:: Chapter 09 - One Winged Highwind::
Smoke trailed from behind the Highwind as it made its decent into the area of Nibelheim. The turbulence was fierce, causing everyone aboard to grasp onto anything bolted down. The pilot began emergency landing procedures, frantically pressing buttons and pulling levers. Cid watched as his ship nearly completed its final voyage, with its engine ablaze. He peered out at the failing engines, noticing small fires in their compartments. The fires were spreading through electrical means, engulfing the Highwind's wingspan. Cloud held Aerith, and she held on even harder. She was crying, afraid, worried, and fearful that this would be the end. Cloud wiped the tears from her eyes and told her "It's going to be okay." She only squeezed him harder. She looked at him; he seemed so calm, and collected, probably right in his assumption. She was glad to be in his arms, afraid of this; her first flight on a ship she thought would be wonderfully flyable.
Tifa looked around for an emergency escape route, parachutes being the only option she could find. There was a crew to chute ratio problem - there were more people than parachutes. She grabbed what she could and ran to the bridge. "We can use these, but only 7 people can make it." she trailed off. Cid looked around; Tifa, Barrett, Cloud, Aerith, Himself, Nanaki, and Vincent, that made seven. His Pilot and Cait wouldn't make it. "Are you SURE there are no more chutes; not a one!?" Tifa shook her head 'No.' Cid looked at his pilot. "Sir, I know what must be done." The pilot said, not looking away from his tasks. Cid stood in silence. "Are you telling me my pilot's willing to commit suicide?!" The pilot nodded. "Go, sir. Go NOW." Cid refused to accept this response. "Why can't you just go with us?" "I need to pilot the ship so it doesn't crash land into a populated area." The pilot said, looking away from Cid. The cigarette that was in Cid's mouth landed on the floor, as Cid looked in disbelief. He couldn't believe the sacrifice that this pilot of his was willing to make. Cait could do it if not for the lack of parachutes.
Barrett brought Cloud and Aerith their respective chutes, and told them what was going to happen. They then gathered up anything they needed and headed for the deck. Everyone was waiting there, chutes on, ready to jump. Nibelheim was merely miles away, as the Highwind slowly descended into the area. "Okay, when we jump, count to five and then pull the cord. Everybody got that? Everyone nodded as they jumped off the side. Cloud looked around as he noticed the whiteness of the sky, filled with clouds, the air rushing around him, his hand holding hers, knowing they'd soon be on the ground. He looked around, his vision becoming vaguely colored, sounds becoming nearly non-existent, the labeling on his parachute becoming a foreign text.
"FIVE!" The time had come, the chutes were opened. Those who had jumped watched the Highwind sail into the mountains of Nibelheim where it crashed in a fiery inferno. Cid solemnly saluted his lost pilot. Smoke rose from the location of the crash, as the group started landing a minute later. Each one touched down with no problems, except for Vincent, who landed harder because of his inability to operate the parachute while this wounded. Shortly after everyone landed and detached their respective parachutes everyone gathered around Cid.
"Before we go in to town, I want to go over to the crash site." Cid stuttered in disbelief as he slowly walked away from the group and towards the wreckage. The group followed. It was unclear at this point exactly what was lost besides the robot Cait Sith and Cid's unnamed pilot. The chocobo was most certainly gone, but Cloud could easily breed another at the farm.
Yuffie sat crouched in disbelief. "My materia; everyone's materia; gone."
Barrett stood without saying a word. His thoughts were on Marlene, and how he'd get back to see her now that this had happened.
Tifa sat on the ground with her hands over her eyes. This was more than enough for her to handle. Behind her hands, tears streamed down her face.
"Let's get moving... we've got to get that checked and get back to town. I don't want to have to see the wreckage any longer than necessary." Cid spoke as the others slowly caught up to him.
The walk wasn't far from the edge of town. The pilot barely managed to divert the collision course by about five hundred yards from the Shinra Mansion. Surely if it were closer Nibelheim would've been destroyed. As the group got closer to the wreckage, the heat intensified. Nanaki eventually stopped and let the others go without him, as did Vincent.
Upon reaching the wreckage, it was clear that not much was left. Fuel which had leaked out of its compartment had coated itself from the top of the mountain to the bottom where the remnants lay. An amazing trail of fire that soared to the sky was visible as far as the eye could see. The aircraft itself had split into three parts. One part was the tail, the second was the sky deck, and the third was the main bridge, with one partial wing remaining.
Cid located the charred remains of Cait Sith II, as well as the chocobo which Cloud had bred. There were no signs of his pilot, although he found a photograph which had been partially burnt. The photograph was of a woman and two kids; presumably the pilot's wife and children.
After salvaging various materials, the group slowly headed back towards town to find a place to stay. Tomorrow there would be a need to find new modes of transportation. There was even the possibility of traveling by walking, but the transportation problems were the least of anyone's concerns at this point. Tomorrow itself was the least of anyone's concerns.
It had been one hell of a week so far. Tifa prayed it didn't get worse.
Smoke trailed from behind the Highwind as it made its decent into the area of Nibelheim. The turbulence was fierce, causing everyone aboard to grasp onto anything bolted down. The pilot began emergency landing procedures, frantically pressing buttons and pulling levers. Cid watched as his ship nearly completed its final voyage, with its engine ablaze. He peered out at the failing engines, noticing small fires in their compartments. The fires were spreading through electrical means, engulfing the Highwind's wingspan. Cloud held Aerith, and she held on even harder. She was crying, afraid, worried, and fearful that this would be the end. Cloud wiped the tears from her eyes and told her "It's going to be okay." She only squeezed him harder. She looked at him; he seemed so calm, and collected, probably right in his assumption. She was glad to be in his arms, afraid of this; her first flight on a ship she thought would be wonderfully flyable.
Tifa looked around for an emergency escape route, parachutes being the only option she could find. There was a crew to chute ratio problem - there were more people than parachutes. She grabbed what she could and ran to the bridge. "We can use these, but only 7 people can make it." she trailed off. Cid looked around; Tifa, Barrett, Cloud, Aerith, Himself, Nanaki, and Vincent, that made seven. His Pilot and Cait wouldn't make it. "Are you SURE there are no more chutes; not a one!?" Tifa shook her head 'No.' Cid looked at his pilot. "Sir, I know what must be done." The pilot said, not looking away from his tasks. Cid stood in silence. "Are you telling me my pilot's willing to commit suicide?!" The pilot nodded. "Go, sir. Go NOW." Cid refused to accept this response. "Why can't you just go with us?" "I need to pilot the ship so it doesn't crash land into a populated area." The pilot said, looking away from Cid. The cigarette that was in Cid's mouth landed on the floor, as Cid looked in disbelief. He couldn't believe the sacrifice that this pilot of his was willing to make. Cait could do it if not for the lack of parachutes.
Barrett brought Cloud and Aerith their respective chutes, and told them what was going to happen. They then gathered up anything they needed and headed for the deck. Everyone was waiting there, chutes on, ready to jump. Nibelheim was merely miles away, as the Highwind slowly descended into the area. "Okay, when we jump, count to five and then pull the cord. Everybody got that? Everyone nodded as they jumped off the side. Cloud looked around as he noticed the whiteness of the sky, filled with clouds, the air rushing around him, his hand holding hers, knowing they'd soon be on the ground. He looked around, his vision becoming vaguely colored, sounds becoming nearly non-existent, the labeling on his parachute becoming a foreign text.
"FIVE!" The time had come, the chutes were opened. Those who had jumped watched the Highwind sail into the mountains of Nibelheim where it crashed in a fiery inferno. Cid solemnly saluted his lost pilot. Smoke rose from the location of the crash, as the group started landing a minute later. Each one touched down with no problems, except for Vincent, who landed harder because of his inability to operate the parachute while this wounded. Shortly after everyone landed and detached their respective parachutes everyone gathered around Cid.
"Before we go in to town, I want to go over to the crash site." Cid stuttered in disbelief as he slowly walked away from the group and towards the wreckage. The group followed. It was unclear at this point exactly what was lost besides the robot Cait Sith and Cid's unnamed pilot. The chocobo was most certainly gone, but Cloud could easily breed another at the farm.
Yuffie sat crouched in disbelief. "My materia; everyone's materia; gone."
Barrett stood without saying a word. His thoughts were on Marlene, and how he'd get back to see her now that this had happened.
Tifa sat on the ground with her hands over her eyes. This was more than enough for her to handle. Behind her hands, tears streamed down her face.
"Let's get moving... we've got to get that checked and get back to town. I don't want to have to see the wreckage any longer than necessary." Cid spoke as the others slowly caught up to him.
The walk wasn't far from the edge of town. The pilot barely managed to divert the collision course by about five hundred yards from the Shinra Mansion. Surely if it were closer Nibelheim would've been destroyed. As the group got closer to the wreckage, the heat intensified. Nanaki eventually stopped and let the others go without him, as did Vincent.
Upon reaching the wreckage, it was clear that not much was left. Fuel which had leaked out of its compartment had coated itself from the top of the mountain to the bottom where the remnants lay. An amazing trail of fire that soared to the sky was visible as far as the eye could see. The aircraft itself had split into three parts. One part was the tail, the second was the sky deck, and the third was the main bridge, with one partial wing remaining.
Cid located the charred remains of Cait Sith II, as well as the chocobo which Cloud had bred. There were no signs of his pilot, although he found a photograph which had been partially burnt. The photograph was of a woman and two kids; presumably the pilot's wife and children.
After salvaging various materials, the group slowly headed back towards town to find a place to stay. Tomorrow there would be a need to find new modes of transportation. There was even the possibility of traveling by walking, but the transportation problems were the least of anyone's concerns at this point. Tomorrow itself was the least of anyone's concerns.
It had been one hell of a week so far. Tifa prayed it didn't get worse.