4.

Red X


A thick fog of dust filled the room. Bits of debris and rubble still fell in huge lumps from what remained of the back wall in the house. Kandya wasted no time with this distraction and immediately moved in to strike Laverne as he stood over the huge pile of rubble that had become Yuffies tomb.

"Boss!!!" one of the downed officers shouted a warning of this impending attack to Laverne, But just a little too late. Kandya moved swiftly. She punched Laverne in the back below his ribcage causing him to fire off another round of bullets. She spun her body around his and bought her elbow down on his arm knocking the weapon from his hand. Before he had a chance to react she bought her other hand up in a fist and hit him hard in the mouth. Laverne yelped in agony and fell backwards. Kandya immediately shot downward to pick up the Semi-Automatic. She felt a blow to her side as another Shinra officer ran through the front-door guns ablaze. She fell to the floor and landed on her side. She was amazed at herself. The Semi-Automatic lay just feet away and yet she couldn't bring herself to move for it. There was a curious sensation in her side. She looked down at her shirt. What she had figured to be a punch had actually been a bullet. She looked up at the officer who had shot her who was now standing over her. "Ha ha ha ha ha….." Kandya couldn't help but laugh. She didn't know why but this all seemed so funny. Then she slumped as her mind blackened.

"Uuuugh errr , wha…." Kandya awoke disorientated. The truth was she hadn't expected to wake up again. She looked down at her side. The blood was still on her shirt but the pain had stopped. She still couldn't move. Her hands were cuffed. Laverne stood in the corner of the room opposite her. A beautiful melody briefly filled the air and a bright green flash lighted the room.

"Ohhh ohhh aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Laverne sighed with relief and turned to face Kandya. His face had now been completely healed, at least she though it was. He was still fairly ugly.

"We found Cure materia on one of the Prostitutes you're bunking up with." Laverne proudly walked about the room. Kandya wondered what else he might of gotten from them. "It's a funny little habit she had. Get high on drugs and when she comes down heal cleans her body of the drug so that the next one will be just like the first"

" You look familiar Sergeant what's your name" Kandya asked

"Never you mind. We were sent here to bring you in not to chat. We'd be on our way already if it wasn't for this idiot" Laverne threw his gaze upon the officer who had shot her

"General Heidegger called for your capture by any extreme measure. You must be one bad girl to get on that side of him…Get her in the van" Laverne gestured to one of the officers.

The officer approached Kandya and bent down to lift her from the floor. He stopped " what are you waiting for fool. Get her on her feet!" Laverne grumbled impatiently

" Sarge…don't you hear that?" The officer asked curiously

" Hear what?"

Laverne listened carefully. A low muffled screech could be heard. It grew louder at it seemed like the air itself was tearing. The mound of rubble that encased Yuffie exploded towards them pushed by the force of a great fireball throwing lose bricks and wood in all directions. Two officers were unfortunate enough to be in their path. One was struck right in the jaw knocking him unconscious immediately and the other was hit in the groin. He wished he were unconscious. He slumped to the floor in agony. Yuffie leaped from the gapping whole she had made. Laverne wasted no time he aimed to shoot Yuffie but before he could get off a shot Kandya threw her legs in between his and knocked him to the ground. The weapon slid from his hands again and slid across the floor. Meanwhile Yuffie was at work on the 3 remaining guards.

One fired his rifle in her direction but Yuffie was quicker than that. She raced around the large room and leaped in a hail of gunfire through a doorway into the next room. Immediately as she got inside she began to cast fire2. When the gunfire ended she shot from the doorway with a rage of fire before her. The three remaining guards right in its path were engulfed. Each fell to the floor in flames and rolled about in an attempt to extinguish themselves. Yuffie quickly knelt down to Kandya and placed the Fire materia against the handcuffs. "This is gonna hurt like hell" she yelled at Kandya reassuringly. The materia glowed and the handcuffs immediately melted away. Yuffie was surprised. It must have hurt but Kandya barley even groaned.

She helped Kandya to her feet.

"Is that my materia ? " Kandya asked curiously

"No..no….I had it when ya met me" Yuffie lied in her defence.

"Hmmmp….Right….Heads up" Kandya indicated to Laverne who was up on his feet creeping towards his gun.

"I don't think so" Yuffie yelled as she leaped towards him.

Slap. She punched him in the nose. "Don't you know…" she punched his nose again "…You can't…. " Punched again "…. Kill…" Yet another punch "…a NINJA!" She spun her body round bringing her boot up into his face knocking him to the floor on top of one of the scorched guards. Yuffie knelt and picked up the cure materia from the floor.

"Lets get outta here!" Kandya yelled as she ran to the door. She screeched to a halt as she saw the armoured van outside. She went for Laverne's semi-automatic and fired a round into the ceiling…"Keys! Who's got em?"

The officer who had been hit in the groin groaned. Kandya took that as a sign. She walked over to him and pulled a key-chain with numerous keys from his belt.

"We got wheels Yuffie lets go!"

They moved towards the doorway. Laverne began to start laughing. "Hee hee hee…ha ha ha.."

Yuffie turned to him "Whats so funny?"

Laverne looked towards Kandya. His nose was broken and his face was bloodied.

"Ha ha ha….Like I said. I knew we would probably need more than 6 officers to apprehend an Ex-solider." He laughed again and reached to a small black device on his belt. He pushed a single red button on its side. The two girls looked at him puzzled.

" Ha ha ha….Kandya meet one of Hojo's new creations"

There was a slam from outside. The girls turned to see the back doors of the armoured van swung wide open. There was the sound of what seemed to be an airship engine firing up. Suddenly two large metal hands reached out of the van grabbing onto the sides. The metal beast within pulled itself out.

Before them stood an 8ft tall machine. It resembled a large skeletal gorilla. In its stomach was the source of the engine sound. It had a propeller engine build into its stomach. But the most unsettling thing about it was its head. It was a hairy wide face bright red in colour. Its wide mouth opened to reveal a set of razor sharp metal teeth. It was fierce but yet it just stood there….

Laverne shouted at the top of his voice from inside the house "RED X…..DESTROY THE FEMALES"

Red X roared into life. It raised its arms above its head and growled fiercely…The propeller engine increased in power and Yuffie felt herself lifted towards the beast.

"GRRRAAAAARRRRWWWWGGGGGHHHH!!!!!" The machine screamed hideously and swung its arms about in the air.

"Yikes!!!" Yuffie yelped as she found herself pulled through the air by the propellers force. Kandya acted immediately. She shot at the propellers with the semi-automatic. The bullets tore the blades from the beast's insides and the engine slowed to a halt. Yuffie dropped to the ground with a thud. The beast stopped in its tracks and stared down at its stomach. It was not happy. Red X roared again and threw a punch towards yuffie who was now lying on the porch. She rolled to avoid it. Red X's huge fist slammed into the wooden porch smashing the ground beneath it. Yuffie rolled up onto her feet with through ninja agility. She turned to the beast and held out the materia. The air ripped again as a huge ball of fire shot from nowhere into the beasts chest. Nothing….."It's a machine…Fire won't hurt it!" Kandya yelled and fired the semi-automatic again at the metal monstrosity. The bullets slammed into Red X's smooth metal chest and just dropped to the ground. Click click click click click, The gun was out of ammo. Kandya dropped it and turned back inside the house.

"Lets bail!!!!" she shouted at Yuffie

"That's what I've been trying to do" Yuffie moaned to herself as she followed Kandya. The two ran inside and through the living room. They were met with a hail of bullets fired by 3 of the Shinra officers who were now back on their feet. Kandya ran to the back of the room and out through the now missing wall closely followed by Yuffie. Behind them the front wall burst apart as Red X made his own doorway into the house.

"Quick around the side of the house!" Kandya shouted

The house was now standing only on two walls downstairs. It quickly began to buckle under its own weight and collapsed upon the metal giant and Shinra officers. The two of the were now seated in the armoured van as Kandya franticly tried key after key in the ignition. Yuffie leaned over her seat to look in the back of the van. Spare robotic parts lay strewn on the floor. She also noticed that Red X had bought himself along a back up Engine too. She didn't want to wait around for him to install it

"Ummmm….I don't think its dead yet" Said a concerned Yuffie as she looked over Kandya's shoulder to see the rubble of the house slowly rising then falling again.

The vehicle finally revved into life. Kandya slammed down on the accelerator and the van screeched off down the street. Behind them the rubble exploded and Red X leapt from the smoking ruins.

"Faster Kandya….Get outta here" Yuffie exclaimed

The van raced down the road Red X stomping not to far behind.

"That thing can sure move fast for its size can't it?" Kandya said with surprise

"YES YES!!! Which means we should go much FASTER!! Yuffie shouted

The van shot down the alleys of sector 9. Kandya could drive like a pro. She had been trained in soldier for these kind of chase situations…Only in the simulations she was the one doing the chasing. She took a corner at high speed and Yuffie turned a bright green…

"Bleh…acc actually on..on second thoughts…sl slow down" Yuffie said her face getting greener by the minute.

"I think we're losing it just hang in there" Kandya reassured her "The gates to sector 8 are just 3 streets away"

"Uuuuughhhh….But but how will we get em open if we can't stop the van" Yuffie asked sickly

Kandya looked about the vehicles dashboard and pulled a microphone from the radio-set. "I'll call ahead" she answered with a smile

Kandya spoke into the microphone as calmly as possible "This is unit 17a on approach to sector 8 from sector 9 please open the gates authorisation 17f11bd"

It appeared being ex-solider had a lot of benefits for these situations.

She spoke to Yuffie who had now climbed into the back of the van and was lying on the floor moaning. "I can't see it. We were going to fast for it. It couldn't keep up with us"

The van came around the corner to the exit gates to sector 8 that were now slowly opening. They drove on through and the gates quickly closed behind them.

"Ok we can stop now…Welcome to sector 8" Kandya said with a smile as she pulled the van over.

"Uuuuuughhh Thank you" Yuffie moaned weakly

Kandya laughed to herself and smiled in the rear view mirror at Yuffie.

"You ninja's aren't much for travelling are ya?" She laughed

"Bleh…..Well i…." Yuffie was interrupted by a loud crash at the gates behind them.

"What the….It can't have found us! I practically went around in circles to make sure it couldn't find us!!!" Kandya looked frantic now. She couldn't figure it. Unless…"It must be homing in on something"

Kandya looked at Yuffie again and then to the parts on the floor beside her.

"Ditch the parts of machinery!!!" she yelled at Yuffie as she started the van up again.

Yuffie put her mind off her stomach that was now doing somersaults and began to throw bits and pieces of machinery from the back of the van. Within moments she saw the gates behind her tear apart and Red X step through. If it was in a bad mood before it was surely pissed now. It roared like nothing Yuffie had ever heard before…And she had fought a lot of beasts in her training to become a ninja.

The vehicle sped away again…

"I guess we're heading for sector 7!" Kandya shouted back to Yuffie who was franticly throwing anything that came to hand at the beast just meters behind them. Eventually the van was empty apart from one thing….the engine. Yuffie turned it on its side and shouted back to Kandya "Slow down for a sec…I got an idea"

Kandya agreed and slowed the van down "This better be good" She yelled to Yuffie

"Don't worry about it"…..The beast got closer close enough to nearly grab onto the van. "Come'er big fella….ya want this do ya?….d'ya want it…here ya go so" Yuffie pushed with all her might and the engine rolled from the back of the van. The beast was too close. It tripped over the engine at its feet at high speed and slammed into the ground….

"Ha ha ha…Nice one" Kandya exclaimed as she put her foot down and skidded the van around a corner.

"One main street ahead and sector 7 is at the end of it" She shouted to yuffie who was leaning out to close the van doors.

Kandya looked back in the side mirror. "Oh crap….crap crap crap!…Its still coming!!!!….It must be the van its locked into not the machinery"…..Kandya was stuck for a soloution. She figured she had to get as far ahead of the beast as possible to lose it and get away from the van before it reached them. But that was gonna take driving through a few more sectors. She didn't know if she could do this. She turned onto the long main street to the sector 7 gates

. kandya picked up the microphone again and spoke " This is unit 17a on approach to sector 7 from sector 8 please open the gates authorisation 17f11bd"

The van raced down the street and the gates loomed into view in the distance. Red X seemed to be gaining on them now. It seemed to be fuelled by anger at losing its prey.

Kandya drummed impatiently on the steering wheel…the gates where still closed..She spoke again "I repeat this is unit 17a on approach to sector 7 from sector 8 please open the gates authorisation code 17f11bd !!!"…..she waited the gates grew larger as she got nearer but they were still closed…."I REPEAT THIS IS UNIT 17A ON APPROACH TO SECTOR 7 FROM SECTOR 8 PLEASE OPEN THE BLOODY GATES AUTHERISATION CODE 17F11BD!!!!" She shouted into the microphone but nothing happened. Why weren't they opening the gates. Was there no one on duty there? Why wouldn't there be a guard on duty at the sector 7 gates. The van raced towards the gates Red X practically in the back seat now.

"Ummmm…I think I'd like to get out here thanks" Yuffie shouted from the back as Kandya swerved the vehicle left and right trying to confuse the beast behind. She was only making it more annoyed. She had only one choice…If she couldn't open the gates Red X would have to do it for her. "Brace yourself Yuffie" She shouted back to the girl who was sitting with her head between her knees gagging at this point.

"Uggghhh way ahead of yyyyyyooooooooooohhhhuuuuggghhhhh!!!!!!!" Yuffie yelped as Kandya hit the brakes and spun the van around. Red X had no time to react. He flew into the sector seven gates at top speed tearing a huge whole through the middle of them. The van swung round again to face the gates. Smoke began to rise from the engine….then flames…She had over worked the vehicle." Get out its on fire!!!" she shouted to Yuffie

"Who? what? US?!!!!" Yuffie leapt to her feet and kicked the doors wide open. Both of them ran away from the Van and ducked for cover as it exploded behind them. The two of them lay on the ground for a moment then sat up to see what had happened to Red X. They looked over at the huge whole in the gates. Had the impact killed the beast? No…they heard a grown as it slowly began to rise to its feet. There was no escaping this thing on foot now. They were stuck in a mess here with no way out. Gunshots echoed through the early morning air above Red X. It moved closer to the gates when all of a sudden it stopped. There was a huge explosion and dust and debris was falling everywhere. Red X looked up to the plate above. Were its circuits failing or was he getting taller. No the plate was coming down fast. With a huge crash sector 7 was crushed by the metal sky that had loomed over it for years. The plate had finally killed the people it oppressed. The force of the blast lifted Kandya and yuffie up into the air and back a few feet. Moments later when the chaos subdued both rose to there feet and stared at the mountain of rubble that stood behind the sector 7 gates.

What in the hell just happened?