Chapter 6
As the Tiny Bronco passed over the wasted plains, Midgar loomed large on the horizon. Even in the daytime, the city seemed to draw all the light into itself. Cid frowned as he banked the plane. Something was out of place. They flew over the outer ring and could clearly see a series of giant pylons jutting out of the ground, like a half completed elevated highway. Giant derricks lifted enormous pipes so that they were resting between the support beams. Bright blue sparks of light illuminated where the work crews were welding pieces together. Cloud gripped the strut forcefully.
"Those sons of bitches!" cursed Cid, "They're rebuilding the Sister Ray!"
"Stay high Cid," ordered Cloud, his mind racing. Cid circled the plane around the Shinra Tower and flew off toward the city's edge again.
"What's the next move?" asked Cid.
"I'm thinking," replied Cloud.
"Where do we start looking?" asked Yuffie.
"We can't stay up here forever!" called Tifa.
"I'm running on fumes as it is," groused Cid. Cloud could barely hear the chirping noise over the roar of the engines. He glanced at Cid with a puzzled expression then reached into his jacket. He pulled out a small PHS phone and held it to his ear.
"What?" he yelled, "Please speak up!" Cid glanced at him questioningly. Cloud's face lit up with surprise.
"Of course!" he shouted, "I'll take care of it!"
"Who is it?" asked Cid. Cloud didn't seem to hear him.
"Don't worry!" he yelled, "And thanks!" Cloud hung up and leaned into the cockpit.
"Head for Mako Reactor 8!" he instructed.
"Who the hell was that?" demanded Cid.
"Elmyra," said Cloud.
"Roger," said Cid, "We're gonna land this bucket!" Cid dipped the wings and careened dangerously close to the tops of the residential buildings of Sector 8. People on the streets ran for cover as Cid guided the Tiny Bronco onto the main boulevard. Cars screeched to a halt and honked angrily at them as they flew past.
"Don't worry," shouted Cid cheerfully, "I've done this before!"
"When?" asked Cloud with an arched eyebrow.
"Hey I was a kid once too you know!" retorted Cid with a wink. The Tiny Bronco gradually touched the pavement and began scouring two deep ruts into the road surface. Cid pulled on the levers and the wing flaps flew up all at once. The plane slowly skidded to a stop. Cid killed the motor and removed the key.
"Piece of cake!" he exclaimed beaming.
"I think I'm going to be sick," said Yuffie as she cut herself free from the wing.
"I know what you mean," said Cloud looking pale.
They turned to face the massive reactor looming three blocks away at the end of the road. A crowd of curious onlookers were shoved aside by soldiers dressed in blue.
"Let's get on with it," said Cloud as he drew his sword.
Inside Mako Reactor 8 the elevator doors opened to reveal a cavernous open space. A long catwalk bridged a long chasm formed by two vertical walls. A second catwalk met the first in the middle forming a T shape. The far end of it ran through a rectangular door embedded just below the cylindrical stack. Pandora walked down the long catwalk, flanked by Elena and Rude. At the intersection, she glanced up at the enormous numerals '08' emblazoned on the tower before her. The intersecting catwalk led into the heart of the reactor. They emerged at the top of a cubical platform with a squat vent attached to the top. After climbing down the staircase that wrapped around two sides of the platform they walked through another set of doors into the reactor core.
The core was tall, with hexagonal walls. A lone platform stretched across the vast empty space. A hatch was mounted into the far wall. A large throne sat in front of the hatch, connected to the reactor by dozens of wires. The chair has wrist and ankle straps and sat under a strange glowing metal disc. Technicians in white coats were adjusting the connections of a portable computer to the reactor. Pandora looked over the scene fearfully. One of the technicians, a man with silver hair and horn rimmed glasses approached them.
"I'm Oswald," he said, "Is this the subject?" Elena nodded.
"Looks like she's been introduced to external stimuli prematurely," he mused thoughtfully as he examined Pandora appraisingly.
"Prematurely?" asked Rude.
"Yes," said Oswald, "Naturally we prefer to indoctrinate clones directly after revival."
"What are you going to do to me?" asked Pandora as she eyed the machine uncertainly. The technician arched an eyebrow.
"We have to program you with the appropriate memories and control protocols," he said dryly, "Although this explanation is wasted on you."
"Why is that?" asked Elena.
"Because, the indoctrination procedure will overwrite all her present memories, including this conversation," he intoned with a slightly bored expression. Elena and Rude both stared at Pandora. She hung her head.
"All right," she said meekly.
Rude led her to the chair. She handed him the Angel Guard before she sat down. Elena walked over and began attaching the ankle braces as Rude strapped her wrists to the armrests. Pandora stared straight ahead at the fans slowly revolving in one of the far walls.
"Are they too tight?" asked Rude. He grimaced and looked down to see her hand tightly gripping his.
"Please don't leave," she whispered desperately. Rude nodded quietly.
"She's ready," said Elena as she took several steps back.
"Hey Turk," yelled a junior technician, "Could you move it?"
"Make me," growled Rude.
"Suit yourself," said Oswald, "Begin the procedure!" The disc lowered and covered Pandora's face. The reactor behind her began to power up with an eerie green glow.
"Reactor 8 is online!" yelled a technician.
"Power output steady!" yelled another.
"What's the status of the algorithms?" asked the lead technician.
"Input is green!" said a technician at the laptop.
"Start the indoctrination," commanded Oswald.
The disc fired up in a riot of prismatic colors. Pandora's knuckles went white as her hand dug into Rude's. He winced in pain as rested his free hand on top of hers.
"Compression rate is steady!" shouted a technician.
"Minimal backflow!" chimed in another technician. Pandora's body began to tremble as the energy surged through her. The flashing lights reflected off of Rude's sunglasses.
"Just forget about all this," he said quietly.
The entrance doors exploded off the hinges rebounding off nearby walls before tumbling noisily to the pit far blow. The Turks and the technicians turned to see Cloud standing there with Yuffie and Tifa by his side.
"Don't them interrupt the procedure!" commanded Oswald waving a hand. Yuffie cast with a green glow and the technicians slumped over their controls.
"A sleep spell?" said Elena.
"What are they doing to her?" breathed Tifa in horrified awe.
"Smash it!" ordered Cloud.
Tifa ran toward the computer and punched through it with her fist. The computer sent out a shower of sparks and the entire reactor shut down, plunging to room into darkness.
"No!" screamed Oswald, "You can't do this!" Cloud grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"Watch me," he said. Oswald peered at his dimly glowing eyes.
"Wait, you're that failure!" he exclaimed.
"Only to people like you!" snapped Cloud icily. Oswald grasped desperately onto Cloud's wrist with both hands.
"You still serve Shinra," he protested feebly, "You just don't realize it."
Cloud tossed him aside contemptuously. Oswald landed limp as a rag doll on top of some steel canisters. Holding out his sword cautiously, Cloud approached Rude and Elena.
"We can't just let you waltz in her and take her," protested Elena as she pointed at Cloud.
"Sure we can," said Rude leisurely.
"Rude!" exclaimed Elena. Rude gently disengaged Pandora's hand from his and turned his back to them. Elena sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. Yuffie ran over and cut Pandora loose from the straps. Cloud came over and gently raised the disc. He examined the unconscious girl with a twinge of guilt mixed with sadness. As Pandora's eyes fluttered open, it took her a moment to focus.
"Elena?" she asked staring past Cloud. Elena gasped.
"You still remember me?" she asked. Pandora slowly nodded. She then looked back to Cloud.
"I don't know you," she said frowning slightly, "Have we met before?"
"You might say that," said Cloud with a wry smile, "I was your bodyguard." She blinked up at him uncertainly. Cloud held out his hand.
"Can you stand?" he asked gently. She took his hand and got unsteadily to her feet. She glanced next to her.
"Rude?" she asked. Rude slowly turned to face her. He picked up the Angel Guard and tossed it to her. She caught it cautiously.
"Go quickly," he said, "More soldiers will be coming soon."
She looked back at Elena and Rude as Cloud led her down the catwalk. Tifa smiled to them as she and Yuffie followed them out.
"Pity about that," mused Elena.
"Hmm?" asked Rude.
"She would have made one hell of a Turk," she said with a smirk.
On the 33rd floor of the Shinra building, Reno frowned as the lights in Sector 8 winked out. He stared at his reflection in the panoramic windows as he retrieved his radio from his pocket and spoke into it.
"Hey Elena, what's up with the reactor?" he asked. He waited for a long time but heard nothing but static.
"Rude, come in big guy," he said. Again he waited. Suddenly it began beeping frantically.
"Reno," said Reeve's voice crackling over the static, "Don't worry, everything is fine."
"Mister President?" he inquired doubtfully, "Are you sure about that?"
"Cloud can have her for now," he replied, "It won't affect our long term goals." Reno pondered this for a moment. Then he heard the distant sound of breaking glass. He frowned and walked into the cryogenic room. He walked down the catwalk and punched in the code. As the door slowly rumbled up Reno saw freezing blue fluid flowing out from under it. Standing in the middle of the room was a pale lumbering giant with limbs that were sewn on. It had spiky yellow hair and bolts protruded from its shoulders and mouth. It turned to face him and regarded him with glowing red eyes.
"Crap!" he yelled as he sealed the door hastily. The door immediately began vibrating and denting in from the force of the blows on the other side. Reno ran to the far end of the room and pushed a red lever. Blast doors came down and sealed the chamber off. He hit an intercom.
"Security to the 33rd floor!" he shouted.
"Reno what's happening?" asked Reeve's voice over the radio. Soldiers in blue and red uniforms rushed down the corridors on either side of him.
"We've got a live one!" barked Reno. The soldiers formed two firing lines down the side corridors. He joined the front ranks on the right side. They charged up their rifles as he pulled out a new electroshock rod. They heard distant rumbling and crashes on the far side of the blast doors.
"Show him no mercy!" admonished Reno, "Because he sure as hell won't!" The blast door vibrated and cracked apart as a fist punched through it. The Death Gigas lumbered out into the hallway as the soldiers opened fire, pummeling it with energy blasts. It roared and electricity arced off its body. It sent out yellow bolts that shot through the soldiers standing next to Reno. They slumped heavily to the ground.
"Shit!" cursed Reno as he realized his weapon would be useless against an electrical monster. The soldiers behind him opened another volley that sent the Death Gigas flying backwards. Reno furiously wondered what had caused Vincent to berserk again. He had been frozen and immobile this time. The Death Gigas bellowed and dove through one of the plate glass windows. The soldiers rushed to the window and peered down into the darkness.
"That's a thirty storey drop!" exclaimed one of the soldiers.
"He couldn't survive a fall like that," said another soldier.
"Unless he's climbing down!" snapped Reno, "Send out search patrols!" The soldiers saluted and ran off as medics tended to the wounded. Reno swore under his breath as he lit a cigarette.
Cloud peered across the city as they emerged on the rooftop of Reactor 8. He smiled faintly as he heard the rumble of engines. Tifa and Yuffie leapt off the roof and landed on the Tiny Bronco's wings as it flew past.
"Get ready to jump!" yelled Cloud as the plane circled around for another pass.
"I can't, it's too far!" exclaimed Pandora fearfully. Cloud sighed and picked her up in his arms.
"Hold onto me!" he said. She put her arms around his neck and clung fiercely to him as he made a running leap off the rooftop. He landed on one wing heavily, making it dip. As the plane seesawed he quickly sprinted to the center of the wing. They lay flat and clutched to the sheet metal as the plane careened over the outer districts of Midgar.
"You got her?" shouted Cid from the cockpit.
"Cid!" shouted Pandora. He looked up at her and grinned.
"Glad you made it!" he said with relief.
"Head for Cosmo Canyon!" ordered Cloud.
"Why?" asked Yuffie from the left wing.
"I need Nanaki's help," replied Cloud, "If the planet's really in danger, he'll know what to do."
"First we have to refuel," said Cid, "I'll put us down in Kalm." The Tiny Bronco wobbled uncertainly off to the north of Midgar.
Vincent came to vaguely aware of the cool touch of stone to his face. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a vast circular expanse of polished black marble that made up the floor of the cavern. It had once been natural, but the floor had been leveled near the entrance. He could see daylight faintly through the flow of water cascading on the other side of the cave entrance. With numbing dread he turned his head to face the other way. Lying on the floor in front of him was the Death Penalty. Beyond it was a small staircase leading up to a platform in front of a round shimmering white portal nestled in a sea of stalagmites.
"Lucrecia," he whispered. Inside the glowing portal a woman appeared. Her golden brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a sensible dress underneath a lab coat. She regarded Vincent with hazel eyes that looked forever beyond his reach.
"Vincent," said Lucrecia distantly, "How long has it been?"
"Too long," he said pulling himself up into a sitting position. He rested his hand lightly on the stock of the Death Penalty.
"I don't know how I got here," he mused.
"You were compelled to see me," she said, "Did you come to tell me about Sephiroth?" Vincent looked up at her, fear gripping him like a vice.
"Yes," he said eventually.
"How is he?" she asked hopefully, "You saw him, didn't you?"
"I saw him," replied Vincent, "I'll bring him to you soon." Lucrecia smiled benevolently to him.
"And Professor Hojo and President Shinra, he added grimly, "I'll bring them all to you."
"Please hurry," she urged, "I've waited so long." Vincent nodded, the fear draining out of him as quickly as it had come.
"I will free you Lucrecia my love," he whispered darkly, "Even if I must become the devil himself to do it." How weak he really was to his feelings, he reflected. Fate was his true master and he now knew he could no longer fight it. Only by surrendering to the dark could he free her. He dropped his claws to the ground and began to score deep scratches into the rock.