The sound of a door being broken down and shouting could be heard from rooms away. "We'll have to separate!" Sephiroth answered, drawing a katana from the darkness of his cloak. "Try to find a way out of here. We can meet back in Rocket Town!"
"Are you fucking nuts?!" Zax shouted. "Splitting up is the worst idea ever!"
"Think about it Zax," Cloud stepped in. "If we split up and one of us gets captured, we can hope the other two will come back; rather than all three of us getting caught at the same time and lowering the hope of escape."
Zax glanced between the two, listening for approaching opponents. Finally, he grabbed his things and ran off. Cloud turned to Sephiroth. "What about you? Surely you're not staying behind...that would be suicide!"
"I can take care of myself," Sephiroth argued. "Don't worry about me...Just go!"
"I'm not leaving you behind!" bit Cloud, drawing Ultimate Weapon from its resting place, ignoring the fact he was still in nothing but a pair of boxers and a light tank top. "You're not a god anymore! You're weaker and therefore more vulnerable!"
Sephiroth smirked. "They don't know that. Besides, I may not be a god, but I can still kick ass with my katana."
It was then about ten Shinra officers dressed in crimson uniforms entered. They lined up against the wall, barricading the door out. The two men they faced were quite a sight. A young blonde barely dressed and awake holding a weapon of great power in a menacing stance while the swordsman of legend stood beside him, silver hair still dripping wet, katana ready for a fight and body poised to pounce like the wild cat his eyes resembled.
Without warning, the two fighters let out the same battle cry as they leapt at the ten officers. And in the same instant, the officers began an onslaught of bullets at the two. The metal bees feel uselessly to the ground as an energy shield around the two warriors blocked the bullets.
There was no time for the officers to run. Within seconds, both Cloud and Sephiroth had killed each of the ten. Saying nothing, they grabbed the last of their gear and left the mansion, heading for Mt. Nibel and Rocket Town.
***
Zax stopped halfway up the mountain, hearing gunshots in the distance. "Aeris let them be okay," he muttered, turning to look over Nibelheim from his spot. The man let out a sigh of relief, seeing the two race towards him, Cloud fumbling as he ran and dressed at the same time. "What took you two so long?" Zax asked. "I was starting to think you two got caught!"
"We came close!" Cloud exclaimed, finally able to pull his pants on over his boots and boxers. "Man that fight was awesome!" He turned to Sephiroth. "Were the shields your idea or a fluke?"
Sephiroth nodded his head, smiling proudly. "I cast a quick spell while we were arguing. I've had to deal with Shinra officers before."
"Well if we're done with the idle chit-chat," Zax stepped in. "We've got to find a place to lay low until Shinra backs off a bit."
"I hear Wutai is nice this time of year," suggested Cloud. He slid his sweater over his head. "And I'm in the mood for a relaxing dip in some hot springs."
"Forget hot springs." Sephiroth stretched a bit. "I'm up for a deep-tissue massage. My joints are killing me!"
"This isn't a fucking picnic!" Zax shouted at the two. He sighed though, his stomach letting out a loud grumble. "Cloud...did Cid go back to Rocket Town?"
"I think he said something about it," answered Cloud, nodding his head.
"Do you think he could get us a flight to Wutai?"
Cloud shrugged. "I don't know."
"We'll have to find out when we get there," Sephiroth spoke. "We've got more of those officers heading up here."
"Geeze these guys are desperate," muttered Zax, turning to lead the way to Rocket Town.
***
"I'm sorry," one of the townspeople told the three travelers. "But Cid Highwind passed away earlier this year from lung cancer, and his assistant moved away shortly after. His house is still standing though, and no one has touched his things since he died."
"So there's a chance the Little Bronco is still at his place?" Cloud asked.
"Oh its there all right," the villager said, leaving them.
For a moment, the three didn't move or speak, feeling they were in for a surprise just by hearing the villager's tone of voice. The Little Bronco was decayed, missing parts and half of its skeleton exposed.
"We're screwed..." Cloud muttered, going to the broken down beast. "There's no way in Hell that thing will ever fly again."
"Not quite..." replied Zax, inspecting the plane. "I could probably cannibalize the rocket for parts for the Bronco. It'll take some time though."
"You can't do that," slapped Cloud. "It'd take a technician to do that."
"You forget, Cloud," Sephiroth stepped in. "Zax used to be a reactor technician before joining SOLDIER. If anyone other than Cid can repair the Little Bronco, its Zax."
"It's going to take a while though and I'll need a few parts," sighed Zax. He pulled a note pad and pencil from his bag, scribbling some stuff on it. "I'll need you two to find this stuff." The man handed the paper to Cloud, Sephiroth glancing over the list over the blonde's shoulder. "And remember, we have a time limit. Shinra officers could be on us at any moment."
Saying nothing, the two raced off to the old rocket to get what they needed.
***
"Alright guys," Zax spoke, sitting in the cockpit of the Little Bronco. "The moment of truth. I've been working on this bastard for hours now. Its time to see if the Bronco will fly again." Crossing his fingers on his free hand, Zax inserted the key into its slot. Turning it, he let out a triumphant shout as the Little Bronco came to life.
"Awesome!" Cloud laughed as Zax climbed down. "Think it'll fly?"
"Perhaps..." thought Zax out loud. "We may be too heavy." He turned to Sephiroth. "You'll have to carry our stuff."
Sephiroth shrugged, pulling a small black bag from his cloak. "Start packing your stuff," he told them, tossing the bag to Cloud. "I sense Shinra scum."
"But our stuff won't fit in this...this purse!" argued the blonde.
"Its an inter-dimensional portal," exclaimed Sephiroth, drawing his katana. "Pack your shit and get in the Bronco! Hurry!"
Not arguing any further, Zax and Cloud did as told, miraculously shoving their packs and weapons in the pocket-bag portal and tossing it back to Sephiroth. Saying nothing, the two got in the two seats of the plane; Zax in the cockpit and Cloud in the back. Strapping in, Zax shouted over the plane's engine, "We need a boost-start! Sephiroth, give this thing a shove!"
Going to the back of the metal beast, Sephiroth pushed the Little Bronco towards the ramp. Now the small plane was able to propel itself, picking up speed ad its tires bounced off the ground a bit.
"Hold on!" Zax shouted to Cloud as the plane hit the ramp.
The Little Bronco was airborne in seconds, flying for the high skies above Rocket Town. Sephiroth soon caught up with them in the air, his one wing granting him flight. The three said nothing as they flew over the village towards the ocean. Behind and below them, gunfire could be heard as the Shinra officers began firing at them.
Turning so he flew backwards, Sephiroth cast a swift, silent spell that deflected any shots that came too close. Finally they left the firing range of the guns and flew over the ocean towards Wutai and a bit of relaxation.