The metal deck plating vibrated under Vincent's feet as he walked through the cargo bay. After making sure the crates were intact, he walked across a long catwalk to a set of stairs leading up to the cockpit. The crewmen were seated at several control stations. The windshield afforded a spectacular view of the blue ocean far below as clouds streaked past. Cid turned from the pilot's station and gestured for Vincent to follow him. They stepped out into cargo bay.
"Ok, spill it," said Cid irritably. Vincent stared back at him expressionless. Cid slammed a fist against the nearby bulkhead.
"Damn it Vincent," he growled, "What the hell are we hauling?"
"You are not being paid to ask questions," said Vincent reasonably. Cid shot him a malevolent glance.
"What could be worth killing Cloud and Tifa over?" demanded Cid sternly. Vincent stayed immobile except for his claws, which tensed up, metal scraping against metal.
"I have my duty," he explained with quiet intensity.
"To the Turks?" said Cid contemptuously, "Don't make me laugh!"
"No," he replied, "To something greater." Cid leaned against the bulkhead.
"Shinra then?" he asked. Vincent merely walked down the catwalk. After a moment Cid followed him. They reached a medium sized crate. Cid looked at him questioningly.
"Are you sure you want to know?" inquired Vincent reluctantly. Cid frowned.
"Of course!" he snapped. Vincent silently pried open the lid of the crate with his claws. Cid gingerly peered inside. A large metal cylinder rested in a bed of straw. Several hoses connected it to a motor that was humming softly. Cid's brow was furrowed in puzzlement. Vincent typed in a code on a keypad on the lid, and it swung open with a hiss. White vapor rose from the inside of the cylinder. Cid leaned forward to see a circular rack holding six tubes suspended in a clear smoking fluid. Cid reached out to the tubes and Vincent grabbed his wrist with his hand.
"Don't touch them, they're freezing," he admonished.
"What are they?" breathed Cid.
"Frozen tissue," said Vincent, "Bone marrow specifically."
"Holy shit!" exclaimed Cid, "Whose?"
"Mine," said Vincent, indicating one of the tubes with a claw. Cid's eyes got wide.
"But…why?" he stammered.
"Professor Hojo collected cell cultures from all his subjects," explained Vincent, "These samples survived the damage caused by Jenova."
"Are those all yours?" asked Cid, numb with shock. Vincent shook his head.
"The others belong to Cloud, Zack, Aeris, Red XIII and Sephiroth," he stated. Cid audibly gulped. A thousand thoughts raced through his head.
"Do you realize what you're saying?" he finally asked. "What is Shinra going to do with them?"
"That is not our concern," said Vincent as he sealed the lid shut.
"Not our concern?" barked Cid as he grabbed Vincent's collar and slammed him against a bulkhead, "You unfeeling bastard!" Vincent encircled his claws around Cid's throat and lifted him off the ground. Cid gasped and sputtered and he frantically struggled against the vice-like grip.
"I don't expect you to understand," explained Vincent solemnly, "But please do not interfere."
"You're worse than…Sephiroth!" wheezed Cid. Vincent's face twitched slightly and he dropped him to the floor.
"You may be right," he said after a moment's reflection. He walked back to the crate and carefully packed the cylinder away. Cid pushed himself off the floor.
"You're really going to…clone another Sephiroth?" he said between gulps of air.
"If necessary," he replied laying his claws on the crate lid. Cid got to his feet and limped off, disgusted. Vincent frowned and tried to pull his claws away, but they didn't budge. He used his right hand to pry the claws free, one by one. He cradled his left arm in his right and flexed the claws experimentally. He knew that he had just lost another part of his humanity. Soon, there would be nothing left.
The pilot turned to Cid as he entered the bridge.
"We're coming up on Junon," he announced. He suddenly looked worried when he saw Cid's expression.
"Sir, are you alright?" he asked. Cid nodded grimly. They saw a giant city along the shore loom into view. It was built in terraces, like a giant metallic staircase. Each tier contained rows of storefronts and residences. In the center was a tall tower decorated with black and red bunting. To the right a small fishing village rested in the shadow of Junon, almost as an afterthought. The late afternoon light gleamed off the bronze colored edifices. The pilot brought the Highwind over a landing pad on the roof of the central building. He killed the engines and the airship slowly settled on the steel platform.
"Begin unloading at once!" ordered Cid.
The crew got up from their stations and went through the bridge door down the staircase. After a moment he followed them. Vincent was already supervising the crew. Cid joined him. The crew loaded the crates onto an enormous flatbed cargo elevator. Once they were done, everyone boarded on the elevator. Vincent pushed a button and the platform descended through the roof into a long square shaft. They could catch glimpses of office space and computer rooms as the plunged deep into the earth. The elevator came to rest and opened up in an underground chamber. A large set of double doors opened, revealing a long half cylindrical undersea tunnel. They could see fish swimming by in almost every direction. At the far end of the corridor was another massive set of steel doors, leading to a large round structure, lit with underwater signaling lights.
"The underwater reactor?" asked Cid, surprised.
"It's been rebuilt," explained Vincent.
"As what?" demanded Cid uneasily.
"Come and see," replied Vincent coolly.
They walked down the corridor to the far set of doors. Vincent punched in a code and the doors rumbled open. They escorted the cargo through and the doors slammed shut behind them.
In Midgar the lights were still burning on the 65th floor of the Shinra building. The phone rang and Reeve picked it up. He listened into the receiver intently.
"Good," he murmured, "Accelerate the process."
He hung up and looked up expectantly at the Turks standing on the other side of the desk. Rude cleared his throat.
"Everything went as planned," he said, "I want you three go and safeguard the Junon facility."
"Understood Mister President," replied Elena.
"I've got a question," said Reno resting his knuckles on the desk. Reeve stared at him blankly. Someone really had to teach this punk some manners, he reflected gloomily.
"Why didn't you let us finish the job?" he demanded.
"Reno," warned Elena.
"We should have killed them!" snapped Reno, "They'll just cause trouble again!" Reeve slowly rose and leaned across his desk.
"There is to be no killing," he said menacingly, "Not while I'm President." Reno smirked and began to laugh. He opened his mouth to remark on that when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Rude shaking his head slowly. Reno sighed and angrily stepped away from the desk.
"Anything else?" asked Elena.
"Just hurry," said Reeve as he slumped back into his chair. After they were gone, he swiveled the chair to gaze at the glowing city below him.
"I'm sorry Cloud," he muttered.
The Turks walked down the corridor into the elevator. They rode up one floor to the flight deck. A white helicopter was already waiting, its propellers whirling. They climbed through a side door and sat on a pair of benches facing each other. Rude slammed the door shut as the helicopter took off and moodily watched as the Shinra building and Midgar slowly receded from view. Elena looked between her partners and sensed the tension in the air.
"I wish Mister Tseng was still here," she said sadly. Rude looked back at her and hoped that his sunglasses hid the pity he felt.
"Yeah he would have handled things a lot better," added Reno rubbing the bandage on his face with a gloved finger.
"The President is doing his best," countered Elena.
"He's too soft!" snorted Reno irritably.
"Maybe it's because he has regrets," she mused.
"Why, do you have any regrets?" retorted Reno.
"The flower girl," said Rude pensively as he looked out the window again. They both stared at him. Elena sighed.
"Well I don't regret the Don's untimely demise," she said grimly.
Far below the helicopter a golden chocobo ran across the rolling waves of the ocean. It kept far enough behind so that it was unlikely to be spotted. The moonlight glinted off its metallic feathers, casting an eerie glow on Cloud's face. Tifa sat behind him, holding on to his waist. She looked up at the distant helicopter.
"Are you sure it's the right one?" she asked. Cloud half turned and smirked.
"I'll be my life on it," he said.
"What if this is a decoy?" she asked.
"I don't think so," he replied, "Shinra's been caught off guard."
"All thanks to Reno," said Tifa bitterly. Cloud grimaced.
"I suspect we'll have a chance to settle things with him," he said.
Junon slowly rose above the horizon, each tier lit in the pale yellow glow of streetlights. As the helicopter headed for the landing pad, Cloud guided the chocobo to the shoreline. They came up the beach into the small fishing village. An old man with white hair and a cloth cap sat on a rocking chair on the back porch, smoking a pipe. It didn't even occur to him to be surprised at the sight.
"Hello there," whispered Cloud.
"Well now, it's that Soldier and his lady friend," said the old man cheerfully, "What can I do for you?" Cloud dismounted and Tifa hopped to the ground.
"Has Shinra been up to anything unusual?" asked Tifa.
"They always are," replied the old man, rubbing his chin.
"Lately," clarified Cloud.
"Yeah, last year or so, there's been a lot more shipments coming in," said the old man, "And Priscilla says Mister Dolphin's been staying away from the underwater reactor." Cloud and Tifa stared at each other.
"Should I tell Pricilla you're here?" he asked.
"Better not," said Cloud stifling a groan. Tifa giggled behind her hand. The old man stood up and patted the chocobo's beak.
"You'd like me to look after your bird while you sneak around?" he asked with a twinkle. Cloud smiled and nodded.
Inside the underwater reactor Cid sat in the control dome on top that had a panoramic view of the ocean. He sipped a cup of coffee and glanced at the technicians who were busy working at control stations. Vincent sat in a large central chair and looked over security monitors, the blue glow of the screens casting a strange glow on his already unhealthy pallor. A door behind him slid open and the Turks ambled in.
"Anything to report?" asked Vincent without looking away from the monitors.
"The subjects escaped as instructed," said Elena. Vincent nodded absently.
"Do you think they're going to find us?" asked Cid as he lit a cigarette.
"Sooner or later," said Vincent as he stood up, "You three check over the security details." They nodded and left.
"What about me?" asked Cid.
"You're coming with me," he replied.
They left through the door down a corridor full of steam pipes jutting from every vertical and horizontal surface. They went down a metal staircase several flights and emerged in front of a heavy security bulkhead. Vincent walked to one side and stood in front of a small eyepiece jutting from a control panel. A red beam of light came out and traced over his right eye. The door rumbled open revealing a large central pillar with a glowing green core visible through a small circular porthole. Six smaller cylindrical metal pillars were arranged in a circle around the core.
"That's a mako reactor!" exclaimed Cid. Vincent gestured him to follow and they entered the cavernous central space. The reactor reached far up and fused with a large dome above them. The door ground shut again. Cid walked over and stared through the hatch.
"It's active!" he said.
"The only operational reactor left," said Vincent looking around the room. Cid turned to face him.
"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.
"Atoning," replied Vincent sadly. Cid blinked in disbelief.
"For what?" said Cid.
At that red lights lit up along the walls and claxons blared around them. They felt a faint rumble underneath their feet.
"Intruders in the reactor!" yelled Elena's voice over the loudspeaker.
"They're here!" said Vincent with a strange gleam in his eyes. He walked over to a wall mounted console and punched a few buttons. The screen lit up with the image of Cloud and Tifa standing in the underwater corridor in front of the main doors. He raised his hand and a green glow spread out from his body. Flaming meteors rained down, hammering the doors into dust. Vincent hit an intercom switch.
"All personnel evacuate!" he announced over the loudspeaker, "Self destruct will be triggered in five minutes!" He typed in a code and a pedestal rose from the ground in front of the reactor. He walked over to it and pulled out a large blocky fuse, priming the charge underneath. A buzzer began to sound amongst the cacophony.
"Self destruct is activated!" intoned a metallic female voice, "Five minutes and counting!"
Vincent pulled a lever and steel shells retracted from the six pillars. Cid gaped at the round glass aquarium-like tanks underneath. Each was filled with a murky green fluid. Three were empty but the other three held shadowy human forms. He walked over to the nearest occupied one. Inside was a naked man with yellow spiky hair, looking asleep.
"I don't believe it!" he exclaimed, "You cloned Cloud!"
"A perfect clone of an imperfect clone," said Vincent. Cid walked over to the next one. Inside was an unclothed man with long black hair. His left arm ended at the elbow in a stump. Vincent didn't need to explain who it was. Cid looked over to the last one, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Inside was a young nude woman, her brown hair streaming behind her.
"Aeris!" said Cid in a strangled sob, slowly falling to his knees. Vincent silently walked up alongside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The tears began to burn in Cid's eyes.
"Shinra hopes to save itself using these clones," he explained consolingly, "But I have other plans."
"Other plans?" he echoed dumbly.
"You must trust me Cid," implored Vincent. The door behind them vibrated and shuddered. Vincent walked up to the glass tank and ran his claws lightly over the surface, scoring the surface with parallel scratches. He then scratched in the opposite direction. With brutal suddenness he slammed his fist into the glass, shattering it. Water gushed out, drenching his legs. The shock of the warm water revived Cid. He got uncertainly to his feet. Vincent reached into the tank and carefully pulled the girl out. She immediately began shivering violently. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
The door behind them exploded, sending molten pieces of metal flying inward, some of them landing close by. Vincent gently picked up the girl and handed her to Cid. He then removed his glasses and pulled out his silver pistol.
"Get ready to run!" yelled Vincent with uncharacteristic emotion. Cid slowly backed away from him and the door. The smoke from the remains of the door briefly obscured the lanky young man wielding a large sword.
"Vincent!" exclaimed Cloud, "You traitor!" Vincent leveled the pistol at his head.
"Don't move Cloud," warned Vincent. Tifa arrived behind Cloud and gasped at the room. Cloud suddenly followed her gaze to the clone tanks. They didn't have time to process what was going on, it was happening all too quickly. Finally they noticed Cid and the girl he was cradling in his arms.
"Aeris!" screamed Cloud taking several steps forward. Vincent fired two shots that hit the wall on either side of Cloud's head. Tifa closed her eyes and got ready to cast.
"Forgive me," said Vincent as he fired a third shot. It went straight through the fuse on the central pedestal, knocking it clean off. The charge underneath erupted into a huge orange fireball that quickly engulfed the entire room. A hot searing wind drove Cloud and Tifa backwards into the corridor. Cloud shook his head and got up. He ran back to the doorway. The room beyond was a sea of flames, the reactor toppling over. The glass in the tanks shattered from the heat.
"Aeris!" yelled Cloud desperately. Tifa grasped his shoulder.
"Cloud, we've got to get out of here!" she screamed.
"I'm not leaving without her!" snapped Cloud. Tears streamed down Tifa's face as she shook him.
"Please!" she begged. Reluctantly they ran away from the collapsing core. The corridors began to buckle and shake as subsidiary charges ignited along the load bearing beams in the superstructure. Seawater began to rush in through breaches, flooding the rooms. The walls crumpled inward from the pressure of the water and the reactor shrank before blossoming into a huge underwater blast. The heat rose upward and caused the water at the surface to boil like a cauldron. The Turks and the evacuated technicians stood on the edge of the lowest tier in Junon overlooking the glowing water below. Together they watched the reactor die.