asked as she began to prepare the pot.
"I wanted to know if he would either rent us his airplane, or fly us somewhere in return for pay." Cloud answered.
"Well I could have told you he'd say no before you even saw him if you had just asked me." Shera said. "He loves that plane. It's all he has left, like he always says. He won't let anyone in it."
"Well he could have been nicer about saying no." Cloud said, half under his breath.
"Well he's like that. Especially when he's in the rocket. It brings back memories I guess."
"So are you and Cid married?" Tifa asked.
"No, no." Shera answered, almost sadly. "No, we're not a couple either."
"But you cook and clean for him?"
She nodded.
"It's all I can do after what I've done to him."
"What do you mean?" Tifa asked, intrigued.
Shera sighed. She turned from what she was doing and pulled a chair out from the table at which the others were sitting.
"I guess I might as well tell you the whole story. He hates it when I talk to guests, but he's not here to stop me. Did you know when you asked about him that he was supposed to be the first man in space?"
"No, I had no idea." Cloud answered, surprised.
"Well he was." Shera continued. "He was supposed to fly the rocket that he's in now. It was one of several rockets that the Shinra built, and his was supposed to be the first launch ever. Except I messed it up for him."
"How?" Tifa asked.
"Well, he and I met because he was of course the pilot, and I was one of the ground control personnel. I was the technical engineer to be exact. He and I had become close, and I almost saw a relationship and maybe a marriage in the future. He and I had worked a lot on the rocket together, and I had gotten used to his cold exterior. Inside he's really a kind hearted man. On the day of the launch, my only duty was to check the rocket boosters and make sure they were in good order, and then from that point on I'd be monitoring the rocket's status from the ground.
"The day of the launch he and his crew were inside the cockpit and they were all ready to begin launch. I was beneath the rocket on the launch pad, surveying the boosters. I gave him the go-ahead, and he began the countdown sequence. Then I realized that one of the boosters was malfunctioning. I radioed Cid and told him I was going to need more time to fix it.
"Once he started the sequence he couldn't stop it unless he aborted the launch. I told him to let the sequence go, and I would fix the problem. I knew that the blast from the boosters would kill me if I stayed down there too long, but I didn't care. Back then I was young, and blindly loyal to both the Shinra and to Cid. As I was trying to fix the booster, he kept telling me I was an idiot and that I had to get out of there because he wasn't going to abort the launch, and I was going to die.
"I kept telling him not to worry about me, and to continue with the launch. He kept radioing me, so I turned mine off. I was desperate to fix the rocket. He let it count down right until the last minute, but foolishly he refused to let me die. At the last minute he aborted the launch. The auxiliary rockets fired, but the boosters didn't. The rocket lifted slightly off the pad, and then fell back down. It didn't fall down completely straight, and it wound up tilting to the side, which is why it still leans today.
"Cid didn't get to go into space, but I was still alive. After the launch failed, the Shinra postponed the space program to concentrate on building more Mako Reactors. They never restarted it. Cid never got to realize his dream, and it was my fault. So you see, that's why I let him treat me the way he does. I deserve it. Because of me, he will probably never get to go into space."
"How can you possibly tell yourself that you deserve that?" Tifa asked. "It sounds to me like you're a hero, not an idiot! He should thank you! You were willing to give up your life for him and for the mission."
Shera sighed, and got back up from the table. The pot she'd been heating up water in was whistling.
"Well it's too late now. He will never get to live his dream, and it's because of me. This is the only life that I can choose."
At that moment, Cid burst through the door. He pulled a half smoked cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the ground outside, and then pulled out the pack from his pocket to grab another.
"Why are you having company again, woman?" He asked angrily. "I told you not to do that anymore."
"You told them…" She began to protest.
"Whatever." He interrupted. "Just get them out of here quick. That asshole Rufus is coming here soon to inspect the rocket, and he's just gonna say the same thing that he his daddy used to say."
"Rufus Shinra?" Cloud asked anxiously.
Cid didn't answer him, but simply walked up the stairs beyond the kitchen grumbling to himself. He disappeared from view, but a puff of smoke drifted down the stairs as he ascended.
"Yes, Rufus Shinra." Shera answered instead. "Why do you ask?"
"Honestly? Because we're not exactly in good company with the Shinra and I'd prefer that they not see us."
Shera frowned.
"Well you're not the only ones I guess." She replied. "A lot of people are on the wrong side of Shinra law. I have no love for them, and neither does Cid. The best I can do is hide you in the backyard when they come, and I'll warn Cid not to go back there. I can't guarantee that he'll listen though."
"The dickhead would probably go back there just to spite me." Cloud whispered to Barret.
At that moment the doorbell rang. Shera walked to the window and peered outside to see who the new company was.
"It's Rufus!" She said to the others, slightly panicked on their behalf. "He's early. Hurry, go in the backyard!"
They did as they were told. Cloud lead them out, and just in time as Shera opened the door for President Rufus and a few guards and officials.
"Cid!" Cloud heard her call through the door. "The President is here for you."
There was no reply, but they could hear Cid walk down the stairs and begin conversing with Rufus. He couldn't make out their speech, but it didn't sound altogether pleasant.
"Let's just hope they don't come back here." Cloud whispered.
Tifa nodded, but Barret didn't altogether distressed. He was rubbing his gun-arm, almost anticipating using it. He wasn't entirely wrong. At that moment, two Shinra guards and a fat old man walked behind the house and into the backyard. They didn't notice the others right away, but simply began to admire the Tiny Bronco which was parked there. It was a large biplane with a picture of a woman painted on the side. The words "Lady Luck" were painted beneath it. The fat man turned his head away from the plane just in time to see Barret's gun-arm pointed at his head.
"Don't move and I won't blow your head off." Barret warned.
The man raised his hands above his head in surrender. Cloud and Tifa approached the guards and quickly forced them to surrender their guns. They were clearly rookies. The man probably wasn't all that important.
"You look familiar." Cloud said to the man. "Weren't you at the Shinra Headquarters when the President was killed?"
"Yes." The man answered, his hands still above his head. "I'm Palmer."
"Oh yeah." Barret said, in sudden recognition. "You're the pussy that was hiding under the desk. You're out causing trouble again huh?"
Palmer didn't answer, but hung his head. He was sweating and appeared quite nervous.
"Now you're gonna be a good little Shinra shit eater, and you're gonna keep your mouth shut." Barret said. "And the same goes for you two." He said, looking at the guards.
"If you keep quiet until Rufus is ready to leave, we'll let you go." Cloud continued.
He didn't have time to continue. The back door to the house opened, and Cid stepped out followed by Rufus and a few guards. Cid was almost as surprised to see Cloud as Cloud was to see Cid. Barret turned to raise his gun-arm at Rufus, and Palmer immediately seized the chance to run like hell. The two guards grabbed for their guns, and Tifa and Cloud turned to fight them back. Barret began to fire on Rufus and his guards, but they outnumbered him and he had to take cover behind the airplane.
"You were hiding these scum from me?" Rufus asked Cid in disgust. "I'll have you arrested for treason!"
Cid tried to protests, but Rufus had already taken cover as Barret began to fire on him again. Shinra guards were swarming all over the yard now, and even Cloud was having trouble fighting them. He and Tifa ran for cover behind the Tiny Bronco, kneeling not far from Barret.
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Cloud yelled over the noise.
"Let's just steal this guy's plane!" Barret yelled back. "He deserves it anyway. We'll take off, and pick up everybody else when things aren't as rough"
Cloud agreed, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing that. He didn't need to ask. Barret apparently already had a simple plan.
"I'll give you two covering fire!" He yelled as a bullet whizzed by his head. He stood up briefly and fired off a couple of shots to keep the guards at bay.
Cloud nodded, and grabbing Tifa by the hand he jumped up onto the top of the plane. Barret stood up and began firing in all directions. He managed to hit two guards before he had to sit down again. It was enough coverage for Cloud to get into the open cockpit and pull Tifa in with him.
"Hey!" Cid yelled from behind a pile of firewood where he'd been taking cover. "That's my plane!"
He ran out from behind his cover and dashed for the plane. His cigarette dropped from his mouth as he did so, but he didn't even notice. He leapt onto the back of the plane, and began crawling toward Cloud. Cloud had already turned on the engine, and the propellers, which were located on the front of both wings, were beginning to spin.
Barret rose again, and fired off a few shots. He didn't hit anyone, but it was enough of a return to clear the air for a few seconds. Seeing the opportunity, he hopped onto the plane and squeezed into one of the back seats. Bullets whizzed by as he nestled himself into the chair.
"Take off!" He yelled to Cloud.
The plane lurched forward, and Cid was barely able to hang on. Barret continued firing on the guards as the plane moved forward. Cid grabbed onto the back seat next to Barret and pulled himself in.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" He yelled, but Barret ignored him.
Cloud drove the plane toward the runway near Cid's house and began to prepare for take off.
"Have you ever flown a plane before?" Tifa asked.
"No, but I think I can wing it."
Tifa and Cid both put their hands over their eyes in dismay as the plane began to lift off. The wheels left the ground, and soon they found themselves lifting high into the air. The guards below continued firing on the plane, and Cloud tried his best to weave around the shots. He came close to flipping the tiny plane over.
He made a sharp turn in the air and began to heading for the ocean, which he could clearly see from the air. They wouldn't be able to catch them there. He was almost out of range of their bullets when he felt a shot tear through the front end. The plane rocked, and then another shot hit one of the propellers. They began to spew smoke, and Cloud suddenly found his vision shrouded.
The plane began to dive. Cloud fought with the stick, but there was nothing he could do. The plane was going down fast, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
"Hang on!" Cloud yelled to everyone behind him. He grabbed the side, and Tifa removed her hands from her eyes just in time to grip the handle near her chair. The plane hit the sea hard, and water splashed over the front and almost flooded the open cockpit. It washed over the propellers and cleared the smoke. Cloud heard the engine give a final whine, and then they died. Suddenly it became quiet except for the sound of the waves on the shore, which was not far from where they'd landed.
"Is everyone ok?" Cloud asked, breaking the silence.
Tifa looked shocked, but she appeared to be physically well. Barret had a look of concern on his face, but he was also unharmed. Cid had his face cupped in his hands.
Cloud looked down to see a small puddle of water at his feet. It didn't look like enough for them to sink and they appeared to be floating well enough. He lifted himself out of the plane and walked onto one of the wings. The propellers didn't seem to be terribly damaged. He got back into the cockpit and was pleased to see that he could start up the engine again. The propellers began turning in the water, and soon the plane began to move forward as though it were a motor boat. Cloud couldn't help but smile.
"I think we may be able to use this as a boat." He said happily. He turned to Cid. "Would that be alright with you?"
Cid didn't take his hands away from his face. He might have been crying.
"Whatever." He said. "It doesn't matter now. This was all I had left, and now even my plane is gone."
It became silent again, except now the steady hum of the propellers drowned out the sound of the splashing waves. Cloud sat in the cockpit for awhile, contemplating what they could do. After awhile, Cid got up from his seat to lay down on one of the wings, but he said nothing. The makeshift boat continued to move slowly through the water, driven by the propellers. Finally Cloud spoke again.
"We're gonna have to head for the east coast. I'll try and lead us as close to Gold Saucer as I can, and then we'll have to get out an walk." He said.
"What about the others?" Tifa asked.
"We'll just have to hope that they realize we're gone and head for Gold Saucer." Cloud answered. "Right now we can't worry about it. Getting the Keystone is more important."
Barret nodded, and after awhile so did Tifa.
"Are you coming with us, Cid?" Cloud asked. He almost felt pity for the old man. "We might be able to get your plane fixed when we get there."
"Whatever. I don't even care anymore." Cid answered, forlornly. He was too sad to even pull out a cigarette. He just continued lying on the wing and staring at the sky.
"I guess it's settled then." Cloud said. "It's gonna take a long time to get to Gold Saucer, and we don't have any supplies. I hope you guys can go without food for awhile."
They didn't answer. Everyone seemed to find the situation too hard to believe. They had come this far, only to die stranded on a ship that they were using as a boat. It almost seemed surreal.
Cloud turned up the engine, and the propellers began to spin faster. Soon the "boat" began to pick up speed, and they were on their way. They had been travelling for at least a few hours before the others began to get restless and sick of the sea.
Barret splashed some water on himself to keep cool under the sun, which was now beating down on them heavily. Tifa leaned her head back on the chair behind her, but she couldn't get comfortable. Finally she got up and lay down on the opposite wing from Cid.
Before long she began drifting off to unconsciousness, perhaps because of the heat or lack of sleep, or maybe both. Sleep began to find her, even though her tongue was dry and her stomach was empty. Soon she found herself losing sight of the world around her. The last thing she could remember, before she began her slumber, was the sound of the waves gently beating against the side of the boat.
Cloud stared ahead in amazement as he pulled the little buggy in front of a modern day ghost town. Nibelheim had indeed been rebuilt, but it was deserted as far as Cloud could tell. There wasn't a single person walking in the streets. He knew it had always been a small town with little influence on the rest of the world, but at least the town itself had usually been busy.
"I guess they rebuilt it, but where is everybody?" Cloud asked rhetorically.
"I wonder why they rebuilt it. Do you think the Shinra restored everything after the fire?" Tifa asked, ignoring Cloud's question.
"This was their hiding spot for the experiments in the basement of the mansion." Cloud replied. "They need this town to be here so that nobody gets suspicious about that mansion."
"I want to go see if they rebuilt my house." Tifa said, walking through the open town gates.
"Looks like they rebuilt everything." Cloud replied, following her. Barret followed behind, significantly less excited about the town than Cloud and Tifa. The others stayed inside the buggy, some catching up on much needed sleep.
Tifa stood looking in wonder at the house in front of her. It was identical to the one that she had once lived in, which had burned down five years ago. It was as though she had traveled into the past, and was looking at a building that looked exactly as she remembered it. The lights were off inside, and it looked as if no one was there.
"Does anybody live here?" Tifa asked Cloud.
He shrugged.
"I don't know but the lights are on in the inn. I'm gonna go check it out." He replied. He walked into the small inn which was near the entrance to the town. There was an older man standing at the counter. He appeared to be the only one inside, and there was no noise coming from the floor above.
"Have you always worked at this inn?" Cloud asked. "Tifa and I used to live here before the town burned down five years ago."
"I don't remember anyone named Tifa." The man answered. "What's your name?"
"Cloud."
"I don't remember anyone by that name either."
"Well, did you live here before the fire?"
"No."
"Well…uh…that explains it doesn't it?"
Cloud scratched his head. This was kind of strange. Who the hell was this guy?
"Can I help you folks?" The man asked pleasantly. "Would you like to rent a room for the night?"
"There's nobody here." Cloud replied. "Who the hell do you sell these rooms to?"
The man remained silent.
"Ya know what, fuck this." Barret said. "What the hell is with this guy anyway?"
"Cloud come out here!" Tifa called from outside the inn.
Cloud immediately turned away from the man and ran outside. Tifa was staring at a man wearing a black hooded cape. His face was pale white. He looked almost like a ghost, and Tifa looked almost like she'd just seen one.
"Who's this guy?" Cloud asked.
"I don't know." Tifa replied. "When I asked him how long he'd been here he started mumbling something about a reunion."
"A reunion?" Cloud asked, suddenly very interested. "Do you think that has anything to do with the reunion Hojo was talking about."
"I have no idea, but this guy's really creeping me out." She replied.
The man took a step closer to Tifa, and Barret immediately whipped out his gun-arm, ready to fire. The man did not attack, but simply mumbled.
"The Reunion is near." He spoke, though the words were slightly garbled.
It was around this time that Cloud began to notice other hooded figures wandering around the town. Most of their faces were shrouded by the hoods. One of the figures close by appeared to be a young boy.
"Oh my God." Tifa whispered as she got a closer look at the boy, who was wearing a blank and expressionless face. "I recognize this kid."
"What are you talking about?" Cloud replied. "We don't even know who the hell these people are."
"No I'm serious, I recognize him." She responded, indignantly. "I remember seeing him around when I used to live here."
"That's impossible." Cloud replied. "Everyone died in the fire."
"How do you know that?" Tifa asked. "You and I left before the fire even died down."
"Well then answer this," Cloud retorted, "If you remember this kid than how come he hasn't grown up since then?"
Tifa didn't have a chance to respond because Barret took action.
"Man, this shit is freaking me out." He said. "Let's get inside."
Tifa nodded, and opened the door to her home which was the closest building. There were no hooded figures inside, as far as they could tell as they entered.
"Did you look in here before?" Cloud asked.
Tifa shook her head.
"Go upstairs and make sure none of those guys are up there."
She nodded and ran upstairs. Cloud pulled aside the drapes to gaze outside the window. The people had not pursued them, but rather stayed where they were staring ahead blankly as though they had all been lobotomized.
"What the fuck's goin' on here?" Barret asked.
Cloud shrugged.
"I have no idea." He replied. 'I honestly didn't even think the town would be rebuilt. I definitely wasn't expecting people to be here, freaks or not."
He was about to say something else when he was interrupted by another call from Tifa, this time from upstairs. He ran up, and Barret followed. They found her sitting on the side of her bed reading what appeared to be a file of some sort.
"Looks like Hojo spent some time here after the Shinra rebuilt the town." She said as Cloud approached.
"Shinra rebuilt the town?" Cloud asked.
"That's what it says here." Tifa replied, pointing to the document she was holding. "These are Hojo's research notes. I guess he stayed in my room while he was doing research here."
"What else does it say?"
"Those people outside are the results of the experiments Hojo was doing." Tifa said as she glanced over the pages of the file. "After the fire he gathered up the bodied and began doing reanimation experiments. He was able to reanimate a lot of the people that died in the fire, but he considered them failures because they became like the zombies outside."
"How did he reanimate them?" Cloud asked.
"It's kind of confusing." Tifa replied. "But it seems like by adding Jenova cells and doing some other stuff he was able to bring them back to life indefinitely, but only in the almost brain-dead state like the ones we saw. The guy in the inn works for the Shinra. It says that he's there to make sure that none of the experiments leave the town."
"Wow." Cloud said. "Hojo's more of a sick bastard than I thought. Is there anything else in there?"
"Yeah, there's something about a guy named Vincent Valentine that he says was his only successful reanimation, and there's a paragraph about Sephiroth."
"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked, his ears literally perking up.
"Don't get too excited, all it says is that he was the most successful experiment involving Jenova cells. Oh yeah, and there's also a couple of paragraphs about the mutated people that you told us about when we were in Kalm. It says that they were all failures, and most of them were killed before he started experimenting on the corpses from the fire."
"This is some heavy shit." Barret said. "How many experiments did this guy do?"
"A lot." Cloud said. "And I'm sure I don't know about all of them. Hey Tifa, does that file say anything about the library that was at the bottom of the mansion?"
"Yeah, it says that the library survived the fire completely. Everything that used to be down there still is." She answered.
"I want to go check it out." Cloud said. "You guys gonna come with me?"
Tifa shrugged.
"Sure, why not."
Barret didn't say anything, but he followed when they left her house and headed for the mansion. He kept his gun-arm tense as they passed the hooded figures on the way. When Cloud opened the door to the mansion he noticed that there were a few inside there as well. One was very close to the door, enough so that Cloud could see a number tattooed on his bare, pale arm. The number was 22. He walked closer to another person, who mumbled about the Reunion. He had the number 11 tattooed on his arm.
"Looks like Hojo gave numbers to his experiments." Cloud observed.
"I wonder how many there were in total." Tifa said.
"Had to have been at least 22." Cloud replied, smirking for a second.
Then the humor left him once more and he headed up the stairs and to the right. The closest room on the right once he had ascended the stairs had its own set of stairs, although these were of the winding type and had to be accessed through a door. Cloud sighed as he opened the door and beckoned for Tifa and Barret to follow him into the darkness below. The last time he'd gone down these stairs it was to find his leader, Sephiroth, who had gone insane in the library below surrounded by books that told him that he had been created and not born. It was odd, but he found himself feeling very much the same way that he had the last time he was here. He could almost feel Sephiroth's very presence here.
The stairs were very long, and their legs ached by the time they reached the bottom. Barret muttered something about the stairs being worse than the ones they had climbed at the Shinra Headquarters, but of course that was an exaggeration. The basement area which they had entered was dank and cold, almost like a dungeon. It was exactly as Cloud remembered it.
"The library is straight ahead." Cloud said, pointing in front of him.
It was a short trip down a dusty hallway to get to the library door. As soon as Cloud opened it, he visually confirmed what his feelings had already told him. They were not alone in the basement. Sephiroth had beaten them into the library, and was seated at a desk reading a large book. His eyes looked up from the book, and seeing Cloud enter the door they suddenly burned with rage.
"Human infidel!" He cried, standing up from his chair. "Spreading like a pestilence, even into my sacred library!"
He threw an object at Cloud, knocking him to the ground , and then flew out of the door past Barret and Tifa. They ran into the room to help Cloud off of the ground.
"Wasn't that Sephiroth?" Barret asked.
"Yeah." Cloud replied, dusting himself off. "And he threw this at me."
He held up a green materia crystal.
"It looks like a low level spell materia." He continued. "I have no idea why he'd throw something like this at me."
"Probably because he's completely insane." Barret answered nonchalantly. "I say we get the fuck outta here, cause this place is still givin' me the creeps."
"Alright, let's grab everybody from the buggy and head through Mt. Nibel." Cloud said.
He hurried out the door to the library, but Sephiroth was gone. Cloud guessed he'd probably teleported the way he had on the Shinra boat. The wall to his right was cracked open, probably the work of Sephiroth, and what appeared to be a secret door was exposed.
"Where'd that door come from?" Tifa asked. "It wasn't there before."
"Looks like Sephiroth busted open the wall on his way out." Cloud replied. "Come on, let's go check it out.
The door was old and rusted. Cloud wondered how long it had been since it had been used. It was stuck in place, and it took a good deal of work from both Barret and Cloud to pry it open. When they did, they were greeted by a small chamber that smelled of dust and looked almost like an antique operating room. There were tools on shelves that lined the walls, and toward the center of the room was, of all things, a closed coffin.
"What the hell is a coffin doing down here?" Barret asked to no one in particular.
Cloud knelt beside it and probed the edge of wooden casket with his fingers. It was slightly rotten, but it was for the most part preserved since there was no moisture inside the chamber. It gave no resistance as Cloud lifted off the top to reveal a body inside. It was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He was wearing a red cape and his shoes had pointy steel tips, which was a popular style around 25 years before Cloud was born. The body of the man was perfectly preserved, as though it were not dead at all. In fact, when it sat up to stare into Cloud's frightened eyes it revealed that it was indeed very much alive.
"Why did you disturb me?" He asked stoicly, moving nothing but his mouth so that he could speak.
Cloud was speechless, and actually quite petrified though luckily for him no one else noticed.
"We're sorry." Tifa stammered. "We didn't think anyone was alive in here."
"You were right." He replied. "No one is alive in here. Now please, leave me alone."
In one quick movement he grabbed the edge of the coffin's top and pulled it back over him. Perplexed, Cloud lifted the top off again.
"What do you mean no one is alive in here?" He asked.
"I meant exactly what I said." The man answered, clearly agitated. "There is no one alive in here. Now leave me alone!"
He again pulled the top over him, this time not as gently as before. It made a slamming noise that echoed through the basement as it closed.
"Aren't you alive?" Tifa asked, without lifting the top.
There came no answer from inside. Suddenly, Tifa's eyes lit up as though she'd just had somewhat of an epiphany.
"I know who you are." She said happily. "You're the guy I read about in Hojo's notes. He reanimated you and put you, alive and unaging, in this coffin."
The top of the coffin slowly rose, and the man inside sat up to face her. He was very close to her and she noticed that his face was white and pasty, which was understandable. He hadn't been exposed to the sun in over twenty years.
"Did you say Hojo?" He asked softly.
She nodded.
"Professor Hojo?" He clarified.
She nodded again.
"Where did you find his notes?"
"They were in the house that used to be mine before this town burned down." She replied. "He must have been staying there, and he forgot them when he left."
"How careless of him." The man responded, almost sarcastically. "What else do they say about me?"
"All it says is that you were his only successful reanimation." She replied. "And that your name is…"
She trailed off, snapping her fingers as she tried to recall his name.
"My name is Vincent Valentine." He said, helping her out. "It figures he wouldn't mention in his notes how I came to be a dead man in the first place."
"Did he have something to do with it?" Cloud asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Vincent answered. "Are you here because you are seeking Hojo?"
"We came here to look for a man named Sephiroth, but when we leave we have to stop Hojo from destroying the world." Cloud answered, nonchalantly as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about this.
"That sounds like him alright." Vincent said. "Are you going to come into contact with him?"
"Most likely."
"Are you going to kill him?"
"After we've learned as much as we can from him, yes."
"Then I will come with you." Vincent concluded. "I will help you on your mission. All I ask in return is that you may lead me to him, so that I may confront him and kill him myself."
"Got a little personal vendetta going on here?" Cloud asked, amused.
"In, time I may tell you." Vincent replied. "For now, help me find my weapon so that I may be of better assistance."
"What kind of weapon is it?" Barret asked, suddenly interested in the dead guy standing before him.
"It was a shotgun." Vincent replied. "A very nice one too. Oh there it is!"
He pointed toward a 12-gauge shotgun hanging from the wall of the chamber. It was dusty but appeared to be in good shape. Slowly and painfully, he rose from his coffin to retrieve the gun. There were a few ammo boxes filled with shells nearby, and these he slipped into the concealment of his coat.
"You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little slow at first." Vincent told them. "I haven't used my muscles since Hojo put me in there."
As Vincent had warned, he slowed them down considerably as they made their way back to the buggy. When they arrived, Cloud explained to the others how they had picked up another passenger. Needless to say, they were confused about Vincent's origins, but they accepted him since Cloud and Barret had already done so.
Cloud had to break the unfortunate news to everyone that they would have to leave the safety and comfort of the buggy for the time being. He knew this wouldn't go over well with them, which was why he'd kept his mouth shut about it until now. As he explained to them, the buggy would never be able to make it over the foot paths of Mt. Nibel. They would have to make the trek on foot.
It took them about an hour to assemble everything they could carry from the buggy. Luckily, Dio had packed backpacks and other luggage bags into the trunk. Red XIII found these as he was rummaging through the inside of the buggy, and soon afterwards everyone began to pack their things. Even Vincent took a backpack, but it was packed lightly so as not to weigh him down too heavily. They didn't want to stress him too much, after being "asleep" for so long.
The travel through the mountains was long and arduous. The sun beat down on them throughout the afternoon, and in short time even Aeris and Tifa were sweating profusely. Only Vincent seemed to enjoy the sunlight. It was something he hadn't been able to experience since the experiments, except in his dreams.
As night fell it began to get cooler, and the trip became slightly more comfortable. Still, everyone's legs were tired, and the bags they carried seemed heavier than when the trip had started. When the last hint of sunlight disappeared from the sky, Cloud realized it was probably a good time to stop and get some rest. He was relatively free of fatigue, as he had made far longer and harder walks during his time in Soldier, but he knew the others were beginning to suffer. He gave the okay for everyone to stop, and they were quick to sit down and make themselves as comfortable as possible.
Barret was starving, and he quickly found a few portable burners and began heating up some canned food they had packed with them. The others laid down and rested as best they could. Cloud was still restless, and began to walk around and survey their position. As far as he could tell they were coming close to the foot of the mountain. They had made their away around its side, and he suspected that when they began walking again in the morning they could make it out of the mountains within a few hours. From there it would be an easy trip to Rocket Town.
The night passed uneventfully. Cloud was pleased to find that as a result of his technically being dead, Vincent did not actually need to sleep. Cloud was able to get some rest while Vincent kept watch over their makeshift camp.
When the sun began to rise over the horizon early in the morning, Cloud woke everyone up so they could once again pack their things to leave. The packing process was quicker this time, and soon they were on their way. The rest of the trip was easier, as they now found that the trail was taking them downhill. By midday they had reached the foot of the mountains, and ahead lay their destination.
"It's amazing." Aeris said in wonder as she stared at the rocket that stood in the center of the town. It towered high above the scattered houses and airfields that surrounded it. It was sturdy on its launch pad, but it leaned to the side almost like a space-age Leaning Tower of Pisa.
It was about another hour's walk before they finally reached the entrance to the town. There was an inn near the front gates, and Cloud noticed a sign saying that there was an information desk inside. Cloud bid everyone wait outside while he went in to ask a few questions. He was in and out of the building within five minutes.
"The clerk told me to talk to a guy named Cid Highwind." He said as he approached the group. "He lives in a house on the far end of town. He has a small plane that should be big enough to carry us all, if we squeeze in tight."
He turned to Barret and then Tifa.
"I want you two to come with me. Everyone else can stay in the lobby of the inn for the time being. Let's hope this guy will give us a ride"
Barret and Tifa followed, and the others headed for the inn. Just in case there was any trouble, he wanted to have Barret along for his brawn. And in the case that this Cid guy needed to be persuaded, Tifa's charisma would be far more effective than anything Cloud could muster.
The house was small and humble in appearance, but at the same time it appeared cozy from the outside. There were flowers on the window sill, and they were well tended. It reminded Cloud more than a little of Aeris' house. He rang the doorbell, and a woman who appeared to be in her thirties opened the door.
"Can I help you folks?" She asked. She had a warm, inviting voice.
"Uh, yeah." Cloud responded. "We're looking for Captain Cid Highwind."
"Oh he's up at the rocket, hon." She replied. "But he isn't a Captain anymore, and if you call him that he'll get angry. He gets angry at a lot of things."
She lowered her eyes as she said the last sentence. Cloud felt a strange awkwardness about the situation. He scratched the back of his neck.
"Are we allowed to go up there and talk to him?" He asked.
"Sure." The woman answered. "Just don't sneak up on him or nothing like that. Trust me, he'll get angry."
Cloud nodded, and then thanked her. There was a road not far from the house that lead to the launch pad on which the rocket was sitting. From where they were standing the rocket leaned to the right, and it was quite a sight to see, especially as they walked closer to it. As they approached, they noticed that a hatch on the left side was open, and there was a rolling ladder connected to it.
"I'll go up and talk to him first." Cloud volunteered. "If he seems alright, I'll let you know so you guys can come up."
Barret and Tifa nodded, and Cloud headed for the ladder. It was basically a simple metal scaffold, and he was able to climb up quickly. With a quick movement, he swung himself up and into the hatch. He just barely missed knocking into the man inside, who had his back turned to the hatch. Cloud noticed the man's cigarette drop from his mouth and fall to the floor, still smoking.
"Goddamnit!" He yelled. He turned swiftly around to stare at Cloud in the face. He was an older man, perhaps in his forties. His face was somewhat wrinkled, giving him somewhat of an older, wiser appearance. His stare was cold and uninviting. "Why the hell did you sneak up on me like that? I swear, I get this every fucking day."
He squashed the fallen cigarette with the heel of his boot, and then immediately brought a pack and a lighter out of his pocket. He lit it up and took a long draw, and then looked back at Cloud.
"So what the hell you want?" He asked. "You gonna talk or what."
"I was waiting for you to finish with your cancerette." Cloud answered. "Didn't want to interrupt you."
He was already beginning to dislike the man.
"Yeah real funny, asshole. You got a lot of wit. So answer my question, what do you want?"
"Well first of all, are you Cid Highwind?"
Cid took another draw from the cigarette, and then nodded.
"Yeah, so?" He responded. "Hey you aren't one of those Shinra bastards are you? Nah you're too young you couldn't be."
"No actually." Cloud said, rubbing the back of his neck again. "What I'm here for is to ask you for a favor in return for some money."
"Oh shit." Cid responded, glaring at Cloud. "You're another one of those goddamn fags. Why don't you people stay in the Midgar slums with your own kind."
"No, no, no." Cloud protested adamantly, trying not to laugh. "I didn't mean like that. I mean, I'd like to ask for the use of your airplane in return for money. Or at least for you to fly me somewhere."
"Well that's less discomforting then what I thought you meant, but the answer's still no. Now get outta here, and tell those morons in the inn to stop sending vagrants to my house."
Cloud got angry with the man again.
"Listen, dickhead." He said, losing his patience. "You've got to be the rudest guy on the planet. I'm willing to pay you for a ride. Now why the hell are you gonna turn that down? It would be helping myself and my friends out a lot."
"You mean there's more of you?" Cid responded. "Now the answer's definitely no. I don't taxi people around in the Tiny Bronco. That's my own plane. Now get outta here, I'm trying to do something here."
He turned back to what he had been doing before.
"Whatever, asshole." Cloud responded, now visibly angry. "I'll let you get back to playing with yourself. Can you at least tell me where we can stay in town for awhile."
"Are you still here?" Cid asked, turning again from his work. "Talk to Shera."
"Shera?"
"She's the bitch that's living in my house. Go talk to her."
Cloud sighed with hopelessness, and then descended the scaffold. He gave Cid the finger behind his back as he made his way down.
"Any luck?" Barret asked when Cloud had reached the ground again.
"Nah, the shithead would barely even talk to me. He just blew smoke in my face."
"So what the hell are we gonna do?"
"He said to talk to Shera. She's the woman who talked to us at the door."
They walked back toward the house and Cloud once again rang the doorbell. Shera answered once again, and she didn't look at all surprised to see them.
"Cid said to talk to you about staying here in town." Cloud said.
"Oh, well you're welcome to stay here for a little while." She replied. "I'd love the extra company. Come on in, I'll make you some coffee."
Cloud couldn't turn down the offer. He was beginning to get hungry anyway.
"So what did you want to talk to Cid about anyway?" Shera asked as she began to prepare the pot.
"I wanted to know if he would either rent us his airplane, or fly us somewhere in return for pay." Cloud answered.
"Well I could have told you he'd say no before you even saw him if you had just asked me." Shera said. "He loves that plane. It's all he has left, like he always says. He won't let anyone in it."
"Well he could have been nicer about saying no." Cloud said, half under his breath.
"Well he's like that. Especially when he's in the rocket. It brings back memories I guess."
"So are you and Cid married?" Tifa asked.
"No, no." Shera answered, almost sadly. "No, we're not a couple either."
"But you cook and clean for him?"
She nodded.
"It's all I can do after what I've done to him."
"What do you mean?" Tifa asked, intrigued.
Shera sighed. She turned from what she was doing and pulled a chair out from the table at which the others were sitting.
"I guess I might as well tell you the whole story. He hates it when I talk to guests, but he's not here to stop me. Did you know when you asked about him that he was supposed to be the first man in space?"
"No, I had no idea." Cloud answered, surprised.
"Well he was." Shera continued. "He was supposed to fly the rocket that he's in now. It was one of several rockets that the Shinra built, and his was supposed to be the first launch ever. Except I messed it up for him."
"How?" Tifa asked.
"Well, he and I met because he was of course the pilot, and I was one of the ground control personnel. I was the technical engineer to be exact. He and I had become close, and I almost saw a relationship and maybe a marriage in the future. He and I had worked a lot on the rocket together, and I had gotten used to his cold exterior. Inside he's really a kind hearted man. On the day of the launch, my only duty was to check the rocket boosters and make sure they were in good order, and then from that point on I'd be monitoring the rocket's status from the ground.
"The day of the launch he and his crew were inside the cockpit and they were all ready to begin launch. I was beneath the rocket on the launch pad, surveying the boosters. I gave him the go-ahead, and he began the countdown sequence. Then I realized that one of the boosters was malfunctioning. I radioed Cid and told him I was going to need more time to fix it.
"Once he started the sequence he couldn't stop it unless he aborted the launch. I told him to let the sequence go, and I would fix the problem. I knew that the blast from the boosters would kill me if I stayed down there too long, but I didn't care. Back then I was young, and blindly loyal to both the Shinra and to Cid. As I was trying to fix the booster, he kept telling me I was an idiot and that I had to get out of there because he wasn't going to abort the launch, and I was going to die.
"I kept telling him not to worry about me, and to continue with the launch. He kept radioing me, so I turned mine off. I was desperate to fix the rocket. He let it count down right until the last minute, but foolishly he refused to let me die. At the last minute he aborted the launch. The auxiliary rockets fired, but the boosters didn't. The rocket lifted slightly off the pad, and then fell back down. It didn't fall down completely straight, and it wound up tilting to the side, which is why it still leans today.
"Cid didn't get to go into space, but I was still alive. After the launch failed, the Shinra postponed the space program to concentrate on building more Mako Reactors. They never restarted it. Cid never got to realize his dream, and it was my fault. So you see, that's why I let him treat me the way he does. I deserve it. Because of me, he will probably never get to go into space."
"How can you possibly tell yourself that you deserve that?" Tifa asked. "It sounds to me like you're a hero, not an idiot! He should thank you! You were willing to give up your life for him and for the mission."
Shera sighed, and got back up from the table. The pot she'd been heating up water in was whistling.
"Well it's too late now. He will never get to live his dream, and it's because of me. This is the only life that I can choose."
At that moment, Cid burst through the door. He pulled a half smoked cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the ground outside, and then pulled out the pack from his pocket to grab another.
"Why are you having company again, woman?" He asked angrily. "I told you not to do that anymore."
"You told them…" She began to protest.
"Whatever." He interrupted. "Just get them out of here quick. That asshole Rufus is coming here soon to inspect the rocket, and he's just gonna say the same thing that he his daddy used to say."
"Rufus Shinra?" Cloud asked anxiously.
Cid didn't answer him, but simply walked up the stairs beyond the kitchen grumbling to himself. He disappeared from view, but a puff of smoke drifted down the stairs as he ascended.
"Yes, Rufus Shinra." Shera answered instead. "Why do you ask?"
"Honestly? Because we're not exactly in good company with the Shinra and I'd prefer that they not see us."
Shera frowned.
"Well you're not the only ones I guess." She replied. "A lot of people are on the wrong side of Shinra law. I have no love for them, and neither does Cid. The best I can do is hide you in the backyard when they come, and I'll warn Cid not to go back there. I can't guarantee that he'll listen though."
"The dickhead would probably go back there just to spite me." Cloud whispered to Barret.
At that moment the doorbell rang. Shera walked to the window and peered outside to see who the new company was.
"It's Rufus!" She said to the others, slightly panicked on their behalf. "He's early. Hurry, go in the backyard!"
They did as they were told. Cloud lead them out, and just in time as Shera opened the door for President Rufus and a few guards and officials.
"Cid!" Cloud heard her call through the door. "The President is here for you."
There was no reply, but they could hear Cid walk down the stairs and begin conversing with Rufus. He couldn't make out their speech, but it didn't sound altogether pleasant.
"Let's just hope they don't come back here." Cloud whispered.
Tifa nodded, but Barret didn't altogether distressed. He was rubbing his gun-arm, almost anticipating using it. He wasn't entirely wrong. At that moment, two Shinra guards and a fat old man walked behind the house and into the backyard. They didn't notice the others right away, but simply began to admire the Tiny Bronco which was parked there. It was a large biplane with a picture of a woman painted on the side. The words "Lady Luck" were painted beneath it. The fat man turned his head away from the plane just in time to see Barret's gun-arm pointed at his head.
"Don't move and I won't blow your head off." Barret warned.
The man raised his hands above his head in surrender. Cloud and Tifa approached the guards and quickly forced them to surrender their guns. They were clearly rookies. The man probably wasn't all that important.
"You look familiar." Cloud said to the man. "Weren't you at the Shinra Headquarters when the President was killed?"
"Yes." The man answered, his hands still above his head. "I'm Palmer."
"Oh yeah." Barret said, in sudden recognition. "You're the pussy that was hiding under the desk. You're out causing trouble again huh?"
Palmer didn't answer, but hung his head. He was sweating and appeared quite nervous.
"Now you're gonna be a good little Shinra shit eater, and you're gonna keep your mouth shut." Barret said. "And the same goes for you two." He said, looking at the guards.
"If you keep quiet until Rufus is ready to leave, we'll let you go." Cloud continued.
He didn't have time to continue. The back door to the house opened, and Cid stepped out followed by Rufus and a few guards. Cid was almost as surprised to see Cloud as Cloud was to see Cid. Barret turned to raise his gun-arm at Rufus, and Palmer immediately seized the chance to run like hell. The two guards grabbed for their guns, and Tifa and Cloud turned to fight them back. Barret began to fire on Rufus and his guards, but they outnumbered him and he had to take cover behind the airplane.
"You were hiding these scum from me?" Rufus asked Cid in disgust. "I'll have you arrested for treason!"
Cid tried to protests, but Rufus had already taken cover as Barret began to fire on him again. Shinra guards were swarming all over the yard now, and even Cloud was having trouble fighting them. He and Tifa ran for cover behind the Tiny Bronco, kneeling not far from Barret.
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Cloud yelled over the noise.
"Let's just steal this guy's plane!" Barret yelled back. "He deserves it anyway. We'll take off, and pick up everybody else when things aren't as rough"
Cloud agreed, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing that. He didn't need to ask. Barret apparently already had a simple plan.
"I'll give you two covering fire!" He yelled as a bullet whizzed by his head. He stood up briefly and fired off a couple of shots to keep the guards at bay.
Cloud nodded, and grabbing Tifa by the hand he jumped up onto the top of the plane. Barret stood up and began firing in all directions. He managed to hit two guards before he had to sit down again. It was enough coverage for Cloud to get into the open cockpit and pull Tifa in with him.
"Hey!" Cid yelled from behind a pile of firewood where he'd been taking cover. "That's my plane!"
He ran out from behind his cover and dashed for the plane. His cigarette dropped from his mouth as he did so, but he didn't even notice. He leapt onto the back of the plane, and began crawling toward Cloud. Cloud had already turned on the engine, and the propellers, which were located on the front of both wings, were beginning to spin.
Barret rose again, and fired off a few shots. He didn't hit anyone, but it was enough of a return to clear the air for a few seconds. Seeing the opportunity, he hopped onto the plane and squeezed into one of the back seats. Bullets whizzed by as he nestled himself into the chair.
"Take off!" He yelled to Cloud.
The plane lurched forward, and Cid was barely able to hang on. Barret continued firing on the guards as the plane moved forward. Cid grabbed onto the back seat next to Barret and pulled himself in.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" He yelled, but Barret ignored him.
Cloud drove the plane toward the runway near Cid's house and began to prepare for take off.
"Have you ever flown a plane before?" Tifa asked.
"No, but I think I can wing it."
Tifa and Cid both put their hands over their eyes in dismay as the plane began to lift off. The wheels left the ground, and soon they found themselves lifting high into the air. The guards below continued firing on the plane, and Cloud tried his best to weave around the shots. He came close to flipping the tiny plane over.
He made a sharp turn in the air and began to heading for the ocean, which he could clearly see from the air. They wouldn't be able to catch them there. He was almost out of range of their bullets when he felt a shot tear through the front end. The plane rocked, and then another shot hit one of the propellers. They began to spew smoke, and Cloud suddenly found his vision shrouded.
The plane began to dive. Cloud fought with the stick, but there was nothing he could do. The plane was going down fast, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
"Hang on!" Cloud yelled to everyone behind him. He grabbed the side, and Tifa removed her hands from her eyes just in time to grip the handle near her chair. The plane hit the sea hard, and water splashed over the front and almost flooded the open cockpit. It washed over the propellers and cleared the smoke. Cloud heard the engine give a final whine, and then they died. Suddenly it became quiet except for the sound of the waves on the shore, which was not far from where they'd landed.
"Is everyone ok?" Cloud asked, breaking the silence.
Tifa looked shocked, but she appeared to be physically well. Barret had a look of concern on his face, but he was also unharmed. Cid had his face cupped in his hands.
Cloud looked down to see a small puddle of water at his feet. It didn't look like enough for them to sink and they appeared to be floating well enough. He lifted himself out of the plane and walked onto one of the wings. The propellers didn't seem to be terribly damaged. He got back into the cockpit and was pleased to see that he could start up the engine again. The propellers began turning in the water, and soon the plane began to move forward as though it were a motor boat. Cloud couldn't help but smile.
"I think we may be able to use this as a boat." He said happily. He turned to Cid. "Would that be alright with you?"
Cid didn't take his hands away from his face. He might have been crying.
"Whatever." He said. "It doesn't matter now. This was all I had left, and now even my plane is gone."
It became silent again, except now the steady hum of the propellers drowned out the sound of the splashing waves. Cloud sat in the cockpit for awhile, contemplating what they could do. After awhile, Cid got up from his seat to lay down on one of the wings, but he said nothing. The makeshift boat continued to move slowly through the water, driven by the propellers. Finally Cloud spoke again.
"We're gonna have to head for the east coast. I'll try and lead us as close to Gold Saucer as I can, and then we'll have to get out an walk." He said.
"What about the others?" Tifa asked.
"We'll just have to hope that they realize we're gone and head for Gold Saucer." Cloud answered. "Right now we can't worry about it. Getting the Keystone is more important."
Barret nodded, and after awhile so did Tifa.
"Are you coming with us, Cid?" Cloud asked. He almost felt pity for the old man. "We might be able to get your plane fixed when we get there."
"Whatever. I don't even care anymore." Cid answered, forlornly. He was too sad to even pull out a cigarette. He just continued lying on the wing and staring at the sky.
"I guess it's settled then." Cloud said. "It's gonna take a long time to get to Gold Saucer, and we don't have any supplies. I hope you guys can go without food for awhile."
They didn't answer. Everyone seemed to find the situation too hard to believe. They had come this far, only to die stranded on a ship that they were using as a boat. It almost seemed surreal.
Cloud turned up the engine, and the propellers began to spin faster. Soon the "boat" began to pick up speed, and they were on their way. They had been travelling for at least a few hours before the others began to get restless and sick of the sea.
Barret splashed some water on himself to keep cool under the sun, which was now beating down on them heavily. Tifa leaned her head back on the chair behind her, but she couldn't get comfortable. Finally she got up and lay down on the opposite wing from Cid.
Before long she began drifting off to unconsciousness, perhaps because of the heat or lack of sleep, or maybe both. Sleep began to find her, even though her tongue was dry and her stomach was empty. Soon she found herself losing sight of the world around her. The last thing she could remember, before she began her slumber, was the sound of the waves gently beating against the side of the boat.