DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS
Chapter Two
Cid Highwind took a long draw from his cigarette and leaned down to peer inside the Highwind's new experimental plasma injection engine. He'd been working on it for years, and the last few days had been pretty exciting as it was finally ready for use. This new design of his would, at the very LEAST, quadruple the ship's speed and acceleration. At least, if it were working.
"I've looked at this %£&*!£ thing three times and I STILL can't find anything wrong," he grumbled to himself as he poked at wires and felt around for any holes in the fuel injection manifold.
"Hey!!" he yelled. "That's what it is! I've plugged these two cables in the wrong way round! What a £&£&!* idiot I am!!"
He reattached the two cables and stood up, banging his head painfully on an overhead pipe.
"OWW!!!" he screamed. "What £*&£(% ^£&$head put that (£*^!& pipe there?!?"
The PHS attached to his belt began ringing. Its shrill insistent tone was really beginning to get on his nerves, especially when he had a headache or a hangover. He grabbed the device and switched it on.
"Yeah? Whadaya want?" he barked into the transmitter, still in a foul mood.
"Cid? It's Cloud. I need your help"
The deadly serious tone in his friend's voice made Cid snap out of his mood.
"What's up?" he asked. "If it's those ^%£"£& Turks again."
"No," said Cloud. "It's Tifa. She - there's something wrong. Something weird. We need to get her to a hospital. Can you bring the Highwind round to our place?"
"Yeah, sure thing," said Cid. "Are you going to tell me what it's all about?"
"When you get here. Hurry, we've no time to lose."
"On my way," said Cid, as he ran to the flight deck.
"Can you pick up Barret and Vincent on the way?" Cloud asked. "Don't ask me to explain right now, but I think we're in danger. It's best if we group together."
"Right! See you in a bit."
Cid started the ship's engines (he'd have to leave the experimental one's big entrance to another day) and took off, heading for Sector 7.
Cloud had carried Tifa's comatose form through to the front room and had laid her down on the sofa. He knelt by her side, holding her hand, watching her face for the slightest indication that she might be about to wake up. After a while his gaze began to stray back to the breakfast table, where their unfinished meal was still laid out. The envelope with the weird handwriting still lay where Tifa had dropped it beside her plate. The poisonous sting - which he had plucked from her finger - had been given a very wide berth. He'd been meticulously careful not to let it touch any part of him, and it now sat in a plastic box on the kitchen worktop. Who had sent it? Since it had been addressed to them, there was no possibility of it being meant for someone else. Somebody, somewhere, had it in for them. But who? The Shinra corporation was no more and Sephiroth was dead. The Turks weren't exactly fond of them, but Reno and the others were proud warriors and would not have stooped to this subtle cloak-and-dagger treachery. That left.well, nobody. It just didn't make any sense. Cloud found himself growing increasingly paranoid, jumping and looking around anxiously at the slightest sound. Before long he hurried upstairs to his bedroom, to the wooden chest which only that morning he had told himself he'd never have to open again. He strapped Ultima Weapon to his back, and put on the Escort Guard. Opening Tifa's jewellery box, he took out her old Star Pendant and put it round his neck. It was about the only Accessory they had left. Whether or not it would protect him from whatever had poisoned Tifa, he didn't know, but it was better than nothing.
An hour or so later he heard the familiar hum of the Highwind's engine as it landed on the grassy turf a few yards from the house. He opened the front door and watched as Cid, Barret and Vincent climbed down the rope ladder to the ground. They hurried over to the house and Barret yelled, "Cloud! Long time no see! Whassup?"
"Come in and see for yourself," Cloud told them.
The four men entered the house. Cid and Barret gave a jump at seeing Tifa's visibly seriously ill form lying on the sofa. Vincent remained his usual emotionless self, merely asking, "How is she?"
"Not good," said Cloud. "Her pulse is weak and irregular, her skin is cold and pale, but she's still alive. I don't know for how much longer."
"What the hell happened?" asked Barret.
Cloud took them through to the kitchen and showed them the box with the barb inside.
"Don't touch it, whatever you do," he warned them. "That's what poisoned Tifa. It was inside this anonymous letter we got."
"Is this it?" asked Vincent, indicating the envelope lying on the table.
Cloud nodded. Cid frowned, "Hey Vince, didn't we get one like that too?"
Vincent nodded silently, and reached into his tunic to remove a similar envelope., but this one was addressed to 'Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine'.
"It was in with the rest of our mail," said Cid. "Vincent told me not to open it."
"How'd you know what it was?" asked Cloud.
"I didn't," said Vincent. "I sensed - something. When I was touching the envelope, holding it in my hands, I could feel.deceit.betrayal, maybe. Chaos has a way of sensing these things."
"Barret?" said Cid. "Did you get one of these too?"
Barret shrugged, "Dunno - I didn't look at the mail this morning. Marlene brought it in."
Then he screamed, "MARLENE!! What if she's - if she's been poisoned by one of these damn things too?!?"
He made a bolt for the door, "Quick, Cid, take the Highwind back to my place!"
"Calm down," said Vincent. "Why don't you call Elmyra on the PHS and ask her?"
"Good idea," Cloud said. "Phone the rest of the party too: Yuffie, Red and Reeve. We've got to warn them about this. And tell them to get here right away!!"
Chapter Two
Cid Highwind took a long draw from his cigarette and leaned down to peer inside the Highwind's new experimental plasma injection engine. He'd been working on it for years, and the last few days had been pretty exciting as it was finally ready for use. This new design of his would, at the very LEAST, quadruple the ship's speed and acceleration. At least, if it were working.
"I've looked at this %£&*!£ thing three times and I STILL can't find anything wrong," he grumbled to himself as he poked at wires and felt around for any holes in the fuel injection manifold.
"Hey!!" he yelled. "That's what it is! I've plugged these two cables in the wrong way round! What a £&£&!* idiot I am!!"
He reattached the two cables and stood up, banging his head painfully on an overhead pipe.
"OWW!!!" he screamed. "What £*&£(% ^£&$head put that (£*^!& pipe there?!?"
The PHS attached to his belt began ringing. Its shrill insistent tone was really beginning to get on his nerves, especially when he had a headache or a hangover. He grabbed the device and switched it on.
"Yeah? Whadaya want?" he barked into the transmitter, still in a foul mood.
"Cid? It's Cloud. I need your help"
The deadly serious tone in his friend's voice made Cid snap out of his mood.
"What's up?" he asked. "If it's those ^%£"£& Turks again."
"No," said Cloud. "It's Tifa. She - there's something wrong. Something weird. We need to get her to a hospital. Can you bring the Highwind round to our place?"
"Yeah, sure thing," said Cid. "Are you going to tell me what it's all about?"
"When you get here. Hurry, we've no time to lose."
"On my way," said Cid, as he ran to the flight deck.
"Can you pick up Barret and Vincent on the way?" Cloud asked. "Don't ask me to explain right now, but I think we're in danger. It's best if we group together."
"Right! See you in a bit."
Cid started the ship's engines (he'd have to leave the experimental one's big entrance to another day) and took off, heading for Sector 7.
Cloud had carried Tifa's comatose form through to the front room and had laid her down on the sofa. He knelt by her side, holding her hand, watching her face for the slightest indication that she might be about to wake up. After a while his gaze began to stray back to the breakfast table, where their unfinished meal was still laid out. The envelope with the weird handwriting still lay where Tifa had dropped it beside her plate. The poisonous sting - which he had plucked from her finger - had been given a very wide berth. He'd been meticulously careful not to let it touch any part of him, and it now sat in a plastic box on the kitchen worktop. Who had sent it? Since it had been addressed to them, there was no possibility of it being meant for someone else. Somebody, somewhere, had it in for them. But who? The Shinra corporation was no more and Sephiroth was dead. The Turks weren't exactly fond of them, but Reno and the others were proud warriors and would not have stooped to this subtle cloak-and-dagger treachery. That left.well, nobody. It just didn't make any sense. Cloud found himself growing increasingly paranoid, jumping and looking around anxiously at the slightest sound. Before long he hurried upstairs to his bedroom, to the wooden chest which only that morning he had told himself he'd never have to open again. He strapped Ultima Weapon to his back, and put on the Escort Guard. Opening Tifa's jewellery box, he took out her old Star Pendant and put it round his neck. It was about the only Accessory they had left. Whether or not it would protect him from whatever had poisoned Tifa, he didn't know, but it was better than nothing.
An hour or so later he heard the familiar hum of the Highwind's engine as it landed on the grassy turf a few yards from the house. He opened the front door and watched as Cid, Barret and Vincent climbed down the rope ladder to the ground. They hurried over to the house and Barret yelled, "Cloud! Long time no see! Whassup?"
"Come in and see for yourself," Cloud told them.
The four men entered the house. Cid and Barret gave a jump at seeing Tifa's visibly seriously ill form lying on the sofa. Vincent remained his usual emotionless self, merely asking, "How is she?"
"Not good," said Cloud. "Her pulse is weak and irregular, her skin is cold and pale, but she's still alive. I don't know for how much longer."
"What the hell happened?" asked Barret.
Cloud took them through to the kitchen and showed them the box with the barb inside.
"Don't touch it, whatever you do," he warned them. "That's what poisoned Tifa. It was inside this anonymous letter we got."
"Is this it?" asked Vincent, indicating the envelope lying on the table.
Cloud nodded. Cid frowned, "Hey Vince, didn't we get one like that too?"
Vincent nodded silently, and reached into his tunic to remove a similar envelope., but this one was addressed to 'Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine'.
"It was in with the rest of our mail," said Cid. "Vincent told me not to open it."
"How'd you know what it was?" asked Cloud.
"I didn't," said Vincent. "I sensed - something. When I was touching the envelope, holding it in my hands, I could feel.deceit.betrayal, maybe. Chaos has a way of sensing these things."
"Barret?" said Cid. "Did you get one of these too?"
Barret shrugged, "Dunno - I didn't look at the mail this morning. Marlene brought it in."
Then he screamed, "MARLENE!! What if she's - if she's been poisoned by one of these damn things too?!?"
He made a bolt for the door, "Quick, Cid, take the Highwind back to my place!"
"Calm down," said Vincent. "Why don't you call Elmyra on the PHS and ask her?"
"Good idea," Cloud said. "Phone the rest of the party too: Yuffie, Red and Reeve. We've got to warn them about this. And tell them to get here right away!!"