"This is Control to Highwind, come in…you are clear to do a drop near landing area three…over."
Cid smirked as he picked up a microphone. "This is Highwind to Condor Control…do you really expect us to come that close to all those hunk-of-junk ModGels down there? Over."
Cloud chuckled at this, leaning on the console next to Tifa. "Give them a break, Cid."
"Hell no. You down there, Control? Over." Cid snorted, exhaling smoke.
"Control to Highwind. The Administrator has just informed me to tell you what you can do with your precious Highwind, over."
"Hey!" Cid yelled indignantly, shooting a venomous glare to a shrugging Cait Sith.
Sighing, Cid grumbled into the mike. "We'll drop on your crappy landing area three, but be sure and tell the Administrator to kiss my ass, O.K.? Over."
"Control to Highwind, sure thing. Over."
Cid cursed loudly as he dropped the microphone. "Nice people you got working for you, Reeve."
Cait again shrugged. "Administrator Diana is one of our most dedicated workers. She's a former ShinRa that hated her old job, and just jumped for the chance to work with us."
"Yeah, well, sounds like she has a nice telephone pole up her-"
"She's your type of person, Cid."
"Bite me, Reeve."
Yuffie, appearing from the stairs leading from below, moaned loudly. "Are we there yet?" she whined.
Cid smiled evilly as the pilot made a rather violent turn, stopping right over the landing platform, which was far too small for the Highwind to land on. Instead, the eight would climb down, and the Highwind would land a distance away, awaiting their summons.
Tifa turned to look for Yuffie, but she wasn't there. A disgusting sound informed the group of Yuffie's opinion of the pilot's maneuvering.
"Come on people, let's not keep the paper-pushers waiting," sneered Cid, who was rewarded with an insulted cry from Cait.
The group made their way to the observation platform, before climbing down the rope ladder to the platform. As Cid, the last in line, touched the ground, the Highwind roared off, engines blazing. Cid watched it go, a look of pride and awe on his face.
Tifa stopped, looking around. They were at Fort Condor, which had once been a crumbling reactor rebels had defended, fighting off wave after wave of ShinRa mercenaries. Cloud and the others had helped defend the fort, and finally the base had been left alone while ShinRa dealt with other problems.
Now, however, the fort had been made into a massive complex, towering over its former height. Airstrips had been constructed, barracks built, parade grounds were teeming with soldiers. It was an impressive military base, with the large building it was centered around a corporate office. At its top were the offices of the leaders of the group, including Reeve.
They made their way past several bulky airplanes. Rounded and reminiscent of footballs with wings strapped to the top, they were oddly familiar to Cloud. Seeing Cloud's confused look, Cait stopped and pointed to one. "These are the Modified Gelnikas, or ModGels, Cid was talking about. Great for transport, not so hot for battle."
Cloud nodded. "I remember exploring that crashed one, out in the ocean."
Cait grimaced. "But instead of carrying biological weapons, these will be used for supply drops. They're modified with weaponry, in case of an attack. These can actually defend themselves, unlike the ones ShinRa made."
"I just hope they don't share the fate of that one in the ocean," Tifa said, cringing.
The group made their way onward, into the building. It was lavishly decorated, with flowers making the massive lobby colorful. Cait led the group past businessmen and women, to an elevator with glass walls. The cat slid a keycard through the controls, and pressed a button for one of the top floors.
As the elevator rose upward, the group, with the exclusion of those squeezed in the middle of the rather cramped space, gazed around at the scenery. They could see the military complex, and, as the elevator rose higher, the mountains of the area. The building had quite a view, Cloud mused.
When the elevator came to a stop with a 'ding!', the group filed out, into the corporate office area. They made their way past many businessmen, looking severely out of place. They made an interesting group, with a spiky-haired man, a burly soldier with a gun arm, a lithe woman, a ninja, a sentient lion, a man often accused of being a vampire, a surly pilot, and a cat riding a giant stuffed Moogle.
They came to a stop near a pair of wooden doors with Reeve's name inscribed on a golden plate on both. Cait pushed them open, and they were in a smaller room, with a door leading into Reeve's office, and the secretary's desk. Once she saw Cait, the secretary, a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, large brown eyes, and a pleasant smile, stood and led the group into the next room. There, Reeve stood behind his desk, gazing out a window. The secretary came up to the desk, and announced, "Visitors for you, Mr. Reeve."
A smile on his goateed face, Reeve turned, and nodded to the woman. "Thank you very much, Danielle. You may go to lunch early, if you please. I won't be taking any calls for a while."
The woman nodded slightly, and left with a grin and a "Thank you, sir." Reeve watched her go, then turned to his friends.
Cloud smiled at the sight of Cait Sith's operator. He was older than Cloud and Tifa, but still not old at all. It was quite surprising, how far he had come in his short life. He had been one of the administrators of the world's largest company, and then one of the leaders of the company that was cleaning the mess the other had made. He was dressed smartly in a dark blue suit, with a serious blue and red tie. His goatee was neatly trimmed, and not a hair was out of place. However, the grin on his face threw all seriousness aside.
"Hey!" he shouted, grabbing Cloud and Tifa in a hug.
The others returned his smiles, and a few words of greeting were said before they got down to business.
"So, are you all ready for the big surprise?" Reeve inquired, a smile going from ear to ear.
"Whatever it is, just tell us or show us or whatever!" yelled Yuffie.
The others nodded, and Reeve pressed a button on his desk. "You see, earlier today a few people came by the offices. They demanded to see the people in charge…accused us of stealing their name! They mentioned someone's name, they sent them to me, and I took it from there."
Barret scratched his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Reeve leaned back on his desk and crossed his arms. "You'll see."
Several minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Reeve called for whomever it was to enter, and the door opened, revealing three figures very familiar to Cloud, Tifa, and Barret. The first was a thin young man, with messy black hair and a scowl on his face. The second was a young woman, with long brown hair. The third was another young man, but far bulkier than the others, and he alone bore a grin. All wore armor, but carried no guns, as security had insisted on taking them.
Barret's mouth dropped. "What the…I'm seeing ghosts!"
Cloud and Tifa gasped, as did the other three. The young woman shrieked, "Barret? Tifa? Cloud?!?"
"By Alexander, it's you! I thought you all had died!" cried the smaller young man, mouth agape.
"Biggs? Wedge? Jessie?" shouted Barret. "There's no way you could have survived the destruction of Sector 7!"
"We could say the same," said the heavy man wryly.
Cloud could remember well his adventures with the trio. Members of the original AVALANCHE, he had joined them as a mercenary, helping them destroy reactors in Midgar. Their final battle together had taken place at the pillar that held the city above the Sector 7 Slums far above the roofs of the derelict homes and junk. ShinRa had detonated a bomb on the pillar, collapsing it, letting the plate fall onto the slums, killing all below. Before the battle between Barret, Tifa, and Cloud against one of ShinRa's elite, Reno of the Turks, Cloud had found Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie all gravely wounded. They had been believed dead after the plate had collapsed, and it had been luck that had saved Cloud and his friends.
"How did you survive?" asked Tifa incredulously.
"It was all thanks to that girl, the one in pink. She told the people in the slums to carry us to safety. While you were trying to stop ShinRa from destroying the pillar, we were being carried away, through underground tunnels." Jessie explained.
"We believed you had been killed by those lousy scumballs…we all were nearly crazy with guilt. We tried to attack ShinRa's corporate headquarters, but we were captured by those damned Turks. They shipped us off to the Corel Prison, but we escaped. We tried to come here, to help defend the fort, but when we stowed away on a cargo ship, some soldiers cornered us, and instead they locked us up in Junon. We stayed there through the Meteor crisis, and, after ShinRa dissolved, they let us go," Biggs, the skinnier man, explained.
"We owe it all to that flower girl…is she here? How is she?" Wedge asked.
Cloud hung his head. "Aeris…was killed by Sephiroth. She saved us all…but had to sacrifice herself in the process."
The other three looked to the ground, and Jessie wiped a hand across her eyes. "She seemed so nice…I'm sorry she had to die…"
"Yeah, me too," Cloud said thickly.
Tifa placed her hand on Cloud's shoulder. "There will be time to mourn later. Let's talk! I'm sure you want to know about how we've been, and I'd love to hear about your adventures-"
A phone rang, cutting her off. "Excuse me," Reeve said, slipping a hand into his pocket and retrieving the cellular. He opened it, and spoke quietly into it. As he shut it, he made no attempt to disguise the look of concern on his face. "Sorry to break up the reunion, people, but we have an emergency here. Tifa, if you would come with me…Cloud, you too."
The two met Reeve's serious glance, then looked to each other, and then the group. Nodding, they followed him as he made a quick pace for the elevators. Cloud swallowed as they stepped inside. He didn't know what the problem was, but he could sense it meant trouble.
Reeve pressed the button for a lower floor, then leaned against the glass wall, biting his lip. Cloud and Tifa started to ask him about the problem, but the elevator plummeted, dropping far less smoothly than it had risen.
Once they reached their floor, Reeve led them out, into a more sterile environment than the lush lobby or extravagant offices. They passed multitudes of security guards, several casting nervous glances toward the armed Cloud. As the trio went through automatic door after automatic door, Reeve turned several times, leading them on a path the others would have trouble retracing. Finally, they came to a thick metal door guarded by two men with lethal-looking rifles.
Reeve nodded to the guards, then walked past, tapping digits into a keypad. The door slid open, and Cloud and Tifa stepped forward, but the guards blocked the door.
"They're with me," Reeve said gruffly.
"Yessir!" the men chimed, stepping aside and saluting.
As the trio entered the next hall, which had a lab/hospital air to it, Reeve chuckled dryly. "Those guards…they are a bit enthusiastic, at least."
The group walked on, stopping at another guarded door. Reeve waved, and the guards allowed them to pass into the next room. As they entered, Tifa gasped with shock.
The room was definitely medical. Life support systems chimed, and the rasp of respirator-assisted breathing stole all life from the air. In the center of the room was a bed, with an ancient man sleeping peacefully on it. Tifa ran to the man, eyes widening with recognition.
"Zangan!"
At the sound of his name, the man opened his eyes weakly. He stared at the face above him, then attempted to speak. "T…Ti…Tifa? Tifa Lock…heart?"
She nodded rapidly. "Yes, its me! Your former student!"
Zangan, once acclaimed the greatest martial arts expert in the world, had been the one to instruct Tifa in the art of fighting. She had been his star pupil, and he had stayed in her hometown, Nibelheim, for many years, until an incident had occurred, shattering all of their lives. That incident had been named Sephiroth.
A smile slowly formed on Zangan's face. "I'm glad…I could see you…one last time…Tifa."
Shocked, Tifa shook her head. "No…don't say that…"
Zangan coughed loudly, and long, before replying. "It is true…I am dying. But, at least…I can give you what I have discovered."
Tifa's face was solemn. "What do you mean?"
The elder smiled again. "I was exploring…on the icy Northern continent. I found myself…near the Northern Crater."
Cloud's eyes narrowed as he watched from beside Tifa. Northern Crater had been the site of their final clash with Sephiroth.
"It has changed…no longer a crater, but an immense military base…its bigger than anything I have ever seen, even Midgar…I went closer, saw a helicopter…It had…the ShinRa logo."
Everyone in the room gasped. ShinRa, still around? It was impossible!
"The base was under construction…nearly finished. I tried to get even closer…but, they saw me. I ran…but, a man with a huge sword…"
He fell back, exhausted. Reeve and Cloud exchanged worried looks as Tifa stroked Zangan's hand. "Oh, Zangan…"
"Tifa…Cloud…stop them…stop ShinRa…do not allow…another Nibelheim…" As he said those words, the breath rattled in his throat, and his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. The life support machines cried out, and Cloud led a crying Tifa away, his arm around her shoulders.
The group walked away from the room, Cloud leading Tifa as Reeve slowed, looking around. He froze, then set off on a different path, walking up to a woman standing nearby. She was dressed conservatively, with smart business clothes and brown hair in a severe-looking bun. She nodded respectfully to Reeve as he walked up, and he returned the gesture.
"Diana, I need you to lend one of my friends, the pilot, our fastest scouting plane. We have a catastrophe on our hands, and we need information."
The woman nodded. "I'll see to it immediately, sir."
Reeve shook his head. "Oh, and one more thing. We're going to need all the help we can get on this one. Do me a favor, and call the blue team in. Do you understand?"
She nodded again, but there was hesitation in her eyes. "Yes, sir…"
Reeve smiled grimly. "I know. I don't completely trust them, either. But, this might be one tough mission…and they're the best."
As Diana walked away, Reeve barely resisted the urge to sink to his knees and pretend the day had never happened. If ShinRa was back, it could mean only one thing.
War.
******
Hours later, Cid Highwind grimaced as he looked down onto the bustling metropolis. He pulled the stick to the side, and the scout plane turned away. Thumbing the radio on, he grudgingly called out to his friends.
"This is Kid to Poppa Snow. We have a penguin nest, I repeat, we have a penguin nest."
As he flew away, he wished he could chuckle at the outrageous code, but found the situation to be far too serious. He frowned, pressing the plane as fast as it could go, hurrying away.
Behind him, the mammoth ShinRa base loomed, weapons bristling.