Chapter 13
"All of you are charged with treason." Rufus Shinra's cold gaze flickered among the crowd, resting on Sephiroth, whom meet his gaze without flinching, before Rufus's eyes moved on. "Are you not aware of the damage and mayhem you've caused?" He paused, staring at Aeris, who had bowed her head down, as if she was ashamed, though Tifa could tell she was tired, and didn't want to take this. "Perhaps not. Well then, let me explain it to you. Our secret corridors are exposed, costing us our employee's trust. You destroyed Hojo's behemoth, an experiment that wasted thousands of dollars in funding. You've destroyed various parts of the building and have injured countless of soldiers. Anything to say in your defense?" Rufus almost mocked, and it was all Tifa could do to bite her tongue, as not to anger the 'judge' any further.
She knew how these 'trials' worked, and they would be convicted anyway. Rufus would see to that, and would kill any one who opposed him along with them. She twisted against the metal handcuffs that chained her to the chair, holding her painfully to the seat. She craned her neck to see how Vincent was doing, still a tad unconscious on the seat chained also, though she knew he was probably alert enough to know what was going on.
"This isn't a trial at all you sicko! Lemme out of here!" This, of course, was from Reno, whom seemingly didn't like this any more than she did, though he was more verbal about it than anyone else.
"What will happen to us?" Aeris whispered softly to Sephiroth, who gave a slight shrug, turning his green eyes to a vacant space on the ceiling, as if it held the answers.
"He will execute us. Most likely publicly to raise the moral of all in Shinra, to show he is not incompetent." Sephiroth said logically, and Tifa groaned. Count it on Sephiroth not to know how to break it gently to people, but at least he wasn't beating around the bush. She still felt bad for Aeris, who had paled, but only nodded.
"Any wise plans?" Reno said dryly, while the prison guards lead them away, guns held to the back of their heads. They had been ordered to fire without hesitation if anyone so much as breathed the wrong way.
"In the room they're taking us, there will be no vent, no window, and the doors are powered by electricity. It will take a miracle to get us out." Sephiroth concluded, while Tifa sighed.
"We might be able to make it. What about your commander? Was he able to make it out?" Aeris said hopefully, and while Aeris's optimism comforted Tifa to a certain extent, it didn't help one bit.
"Cid will come through. He is not our commander for nothing." Vincent said stonily, and Tifa almost jumped in hearing his soft voice, having not heard it in a while. There was a small flitter of hope, seemingly just because Vincent seemed to think so, and as Reno had said they were 'realists'. Maybe things would be okay. Hopefully things would be okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tifa sighed, her head resting against the cold hard wall of the cell, trying desperately to devise some plan that could get them out of the situation they were in. It seemed so hopeless. How could they get out of here? How?
Think Tifa think! She mentally urged herself, rubbing her temples vigorously as though to work the gears in her mind, though it only seemed to cause her more aggravation. Sighing in defeat, she looked around the cold dusty cell that would probably be the last place she'd be in before they executed her. The thought was depressing, but she guessed it would take a miracle to get them out of this mess.
The sudden opening of the door drew Tifa's attention away from the window, and startled, she only found Cloud, who was grinning at her with that boyish grin that used to make her heart flutter, but now it only served to make her even angrier. How could someone smile like that at a time like this?
"It seems you've gotten tangled up in the wrong type of crowd Tifa." Cloud started easily, and Tifa bit her lip to keep herself from retorting back 'starting with you!'. She knew making Cloud angry would probably kill the one single thread that could save her, so a bit intrigued, she listened slightly, her hair forming a veil around her as if she was blocking him out. "But I can save you Tifa, just like your knight in shining armor. Don't you remember telling me that?" Cloud asked, the grin lighting up his blue eyes, though somehow they still seemed cold, distant. Was Cloud really trying to save her or himself? She had heard about how unhappy Rufus was with Cloud about the fact that someone could just walk into their base and steal someone's woman. And when Rufus was unhappy with Cloud, it meant that someone might die.
"Just get to the point Cloud." Tifa said tiredly, already worn out by the day's events. Nothing was worse than listening to Cloud ramble on and on about something when she couldn't stand the site of him now. How funny, to think that a couple of days ago she had yearned to be by him.
"If you promise me never to do anything like this again, I'll save you." Cloud said with an irresistible smile on his face, and the thought stopped Tifa cold. Save yourself. who needs the others anyway? Sephiroth probably killed your father, Aeris always flirted with Cloud, Reno was always a jerk to begin with and Vincent. she stopped, closing her eyes with a tired sigh.
"If I go with you, will you promise to let everyone else go?" Tifa asked instead, not looking forward to the prospect of spending the rest of her life with Cloud. It was strange how some things changed when you thought it impossible that it would. She would save them because they were her friends, as mismatched and strange as they were, she would try. That was the least she could do for them.
"Rufus wants blood," Cloud said with a frown, as though he were distressed over the fact, though was too used to it to really care, "and he won't allow even me to take that away from him. We'd have to execute someone." Cloud said, and Tifa blinked, making a face that Cloud couldn't see because of her makeshift veil. Of course. Rufus had always liked things to go out with style, or at least bloody. Maybe it was a sadistic thing, but it seemed he had been fascinated by blood.
"Take me then," Tifa heard herself saying, "and let the others go." She heard Cloud give a slight snort of disappointment, and without another word turned and walked out the door. So much for love.
Suddenly the thought struck her of the choice she had just made. She would die, and the others would live. Had she been selfish to be the martyr? She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall, sighing softly. She had wanted a miracle, and Cloud helping her was by no means short of it, but she supposed. she had wanted. she just wished that she could live.
"Forgive me, it's the only way I can think of out of this mess." She closed her eyes and all she could see were haunting blood red eyes, staring back at her almost mournfully. "Forgive me."
~*Author's Notes*~ . Juice?
"All of you are charged with treason." Rufus Shinra's cold gaze flickered among the crowd, resting on Sephiroth, whom meet his gaze without flinching, before Rufus's eyes moved on. "Are you not aware of the damage and mayhem you've caused?" He paused, staring at Aeris, who had bowed her head down, as if she was ashamed, though Tifa could tell she was tired, and didn't want to take this. "Perhaps not. Well then, let me explain it to you. Our secret corridors are exposed, costing us our employee's trust. You destroyed Hojo's behemoth, an experiment that wasted thousands of dollars in funding. You've destroyed various parts of the building and have injured countless of soldiers. Anything to say in your defense?" Rufus almost mocked, and it was all Tifa could do to bite her tongue, as not to anger the 'judge' any further.
She knew how these 'trials' worked, and they would be convicted anyway. Rufus would see to that, and would kill any one who opposed him along with them. She twisted against the metal handcuffs that chained her to the chair, holding her painfully to the seat. She craned her neck to see how Vincent was doing, still a tad unconscious on the seat chained also, though she knew he was probably alert enough to know what was going on.
"This isn't a trial at all you sicko! Lemme out of here!" This, of course, was from Reno, whom seemingly didn't like this any more than she did, though he was more verbal about it than anyone else.
"What will happen to us?" Aeris whispered softly to Sephiroth, who gave a slight shrug, turning his green eyes to a vacant space on the ceiling, as if it held the answers.
"He will execute us. Most likely publicly to raise the moral of all in Shinra, to show he is not incompetent." Sephiroth said logically, and Tifa groaned. Count it on Sephiroth not to know how to break it gently to people, but at least he wasn't beating around the bush. She still felt bad for Aeris, who had paled, but only nodded.
"Any wise plans?" Reno said dryly, while the prison guards lead them away, guns held to the back of their heads. They had been ordered to fire without hesitation if anyone so much as breathed the wrong way.
"In the room they're taking us, there will be no vent, no window, and the doors are powered by electricity. It will take a miracle to get us out." Sephiroth concluded, while Tifa sighed.
"We might be able to make it. What about your commander? Was he able to make it out?" Aeris said hopefully, and while Aeris's optimism comforted Tifa to a certain extent, it didn't help one bit.
"Cid will come through. He is not our commander for nothing." Vincent said stonily, and Tifa almost jumped in hearing his soft voice, having not heard it in a while. There was a small flitter of hope, seemingly just because Vincent seemed to think so, and as Reno had said they were 'realists'. Maybe things would be okay. Hopefully things would be okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tifa sighed, her head resting against the cold hard wall of the cell, trying desperately to devise some plan that could get them out of the situation they were in. It seemed so hopeless. How could they get out of here? How?
Think Tifa think! She mentally urged herself, rubbing her temples vigorously as though to work the gears in her mind, though it only seemed to cause her more aggravation. Sighing in defeat, she looked around the cold dusty cell that would probably be the last place she'd be in before they executed her. The thought was depressing, but she guessed it would take a miracle to get them out of this mess.
The sudden opening of the door drew Tifa's attention away from the window, and startled, she only found Cloud, who was grinning at her with that boyish grin that used to make her heart flutter, but now it only served to make her even angrier. How could someone smile like that at a time like this?
"It seems you've gotten tangled up in the wrong type of crowd Tifa." Cloud started easily, and Tifa bit her lip to keep herself from retorting back 'starting with you!'. She knew making Cloud angry would probably kill the one single thread that could save her, so a bit intrigued, she listened slightly, her hair forming a veil around her as if she was blocking him out. "But I can save you Tifa, just like your knight in shining armor. Don't you remember telling me that?" Cloud asked, the grin lighting up his blue eyes, though somehow they still seemed cold, distant. Was Cloud really trying to save her or himself? She had heard about how unhappy Rufus was with Cloud about the fact that someone could just walk into their base and steal someone's woman. And when Rufus was unhappy with Cloud, it meant that someone might die.
"Just get to the point Cloud." Tifa said tiredly, already worn out by the day's events. Nothing was worse than listening to Cloud ramble on and on about something when she couldn't stand the site of him now. How funny, to think that a couple of days ago she had yearned to be by him.
"If you promise me never to do anything like this again, I'll save you." Cloud said with an irresistible smile on his face, and the thought stopped Tifa cold. Save yourself. who needs the others anyway? Sephiroth probably killed your father, Aeris always flirted with Cloud, Reno was always a jerk to begin with and Vincent. she stopped, closing her eyes with a tired sigh.
"If I go with you, will you promise to let everyone else go?" Tifa asked instead, not looking forward to the prospect of spending the rest of her life with Cloud. It was strange how some things changed when you thought it impossible that it would. She would save them because they were her friends, as mismatched and strange as they were, she would try. That was the least she could do for them.
"Rufus wants blood," Cloud said with a frown, as though he were distressed over the fact, though was too used to it to really care, "and he won't allow even me to take that away from him. We'd have to execute someone." Cloud said, and Tifa blinked, making a face that Cloud couldn't see because of her makeshift veil. Of course. Rufus had always liked things to go out with style, or at least bloody. Maybe it was a sadistic thing, but it seemed he had been fascinated by blood.
"Take me then," Tifa heard herself saying, "and let the others go." She heard Cloud give a slight snort of disappointment, and without another word turned and walked out the door. So much for love.
Suddenly the thought struck her of the choice she had just made. She would die, and the others would live. Had she been selfish to be the martyr? She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall, sighing softly. She had wanted a miracle, and Cloud helping her was by no means short of it, but she supposed. she had wanted. she just wished that she could live.
"Forgive me, it's the only way I can think of out of this mess." She closed her eyes and all she could see were haunting blood red eyes, staring back at her almost mournfully. "Forgive me."
~*Author's Notes*~ . Juice?