Meanwhile, Cloud and the others had just entered Cid's house again. Shera was standing in the front room, waiting for them, and she turned to face them, curious.
"Um…excuse me, Cloud? Did the captain say anything?" asked Shera, curiously.
"Not much," replied Cloud, sarcastically.
"Oh…?" said Shera, with a sad, dejected sigh.
Just then, Cid came into the room. He didn't seem surprised or angry at all to see Cloud and the others in his house, but instead he looked angrily at Shera, and glared hard at her, his fists clenched.
"Shera! Just what the heck are ya anyway, blind or something!? We've got guests!! Go get them some tea!!" roared Cid, angrily.
"…I-I'm…s-sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously, looking rather shaky. Shera quickly and frantically walked over to the kitchen to make some tea.
"No really, don't mind us," said Cloud, quickly.
Cid only glared at him, however.
"Shut the hell up!! Sit your damn ass down in that chair, and drink your goddamn tea!!" snapped Cid, angrily.
He yelled in anger and frustration, as he suddenly slammed his fist down hard on the table with such force that it left a noticeable mark on its wooden surface.
"Damn it, I'm pissed!! Shera! I'll be in the backyard tuning up the Tiny Bronco! And be sure to serve them some goddamn tea! Alright!?" snapped Cid, angrily.
Fuming, Cid stormed out through the back door, into the back garden, slamming the back door behind him. Shera hadn't spoken a word, and she didn't seem to be angry with Cid at all, her expression held only sorrow. Tifa looked at her, and sighed.
"Poor Shera…" said Tifa, quietly, not knowing what else to say, both speechless and appalled by Cid's behaviour.
"I'm sorry. It's all our fault," said Cloud, apologetically.
Shera shook her head, and sighed sadly.
"No…it's not your fault at all. He's always like this," said Shera, sadly.
Cloud and the others all stared at her, astonished.
"It's amazing that you can stand to live with him if he's like this to you all the time," said Vincent, thoughtfully.
"Is it really always like this? Just why is Cid so hard on you? Why?" asked Tifa, curiously.
"No, please don't judge him…it's really not his fault. It's all because of my stupid mistake. I was the one who destroyed his dream…" said Shera, sadly.
"What happened?" asked Cloud, curiously, and the others were all listening intently too.
"It happened on the day of the launch. I was tuning the engines of the rocket on that day," said Shera, her mind flashing back to that scene, as she told it to Cloud and the others.
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Shera was busy working on the engines of the rocket, while Cid was watching her, laughing.
"Hey, come on now, get your ass in gear! You work like a snail! Even the moon would get tired waiting around for your ass!" said Cid, laughing.
"I…I'm sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously.
"Just don't spend so much time checking that goddamn oxygen tank! Shera, being careful is good, but it won't do you any good, no matter how many times you check that damn oxygen tank all the damn time! That thing wouldn't break even if hell froze over," said Cid, sternly.
"But…" stammered Shera, anxiously.
"No buts, Shera!! I know you're not stupid, so just be more efficient from now on!" snapped Cid, sharply.
"I'm…I'm sorry…" stammered Shera, but she didn't move, as Cid left the engine section, not noticing Shera hadn't followed him, as he was occupied with his own excited thoughts.
Cid left the engine room, and he walked up to the main piloting controls of the rocket. Three Shinra space workers were standing in the same room.
"Captain, our dreams are finally coming true," said the first man, proudly.
"We are so proud to be a part of the launch of Shinra number 26," said the second man.
"Captain, preparations are complete. All that's left is to lift off," said the third man. Cid laughed happily.
"Yeah! Just leave it all to me!" said Cid, sitting down in the pilot chair, and moving to the main controls.
"Alright, Captain. Fly our dreams into outer space!" said all the three men, at the same time.
"Thanks, guys!" said Cid, happily.
"We'll be praying for your safety, Captain," said one man.
Cid's attention soon switched to the controls, as he prepared to lift off.
"Instrument panels are all clear. Shinra number 26 is ready for launch," said Cid.
He pressed the button on the control system to lift off. A message appeared all around the rocket.
"Engine pressure is rising. Shinra number 26 has 3 minutes until launch. Beginning countdown," said the message. Cid sighed happily.
"Finally…After years and years of research and endless hopes my whole life, my dream is finally coming true at last," said Cid, proudly.
But then, suddenly without warning, an alarm went off and red lights flashed all around the rocket.
"What the…!? What the hell's happened!?" shouted Cid, alarmed, and jumping up from his seat.
Palmer suddenly spoke to Cid on the intercom of the rocket, sounding alarmed and frantic.
"Cid! We have an emergency situation! A mechanic is still in the engine section of the rocket!" shouted Palmer, frantically.
"WHAT!? GODDAMN IT!! Who is the little asshole!?" shouted Cid, enraged.
"I don't know, Cid. But I'll try to contact the guy. Activating the intercom in the engine section," said Palmer.
The intercom in the engine room was activated, and Cid quickly spoke to the person in the engine room using the intercom.
"Hey, goddamn it!! Who the hell is still in there!?" shouted Cid, angrily. The mechanic looked up.
"It's me, Shera. Don't mind me, Captain. Just go ahead with the launch," said Shera, calmly.
"SHERA!? What the hell are you still doing in there!?" shouted Cid, angrily.
"I was still concerned, Captain. The results of the oxygen tank test were still not satisfactory enough," said Shera, shaking her head.
"You stupid little bitch!! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be shit left in that engine room when we blast off! You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You do know that, don't you!?" snapped Cid, angrily.
"I don't mind. If I can just fix this oxygen tank, then the launch will be a success. I'm almost done," said Shera.
"Almost done!? You're gonna to die unless you get out of there NOW!!!" yelled Cid.
Palmer interrupted him on the intercom.
"Cid, we must start the countdown. We won't make it if we don't start it right now!" said Palmer.
"Starting engine!" said another voice.
"Hey, wait a damn minute! Shera's still in there!" shouted Cid, urgently, alarmed.
"What are you going to do, Cid? If we cancel now, then it will be another six months until the next launch, or it might even be more than that!" protested Palmer, nervously.
"Goddamn it, Shera! Do you want to make me into a murderer!?" screamed Cid, angrily, into the intercom.
"Captain, tank number 7 is complete. Once I complete tank number 8, it will be all clear," said Shera, calmly.
"Come on, Shera, hurry up, get moving! You're going to die unless you leave there right NOW!!!" shouted Cid, urgently.
A message appeared all around the rocket.
"30 seconds left remaining until ignition. Beginning countdown…" said the message.
"Cid, just forget about her! If we don't lift off now, we won't make it in time!" shouted Palmer.
"W-What…what am I supposed to do…?" said Cid, shakily.
A message appeared all around the rocket.
"15 seconds until ignition. Infernal temperature is rising," said the message.
"Oh man…the moon…outer space…my dreams…" said Cid, sadly. A message appeared all around the rocket.
"Countdown is complete! Ready for lift off!" said the message. The engines started and the rocket started to move off the ground.
"SHIT!!!!" roared Cid, and he quickly slammed his fist on a button on the main controls.
At this, the rocket suddenly stopped moving, and landed back on the ground, tilting slightly on its side, and then it stopped. But the rocket was now unable to fly, ever again. Shera finished explaining the story to Cloud and the others…
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"Cid pushed the Emergency Engine Shut Down button on the controls, aborting the mission, abandoning his great dream to save my life. After that, the Space Program was cut back, and the launch was cancelled. It's all my fault that his dream was destroyed. That's why…it's alright. I don't care what bad things the Captain says to me or how bad he treats me. I'll live my life for him," said Shera, determinedly.
There was silence, as Cloud and the others really didn't know what to say. Just then, Cid came into the room, oblivious to their meaningful silence, and he was looking slightly calmer now, but he was still glaring at Shera.
"Shera! You still haven't served them tea!" shouted Cid.
"I-I'm…s-sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously.
Cid sat down on a chair at the kitchen table, and he turned to face Cloud and the others.
"Hurry up and sit down! Well?! Are you gonna take a goddamn seat or not!? Or ain't my goddamn hospitality good enough for ya!? Damn it! Shinra are late! Where is Rufus?" shouted Cid, impatiently.
Just then, Palmer suddenly entered through the front door, and came straight into the room. Because Palmer was the head of the Shinra Space Department, Palmer had also originally been Cid's boss, and therefore, he had once known him very well.
"Hey, Cid! Long time, no see! So how have you been?" asked Palmer.
"Well, if it ain't fat man, Palmer! How long were you figuring on keeping me waiting, huh?" asked Cid, his anger vanishing in an instant, a look of eagerness now on his face.
"Hey, don't call me fat!" complained Palmer, although it was clear that Palmer wasn't angry, and he was just being his usual cheerful self. Cid ran over to Palmer, clearly excited.
"So? When is the space program gonna start up again? Is the President here with you?" asked Cid, excited.
"Hey, I don't know when it's going to start up. President Rufus is right outside. Why don't you go and ask him?" suggested Palmer, shrugging.
Cid nodded, and he went outside to find Rufus. Palmer walked over to Shera. He didn't seem to remember or notice Cloud or any of the others, even though some of them had threatened him in the Shinra Headquarters, after Sephiroth had ruthlessly murdered President Shinra.
"Hey, tea! Can I have some too, please? With lots of sugar and honey? Oh, and don't forget the lard! I like lots of lard in my tea," said Palmer.
This disgusted Cloud and the others, and Shera also. Not noticing their grimaces, Palmer sat down on a chair at the kitchen table, and he turned and faced Cloud, as Shera began to make the strange cup of tea.
"Hey, have we met somewhere before?" asked Palmer, looking puzzled.
Cloud didn't answer, and he and the others walked out of Cid's house. They saw Cid and Rufus standing just outside the house, and they all made sure to hide so that Rufus didn't see them, but they still listened in from behind a large bush beside the house, peeking through it. Rufus started to speak first.
"Now then, let's get down to business," said Rufus, coolly.
"What are your plans for restarting the Space Program?" asked Cid, curiously, quivering in excitement.
"Nothing," replied Rufus, calmly.
There was a long, very silent pause.
"NOTHING!!!? Then why the fuck are you here!?" roared Cid, angrily, now shaking with rage.
Rufus just stared calmly and coldly at Cid, not affected by his words or anger at all.
"I didn't come here for the Space Program. You've been misinformed. The Space Program isn't going to be restarted. It was a waste of time, money and resources. Those who started the program were fools to think that the Promised Land lies in space," said Rufus, coldly.
"What the…!? To hell with all your damn Promised Land crap! What the hell do you mean you're not going to restart the Space Program!? You mean to tell me that you got me all excited for nothing!? Then what the hell did you come here for!? Are you telling me to just forget about what I worked so hard for my whole damn life!? Damn you, Rufus, you bastard!" shouted Cid, angrily, and loudly, shaking with rage.
"You will address me as President Rufus, Mr Highwind. And I came here because I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco. We're going after Sephiroth. But it seems like we've been heading in the wrong direction. Now we think we know where he's heading. But we have to cross the ocean. That's why we need your plane," explained Rufus, coolly.
"Like hell you will! First the airship, then the rocket, and now the Tiny Bronco! Shinra took outer space away from me, and now you want to take the sky away from me, too!?" snapped Cid, angrily, and loudly.
"You seem to be forgetting, Mr Highwind, that it was because of Shinra Incorporated that you were able to fly in the first place," said Rufus, coldly.
"WHAT!? My plane is going nowhere!! You're not laying a finger on her, you bastard!" shouted Cid.
Shera came out of the house, and she walked up to Cloud.
"Excuse me, Cloud, all of you. Please come this way," said Shera, urgently.
Cloud, Vincent and Aeris quickly followed Shera back into the house, while Barret, Tifa, Yuffie, Red XIII and Cait Sith decided to stay and keep a look out, and they kept watching Rufus and Cid at a distance, and making sure they were hidden so they weren't seen.
Meanwhile, Cid Highwind had gone absolutely livid in an overwhelming rage, and began cursing and swearing angrily at Rufus Shinra, non-stop, who stood there as if bored, although he was somewhat startled.
Under cover of the sudden distraction, Cloud, Vincent and Aeris had managed to duck back into the house without being seen or noticed, and Tifa breathed a sigh of relief as they made it in the house safely. Yuffie, however, was busy gaping in astonishment at Cid's harsh, foul language.
"Wow…even Barret could give that guy some lessons on how to lighten up," said Yuffie.
"Yeah, Cid does have some nerve, talking that way to Rufus Shinra," said Tifa. Cait Sith looked thoughtful.
"If its Cid's plane that they're after, then he would be pretty angry about that, since he already mentioned that Shinra had already took his airship and the rocket. After all, Captain Cid Highwind was Shinra's top pilot, and he was chosen to fly their rocket into space, but Shinra were the ones who cancelled the Space Program," said Cait Sith. Barret nodded.
"Yeah, it all makes sense. So is that Cid guy on our side or theirs, do you think? I'm not so sure that I trust the guy, since he did work for Shinra," said Barret.
"Well, he sure doesn't seem to be on Shinra's side to me from where I'm standing," said Yuffie, shrugging, as Cid was still swearing consistently at Rufus.
"It sounds like something's going on from behind the house," said Red XIII, suddenly.
They all went silent, listening. Indeed, the faint hum of a motor could be heard. Cid and Rufus should have been able to hear it too, but they both seemed to be too busy arguing with each other to pay it any attention to the noise.
"I'll go check it out!" said Yuffie, cheerfully, bouncing off through the hedge.
Somehow, she managed to make no noise at all, for which they were all grateful. Still, Tifa made a grab for her arm, but she was too late as Yuffie was already long gone.
"Yuffie! She could be walking right into trouble back there…" said Tifa, worried. Barret growled.
"If that damn kid gives us away..." snarled Barret, angrily, his fist clenched. Red XIII shook his head.
"She'll be fine. You heard how little noise she made just now, and how quick she is. I almost lost sight of her a couple of times, just walking around this town. No one will see her unless she wants to be seen. She's very sneaky," said Red XIII.
Everyone else nodded, looking reassured.
****************************************************************
Meanwhile, Cloud, Vincent and Aeris stood in Cid's house with Shera, unaware of what was going on outside.
"You said earlier that you wanted to use the Tiny Bronco, right? I know that the Captain would be much happier if the Tiny Bronco was in your possession and not Shinra's. I believe that Palmer is going to take it for Shinra. Why don't you go and talk to him?" said Shera.
"Thanks, Shera," replied Cloud. Shera smiled and nodded.
Cloud, Vincent and Aeris went out the back door, and into the back garden. Palmer was standing nearby the Tiny Bronco, and he was muttering things to himself, looking unusually irritated for once.
"Why do I have to do this? Stealing like some common thief? I'm the head of the Shinra Space Department for goodness sake...now, just how do you start this thing up? Damn it, I should know how to do this…" muttered Palmer.
Cloud, Vincent and Aeris walked up to Palmer. Noticing them, Palmer spun around and faced them, and he seemed very surprised and taken aback to see them there.
"We'll be taking the Tiny Bronco," said Cloud, icily.
"I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before…I know, I know now! In the Shinra Headquarters! W-When the P-President was killed! S-Security!" shouted Palmer, urgently, clearly terrified now, shaking with terror.
Suddenly though, the Tiny Bronco started to move by itself, as though Palmer had accidentally left the handbrake on while he had been trying to get it going, and the sound of the plane's motor flared to life.
The Tiny Bronco moved straight towards Palmer, its propellers headed straight for him. Palmer managed to duck and roll on the grass, away the plane just in time before it could slice his head off.
But just as he got up, Aeris suddenly ran towards him, raised her quarterstaff, and swung it at him, hitting Palmer hard in the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying into the wall of the house, hitting it hard.
Palmer just managed to get back up, blood pouring from his ruined nose, and he quickly ran away from Cloud, Vincent and Aeris in terror, and right out onto the road, when suddenly a Shinra truck came hurtling out of nowhere, and rammed Palmer hard, sending him flying to the ground. Palmer bounced off the ground a few times, and then he lay still and motionless.
The Shinra truck quickly stopped, screeching to a halt, and Palmer still laid on the ground, unconscious, wounded and badly injured, but not quite dead.
Cloud quickly jumped into the cockpit of the Tiny Bronco, while Vincent held tightly onto the right wing of the plane, and Aeris held tightly onto the left wing of the plane.
"It's not going to stop," observed Vincent, grimly.
"Cloud, the plane's already started, and I don't know what to do to stop it," said Aeris, worried.
"Forget it, let's just go!" said Cloud.
They took off in the Tiny Bronco and flew in the air, passed the rocket, but Cloud had never flown a plane before and therefore did not know how to control it properly, so they were flying around it circles around the rocket, with Vincent and Aeris barely able to hold onto the wings of the Tiny Bronco. Cid and Rufus then heard the noise of the Tiny Bronco in the air.
"That sure sounds a hell of a lot like my Tiny Bronco. Ain't that a damn coincidence?" said Cid, coldly.
"Maybe," said Rufus, shrugging indifferently.
"Damn you, Rufus! Where the hell do you get off, trying to steal my plane!?" snapped Cid, angrily.
Rufus was about to reply, when suddenly, he spotted the Tiny Bronco in the air, and he spotted Cloud in the cockpit, and his eyes widened in surprise before he snarled with anger.
"That's not Palmer! Damn it, I should have never trusted him to get the job done!" shouted Rufus, angrily, frustrated.
"Ah ha! So you admit that you DID try to steal the Tiny Bronco! H-HOLY SHIT!!" exclaimed Cid, as he suddenly noticed the Tiny Bronco in the air as well, with Cloud behind the cockpit, and Vincent and Aeris hanging on for dear life at the wings.
The Tiny Bronco flew near the ground as it passed Cid, Rufus and Tseng. Shinra soldiers started firing after the Tiny Bronco, while Cid quickly ran after it before anyone else could stop him, and he just barely managed to grab onto the back wing of the Tiny Bronco.
Suddenly, Rufus took out his shotgun and (with amazing accuracy and skill) fired at the Tiny Bronco. His shot hit the main part of the back wing of the plane, and the Tiny Bronco started to fall, just as they were passing over land and going out to sea.
"Shit! The tail's been hit!" shouted Cid, alarmed, who was hanging onto it, and had only just avoided been shot by Rufus.
"Emergency landing!" warned Cloud, glancing at Vincent and Aeris, who were still tightly holding onto the wings.
"Hold on to your drawers, and don't piss in them!" shouted Cid, as the plane began to fall.
The Tiny Bronco abruptly crashed down into the water with a trail of smoke at the back of it, but it wasn't a rough landing.
The Tiny Bronco floated on the water, close to the shore, while Cloud, Cid, Vincent and Aeris sat on the top of it. They had managed to escape from Shinra, but Cid was looking across at the horizon at the sea, with a mixture of sadness and disappointment in his face.
"Goddamn Shinra. The Tiny Bronco won't fly anymore…" said Cid, sadly.
"Can we still use it as a boat?" asked Cloud, curiously. Cid glared furiously at him, and he exploded with rage once again.
"Just do whatever the hell you want with it!! Do whatever the fuck you like!! I don't care!! I don't give a damn anymore!!" snapped Cid, angrily. Then the fury drained out of him, and he looked miserably out at the ocean once again.
"Cid, are you okay?" asked Cloud, concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be fine, I guess…" replied Cid, miserably.
"Cid, what are you going to do now?" asked Cloud.
"I don't know…I'm history with Shinra…and I've given up on the town…I really couldn't care less about running it…" replied Cid, with a dejected sigh.
"What about your wife? What about Shera?" asked Cloud.
Cid suddenly laughed out loud at Cloud, and it was a bark of a laugh filled with scorn.
"Wife!? Don't make me laugh, you stupid dumb ass!! Just thinking about marrying HER gives me the chills!" snapped Cid, furiously.
Cid then steadily calmed down again, and he looked around at them curiously.
"What are you guys gonna do now, anyways?" asked Cid.
"We're going after a man named Sephiroth. We'll have to take care of Rufus Shinra someday too," said Cloud, suddenly thinking of how useful it would be if Cid joined their group.
"I don't know about that but…ah hell, what the heck! I've got nowhere else to go anyways! Sign me up!" shouted Cid.
"How about it, everyone?" said Cloud, turning to face Vincent and Aeris, curiously. He wanted Cid to join too but he also needed to ask the others what they thought about it.
"Just do whatever you like," replied Vincent, shrugging, as though he did not care at all.
"Yeah, why not? The more, the merrier," said Aeris, smiling.
"Glad to be aboard, numbskulls!" shouted Cid.
"Numbskulls?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.
"Yeah, anyone stupid enough to go up against Shinra nowadays has gotta be a numbskull! I like it! So where are we headed? Rufus told me that he was going after Sephiroth, towards the Temple of the Ancients," said Cid.
Aeris spun around to face Cid in surprise, her face suddenly bright with curiosity and excitement, while Cloud also stared at Cid in astonishment.
"Really!? Where is it? The Temple of the Ancients?" asked Cloud, curiously, while Aeris listened eagerly, but Vincent, on the other hand, didn't seem to be too bothered or interested at all.
"I don't know…Rufus was telling me that he was heading in the wrong direction. So maybe it's the other way," said Cid, shrugging.
"Let's just head for land, and get some more information about it. The Temple of the Ancients. That name bothers me…" said Cloud, with a shudder, although he wasn't quite sure why, but there was something strangely ominous about it…
Cloud, Cid, Vincent and Aeris soon went back onto dry land, using the Tiny Bronco as a boat. They got off it, and they wondered where to head to next, and decided to wait for a while for the others.
Cloud and Aeris began chatting to each other, Cid smoked on his cigar, while trying to fix some parts of the Tiny Bronco using some tools he still had with him, and Vincent just stood up the whole time, staring across the land in front of them and the ocean beyond, but in reality, he was deep in his own thoughts.
Very soon, Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Red XIII and Cait Sith had caught got up with them in no time and with no trouble.
"Alright, now let's get going before Shinra find us. Both Rufus and Tseng are still out there somewhere, and they could be trouble. Palmer is going to be knocked out and really injured for ages, though, so he won't have to worry about him for quite a while," said Cloud.
"Yeah, I wonder what kind of idiot would run over one of his own bosses?" said Barret, scornfully.
Yuffie suddenly snorted with laughter.
"Not likely! See, it wasn't anyone from Shinra in that truck, because I...well I...I was trying to block Palmer's getaway with that Shinra truck, and instead I…I sort of...hit him," said Yuffie, giggling slightly.
"You what?!" shouted Tifa, astonished. Everyone was staring at Yuffie in shock.
"I sort of knocked out the truck's driver with one blow, got behind the wheel, and tried to move it, only I'm not a real good driver. I hit the gas a little harder than I should have..." explained Yuffie, sheepishly.
"You ran over Palmer?" asked Red XIII, in disbelief.
"No, I didn't run over him! God, I just hit him, and...I think he'll be okay, he just bounced," said Yuffie, giggling even more.
Some of them groaned, while others looked disgusted.
"Just as well. Palmer's not exactly a dangerous fellow, now is he? But we better get going since Rufus is nearby here, and he really is a big threat," said Cait Sith, anxiously.