Chapter 15: The Return of the Weapon
"Aeris? Come on now…" A soft voice whispered to her as a gently hand rested itself on her shoulder to rouse her. She slowly opened her eyes to see the doctor, now in his daily clothes and Zack who held his hand to her and lifted it to let her sit up. The doctor looked strangely at her and a young woman made her way over to him smiling at her as she sat up.
"Oh, you're awake! Wonderful!" She said cheerfully to her as she smiled brightly at her and then looked to Zack.
"He was very worried for you. He refused to eat a bite until you awoke." The woman explained and Zack smiled slightly at her, his cheeks starting to burn a rosy pink.
"Uh yeah…" He said quickly as he patted the man behind the back and turned away looking around towards everything but Aeris.
"This is ummm… Hojo. He's a great doctor. Gots lots of potions and such back there. He seems to enjoy experimenting." Zack said to her as he finally relaxed himself and turned his gaze to her.
Hojo seemed to be a gentle man, dark black hair covered his head and hung down his back in a ponytail, that was neatly combed with place blue thin lens that were wired with a thick black metal. He stood tall next to Zack and the woman and wore a white coat that flowed to the floor. His pale white skin showed how long he had been pulled from the sun as the light gleamed over him, making him seem as white as a ghost. His hands were locked behind his back as he stood silently and looked to the woman beside him and gave her a faint smile.
"This is my wife, Lucreia." He said and the woman blushed slightly as well and smiled as she looked to him. "She's my assistant as well and helped create the mixture I injected in you." He explained and she nodded quickly to him. She had long brown flowing hair, only a little shorter then her own. Her bright blue eyes lit up happily. She was tall as well, only a few inches shorter then Hojo was.
She was thin but looked to be pregnant, but only a few months into it, she believed.
Zack came up behind Aeris and slid his left hand under her knees, lifting her slightly up and then placed her right arm around his neck and wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her from the bed completely. She remembered though that she had been placed on a cold table before and spotted it near the door, lying on the ground, as if something knocked it over with a deep imprint of a fist above it.
She looked to Zack and then to the others and smiled gently to them.
"Thank you for your kindness…" She whispered and Lucrecia smiled warmly to her as she spoke.
"You're quite welcome, it was our pleasure to help," She said to her and then turned into the next room where a small bag lied on the carpeted floor.
"We're moving to Niblehiem in the next few days, we're hoping our baby will be born there." He told them with a smile spread a crossed his face as if he couldn't control his excitement.
"That's wonderful, Dr. Hojo." Zack told him as he started to take a few steps backwards towards the door.
Aeris nodded in agreement to Zack as she watched him go off and laid her head against his chest, listening to his steady breathing.
"We'd better go, Captain Cid would like a word with us." Zack explained quickly and sudden footsteps came from the back room.
"Wait! Wait!" cried Lucrecia as she turned a corner with a large deep blue velvet blanket in her arms that was neatly folded. She came up to Aeris and laid it gently down on her stomach smiling to them as she clasped her hands together and took a few steps back.
"It gets cold up here, you'd both be better off with this if you're planning to leave, and Nibel Mountain is very treacherous. Maybe Cid will be willing to grant you both a ride in his newly developed plane. He will be taking us in it soon, he might as well take you too." Lucrecia told them and Aeris gave her a bright smile.
"Alright… thank you miss…" Aeris said to her slowly, watching Lucrecia's expression slowly start to dim, as Hojo neared her, and Zack turned away. She then suddenly turned around with her head lowered as if in depression as Zack opened the door gently, and through the last faint crack from the closing of the door, Hojo's expression, changed as well. A cold face suddenly emerged as he followed after Lucrecia and Aeris wondered what was the matter between them.
She turned her head up to see that Zack had noticed something as well, carefully standing still for a moment as if he was listening in, but everything remained silent.
"Hmmm… was it just me or did just a second ago, Lucrecia and Hojo suddenly change?"
"I don't understand it either… but I hope they're alright…" She told Zack, concern rising in her voice. "I can walk you know" Aeris told him slightly giggling to herself and he turned his face down to her smiling warmly.
"I know," he started as he began towards Cid's house. "But I think it'll be better this way then you won't have a problem with falling again." He finished, looking towards Cid's house now.
"Where's Dyne?" Aeris calmly asked him looking slowly around the area.
"Psh… who cares. It's been a lot better without him so far…" Zack said coldly as he chuckled in his voice and then dropped his hand from under her knees, letting them fall gently to the ground.
"There ya go…" Zack said as he held his arm around her waist still and then placed his hand behind his back.
"Almost forgot… you left this at the Inn." He said as he pulled from behind him her large staff that gleamed brightly against the morning sun's rays. The sky was clear, and beautiful to her as she watched several gulls glide across it towards its gentle horizon.
Aeris held the blanket under her arm almost dropping it and Zack reached over and caught it with his free hand as it started to unravel.
"Here, I'll jeep it in here," he said as he took it from her grasp and placed it in a chocolate brown bag that hung slightly down his side. He then raised his hand and knocked softly against the dark brown oak door, calmly awaiting a response.
"Yeah?! Who the hell is it?" Came Cid's voice as he started to get up and go towards the other side of the door,
"It's us, you told us to come see you, remember?" Zack yelled over Cid's footsteps as they slowly made their way over the creaking floorboards, closer to them.
"Oh you guys! Shelia! Visitors!" Cid called as he twisted the doorknob quickly and swing open the door to reveal a beautiful furnished home.
The kitchen rested to their left, with crystal china, and white marbled counters that had glass door cabinets above them. The floor had been polished recently it seemed because of it's glittering shine with three ceiling lights that reflected off it, with small diamond cut crystals that dangled around each one. A small glass round table sat in the center of the three lights, with four neatly polished pinewood chairs around it.
An oak banister that came up to her waist separated the kitchen from the living room to their right. Two windows were draped to the sides with sky blue curtains that matched the wallpaper. Two couches facing each other lay silently on the large oval rainbow colored rug that lay on the oak floorboards. Three shallow stairs were visible in an opening on the short wall that lead down to the living room and were directly a crossed from a brick fireplace.
"Like it?" Cid asked noticing they were both in awe at his home's decorations.
"Yes, very much so…" Aeris told him smiling amazed at how well put together his home was as she spoke.
"Yeah, it's a beauty. Now go on. Shit your ass down and relax. SHELIA!" He screamed as he turned away facing a nearby door. Soft shuffling of footsteps gently arose as a young woman appeared in the doorway, looking almost exactly like Lucrecia, only with slightly shorter flowing brown hair and deep brown eyes to match.
"Yes Cid?" She asked, hardly above a whisper in her tone of voice.
"Get these two… Wait, what happened to your other friend?" Cid suddenly asked turning to them in confusion.
"He's around." Zack quickly answered looking to hope that they wouldn't continue to question him about Dyne.
Cid shrugged to them smirking slightly to them and then turned back to Shelia.
"Alright, Shelia! Don't just stand there like a dead horse! Get them some god damn tea and make it quick woman!" He commanded as he made his way to his dining room table and sat down calmly in the pulled out chair.
Zack looked to Aeris for a quick moment and shrugged to her looking a bit confused and walked slowly over to the next chair over from Cid, closely followed by Aeris.
Zack slowly removed another chair from under the table and Aeris did the same sitting close to him. Shelia walked over and gentle picked her glasses from the counter and put them on as she continued towards the stove.
She fumbled a bit with the knob in the front and a couple of clicks could be heard before a soft flame arose from the surface. She placed her sliver teapot over the stove slowly and then reached above her into the shelves of the cabinet, pulling from them delicate pieces of China from them, placing them on the side before turning and going out the back door.
"She seems very kind. Is she your wife?" Aeris asked after the moment of silence.
"Wife? WIFE?!" Cid yelled before exploding into a roar of laughter so fierce that tears poured down his cheeks. He began to take in deep breaths as he began to calm himself down and then looked to Aeris shaking his head with a smile spread a crossed his face.
"Whoo! No fucken way is she my wife! She's dedicated her life to mine though, well what's left of it anyway. She's destroyed half of it already!" Cid announced turning his head to the window that lead out to the golden Rocket.
"Bout a month ago she tried to save me… the bitch was about to get herself friend because she was in the engine room checking the oxygen tanks even though I told her that they were just fine! But…" He started, stopping as he took in a deep breath.
"But what?" Zack asked curiously.
"But, I stopped the lift off and nearly got us both killed because the rocket tipped and nearly fell on the ground. We both would have become pancakes then, but my dream was to go out into outer space. She thinks she took it from me so she's been giving her life for me now to try and make it up." Cid finished as a sudden scream sounded off. At first he turned to the teapot but it wasn't going off.
His eyes quickly grew large in surprise as he through his chair back and charged out his back door followed closely behind by Zack and Aeris.
"SHELIA!" He screamed as he pushed open the door to see her lying back against the wall breathing hard with blood streaming down the side of her face.
"Shelia! Speak up damn you!" He yelled as he took his jacket off and wrapped it tightly around her head as she laid back with her eyes large in shock.
A large shadow suddenly casted over them and a deep roar shook the land. Aeris looked up taking a few steps back as the weapon came into perfect view, hurtling trees towards them that got in its way.
"SHIT!" Zack screamed as he watched it kicked another one towards them. He jumped Aeris pushing her down as the tree skidded inches over them and slammed into the house.
"MOTHER FUCKER! MY HOUSE!" Cid called out as he narrowed his eyes and gripped a spear next to his house that looked to be recently sharpened. He started towards it taking a ball from its side and through it forwards. It suddenly exploded into a dense fireball that hovered in the air above their heads.
"FIRE3!" He screamed snapping his arm forward as if to throw it towards the Weapon and the fireball shot off towards the weapon exploding in its face.
It roared in pain as it moved it's thick arms up to its eyes scratching what remained.
"Damn it!" He yelled as he took a few steps back and then turned to Shelia scooping her up as Zack jumped to his feet, pulling Aeris to hers quickly.
"We don't have a choice! We got to get out of here!" Cid yelled as he blasted through his broken door, the teapot inside going off, partly smashed from the impact of the tree. Zack grabbed Aeris's hand following after them. Cid kicked down the front door shooting off down the coble streets with the other town's people that were screaming as it leaned over and swiped its hand across the tops of homes tearing them as if they were pieces of paper and tossing them towards everyone else.
Aeris could spot Lucrecia and Hojo running as well with Lucrecia in Hojo's arms and her holding several bags as they ran and moved in closer towards them.
"CID! We have to get to Nibleheim!" Hojo yelled over the constant roars that filled the area.
"I HAVE MY OWN PROBLEMS!" Cid yelled nearly tripping over the scattered branches that littered the once clean roads.
"I can see that! But if you take us we might be able to stop this thing!" He yelled back and Cid continued off and then suddenly took a sharp turn back towards the rocket. He motioned his head to Aeris and Zack as well to get them to follow him as he continued back towards it. Zack skidded to stop right then and there catching Aeris and scooping her up as she slammed her staff into the ground to get herself to stop and then took off after Cid.
A small pinkest plane rested on the ground near the side of the rocket as they ran off towards it. Zack was running on the right side of Cid near the homes when suddenly one exploded out from the side with the weapon's arm twitching in it as it swiped it forwards inches from Zack's legs as it crashed through all the homes, striking the side of the rocket, causing it to tip forwards towards them.
"NO! NOT MY ROCKET!" Cid screamed as he swiftly curved to the side looking sicken as it came crashing down into the dry ground. The impact was too much and they all stumbled, smacking into the side letting the splintered wood and glass come flying down on and around them.
The Weapon cried throwing it's head back as it tipped itself as the ground knocked it off balance slightly as well. Aeris's arms where pouring blood from the sides as she felt the sharp shards of glass rip at them when she covered the back of her head with them, trying to ignore the pain that was pushed into her face. As she felt the last remaining piece of glass fall over her she slowly pushed herself up looking to the weapon and growled deeply at her as she looked to see that Hojo, Lucrecia, Cid, and Shelia laid sprawled silently in pain across the ground. Aeris slowly looked to her other side jolting back as she moved her hands slightly and hit the shattered pieces of broken glass that remained around her and dropped from her hair as she moved it. Zack lay silently before her looking as if he had passed out from the impact of the weapon's massage fury.
She recoiled in pain as she pushed herself to her knees and finally upright angrily facing the weapon that only glared back at her as if ready to attack and destroy her any moment. Zack suddenly twitched his arm and it brought her attention to him breaking the gaze with the monster and it roared back in anger as it slammed it's hand down towards Zack. Aeris made a quick decision in her mind and dived at Zack rolling him out of the way and was struck in the side of the head when she herself tried to dodge it and clutched her eyes shut in the unbearable pain that engulfed her body.
Zack slowly pushed off the ground and looked to Aeris's shaking body and his face grew mad with anger as he pushed off to his feet and pulled his thick sword from his back despite his own broken and scared up body and brought it down towards the Weapon's hand before it could lift it and brought the sword over his head and suddenly brought it down to the side furiously severing through it's arm.
The Weapon screeched in horrible pain as Zack kneeled down with his sword in front of him, blood dripping from its edge. It through itself backs, its hand still a bloody mess that still remained in the ground. As it pulled back its hand slowly began to tilt over and fell to the ground with a sickening thud, letting blood splatter in front of them. Hojo sat straight up as the weapon screamed out in pain grabbing his ears and then turned to see that everyone else was doing the same, but Aeris remained still on the ground on the other side of the bloody limb. After taking in one deep breath he charged and jumped over the limb and as he landed her charged off after Aeris. The others seemed to be examining their wounds and then turned their attention to the gruesome sight of the Weapon as the blood began to spill from the split arm around them. Cid gently stood and retrieved his spear and then reached to Shelia as she pushed herself up jolting back from the shards.
Zack bent over Aeris's body when he finally became close enough and slid his hands under her, cradling her gently in his arms as he started off towards Cid and the others as they all began to get up to their feet and head after Cid towards the plane that looked to be undamaged.
"Aeris wake up!" Zack said looking down at her as he ran, shaking her gently to arouse her, but she didn't move, but her steady breathing assured him that she would be all right for a while. The plane became perfectly into view now. The slight pinkest outside seemed to be nothing when compared to the lower silver half that glittered slightly with the sun. When Cid finally reached it, he gently placed Shelia on the ground and hurled up a large latter that hooked over the edge.
"Come on! Get up!" Cid commanded as he slowly bent over and softly shook Shelia to awaken her. "Hurry you have to get up." He told her as he turned his gaze to Zack. "Wake her!" he commanded.
"I can't! She's out cold!" Zack yelled as he looked down to her cracked skull and placed it gently against his chest.
"Well then how the hell are you gonna get on?!" Cid demanded to know as Hojo followed up after Lucre CIA, who was being pulled up by Shelia at the top.
"I'll show you…" Zack said as he slightly raised his arms up, letting his hands unclenched from Aeris's side and then slowly made his way up trying not to let her slip from his arms. Cid was following behind, watching as Aeris's feet dangled over Zack's one arm as they finally made it over. Cid swung his legs as he reached the last step and charged down the nearby stairs as the others sat on the flat deck.
"Hold to something and quick!" He said as he through his hand down on the lever and then swiftly yanked it back letting the engines explode behind him as he shot the plane off away from the weapon that was now destroying everything that was left in the town. Lucrecia and Hojo looked back over the railing as the weapon knocked over the last remaining homes cringing in pain from the glass that was lodged in them and then looked to Zack as he pulled the blanket that they had given him earlier and rolled it out gentle, laying it a crossed Aeris's stiff body that remained in his arms and took the small water container from his side, along with a white cloth and gently poured the water over it, and began to softly wipe it a crossed her forward, removing the shards of glass and the dry blood, hoping they would reach Nibelheim soon.
"Aeris? Come on now…" A soft voice whispered to her as a gently hand rested itself on her shoulder to rouse her. She slowly opened her eyes to see the doctor, now in his daily clothes and Zack who held his hand to her and lifted it to let her sit up. The doctor looked strangely at her and a young woman made her way over to him smiling at her as she sat up.
"Oh, you're awake! Wonderful!" She said cheerfully to her as she smiled brightly at her and then looked to Zack.
"He was very worried for you. He refused to eat a bite until you awoke." The woman explained and Zack smiled slightly at her, his cheeks starting to burn a rosy pink.
"Uh yeah…" He said quickly as he patted the man behind the back and turned away looking around towards everything but Aeris.
"This is ummm… Hojo. He's a great doctor. Gots lots of potions and such back there. He seems to enjoy experimenting." Zack said to her as he finally relaxed himself and turned his gaze to her.
Hojo seemed to be a gentle man, dark black hair covered his head and hung down his back in a ponytail, that was neatly combed with place blue thin lens that were wired with a thick black metal. He stood tall next to Zack and the woman and wore a white coat that flowed to the floor. His pale white skin showed how long he had been pulled from the sun as the light gleamed over him, making him seem as white as a ghost. His hands were locked behind his back as he stood silently and looked to the woman beside him and gave her a faint smile.
"This is my wife, Lucreia." He said and the woman blushed slightly as well and smiled as she looked to him. "She's my assistant as well and helped create the mixture I injected in you." He explained and she nodded quickly to him. She had long brown flowing hair, only a little shorter then her own. Her bright blue eyes lit up happily. She was tall as well, only a few inches shorter then Hojo was.
She was thin but looked to be pregnant, but only a few months into it, she believed.
Zack came up behind Aeris and slid his left hand under her knees, lifting her slightly up and then placed her right arm around his neck and wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her from the bed completely. She remembered though that she had been placed on a cold table before and spotted it near the door, lying on the ground, as if something knocked it over with a deep imprint of a fist above it.
She looked to Zack and then to the others and smiled gently to them.
"Thank you for your kindness…" She whispered and Lucrecia smiled warmly to her as she spoke.
"You're quite welcome, it was our pleasure to help," She said to her and then turned into the next room where a small bag lied on the carpeted floor.
"We're moving to Niblehiem in the next few days, we're hoping our baby will be born there." He told them with a smile spread a crossed his face as if he couldn't control his excitement.
"That's wonderful, Dr. Hojo." Zack told him as he started to take a few steps backwards towards the door.
Aeris nodded in agreement to Zack as she watched him go off and laid her head against his chest, listening to his steady breathing.
"We'd better go, Captain Cid would like a word with us." Zack explained quickly and sudden footsteps came from the back room.
"Wait! Wait!" cried Lucrecia as she turned a corner with a large deep blue velvet blanket in her arms that was neatly folded. She came up to Aeris and laid it gently down on her stomach smiling to them as she clasped her hands together and took a few steps back.
"It gets cold up here, you'd both be better off with this if you're planning to leave, and Nibel Mountain is very treacherous. Maybe Cid will be willing to grant you both a ride in his newly developed plane. He will be taking us in it soon, he might as well take you too." Lucrecia told them and Aeris gave her a bright smile.
"Alright… thank you miss…" Aeris said to her slowly, watching Lucrecia's expression slowly start to dim, as Hojo neared her, and Zack turned away. She then suddenly turned around with her head lowered as if in depression as Zack opened the door gently, and through the last faint crack from the closing of the door, Hojo's expression, changed as well. A cold face suddenly emerged as he followed after Lucrecia and Aeris wondered what was the matter between them.
She turned her head up to see that Zack had noticed something as well, carefully standing still for a moment as if he was listening in, but everything remained silent.
"Hmmm… was it just me or did just a second ago, Lucrecia and Hojo suddenly change?"
"I don't understand it either… but I hope they're alright…" She told Zack, concern rising in her voice. "I can walk you know" Aeris told him slightly giggling to herself and he turned his face down to her smiling warmly.
"I know," he started as he began towards Cid's house. "But I think it'll be better this way then you won't have a problem with falling again." He finished, looking towards Cid's house now.
"Where's Dyne?" Aeris calmly asked him looking slowly around the area.
"Psh… who cares. It's been a lot better without him so far…" Zack said coldly as he chuckled in his voice and then dropped his hand from under her knees, letting them fall gently to the ground.
"There ya go…" Zack said as he held his arm around her waist still and then placed his hand behind his back.
"Almost forgot… you left this at the Inn." He said as he pulled from behind him her large staff that gleamed brightly against the morning sun's rays. The sky was clear, and beautiful to her as she watched several gulls glide across it towards its gentle horizon.
Aeris held the blanket under her arm almost dropping it and Zack reached over and caught it with his free hand as it started to unravel.
"Here, I'll jeep it in here," he said as he took it from her grasp and placed it in a chocolate brown bag that hung slightly down his side. He then raised his hand and knocked softly against the dark brown oak door, calmly awaiting a response.
"Yeah?! Who the hell is it?" Came Cid's voice as he started to get up and go towards the other side of the door,
"It's us, you told us to come see you, remember?" Zack yelled over Cid's footsteps as they slowly made their way over the creaking floorboards, closer to them.
"Oh you guys! Shelia! Visitors!" Cid called as he twisted the doorknob quickly and swing open the door to reveal a beautiful furnished home.
The kitchen rested to their left, with crystal china, and white marbled counters that had glass door cabinets above them. The floor had been polished recently it seemed because of it's glittering shine with three ceiling lights that reflected off it, with small diamond cut crystals that dangled around each one. A small glass round table sat in the center of the three lights, with four neatly polished pinewood chairs around it.
An oak banister that came up to her waist separated the kitchen from the living room to their right. Two windows were draped to the sides with sky blue curtains that matched the wallpaper. Two couches facing each other lay silently on the large oval rainbow colored rug that lay on the oak floorboards. Three shallow stairs were visible in an opening on the short wall that lead down to the living room and were directly a crossed from a brick fireplace.
"Like it?" Cid asked noticing they were both in awe at his home's decorations.
"Yes, very much so…" Aeris told him smiling amazed at how well put together his home was as she spoke.
"Yeah, it's a beauty. Now go on. Shit your ass down and relax. SHELIA!" He screamed as he turned away facing a nearby door. Soft shuffling of footsteps gently arose as a young woman appeared in the doorway, looking almost exactly like Lucrecia, only with slightly shorter flowing brown hair and deep brown eyes to match.
"Yes Cid?" She asked, hardly above a whisper in her tone of voice.
"Get these two… Wait, what happened to your other friend?" Cid suddenly asked turning to them in confusion.
"He's around." Zack quickly answered looking to hope that they wouldn't continue to question him about Dyne.
Cid shrugged to them smirking slightly to them and then turned back to Shelia.
"Alright, Shelia! Don't just stand there like a dead horse! Get them some god damn tea and make it quick woman!" He commanded as he made his way to his dining room table and sat down calmly in the pulled out chair.
Zack looked to Aeris for a quick moment and shrugged to her looking a bit confused and walked slowly over to the next chair over from Cid, closely followed by Aeris.
Zack slowly removed another chair from under the table and Aeris did the same sitting close to him. Shelia walked over and gentle picked her glasses from the counter and put them on as she continued towards the stove.
She fumbled a bit with the knob in the front and a couple of clicks could be heard before a soft flame arose from the surface. She placed her sliver teapot over the stove slowly and then reached above her into the shelves of the cabinet, pulling from them delicate pieces of China from them, placing them on the side before turning and going out the back door.
"She seems very kind. Is she your wife?" Aeris asked after the moment of silence.
"Wife? WIFE?!" Cid yelled before exploding into a roar of laughter so fierce that tears poured down his cheeks. He began to take in deep breaths as he began to calm himself down and then looked to Aeris shaking his head with a smile spread a crossed his face.
"Whoo! No fucken way is she my wife! She's dedicated her life to mine though, well what's left of it anyway. She's destroyed half of it already!" Cid announced turning his head to the window that lead out to the golden Rocket.
"Bout a month ago she tried to save me… the bitch was about to get herself friend because she was in the engine room checking the oxygen tanks even though I told her that they were just fine! But…" He started, stopping as he took in a deep breath.
"But what?" Zack asked curiously.
"But, I stopped the lift off and nearly got us both killed because the rocket tipped and nearly fell on the ground. We both would have become pancakes then, but my dream was to go out into outer space. She thinks she took it from me so she's been giving her life for me now to try and make it up." Cid finished as a sudden scream sounded off. At first he turned to the teapot but it wasn't going off.
His eyes quickly grew large in surprise as he through his chair back and charged out his back door followed closely behind by Zack and Aeris.
"SHELIA!" He screamed as he pushed open the door to see her lying back against the wall breathing hard with blood streaming down the side of her face.
"Shelia! Speak up damn you!" He yelled as he took his jacket off and wrapped it tightly around her head as she laid back with her eyes large in shock.
A large shadow suddenly casted over them and a deep roar shook the land. Aeris looked up taking a few steps back as the weapon came into perfect view, hurtling trees towards them that got in its way.
"SHIT!" Zack screamed as he watched it kicked another one towards them. He jumped Aeris pushing her down as the tree skidded inches over them and slammed into the house.
"MOTHER FUCKER! MY HOUSE!" Cid called out as he narrowed his eyes and gripped a spear next to his house that looked to be recently sharpened. He started towards it taking a ball from its side and through it forwards. It suddenly exploded into a dense fireball that hovered in the air above their heads.
"FIRE3!" He screamed snapping his arm forward as if to throw it towards the Weapon and the fireball shot off towards the weapon exploding in its face.
It roared in pain as it moved it's thick arms up to its eyes scratching what remained.
"Damn it!" He yelled as he took a few steps back and then turned to Shelia scooping her up as Zack jumped to his feet, pulling Aeris to hers quickly.
"We don't have a choice! We got to get out of here!" Cid yelled as he blasted through his broken door, the teapot inside going off, partly smashed from the impact of the tree. Zack grabbed Aeris's hand following after them. Cid kicked down the front door shooting off down the coble streets with the other town's people that were screaming as it leaned over and swiped its hand across the tops of homes tearing them as if they were pieces of paper and tossing them towards everyone else.
Aeris could spot Lucrecia and Hojo running as well with Lucrecia in Hojo's arms and her holding several bags as they ran and moved in closer towards them.
"CID! We have to get to Nibleheim!" Hojo yelled over the constant roars that filled the area.
"I HAVE MY OWN PROBLEMS!" Cid yelled nearly tripping over the scattered branches that littered the once clean roads.
"I can see that! But if you take us we might be able to stop this thing!" He yelled back and Cid continued off and then suddenly took a sharp turn back towards the rocket. He motioned his head to Aeris and Zack as well to get them to follow him as he continued back towards it. Zack skidded to stop right then and there catching Aeris and scooping her up as she slammed her staff into the ground to get herself to stop and then took off after Cid.
A small pinkest plane rested on the ground near the side of the rocket as they ran off towards it. Zack was running on the right side of Cid near the homes when suddenly one exploded out from the side with the weapon's arm twitching in it as it swiped it forwards inches from Zack's legs as it crashed through all the homes, striking the side of the rocket, causing it to tip forwards towards them.
"NO! NOT MY ROCKET!" Cid screamed as he swiftly curved to the side looking sicken as it came crashing down into the dry ground. The impact was too much and they all stumbled, smacking into the side letting the splintered wood and glass come flying down on and around them.
The Weapon cried throwing it's head back as it tipped itself as the ground knocked it off balance slightly as well. Aeris's arms where pouring blood from the sides as she felt the sharp shards of glass rip at them when she covered the back of her head with them, trying to ignore the pain that was pushed into her face. As she felt the last remaining piece of glass fall over her she slowly pushed herself up looking to the weapon and growled deeply at her as she looked to see that Hojo, Lucrecia, Cid, and Shelia laid sprawled silently in pain across the ground. Aeris slowly looked to her other side jolting back as she moved her hands slightly and hit the shattered pieces of broken glass that remained around her and dropped from her hair as she moved it. Zack lay silently before her looking as if he had passed out from the impact of the weapon's massage fury.
She recoiled in pain as she pushed herself to her knees and finally upright angrily facing the weapon that only glared back at her as if ready to attack and destroy her any moment. Zack suddenly twitched his arm and it brought her attention to him breaking the gaze with the monster and it roared back in anger as it slammed it's hand down towards Zack. Aeris made a quick decision in her mind and dived at Zack rolling him out of the way and was struck in the side of the head when she herself tried to dodge it and clutched her eyes shut in the unbearable pain that engulfed her body.
Zack slowly pushed off the ground and looked to Aeris's shaking body and his face grew mad with anger as he pushed off to his feet and pulled his thick sword from his back despite his own broken and scared up body and brought it down towards the Weapon's hand before it could lift it and brought the sword over his head and suddenly brought it down to the side furiously severing through it's arm.
The Weapon screeched in horrible pain as Zack kneeled down with his sword in front of him, blood dripping from its edge. It through itself backs, its hand still a bloody mess that still remained in the ground. As it pulled back its hand slowly began to tilt over and fell to the ground with a sickening thud, letting blood splatter in front of them. Hojo sat straight up as the weapon screamed out in pain grabbing his ears and then turned to see that everyone else was doing the same, but Aeris remained still on the ground on the other side of the bloody limb. After taking in one deep breath he charged and jumped over the limb and as he landed her charged off after Aeris. The others seemed to be examining their wounds and then turned their attention to the gruesome sight of the Weapon as the blood began to spill from the split arm around them. Cid gently stood and retrieved his spear and then reached to Shelia as she pushed herself up jolting back from the shards.
Zack bent over Aeris's body when he finally became close enough and slid his hands under her, cradling her gently in his arms as he started off towards Cid and the others as they all began to get up to their feet and head after Cid towards the plane that looked to be undamaged.
"Aeris wake up!" Zack said looking down at her as he ran, shaking her gently to arouse her, but she didn't move, but her steady breathing assured him that she would be all right for a while. The plane became perfectly into view now. The slight pinkest outside seemed to be nothing when compared to the lower silver half that glittered slightly with the sun. When Cid finally reached it, he gently placed Shelia on the ground and hurled up a large latter that hooked over the edge.
"Come on! Get up!" Cid commanded as he slowly bent over and softly shook Shelia to awaken her. "Hurry you have to get up." He told her as he turned his gaze to Zack. "Wake her!" he commanded.
"I can't! She's out cold!" Zack yelled as he looked down to her cracked skull and placed it gently against his chest.
"Well then how the hell are you gonna get on?!" Cid demanded to know as Hojo followed up after Lucre CIA, who was being pulled up by Shelia at the top.
"I'll show you…" Zack said as he slightly raised his arms up, letting his hands unclenched from Aeris's side and then slowly made his way up trying not to let her slip from his arms. Cid was following behind, watching as Aeris's feet dangled over Zack's one arm as they finally made it over. Cid swung his legs as he reached the last step and charged down the nearby stairs as the others sat on the flat deck.
"Hold to something and quick!" He said as he through his hand down on the lever and then swiftly yanked it back letting the engines explode behind him as he shot the plane off away from the weapon that was now destroying everything that was left in the town. Lucrecia and Hojo looked back over the railing as the weapon knocked over the last remaining homes cringing in pain from the glass that was lodged in them and then looked to Zack as he pulled the blanket that they had given him earlier and rolled it out gentle, laying it a crossed Aeris's stiff body that remained in his arms and took the small water container from his side, along with a white cloth and gently poured the water over it, and began to softly wipe it a crossed her forward, removing the shards of glass and the dry blood, hoping they would reach Nibelheim soon.