Chapter 6 - Meteor
"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Barret asked "Lets chase that $%^*£" Jenova down, and get rid of her!"
"Slow down Barret, we're all exhausted from that battle, we need rest. We'll start tomorrow!" Cloud replied.
"I'll stay on watch" Sephiroth replied "If she decides to come back when we're all asleep.."
"I'll take second watch then, there's no way you're staying up all night Sephiroth, we may need you tomorrow to fight." Angel said as she looked at the group "anyone disagree?"
"No, but I'll take third watch" Red said "That way we all get some sleep"
Cloud shook his head, as he watched Sephiroth head up towards the top of the canyon, on a sudden thought he decided to follow him. He needed to talk to Sephiroth, without everyone else around, especially not Aeris and Angel.
He waited until everyone else had gone indoors before turning to climb the stairs leading to the observatory. Sephiroth noticed Cloud was following him and stopped to wait.
"Something wrong Cloud?" Sephiroth asked mildly once Cloud had caught up with him.
"I'm not sure, how can we be certain that you won't go crazy again?" Cloud asked, "Aeris may say that, but I'm responsible for the safety of all Avalanche!"
"I see you've grown from that insecure boy into a warrior" Sephiroth replied "To answer your question, I'm not certain, anymore than you are. Whatever my sister did, it freed me, and after everything I've been told, there's no way I'd willingly become Jenova's slave again."
"I see" Cloud turned away "I accept the apology you made earlier, but remember, I'm still keeping my eye on you" he said as he began to walk away.
"You know, if you want, you can join mine and Angel's sparring practices. We have some fighting skills that you may want to learn." Sephiroth replied thoughtfully. "And if it's any consolation to you, I despised our father."
"I can't believe he's my father as well, I can't believe that I'm related to you!" Cloud replied "is that why you managed to manipulate me so well?"
"Yes, although I wondered that myself, normally it would be impossible to do that to someone, I doubt I would've been able to turn my sister, although she managed to help me" Sephiroth began, then decided to change the subject "Enough of such depressing talk, so how about the sparring?"
Cloud smiled slightly "Sure, may as well. Although I don't know what you two can teach me that I don't already know"
"How about dodging and reflecting magic attacks back onto the caster, without using haste spells, reflect spells or barrier spells?" Sephiroth grinned. "That's the highest level of Soldier training, not even Zack managed to do it, but I think you'd be able to."
"Flattery now, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"No, I've seen you fight, you've beaten me twice now. I think you'd be able to surpass what you already know." Sephiroth assured him then he paused "Something's just crossed my mind. Angel and Aeris probably think we're going to be fighting and arguing for months."
"True, for the sake of Avalanche, I'll restrain myself" Cloud laughed, reassured that Sephiroth really was on their side.
Back in the inn Reeve called the Turks to him "I want all the information on the Jenova project brought here. I'll pay you of course, but I want it here by tomorrow morning" he told them.
"That's a long way to go to get some papers Reeve, why'd you want them?" Reno asked.
"They may give us a clue on how to destroy Jenova fully." Reeve replied.
"Alright, but I don't know if we can get back for tomorrow morning." Rude said, thinking it through.
"You don't have to" Cid leaned on the doorway "I've just found a fault in the Highwind; it'll take me the better part of the day to fix it!"
"So what's the problem Cid?" Cloud asked when he saw that Cid was getting some spares for the Highwind.
"A couple of broken parts in the engine. We strained em when we were chasing Angel." Cid replied as he headed out to the ship.
"How long is it going to be before we can go?" Vincent asked walking up to them.
"Damn it Vincent, do you have to sneak up on me like that??" Cid jumped and turned on Vincent "Most of the morning at least. The damage isn't critical, but experience has taught me to be careful." Cid avoided mentioning that it was only because of Shera, that he was so careful now. Her intuition on the Rocket had been the only thing that had saved their lives.
A few minutes later, Red came down from the observatory where he had taken the last part of the watch. "Well it was all quiet last night. I think we hurt Jenova more than we thought" he said. "Where are the others?"
"Sephiroth and Angel were sparring earlier, but I think they've finished. The other girls are already in the dining room. I saw Reeve heading to the library, and I think Barret is still asleep." Cloud replied.
"I'll go and wake Barret up then" Red said walking off, he almost ran into Sephiroth as he came out of the building.
"What's up with you?" Cloud called over.
"Nothing, I was coming to see when we're leaving" Sephiroth replied. "if you must know that girls are talking about womens stuff. It gets very boring"
Cloud snorted in amusement, Cid and Vincent tried not to laugh as Cloud's PHS started to ring. "Hang on guys, I have to answer this."
"What emergency now, I wonder" Vincent asked as Cloud accepted the call.
"Hello, who is this?" Cloud asked.
"Cloud, it's Elmyra. I need your help. Barret left Marlene in my care, but this … thing .. came and took her away" Elmyra said, Cloud could tell she was trying not to cry. "It almost destroyed this part of the town."
"What! We'll be there as soon as we can." Cloud shut the phone down and looked at Cid "you'll have to repair the Highwind as we go. We've got to got to Corel, Marlene's been kidnapped. Elmyra is distraught. Seph, you get the girls. Vincent, you get Reeve."
Sephiroth looked at Cloud strangely for a second before jogging off back to where he had left the girls. He didn't like anyone shortening his name; he only tolerated Angel doing that because she was his twin and she had been calling him that for years during sparring matches because it was faster to say. He also wondered why he was the one following orders instead of giving them, then he realised that Cloud was the one everyone respected. He was the outcast. As he made his way from where Cloud and Cid were, he noticed that Red and Barret were walking towards them. As he was about to enter the buildings her could hear Barret swearing and yelling Marlene.
At the table in the dining area of Cosmo inn, the four girls were laughing with each other, especially after they had managed to get Sephiroth embarrassed with their talking.
"Thanks for lending me your materia last night Yuffie" Angel told the girl as she brought over some drinks.
"No problem, I was worried you wanted to keep them though" Yuffie replied.
"Why would I do that? I don't need Materia, not now anyway." Angel smiled slightly puzzled.
"You learnt all of it?" Tifa asked astonished.
"When did you find the time?" Aeris asked "I've not seen you learn it… I know it takes a few minutes with each one.."
"When I was on watch last night, it was the best time to learn it, in case Jenova showed up" Angel replied with a slight yawn. "I hate second watch of three."
The others laughed.
"I wish I could learn Materia like that though" Yuffie commented, making both Tifa and Aeris laugh. Angel just looked puzzled when Yuffie glared at the other two.
"What's so funny?" Angel asked once Tifa had calmed down.
"Yuffie likes to steal other people's materia, that's what" Tifa replied, still giggling.
"It's not funny" Yuffie glared as Angel began to giggle as well. "Fine, be that way" she began to sulk.
"Oh Yuffie, you should see your face!" Aeris laughed.
Yuffie walked over to the window and looked out feeling very annoyed, she watched the men talking in the distance. It seemed that Sephiroth was heading back their way "Very funny, Aeris. Sephiroth's on his way back. He's in a hurry…."
"Wonder why?" Angel wondered "Only reason he'd hurry if there was something wrong."
"We'd better get ready just in case then" Aeris replied as Tifa reached down to pick something up "I forgot to tell you Angel, Red found these three left over accessories that you can use" Tifa said as she threw a tetra elemental bracelet, a circlet and a ribbon towards Angel.
Angel caught them and looked at the three items; she put the tetra elemental bracelet on her wrist, and saw that others were also putting on circlets, to increase their magic power. She did the same wondering how she looked with it on. Then she tied the ribbon round her ankle so then it didn't get in her way.
"Why don't you put the ribbon in your hair like we do?" Yuffie asked curiously "I've seen both Cloud and Barret do that, as well as Cid, but they're men"
Angel stood up and checked her weapon, as she put the Holy materia in the one slot on it, to keep it from being taken from her in battle "I don't like tying my hair back" she replied offhandedly "Sephiroth pointed out the disadvantage of it as well when I was learning, he managed to pull one out of my hair during a sparring match"
As they were about to head out to where the men were gathering Sephiroth strode into the building "We've got to get to the Highwind, a girl called Marlene has been taken by Jenova" Sephiroth began "We're heading to Corel to see if we can find any clues."
"Marlene's been kidnapped???" Aeris looked horrified, so did Tifa and Yuffie "We're coming now"
All five of them left the building and ran towards the Highwind at full speed, they could see Vincent and Reeve ahead of them, and they could also see that the rest of the group were already at the Highwind. They could hear Barrets' cursing even from this distance.
"One thing I don't get" Sephiroth said, "Why is Barret so upset, who is Marlene?"
"I'd like to know that as well" Angel began.
"Marlene is Barrets' daughter" Tifa said as she ran "I don't know how Jenova knew that"
"Jenova can read people's minds, I thought you knew that" Sephiroth replied as he kept pace with the three slower people, Angel was already a few meters ahead of them. "This is an ideal way for her to get revenge, by hurting those you love."
"Hurry up!" Cloud yelled to them from the Highwinds' deck "We move out as soon as you get up here!"
At Costa Del Sol, Reno was sitting at the bar drinking. The Turks had got to the seaside resort late last night, and now they were here, he had decided to have a short break. Reno watched as Elena paced around the room, fustrated at their lack of work. He decided that Elena really needed to find some way of relaxing. He had sent Rude off on an errand a few minutes earlier, one which Rude understood. They had worked together for years and Reno knew that Rude already knew what Reno was up to. He turned his attention back to Elena, who had had enough of pacing and was heading back his way.
"Reno, what are we doing waiting around here? I thought we were supposed to go to Kalm?" she asked finally voicing the frustration she felt at their inactivity.
"Calm down Elena, I've already arranged for the documents to be shipped here" Came Renos' reply "I rang some of the staff last night. They put them on the ship this morning."
"Oh" Elena turned away as Rude came in with a set of papers "Mission accomplished" he said setting down the papers on the table and sitting down.
"Why don't you have a drink, before we set off back to Cosmo canyon, Rude" Reno said holding out his glass for more. The bartender filled the glass and handed Rude and Elena a glass full of cheap beer.
"I've tasted better than this rubbish" Reno apologised to his friends "But this is all they have here."
"I don't believe you two" Elena said, pushing the drink she'd been given across the table "We're supposed to get back to Cosmo, they need this stuff."
"I've hired a buggy Elena. Cid said he had some repairs to do on the Highwind and wouldn't be finished til later today, so we have plenty of time." Rude said taking a drink and wincing. "You weren't kidding when you said this stuff was rubbish."
Elena looked at Rude and Reno "Alright, I just thought…"
"Elena, we get the job done for the deadline, not before it" Reno told her "Now settle down, I want to relax before we stick our necks out for Cloud and his group."
Elena calmed down slightly as Reno had asked her to, but she felt uneasy relaxing when they were on a job, it didn't seem right. She was spared more restlessness when Renos' PHS started to ring.
"Damn, just when you thought it was safe to relax" he commented sarcastically as he ignored the ringing phone and took a sip of his beer.
"Reno, you're such a jerk at times, it could be important" Elena said in annoyance as she snatched the phone away from him and keyed in the accept code. "Hello, Elena here" she said.
"Elena! Why do you have Reno's phone?" Reeve began, then changed his mind "Don't answer that. We need you to meet us in Corel; Barret's daughter has been kidnapped by Jenova. Do you have the information I asked you to get?"
"Yessir, we have the files you wanted. We're at Costa Del Sol, we can be there in an hour. " Elena reported.
"Tell him where we are, why don't you?" Reno muttered sarcastically. Elena glared at him, which shut him up rapidly, Elena only turned this serious if there was an emergency.
"Fine, get here now, and tell Reno to get his face out of whatever he's drinking! We need him sober." Reeve ended the call.
Elena closed the PHS slowly and looked at the two men "We have a problem" she started as she tol them what Reeve had just told her.
"This time the Turks stand by Avalanche" Reno told them after he had listened to what Elena had to say "I don't like people who kidnap children, let's go"
Within seconds all three of them were out of the pub and heading towards the buggy that Rude had hired earlier.
Far to the north, in the Northern crater which Jenova had created when she had first crashed on this Planet, Jenova materialised holding Marlene in one tentacle. She placed the girl placed her in a small cave towards the back of the cavern, where very few people would be able to find. She knew that her adversaries would find the girl, she had planned it so then she could lure them into an ambush.
"You are the one which will bring me my revenge" Jenova said to the young girl, who was cowering in the back of the cave.
Marlene remembered what her father had told her after the Planet had been saved. "Daddy and Uncle Cloud will stop you" Marlene said defiantly "And Aunt Tifa and Red"
"I do not think so, Brat" Jenova said getting irritated with the girl, she wasn't used to anyone standing up to her, at least not anyone so young. Then she noticed something glowing in the shadows of the crater, the glow was strange, it was a dark glow. Then she realised what it was as she glided over to it and picked up the small orb. "The Black Materia" she exulted holding the materia. Jenova thought it would take her ages to find it. Now that she had it, her plans could begin immediately and that would mean less chance of her plans being interrupted by that annoying group. Holding the Black Materia above her head she chanted words in her own language, which would unleash the spell. She finished the chant with the four fatal key words "METEOR! DESTROY THIS PLANET"
The sky was lit by a column of bright light that came from the North crater. The light could be seen by everyone in the northern hemisphere of the Planet, it was a strange colour. On the Highwind Reeve, Barret, Cloud, Sephiroth and Vincent were on the deck, looking for any signs of Jenova as the airship sped towards Coral.
" HOLY SHIT!!!, what's that ?" Reeve stared at the light, until he had to turn away from it's brilliance.
"I dunno, but I don't like the look of it" Cloud replied, slightly worried.
"How long until we reach Corel?" Barret asked getting impatient, the light could wait. He was more worried about Marlene.
"Cid said five minutes" Vincent replied "I wonder what caused the light, it doesn't feel right to me"
"How can you be so calm, Jenova has Marlene, you cold blooded Vampire!" Barret told Vincent, which earned him a very dark look.
"Barret calm down" Cloud said "We'll get Marlene back, alive ok?"
"Jenova won't harm her, she's using the girl as bait for us" Sephiroth said looking north, his hand straying to the hilt of his sword. "I don't like the look of that light there's something familiar about it" he continued as the light faded.
"Familiar, how?" Vincent asked quickly.
Before Sephiroth could answer Tifa ran onto the Highwinds deck, she looked very worried. "Cloud, Sephiroth come quick, there is something wrong with Aeris and Angel" She stopped as the two men looked at each other "They just collapsed for no reason"
"The light?" Reeve asked, thinking about the timing as Cloud, Sephiroth and Tifa ran into the main corridor of the Highwind, startling Yuffie, who had been meditating again. Yuffie followed them as they ran past her. When they entered the bridge they could see that Aeris was still unconscious, but Angel was attempting to rise to her feet, using her staff as a support. Red was checking Aeris as Cid was making sure Angel was alright.
"Angel what happened" Cid asked "One minute you two were standing there, the next both of you were on the floor"
"The Planet's frightened. It called out in such fear that it overwhelmed us both." Angel replied unsteadily, still shaking her head, trying to clear it. Barret, Reeve and Vincent entered the room as she said it.
"Why?" Sephiroth asked as he cast a powerful healing spell on Aeris.
Angel paused as she listened to the Planet in her mind, every so often she winced "Jenova has used the Black Materia" she eventually replied, as Aeris began to wake. Cloud and Tifa went to help her stand up.
"I'm gonna regret askin' but what for?" Yuffie asked looking at Angel, dreading the answer.
It wasn't Angel who answered as Aeris replied quietly "Jenova has summoned Meteor!" In the startled silence that followed she added "and it's bigger and faster than the one Sephiroth called. We have a day at the most before it hits"