Chapter 38: The Return
"So…Where are we headed again?" Zidane asked Kuja as they climbed through a jungle of wire and cable. It was quite a long drop down. Sparks flew from many faults, like water from the side of a cliff. Picking where to take hold was tricky.
"Up." Kuja responded.
"Why?" Freya asked from her position under Zidane.
"Because that is where we strike. Judgment expects you all dead, so we strike the Burmecian unit while they least expect it." Kuja replied.
Fratley's keen ear picked up on a faint sound. He couldn't look up to see it, because he was behind Freya and in front of Vivi, but he could hear something screaming up top. For some reason, the sound was getting louder, as if it was falling.
"Heads up!" Fratley shouted. Sure enough, a horrendous screeching was heard and getting louder. Kuja could make out a falling object.
"Every one, swing to your right!" Kuja yelled. Obediently, the heroes swung themselves to the right, with Steiner, at the bottom of the climbing chain, grabbing onto a safe wire. Almost at jet speed, an EON spawn fell past them, screaming. As it fell, it grew out of sight, and the screaming ceased.
"Thanks Irontail." Vivi said.
"Kuja, how much longer until we reach the top?" Steiner asked impatiently.
Kuja glanced back up towards the crimson heavens. "Not long."
** *
The heavy iron doors flung wide open, letting a spinning wall of death unleash itself upon the creatures in central command. The whirring was deafening, the grinding unbearably loud, and the crunching was instantly aggravating. Behind the crazy contraption, Cid and Barret pushed with all their might, trying to keep to killing wall under control. They were not sure what they killed, for only bloody chunks were spat through the racing barrels. Screaming and screeching of high-pitched soldiers of EON filled the room, bringing an almost pitiful look about it. But the three AVALANCHE members would not feel any pity for the mutations. It was kill or be killed. And it just so happened to be that the trio was on the winning side.
"Yea! We're doing it guys!" Yuffie squealed with joy.
"I have ta admit, this works pretty damn well!" Barret smiled.
"Of coarse ya numbskulls, I built it." Cid smiled back.
Then the barrels stopped spinning. Barret's motor tried pitifully to move the barrels with groans of mechanical failure, but to no avail. Something had stopped it.
Between the two barrels, where nothing but bloody pieces should fly through, came an enormous lacerated hand, ripping the machine apart. The Chimera Spawn, with all its might, spilt the wall into two, throwing the barrels of skurikens into the far corners of the room. Barret's motor fell to his feet.
Barret immediately dived for the gun arm piece, but was swept aside by the Chimera Spawn's strange tail. Barret flew into a pile of spawn bodies. Sensing no other option, Yuffie hurled herself, Conformer first, at the creature. The monster batted her aside like a beetle with it's scared hand. The thing loomed ominously over cid Highwind.
Cid stepped backwards, thinking what to do. The thing was too big for him to take on with the Venus Gospel. The Chimera Spawn followed every inch. Then Cid stepped on something. A wrench it was. Cid glanced at the object, and then realized something. An idea!
Cid dropped to the red-sprayed iron floor, and picked up the wrench. Lunging himself at the Chimera Spawn's metal plate jaw, Cid quickly unraveled the nut holding a thick cable to its' head from a pack on it's back. The Chimera Spawn grabbed the pilot and flung him into the pile with Yuffie and Barret. The monster than began it's gallop to end their lives, but it was too late. The cable dislodged and red liquid sprayed all over the room. The chimera spawn gave a digital cry and thrashed about the room. Its skin grew paler and folded around the metal framework beneath. In a matter of minutes, the Chimera Spawn lay dead.
Cid managed to give a weak smile before he fell into unconsciousness.
Though an empty vessel in the room, came several figures. The native heroes walked in.
"What the hell happened here?" Zidane gasped as his group filled into the carnage.
"Looks like a massive battle." Steiner said.
"You can say that again…" Vivi gaped.
"Well if you request, master Vivi. Looks like a-"
"We got the point Steiner. But where's the brain?" Irontail interrupted Steiner's speech.
"Hey!" Freya jumped and pointed towards a hill of blood stained creatures. "There's Yuffie, Barret, and Cid!"
The members that were the first to enter the hand quickly jumped and ran towards the bodies, dragging the bruised figures out.
"Vivi! Create some water over them!" Zidane ordered. Without hesitation, Vivi commenced and water fell onto the faces of Cid, Barret, and Yuffie.
"Ungh…." Yuffie moaned. Her companions did the same.
"Welcome back to the realm of the living, if you can call this place that." Zidane smiled.
Yuffie smiled back, but then blinked and jumped up. "O my gawd! You guys are alive!"
"Of coarse fair lady. We are tougher than nails!" Steiner boasted.
"It looks like you guys had some fun here." Freya said as she gazed about the room.
Barret cringed as he raised himself up and loaded his gun arm with the motor again. "Hell, you might be able to say that."
Cid coughed and got up. Upon noticing that his cigarette was doused, he spit it out and lit up another. "What happened to you guys?"
"We fought." Vivi simply summarized.
"And found more members." Freya placed her hand on Fratley's shoulders.
Fratley placed his hand out to Cid's. "Name's Irontail Fratley."
Cid reluctantly shook it. "Highwind. Cid Highwind."
"Well now. Since you've all met up again, I say we get this movable feast underway." Kuja said coldly near a newly discovered door.
"We haven't met all up yet! Where's Cloud, Tifa, Red, and Vincent?!" Yuffie asked.
"Spike ass said he would meet us here…" Barret commented.
"Yea. But I say we do what the cross dresser over there says. We got people at home to worry about to!" Cid said.
The new group looked at the door and glanced at each other.
"Into the jaws of death we ride…" Kuja smiled.
"Shut up Kuja." Zidane smiled.
Kuja placed his new flesh and bone hand to the door. It opened without a sound revealing a twisting dark raised walkway.
"The skull thing probably went up there." Barret said. Kuja nodded.
And so the group traversed the hallway in the dim blue light.
About thirty minutes into the passage, the song of EON faintly made itself heard. And the farther they went in, the louder the song became. Blue light emitting nerves lined the corners of passage, giving an eerie lighting to it, almost like walking under water.
A small round room lied at the end of the incline, about an hour from the original opening. The song was emitting from an elk skull, hanging from large cords from the roof. A bright portal spun in place behind the singing skull, a possible exit.
"There it is." Kuja sighed.
"Alright guys! This looks like the end!" Fratley grinned.
"Slay the monster and we will have won!" Steiner shouted.
"This isn't the end. We still got another world to save." Cid whispered.
The passage they had entered from suddenly morphed into a dim blue wall, while an opening in the roof opened, dropping four Chimera Spawns.
"Shit!" Barret stepped backwards to find the entrance disappeared.
"How are we supposed to kill these things?! One was hard enough!" Yuffie panicked.
"We fight!" Zidane said.
BANG!
Everything stopped.
BANG!
The Burmecian unit elk skull exploded into several pieces. The whale song stopped immediately. The Chimera Spawns dropped dead. The portal widened.
"What-What just happened?!" Vivi woke himself from a common daze.
"I-I don't know." Freya answered.
"Miss me?" A familiar voice asked.
Yuffie turned behind her to see a crimson caped man with a familiar rifle.
"Vincent!" Yuffie screamed.
Cid and Barret immediately turned around. "Vincent?!" They both said in unison. The others turned around, confused.
Vincent Valentine strode forward over a corpse and into the group.
"Long time no see."
"Vince! You're alive! I thought you died or something!" Yuffie moaned.
Vincent smiled.
"What happened Vincent? Why you acting so …friendly?" Cid asked.
"Just where da hell where you anyway?" Barret questioned.
"You can say that I've been on a spirit trip and have been forgiven." Vincent replied. "I'm here to help you, unlike what I've done before."
"O Vincent! Where's Cloud and Tifa and Red?!" Yuffie asked.
"I thought they were with you…" Vincent replied.
"…" Barret and Cid knew not what to say.
"…Hey Vincent. You know where this leads to?" Zidane decided to break the ice.
"That leads to Midgar EON, the one in our world." Vince replied.
"Well, I'd like to come with you and aid you, as you've aided us in the destruction of the Burmecian hand." Zidane smiled.
"I want to help to!" Vivi said.
"We would also like to enlist our aid." Freya and Fratley said together.
"As would I. Together we can rid the worlds of this pest forever!" Steiner said.
"Thanks…" Barret said.
"What about you?" Cid asked Kuja.
"…Judgment is strong. You cannot take him on alone." Kuja responded. "That is where I come in." He grinned.
"Come on Yuff, let's go home!" Vincent said.
The heroes began to run inside the swirling portal. Yuffie was last. Before she stepped in, she gazed behind her. "Please Cloud. Be alive and find us."