DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS
Chapter Eleven
The silver-uniformed grunt arrived at Hojo's new office on the top floor of the Shinra building. Having run all the way from the security centre on floor 65, he was out of breath, and took a moment to compose himself before entering the office. Hojo was leafing through a pile of reports, searching for a file which eluded him. His genetically-enhanced ears heard the man the second he entered, and he turned to face him, "Yes?"
"Sir, it's probably nothing, sir, but the garrison at Nibelheim has not reported back during the last ten hours," the guard said.
"Have you tried contacting them?"
"Yes sir, no response, sir."
"Try again."
"Yes sir."
The guard saluted and left. Hojo thought for a minute. Perhaps it was faulty equipment, or the soldiers in Nibelheim were busy, but he couldn't take the chance. Nibelheim would be where the AVALANCHE would have headed if they discovered he was using the Flower of Vengeance to poison them. He didn't particularly care now whether they managed to find an antidote or not; the poison had fulfilled its task: that of distracting AVALANCHE while his troops took control of every major city on the Planet. It would have been better if the poison had killed all the AVALANCHE members, but it didn't matter. Now he would have the pleasure of killing them personally, one at a time. His first move would be to trap them in Nibelheim, assuming that was where they were, then putting that infernal Highwind out of commission once and for all. Reinforced by the Turks however, AVALANCHE would be a difficult proposition, and even with his genetically-enhanced body, Hojo wasn't confident of defeating them in battle. He would have to resort to his usual tactics of slyness and subtlety. One member of AVALANCHE would be forced to betray the others, and join Hojo. He allowed himself a cackle as he thought about it. He knew exactly which of them it would be. Nobody was totally incorruptible, and Hojo had found the perfect way to make that AVALANCHE member turn traitor.
* * *
"Cloud?" Yuffie yelled. "I think she's coming to!"
Cloud jerked awake, and hurried over to where the ninja was kneeling beside Tifa. Barret and Cid looked on tensely, and Red and Vincent watched on, hoping that their antidote had proved successful. Tifa stirred and her eyes opened.
"Y - Yuffie?" she whispered weakly.
"You're awake!" Cloud exclaimed, taking her hand. "You're alive!"
Yuffie leaned down to give Tifa a tight hug, but Vincent pulled her back, "Be patient, Yuffie. Tifa will be exhausted and will have to take it easy for a while."
"I'm - on the Highwind?" Tifa said.
"That's right," said Cid, his craggy features lit up with a warm smile. "It's good to have you back."
"Back? Where - where was I?"
"We'll explain later," said Cloud. "You get some rest just now. We'll have you back on your feet in no time. Then we can really kick Hojo's ass!!"
"Hojo? Isn't he dead?" Tifa whispered.
"Sshh, honey, just rest. We'll tell you everything when you're stronger. Promise."
Tifa succumbed to her exhaustion and lay down to sleep. Right about then Marlene regained consciousness, and Barret cried tears of relief and joy at seeing her well again. Red, happy that his hours of research had not been in vain, lay in the corner of the room and snoozed.
* * *
Meanwhile the Turks were standing on the Highwind's deck, keeping an eye out for any approaching enemies. Elena wasn't happy about the situation.
"Reno, remind me again why we're working with the terrorists?" she said. "Aren't we supposed to be fighting the AVALANCHE?"
"Elena," said Reno wearily. "You talk too much. Now let me remind you of a few facts. Number one, we were fighting AVALANCHE under the orders of the Shinra family, who are no longer here. Number two, it would not make good political sense to be seen as an enemy of the group who saved the Planet. Technically the Lifestream saved the Planet, but everybody credits AVALANCHE with doing it. Fact number three, do you really want to live in a world ruled by Hojo? Because if we don't stand up to him, that's what will happen."
". . ." Rude said, nodding his agreement.
Elena still wasn't convinced, "Yes, I understand all that, but what I mean is: if Hojo attacks us and it becomes obvious that we've no chance of winning, do we still help the AVALANCHE?"
"We're not fighting for the AVALANCHE or anything that they might believe in," Reno explained. "We're fighting for ourselves, to save ourselves from Hojo. Joining with AVALANCHE just happens to be our best chance of survival. We may not always agree with them, but we CAN co-exist peacefully with them. The same cannot be said of Hojo."
"I see. So if the worst comes to the worst?"
Reno sighed in exasperation, "If the worst comes to the worst, we fight Hojo to the death, regardless of anything else. We don't know what's going to happen, so let's just face it when it does."
". . ." Rude agreed.
* * *
"Sir, the AVALANCHE airship has been spotted in the Nibel mountains!"
Hojo turned to face another of the anonymous grunts. It was amazing the way they all seemed to be the same size and shape; it was as if they were cloned.
"Contact the troops at the Nibel Reactor," said Hojo. "Tell them to attack with everything they have. Destroy the Highwind, but keep the AVALANCHE alive. I have plans for them."
"Yes sir!"
It would be simpler just to kill the terrorists then and there, Hojo reflected, but where would be the fun in that? After all, he needed some new experimental subjects. And having the AVALANCHE traitor join him would only make him stronger.
* * *
Tifa was taking her first steps since waking up. Supported by Cloud, she was able to hobble up and down the Operations Room, feeling strength returning to her with every step. Marlene was sitting at the long conference table, with a bowl of Shera's home- made soup (Cid never left home without some) as she had complained of being hungry. Cloud, Vincent and Red had taken turns to explain to Tifa what was going on.
"I can't believe Hojo's still alive," she said. "If he's not dead, what did we kill on top of the Sister Ray?"
"One of his genetic creations, I suspect," said Red. "We know he has a psychic link to his super soldiers. What we killed back then was probably an early prototype of some sort."
Cloud shrugged. Tifa stretched her arms and said, "You know, I feel as good as new."
"Yeah, well, take it easy for a little while longer," said Cloud. "You don't want to overdo things and tire yourself out."
Just then the door to the Operations Room was thrown open and Rude announced, ". . .we've got trouble."
Cloud and the others rushed to the flight deck to see what was the matter.
"We seem to have attracted some attention," Reno informed them.
That was putting it mildly. Lined up in front of the Highwind was a whole army of Hojo's troops, one or two hundred of them at least, every ten or so ordinary grunts led by one of the silver giants. Cloud turned to Cid, "I think we'd better take off and get out of here."
"Wish we could, kid, but it's not that simple," Cid grumbled. "The new engine is so powerful that it's already blown at least five of the valves in the propulsion system. We won't be going anywhere until I get those fixed."
"How long will that take?"
"Anything from fifteen minutes to three hours, depends how lucky I get," Cid responded. "That isn't the only problem, anyway. Look over there. They've brought two *&£$£& anti-aircraft batteries with them. The ship will be a sitting duck for a good few moments after we take off."
"Well, we've got no other options," said Cloud. "We can't stay here. I'll take the others down and keep Hojo's men distracted while you fix the valves."
"What about the anti-aircraft guns?"
"Vincent?" Cloud said, the raven-haired man appearing at his side. "You stay on the ship and shoot from here. When we're ready to take off, you shoot whoever's manning the AA guns. That should allow us to get away safely."
"Let's do it," said Cid.
He ripped the cover off the Highwind's engine and began his repairs. Vincent took his position at the edge of the deck and began firing at the soldiers below. Cloud threw down the rope ladder and the rest of the party followed him down to the battlefield. Barret, Elena and Yuffie wasted no time, getting stuck in right away with their long-range weaponry. Cloud, Reno and Rude formed a protective barrier in front of them, confronting any enemies who got too close, but without trying to move forward themselves. They didn't want to exterminate the opposing army - it was way too big for that to work - just to hold them off until they could make their escape.
"I don't understand," said Reno to Cloud during a break in the fighting. "The super-soldiers are just sitting back. Why aren't they attacking us?"
"Hojo must have some plan in mind," Cloud answered. "He's controlling them from that transmitter in his head, remember. Whatever they're doing, he's telling them to do it."
"Weird. You'd think he'd want them to kill us, but it would seem not. Ah well, if they're letting us live, I won't complain."
"I'm not so sure. Whatever Hojo has in mind for us, you can bet it won't be nice."
They fought alongside each other as another wave of grunts charged forwards. Cloud was so caught up in the action that didn't have much time to think, but he did reflect on how strange it felt to be fighting on the same side as Reno, when they'd squared off against each other so many times in the past. Ah well, that was life, he supposed. Their previous confrontations had been professional disputes, not personal ones. Cloud sensed that deep down, Reno was a good person at heart. He had simply been doing his job, whether he agreed with it or not. In different circumstances, maybe he would even have joined AVALANCHE. Over the almost constant noise of the battle around him, Cloud heard the sound of the Highwind's engines starting. Cid must have got lucky.
"Everyone get back to the ship!" he yelled. "Vincent - fire!"
They retreated back towards the rope ladder, fighting grunts as they went. Vincent went down on one knee, cocked his gun, and took careful aim. His first shot was perfect, taking out the soldier manning the first AA gun. The soldier at the second battery saw what had happened to his comrade, and dived for cover behind the second AA gun, as Vincent's second shot whistled through the air where the soldier had just been standing. Vincent cursed under his breath. He didn't have a clear shot now, but he could at least force the man to stay under cover, preventing him from firing the AA gun.
"Let's go!" Cloud yelled. "Cid, take her up!"
Cid's hands moved over the controls and the Highwind took off vertically from the ground. Vincent snapped off another shot as a grunt tried to fire one of the AA guns. He hit the man in the shoulder, but it was good enough. Cid put the engines to maximum power and they were ready to fly.
"Wait a minute!" somebody cried. "Yuffie's not on board!"
"That damn kid! Where is she?" Cid snapped.
They peered over the side. Yuffie was fighting a losing battle against a group of grunts and one super soldier. Any minute now they would conquer her. Without a word Vincent leaped over the guard rail to her aid, landing like a cat on the ground below. Cloud was on his way to join him when Cid grabbed his arm, "Where you going, kid?"
"Where does it look like? I'm going to help Vincent."
"I can't keep the ship hovering here for ever, Cloud! The valves might blow again, and there's still those AA guns!"
Cloud shook his head, "You just get to safety. We'll take care of ourselves, and we'll call you when we're ready to be picked up."
Cid hesitated. Cloud said urgently, "Go! Now! Reno, you're in charge until I get back!"
With that he jumped over the side and landed beside Vincent, unsheathing the sword he'd put away only seconds ago. He looked up to see the Highwind rising into the sky and disappearing off into the distance, a few stray AA shots following it but failing to make any contact. Vincent reloaded his gun and fired at the group of soldiers tormenting Yuffie. Three of them fell, as the little ninja back-flipped over a jagged rock, buying herself a few seconds with which to escape. Cloud ran forward to her aid, slashing his way through the mob of soldiers until he stood beside Yuffie.
"Cloud!" she gasped. "You came back for me!"
"I'll never leave a friend in danger," he said simply. "How's your Limit Gauge?"
"Full!" she said eagerly.
"Good. Use it on that super soldier. It's the only thing that'll hurt them."
Yuffie's Level 4 Limit Break was All Creation, but after a major row with her father, he'd taken away the Limit manual from her, and so she now relied upon her Level 3, Doom of the Living. Attacking the super soldier, she sliced and diced through its otherwise impenetrable armour, killing the man inside. He toppled forward, trapping her legs beneath his heavy frame. Two silver grunts, noticing her predicament, turned their rifles to bear on her. Vincent shot them both, sending their bodies flying to either side amongst a hail of bullets. Yuffie struggled to free herself from beneath dead giant, but her Conformer had become trapped in the titanium alloy armour, and wouldn't come free. While it was stuck there, she couldn't use her arms to free herself. She looked around for assistance. Cloud was now taking on three super soldiers, killing one of them with Omni-Slash, but now standing trapped between the other two. The first raised his giant arm and clubbed Cloud in the side of the head, knocking the swordsman to the ground, unconscious. Vincent had run forward to try and help free Yuffie, but he was attacked from behind, and also knocked out cold. Yuffie wriggled furiously in an attempt to get herself out, but it was to no avail. There was a sudden sharp pain in the back of her head, and she blacked out.
* * *
Cloud woke in darkness, in an unfamiliar room. He sat up slowly, pressing his fingers to his temple against the throbbing headache he had. He remembered that he had been hit over the head, that would explain the headache. . .it would also explain waking up in this strange place. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and he looked around the room he was now in. It was a small room, with three tables (or beds - he couldn't tell in the darkness) across from where he sat. He tried to get to his feet, but was stopped abruptly when his head collided with something. He dropped back into a sitting position and looked up. There was nothing there. The ceiling was several feet above him - what had he hit his head on? He put his hands up to see if there was anything there, that maybe he couldn't see in the darkness. He felt glass. Cloud began to panic. He put his hands out to either side - he felt glass. Suddenly it struck him. He was inside some kind of glass containment chamber! Which meant - Hojo - he had to be in one of Hojo's labs somewhere! His suspicions were confirmed as the room as suddenly bathed in light and, screwing up his eyes against the sudden brightness, he saw Hojo walking into the room. In the light he could now clearly see the glass confines of the chamber in which he was trapped. Cloud shifted into a kneeling position as he was getting uncomfortable, and he felt something soft pressing against him. He looked down. Yuffie lay curled up in the containment cell beside him. She was still out cold. Cloud looked up to see what Hojo was doing. The maniac in the white lab coat was standing beside the glass prison, holding a clipboard and writing something on to a sheet of paper. Cloud hammered on the glass walls but they were too strong for him to break.
"Let us out!" he yelled.
Hojo looked up and gave him a depraved grin. He wrote something down on a piece of paper and held it up. Cloud read the words: THE GLASS IS SOUNDPROOFED AND UNBREAKABLE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR BREATH OR STRENGTH. Hojo's suggestion had the opposite effect, sending Cloud into a frenzy of attacking the glass walls with his hands and feet, trying to break through somewhere. He hated being cooped up this way, like some kind of zoo animal or lab specimen. . .but that was exactly how Hojo saw him now. . .as a lab rat. There had to be some way out of here. Looking over to his right, Cloud could see a similar holding cell where Vincent was sitting morosely, his cloak spread around his body like a sleeping bat. He couldn't tell whether or not the raven-haired man was awake. When Cloud turned round to face Hojo, the scientist had disappeared.
* * *
To say that Cid wasn't pleased at having Reno as the new leader would have been an understatement. Cid was still smarting at Reno's flippant remark about his beloved airship, and didn't trust the Turk any further than he could throw the Gold Saucer. In fact, an attempt at starting a friendly relationship between Hojo and Vincent would probably have gone further. But, he had to admit, Reno WAS taking the job seriously. There was none of his usual sarcastic clowning around; he was making plans, encouraging people and motivating them, like a true leader. He was acting more like Cloud than Cloud, and Cid wasn't sure if he could handle having TWO people like that.
"It's been how long?" Reno was saying to Red.
"Nearly four hours."
"And we still haven't heard word from them," said Reno. "I think we're going to have to assume the worst - that they were killed or captured."
"So what we gonna do 'bout it?" Barret grunted, equally displeased at having to take orders from Reno.
"We'll assume for the moment that they have been captured," Reno said. "Now where's the most likely place Hojo would take them?"
"He has extensive research facilities at both Midgar and Mt Nibel," said Elena. "I'd say he's gone to either of those places."
"But which, that's the question," said Red. "Mt Nibel is closer but the Shinra building is better guarded. Where should we try?"
"Why don't we split up and do both?" Tifa suggested.
"I just KNEW somebody was gonna say that," Cid grumbled. "Trouble with that idea is, we only have one ship. And who's gonna take command of the second group?"
"It's a good idea," Reno decided. "If you land the ship in Nibelheim again, half of us can walk to the reactor, while the rest of you fly to Midgar. I'll lead the group that goes into the Nibel reactor, since with Cloud and Vincent gone, I probably know the most about the layout of Shinra facilities. Cid, you lead the second group to Midgar. It's your ship, so you'll have to fly it there anyway."
"All right," Cid muttered grudgingly, accepting the Turk's plan. "Who're you takin' with you?"
"Tifa and Barret," Reno decided. "Rude and Elena know the Shinra building better than anyone but me, so they can go with you. And Red XIII, well I hate putting it this way. . ."
". . .but I know the most about the Shinra building's research labs, having been in them," Red finished for him. "No offence taken."
Tifa said nothing, merely nodding her head, and Barret raised no immediate complaints about having to work under Reno. He saw there was a good mix of short and long range fighters in each group, so it made no sense to complain just because he didn't like the person who'd come up with the plan.
"Then let's go," said Reno. "We have no time to waste."
"You got tha' right," Barret muttered under his breath.
* * *
The three of them wound their way through the mountains towards the Nibel reactor. There were still heavily-manned patrols covering the main road in, but Tifa, who had grown up exploring these mountains, knew of several secret routes to the reactor, and they managed to get to it without encountering a single trooper. Several times they were attacked by the grasshopper-like Kyuvilduns, but those did not pose a significant threat. Now they were crouched behind the cover of some large rocks, keeping out of sight, waiting for their opportunity to enter the reactor.
"If we want to destroy this place, all we have to do is plant an explosive right next to the Mako suction pipes," said Reno, then he smirked. "But hey, why am I telling you that? You two are the experts on blowing up Mako reactors."
Barret reacted angrily, but Tifa didn't rise to the bait, and put out her arm to calm the big gunman. She noted with dismay that Reno was acting more like his old, unbearable self again. Barret settled for grumbling, "Ain't none of us here got a clean record."
Reno shrugged to indicate he didn't care, then turned his attention back to the reactor. There was a group of guards, standing about looking board, none of them paying a whole lot of attention to what was going on around them.
"Hey, big shot," Reno taunted Barret. "Think you can take them out?"
"You damn right I can!" said Barret, standing up and readying his machinegun.
Tifa pulled him back out of sight, "I think we should do this more quietly. Somebody might hear the gunfire."
"Very well, what do you have in mind?" said Reno.
Tifa slotted her Mastered Enemy Skill Materia into the Premium Heart, and cast Frog Song on the group of soldiers. When the smoke cleared, five frogs lay sleeping on the ground where the soldiers had been. Tifa knew the Frog spell wouldn't last long, but the Sleepel should keep the soldiers out of it for a good while. They hid the sleeping forms behind some rocks, and ran up the stairs into the reactor.
"Looks like Hojo has made some modifications to this building," said Reno as soon as they were inside. "I don't recognise a lot of this."
"Yo, thought you said you knew Shinra buildings inside-out!" Barret declared.
"I do," Reno replied. "But since this is now a Hojo building and not a Shinra building. . ."
"Oh, let's get on with it," Tifa sighed. "We've got to rescue Cloud and the others! You two can argue like kids later if you want! Reno, where should we look first?"
"A logical guess would be through in the breeding chambers," said Reno. "That's where Hojo did all his genetic experimentation before, most notably on the Jenova project. Though if that's where the super soldiers are being bred, we'll have to watch our step in case we run into any of them."
"Do you know any shortcuts that might help us avoid them?"
"Not with the amount of change the building has undergone," said Reno. "We'll just have to be careful. Come on, let's go."
They climbed down the ladder from the entrance and down on to the gantry that led through to the breeding rooms.
"Listen," said Reno suddenly. "Do you hear anything?"
"No," said Tifa.
"Notta thing," said Barret.
"Me neither," said Reno. "Which is weird. There isn't even any machinery running in the background. In fact, from the looks of things, Hojo has shut down this reactor."
"But why?"
"Don't know. Let's take a look in the next room."
They hurried through to the breeding chamber. It was just as Tifa remembered it from five years ago when she'd run in to attack Sephiroth and been near-fatally wounded. The breeding cells still lined the room, with pipes leading from each of them to the big door with JENOVA above it.
"They're all empty," said Tifa, glancing inside a couple of the cells. "There's nothing here."
"Hojo must have pulled out of here," Reno said. "Once he took over Midgar, he must have moved his centre of operations to the Shinra building. That's where he'll be breeding his super soldiers now. What I don't understand is why there were soldiers guarding this place when there is nothing here to guard."
"They must just be the last few troops he hasn't shipped out yet," Tifa guessed. "Maybe he had them stationed here in case we showed up. Hey, if Hojo's moved all his laboratory work to Midgar, that must be where Cloud is. Assuming that he's still alive."
"He'll be OK," Barret said. "You gotta think positive. You start thinkin' negative and everythin' falls apar'!"
Reno looked thoughtful, "I wonder if there is something still there that Hojo wanted protected - that he didn't want us to find. Let's try one of the upper levels and see what we can find."
"An' what if it turns out to be a big waste 'a time?" Barret demanded.
The Turk shrugged, "There's nothing else we can really do until the others get back here with the airship.
They knew he was right so neither of them tried to argue. For want of anything else to do, they followed Reno to the nearest elevator, which took them up to the next floor of the reactor. They stepped out into the corridor beyond, finding it just as empty and abandoned as the rooms below.
"There's nobody here," said Tifa. "Reno, exactly what are you looking for?"
"I can't say for sure," Reno said. "There must be something here that Hojo wants kept a secret, something that, for whatever reason, he couldn't move to Midgar along with the rest of his stuff. I reckon we'll know it when we see it."
"How big is this place anyway?" asked Barret, looking around. "We've only ever seen the bottom floor before."
"To the best of my knowledge, there should be three floors above that," said Reno. "We're on the first now. Of course, we don't know how much this building has changed from how I remember it."
The floor they were on was quite small, and, as they soon found, totally deserted. Half an hour later they were back at the elevator and began searching the second floor. They were walking down the darkened, empty hallway, when Reno suddenly put out a hand to stop the others.
"Did you hear that?" he hissed.
"Hear what?"
"Sshh! Listen!"
They stood in silence for a minute or two, straining their ears for the slightest sound that might warn of danger. There wasn't, however, anything to be heard. Total silence surrounded them on all sides. Eventually Barret grunted, "Huh. Ain't nothin'. What'd you hear anyway?"
"Sounded like footsteps, on the floor above," said Reno. "I'm not so sure we're alone here."
Tifa instinctively dusted off her Premium Heart while Barret loaded a fresh magazine into his Missing Score, and Reno unholstered the Electro Rod.
"I could have imagined it," Reno said. "Still, keep your eyes open."
This time they all heard the noise from the floor above. Footsteps, lightly padding in the direction of the elevator.
"Somebody's definitely up there," Tifa whispered. "What are we going to do?"
"Let's go up and see who's there," Barret said.
"Agreed," said Reno. "Keep cool though, it might not even be an enemy."
They got into the elevator and rode up to the third floor. Tifa and Barret readied their weapons and took up a fighting stance as Reno punched the button that opened the door. They found the corridor beyond to be in pitch darkness. The overhead lights were either broken or switched off.
"I don't hear anything," said Tifa. "I can't see anyone either. I wonder where they went."
"This corridor is so dark you could put Heidegger and Palmer in it and not be able to see them," Reno muttered. "I'll see if I can find a lightswitch."
He stepped out into the blackness of the hallway and felt the walls on either side for a switch. Tifa and Barret heard the sound of footsteps pattering towards them, then another sound, and somebody collapsed to the ground.
"Reno?"
There was no response. Barret narrowed his eyes suspiciously and strode forward to where he'd heard the noises from. The next thing he knew, there was a small pricking sensation in his neck.
"What da hell?" he exclaimed, putting his hand to his neck. "Whoa, I feel kinda weird. . ."
Barret felt himself losing consciousness, and he keeled over forwards to smack into the wall.
"Barret? Reno?" Tifa called into the darkness. "Are you guys still there?"
Then she heard the sound, like somebody blowing through a straw, and something hit her in the neck. It felt like an insect bite, but she knew what it was, having experienced it once already. She'd just been stung by one of the poisonous thorns of the Flower of Vengeance. The sound she'd heard, like somebody blowing through a straw. . .*or through a blowpipe* she thought as her mind began swimming in and out of consciousness. She fell forward on to her knees. In a desperate last act, Tifa reached down to claw at her PHS, to call the others for help. The antidote was back on the Highwind. . .they'd have to bring it to her. She tried to recall Cid's number from her increasingly fogged brain. Keying in the numbers, she had just one left to press when her trembling fingers lost their grip on the PHS and it clattered to the floor. Tifa slumped forward and blacked out.
Chapter Eleven
The silver-uniformed grunt arrived at Hojo's new office on the top floor of the Shinra building. Having run all the way from the security centre on floor 65, he was out of breath, and took a moment to compose himself before entering the office. Hojo was leafing through a pile of reports, searching for a file which eluded him. His genetically-enhanced ears heard the man the second he entered, and he turned to face him, "Yes?"
"Sir, it's probably nothing, sir, but the garrison at Nibelheim has not reported back during the last ten hours," the guard said.
"Have you tried contacting them?"
"Yes sir, no response, sir."
"Try again."
"Yes sir."
The guard saluted and left. Hojo thought for a minute. Perhaps it was faulty equipment, or the soldiers in Nibelheim were busy, but he couldn't take the chance. Nibelheim would be where the AVALANCHE would have headed if they discovered he was using the Flower of Vengeance to poison them. He didn't particularly care now whether they managed to find an antidote or not; the poison had fulfilled its task: that of distracting AVALANCHE while his troops took control of every major city on the Planet. It would have been better if the poison had killed all the AVALANCHE members, but it didn't matter. Now he would have the pleasure of killing them personally, one at a time. His first move would be to trap them in Nibelheim, assuming that was where they were, then putting that infernal Highwind out of commission once and for all. Reinforced by the Turks however, AVALANCHE would be a difficult proposition, and even with his genetically-enhanced body, Hojo wasn't confident of defeating them in battle. He would have to resort to his usual tactics of slyness and subtlety. One member of AVALANCHE would be forced to betray the others, and join Hojo. He allowed himself a cackle as he thought about it. He knew exactly which of them it would be. Nobody was totally incorruptible, and Hojo had found the perfect way to make that AVALANCHE member turn traitor.
* * *
"Cloud?" Yuffie yelled. "I think she's coming to!"
Cloud jerked awake, and hurried over to where the ninja was kneeling beside Tifa. Barret and Cid looked on tensely, and Red and Vincent watched on, hoping that their antidote had proved successful. Tifa stirred and her eyes opened.
"Y - Yuffie?" she whispered weakly.
"You're awake!" Cloud exclaimed, taking her hand. "You're alive!"
Yuffie leaned down to give Tifa a tight hug, but Vincent pulled her back, "Be patient, Yuffie. Tifa will be exhausted and will have to take it easy for a while."
"I'm - on the Highwind?" Tifa said.
"That's right," said Cid, his craggy features lit up with a warm smile. "It's good to have you back."
"Back? Where - where was I?"
"We'll explain later," said Cloud. "You get some rest just now. We'll have you back on your feet in no time. Then we can really kick Hojo's ass!!"
"Hojo? Isn't he dead?" Tifa whispered.
"Sshh, honey, just rest. We'll tell you everything when you're stronger. Promise."
Tifa succumbed to her exhaustion and lay down to sleep. Right about then Marlene regained consciousness, and Barret cried tears of relief and joy at seeing her well again. Red, happy that his hours of research had not been in vain, lay in the corner of the room and snoozed.
* * *
Meanwhile the Turks were standing on the Highwind's deck, keeping an eye out for any approaching enemies. Elena wasn't happy about the situation.
"Reno, remind me again why we're working with the terrorists?" she said. "Aren't we supposed to be fighting the AVALANCHE?"
"Elena," said Reno wearily. "You talk too much. Now let me remind you of a few facts. Number one, we were fighting AVALANCHE under the orders of the Shinra family, who are no longer here. Number two, it would not make good political sense to be seen as an enemy of the group who saved the Planet. Technically the Lifestream saved the Planet, but everybody credits AVALANCHE with doing it. Fact number three, do you really want to live in a world ruled by Hojo? Because if we don't stand up to him, that's what will happen."
". . ." Rude said, nodding his agreement.
Elena still wasn't convinced, "Yes, I understand all that, but what I mean is: if Hojo attacks us and it becomes obvious that we've no chance of winning, do we still help the AVALANCHE?"
"We're not fighting for the AVALANCHE or anything that they might believe in," Reno explained. "We're fighting for ourselves, to save ourselves from Hojo. Joining with AVALANCHE just happens to be our best chance of survival. We may not always agree with them, but we CAN co-exist peacefully with them. The same cannot be said of Hojo."
"I see. So if the worst comes to the worst?"
Reno sighed in exasperation, "If the worst comes to the worst, we fight Hojo to the death, regardless of anything else. We don't know what's going to happen, so let's just face it when it does."
". . ." Rude agreed.
* * *
"Sir, the AVALANCHE airship has been spotted in the Nibel mountains!"
Hojo turned to face another of the anonymous grunts. It was amazing the way they all seemed to be the same size and shape; it was as if they were cloned.
"Contact the troops at the Nibel Reactor," said Hojo. "Tell them to attack with everything they have. Destroy the Highwind, but keep the AVALANCHE alive. I have plans for them."
"Yes sir!"
It would be simpler just to kill the terrorists then and there, Hojo reflected, but where would be the fun in that? After all, he needed some new experimental subjects. And having the AVALANCHE traitor join him would only make him stronger.
* * *
Tifa was taking her first steps since waking up. Supported by Cloud, she was able to hobble up and down the Operations Room, feeling strength returning to her with every step. Marlene was sitting at the long conference table, with a bowl of Shera's home- made soup (Cid never left home without some) as she had complained of being hungry. Cloud, Vincent and Red had taken turns to explain to Tifa what was going on.
"I can't believe Hojo's still alive," she said. "If he's not dead, what did we kill on top of the Sister Ray?"
"One of his genetic creations, I suspect," said Red. "We know he has a psychic link to his super soldiers. What we killed back then was probably an early prototype of some sort."
Cloud shrugged. Tifa stretched her arms and said, "You know, I feel as good as new."
"Yeah, well, take it easy for a little while longer," said Cloud. "You don't want to overdo things and tire yourself out."
Just then the door to the Operations Room was thrown open and Rude announced, ". . .we've got trouble."
Cloud and the others rushed to the flight deck to see what was the matter.
"We seem to have attracted some attention," Reno informed them.
That was putting it mildly. Lined up in front of the Highwind was a whole army of Hojo's troops, one or two hundred of them at least, every ten or so ordinary grunts led by one of the silver giants. Cloud turned to Cid, "I think we'd better take off and get out of here."
"Wish we could, kid, but it's not that simple," Cid grumbled. "The new engine is so powerful that it's already blown at least five of the valves in the propulsion system. We won't be going anywhere until I get those fixed."
"How long will that take?"
"Anything from fifteen minutes to three hours, depends how lucky I get," Cid responded. "That isn't the only problem, anyway. Look over there. They've brought two *&£$£& anti-aircraft batteries with them. The ship will be a sitting duck for a good few moments after we take off."
"Well, we've got no other options," said Cloud. "We can't stay here. I'll take the others down and keep Hojo's men distracted while you fix the valves."
"What about the anti-aircraft guns?"
"Vincent?" Cloud said, the raven-haired man appearing at his side. "You stay on the ship and shoot from here. When we're ready to take off, you shoot whoever's manning the AA guns. That should allow us to get away safely."
"Let's do it," said Cid.
He ripped the cover off the Highwind's engine and began his repairs. Vincent took his position at the edge of the deck and began firing at the soldiers below. Cloud threw down the rope ladder and the rest of the party followed him down to the battlefield. Barret, Elena and Yuffie wasted no time, getting stuck in right away with their long-range weaponry. Cloud, Reno and Rude formed a protective barrier in front of them, confronting any enemies who got too close, but without trying to move forward themselves. They didn't want to exterminate the opposing army - it was way too big for that to work - just to hold them off until they could make their escape.
"I don't understand," said Reno to Cloud during a break in the fighting. "The super-soldiers are just sitting back. Why aren't they attacking us?"
"Hojo must have some plan in mind," Cloud answered. "He's controlling them from that transmitter in his head, remember. Whatever they're doing, he's telling them to do it."
"Weird. You'd think he'd want them to kill us, but it would seem not. Ah well, if they're letting us live, I won't complain."
"I'm not so sure. Whatever Hojo has in mind for us, you can bet it won't be nice."
They fought alongside each other as another wave of grunts charged forwards. Cloud was so caught up in the action that didn't have much time to think, but he did reflect on how strange it felt to be fighting on the same side as Reno, when they'd squared off against each other so many times in the past. Ah well, that was life, he supposed. Their previous confrontations had been professional disputes, not personal ones. Cloud sensed that deep down, Reno was a good person at heart. He had simply been doing his job, whether he agreed with it or not. In different circumstances, maybe he would even have joined AVALANCHE. Over the almost constant noise of the battle around him, Cloud heard the sound of the Highwind's engines starting. Cid must have got lucky.
"Everyone get back to the ship!" he yelled. "Vincent - fire!"
They retreated back towards the rope ladder, fighting grunts as they went. Vincent went down on one knee, cocked his gun, and took careful aim. His first shot was perfect, taking out the soldier manning the first AA gun. The soldier at the second battery saw what had happened to his comrade, and dived for cover behind the second AA gun, as Vincent's second shot whistled through the air where the soldier had just been standing. Vincent cursed under his breath. He didn't have a clear shot now, but he could at least force the man to stay under cover, preventing him from firing the AA gun.
"Let's go!" Cloud yelled. "Cid, take her up!"
Cid's hands moved over the controls and the Highwind took off vertically from the ground. Vincent snapped off another shot as a grunt tried to fire one of the AA guns. He hit the man in the shoulder, but it was good enough. Cid put the engines to maximum power and they were ready to fly.
"Wait a minute!" somebody cried. "Yuffie's not on board!"
"That damn kid! Where is she?" Cid snapped.
They peered over the side. Yuffie was fighting a losing battle against a group of grunts and one super soldier. Any minute now they would conquer her. Without a word Vincent leaped over the guard rail to her aid, landing like a cat on the ground below. Cloud was on his way to join him when Cid grabbed his arm, "Where you going, kid?"
"Where does it look like? I'm going to help Vincent."
"I can't keep the ship hovering here for ever, Cloud! The valves might blow again, and there's still those AA guns!"
Cloud shook his head, "You just get to safety. We'll take care of ourselves, and we'll call you when we're ready to be picked up."
Cid hesitated. Cloud said urgently, "Go! Now! Reno, you're in charge until I get back!"
With that he jumped over the side and landed beside Vincent, unsheathing the sword he'd put away only seconds ago. He looked up to see the Highwind rising into the sky and disappearing off into the distance, a few stray AA shots following it but failing to make any contact. Vincent reloaded his gun and fired at the group of soldiers tormenting Yuffie. Three of them fell, as the little ninja back-flipped over a jagged rock, buying herself a few seconds with which to escape. Cloud ran forward to her aid, slashing his way through the mob of soldiers until he stood beside Yuffie.
"Cloud!" she gasped. "You came back for me!"
"I'll never leave a friend in danger," he said simply. "How's your Limit Gauge?"
"Full!" she said eagerly.
"Good. Use it on that super soldier. It's the only thing that'll hurt them."
Yuffie's Level 4 Limit Break was All Creation, but after a major row with her father, he'd taken away the Limit manual from her, and so she now relied upon her Level 3, Doom of the Living. Attacking the super soldier, she sliced and diced through its otherwise impenetrable armour, killing the man inside. He toppled forward, trapping her legs beneath his heavy frame. Two silver grunts, noticing her predicament, turned their rifles to bear on her. Vincent shot them both, sending their bodies flying to either side amongst a hail of bullets. Yuffie struggled to free herself from beneath dead giant, but her Conformer had become trapped in the titanium alloy armour, and wouldn't come free. While it was stuck there, she couldn't use her arms to free herself. She looked around for assistance. Cloud was now taking on three super soldiers, killing one of them with Omni-Slash, but now standing trapped between the other two. The first raised his giant arm and clubbed Cloud in the side of the head, knocking the swordsman to the ground, unconscious. Vincent had run forward to try and help free Yuffie, but he was attacked from behind, and also knocked out cold. Yuffie wriggled furiously in an attempt to get herself out, but it was to no avail. There was a sudden sharp pain in the back of her head, and she blacked out.
* * *
Cloud woke in darkness, in an unfamiliar room. He sat up slowly, pressing his fingers to his temple against the throbbing headache he had. He remembered that he had been hit over the head, that would explain the headache. . .it would also explain waking up in this strange place. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and he looked around the room he was now in. It was a small room, with three tables (or beds - he couldn't tell in the darkness) across from where he sat. He tried to get to his feet, but was stopped abruptly when his head collided with something. He dropped back into a sitting position and looked up. There was nothing there. The ceiling was several feet above him - what had he hit his head on? He put his hands up to see if there was anything there, that maybe he couldn't see in the darkness. He felt glass. Cloud began to panic. He put his hands out to either side - he felt glass. Suddenly it struck him. He was inside some kind of glass containment chamber! Which meant - Hojo - he had to be in one of Hojo's labs somewhere! His suspicions were confirmed as the room as suddenly bathed in light and, screwing up his eyes against the sudden brightness, he saw Hojo walking into the room. In the light he could now clearly see the glass confines of the chamber in which he was trapped. Cloud shifted into a kneeling position as he was getting uncomfortable, and he felt something soft pressing against him. He looked down. Yuffie lay curled up in the containment cell beside him. She was still out cold. Cloud looked up to see what Hojo was doing. The maniac in the white lab coat was standing beside the glass prison, holding a clipboard and writing something on to a sheet of paper. Cloud hammered on the glass walls but they were too strong for him to break.
"Let us out!" he yelled.
Hojo looked up and gave him a depraved grin. He wrote something down on a piece of paper and held it up. Cloud read the words: THE GLASS IS SOUNDPROOFED AND UNBREAKABLE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR BREATH OR STRENGTH. Hojo's suggestion had the opposite effect, sending Cloud into a frenzy of attacking the glass walls with his hands and feet, trying to break through somewhere. He hated being cooped up this way, like some kind of zoo animal or lab specimen. . .but that was exactly how Hojo saw him now. . .as a lab rat. There had to be some way out of here. Looking over to his right, Cloud could see a similar holding cell where Vincent was sitting morosely, his cloak spread around his body like a sleeping bat. He couldn't tell whether or not the raven-haired man was awake. When Cloud turned round to face Hojo, the scientist had disappeared.
* * *
To say that Cid wasn't pleased at having Reno as the new leader would have been an understatement. Cid was still smarting at Reno's flippant remark about his beloved airship, and didn't trust the Turk any further than he could throw the Gold Saucer. In fact, an attempt at starting a friendly relationship between Hojo and Vincent would probably have gone further. But, he had to admit, Reno WAS taking the job seriously. There was none of his usual sarcastic clowning around; he was making plans, encouraging people and motivating them, like a true leader. He was acting more like Cloud than Cloud, and Cid wasn't sure if he could handle having TWO people like that.
"It's been how long?" Reno was saying to Red.
"Nearly four hours."
"And we still haven't heard word from them," said Reno. "I think we're going to have to assume the worst - that they were killed or captured."
"So what we gonna do 'bout it?" Barret grunted, equally displeased at having to take orders from Reno.
"We'll assume for the moment that they have been captured," Reno said. "Now where's the most likely place Hojo would take them?"
"He has extensive research facilities at both Midgar and Mt Nibel," said Elena. "I'd say he's gone to either of those places."
"But which, that's the question," said Red. "Mt Nibel is closer but the Shinra building is better guarded. Where should we try?"
"Why don't we split up and do both?" Tifa suggested.
"I just KNEW somebody was gonna say that," Cid grumbled. "Trouble with that idea is, we only have one ship. And who's gonna take command of the second group?"
"It's a good idea," Reno decided. "If you land the ship in Nibelheim again, half of us can walk to the reactor, while the rest of you fly to Midgar. I'll lead the group that goes into the Nibel reactor, since with Cloud and Vincent gone, I probably know the most about the layout of Shinra facilities. Cid, you lead the second group to Midgar. It's your ship, so you'll have to fly it there anyway."
"All right," Cid muttered grudgingly, accepting the Turk's plan. "Who're you takin' with you?"
"Tifa and Barret," Reno decided. "Rude and Elena know the Shinra building better than anyone but me, so they can go with you. And Red XIII, well I hate putting it this way. . ."
". . .but I know the most about the Shinra building's research labs, having been in them," Red finished for him. "No offence taken."
Tifa said nothing, merely nodding her head, and Barret raised no immediate complaints about having to work under Reno. He saw there was a good mix of short and long range fighters in each group, so it made no sense to complain just because he didn't like the person who'd come up with the plan.
"Then let's go," said Reno. "We have no time to waste."
"You got tha' right," Barret muttered under his breath.
* * *
The three of them wound their way through the mountains towards the Nibel reactor. There were still heavily-manned patrols covering the main road in, but Tifa, who had grown up exploring these mountains, knew of several secret routes to the reactor, and they managed to get to it without encountering a single trooper. Several times they were attacked by the grasshopper-like Kyuvilduns, but those did not pose a significant threat. Now they were crouched behind the cover of some large rocks, keeping out of sight, waiting for their opportunity to enter the reactor.
"If we want to destroy this place, all we have to do is plant an explosive right next to the Mako suction pipes," said Reno, then he smirked. "But hey, why am I telling you that? You two are the experts on blowing up Mako reactors."
Barret reacted angrily, but Tifa didn't rise to the bait, and put out her arm to calm the big gunman. She noted with dismay that Reno was acting more like his old, unbearable self again. Barret settled for grumbling, "Ain't none of us here got a clean record."
Reno shrugged to indicate he didn't care, then turned his attention back to the reactor. There was a group of guards, standing about looking board, none of them paying a whole lot of attention to what was going on around them.
"Hey, big shot," Reno taunted Barret. "Think you can take them out?"
"You damn right I can!" said Barret, standing up and readying his machinegun.
Tifa pulled him back out of sight, "I think we should do this more quietly. Somebody might hear the gunfire."
"Very well, what do you have in mind?" said Reno.
Tifa slotted her Mastered Enemy Skill Materia into the Premium Heart, and cast Frog Song on the group of soldiers. When the smoke cleared, five frogs lay sleeping on the ground where the soldiers had been. Tifa knew the Frog spell wouldn't last long, but the Sleepel should keep the soldiers out of it for a good while. They hid the sleeping forms behind some rocks, and ran up the stairs into the reactor.
"Looks like Hojo has made some modifications to this building," said Reno as soon as they were inside. "I don't recognise a lot of this."
"Yo, thought you said you knew Shinra buildings inside-out!" Barret declared.
"I do," Reno replied. "But since this is now a Hojo building and not a Shinra building. . ."
"Oh, let's get on with it," Tifa sighed. "We've got to rescue Cloud and the others! You two can argue like kids later if you want! Reno, where should we look first?"
"A logical guess would be through in the breeding chambers," said Reno. "That's where Hojo did all his genetic experimentation before, most notably on the Jenova project. Though if that's where the super soldiers are being bred, we'll have to watch our step in case we run into any of them."
"Do you know any shortcuts that might help us avoid them?"
"Not with the amount of change the building has undergone," said Reno. "We'll just have to be careful. Come on, let's go."
They climbed down the ladder from the entrance and down on to the gantry that led through to the breeding rooms.
"Listen," said Reno suddenly. "Do you hear anything?"
"No," said Tifa.
"Notta thing," said Barret.
"Me neither," said Reno. "Which is weird. There isn't even any machinery running in the background. In fact, from the looks of things, Hojo has shut down this reactor."
"But why?"
"Don't know. Let's take a look in the next room."
They hurried through to the breeding chamber. It was just as Tifa remembered it from five years ago when she'd run in to attack Sephiroth and been near-fatally wounded. The breeding cells still lined the room, with pipes leading from each of them to the big door with JENOVA above it.
"They're all empty," said Tifa, glancing inside a couple of the cells. "There's nothing here."
"Hojo must have pulled out of here," Reno said. "Once he took over Midgar, he must have moved his centre of operations to the Shinra building. That's where he'll be breeding his super soldiers now. What I don't understand is why there were soldiers guarding this place when there is nothing here to guard."
"They must just be the last few troops he hasn't shipped out yet," Tifa guessed. "Maybe he had them stationed here in case we showed up. Hey, if Hojo's moved all his laboratory work to Midgar, that must be where Cloud is. Assuming that he's still alive."
"He'll be OK," Barret said. "You gotta think positive. You start thinkin' negative and everythin' falls apar'!"
Reno looked thoughtful, "I wonder if there is something still there that Hojo wanted protected - that he didn't want us to find. Let's try one of the upper levels and see what we can find."
"An' what if it turns out to be a big waste 'a time?" Barret demanded.
The Turk shrugged, "There's nothing else we can really do until the others get back here with the airship.
They knew he was right so neither of them tried to argue. For want of anything else to do, they followed Reno to the nearest elevator, which took them up to the next floor of the reactor. They stepped out into the corridor beyond, finding it just as empty and abandoned as the rooms below.
"There's nobody here," said Tifa. "Reno, exactly what are you looking for?"
"I can't say for sure," Reno said. "There must be something here that Hojo wants kept a secret, something that, for whatever reason, he couldn't move to Midgar along with the rest of his stuff. I reckon we'll know it when we see it."
"How big is this place anyway?" asked Barret, looking around. "We've only ever seen the bottom floor before."
"To the best of my knowledge, there should be three floors above that," said Reno. "We're on the first now. Of course, we don't know how much this building has changed from how I remember it."
The floor they were on was quite small, and, as they soon found, totally deserted. Half an hour later they were back at the elevator and began searching the second floor. They were walking down the darkened, empty hallway, when Reno suddenly put out a hand to stop the others.
"Did you hear that?" he hissed.
"Hear what?"
"Sshh! Listen!"
They stood in silence for a minute or two, straining their ears for the slightest sound that might warn of danger. There wasn't, however, anything to be heard. Total silence surrounded them on all sides. Eventually Barret grunted, "Huh. Ain't nothin'. What'd you hear anyway?"
"Sounded like footsteps, on the floor above," said Reno. "I'm not so sure we're alone here."
Tifa instinctively dusted off her Premium Heart while Barret loaded a fresh magazine into his Missing Score, and Reno unholstered the Electro Rod.
"I could have imagined it," Reno said. "Still, keep your eyes open."
This time they all heard the noise from the floor above. Footsteps, lightly padding in the direction of the elevator.
"Somebody's definitely up there," Tifa whispered. "What are we going to do?"
"Let's go up and see who's there," Barret said.
"Agreed," said Reno. "Keep cool though, it might not even be an enemy."
They got into the elevator and rode up to the third floor. Tifa and Barret readied their weapons and took up a fighting stance as Reno punched the button that opened the door. They found the corridor beyond to be in pitch darkness. The overhead lights were either broken or switched off.
"I don't hear anything," said Tifa. "I can't see anyone either. I wonder where they went."
"This corridor is so dark you could put Heidegger and Palmer in it and not be able to see them," Reno muttered. "I'll see if I can find a lightswitch."
He stepped out into the blackness of the hallway and felt the walls on either side for a switch. Tifa and Barret heard the sound of footsteps pattering towards them, then another sound, and somebody collapsed to the ground.
"Reno?"
There was no response. Barret narrowed his eyes suspiciously and strode forward to where he'd heard the noises from. The next thing he knew, there was a small pricking sensation in his neck.
"What da hell?" he exclaimed, putting his hand to his neck. "Whoa, I feel kinda weird. . ."
Barret felt himself losing consciousness, and he keeled over forwards to smack into the wall.
"Barret? Reno?" Tifa called into the darkness. "Are you guys still there?"
Then she heard the sound, like somebody blowing through a straw, and something hit her in the neck. It felt like an insect bite, but she knew what it was, having experienced it once already. She'd just been stung by one of the poisonous thorns of the Flower of Vengeance. The sound she'd heard, like somebody blowing through a straw. . .*or through a blowpipe* she thought as her mind began swimming in and out of consciousness. She fell forward on to her knees. In a desperate last act, Tifa reached down to claw at her PHS, to call the others for help. The antidote was back on the Highwind. . .they'd have to bring it to her. She tried to recall Cid's number from her increasingly fogged brain. Keying in the numbers, she had just one left to press when her trembling fingers lost their grip on the PHS and it clattered to the floor. Tifa slumped forward and blacked out.