Heartless Imperfection
Chapter XIX
The interior of the Highwind was comprised of all machinery and metal. Coils and wires strewn across the ceiling and under the main catwalk to the control room, where the pilot flew the Airship and crew gathered. Different terminals with fanciful buttons and strange switches litter the control room. This control room, being at the head of the Highwind, contained an exceedingly large front window for the pilot to judge when to land or accelerate. While Cid explained the Highwind from front to back, Zen remained quiet, absorbing the experience. The others watched on, knowing this Airship to be a Shin-Ra weapon, also. "I also figured you guys'd need my help, seeing as how the source's origin was Midgar."
"That doesn't explain how Aerith knew about you," Said Cloud.
"I told her about the Highwind before the planet was put back together, would you lay off with the accusing eyes and tone? Gee, whiz." Cid grumbled and finished the tour at the meeting room. Chairs sprawled around an unkempt table lie in the center, and Cid points the group into a sleeping quarter for each party member, including Sora.
Zen avoided Sora at all costs, knowing how he reacted to Sora when he drew close. While Sora was still inert, Tifa volunteered to change the old bandage on his head. "He might wake up," She said, then, knowing how silly it was to say that, she said, "That is, if he's sleeping. He won't want to realize his head is infected." She nodded at her own statement and went off to do so.
Zen arched an eyebrow and walked away from the group as they were preparing their rooms, and walked among the fresh wires and metallic insides of the Airship. Experiencing this from a game's perspective was much different, and less scary, than being inside for real. He didn't mind, but headed toward the control room.
"See these purple splotches on this here map?" Cid pointed at a holographic map before him and Zen. The details were near perfect, mapping out elevations and colors as if you were looking at the Planet itself from the Highwind. Huge purple spots are gradually taking the Planet by force. "That's where the Heartless are currently. They've taken Costa Del Sol, Junon, Corel, Mount Nibel, and…" He looked north of the Nibel Mountain chain, "Holy smokes! They just took Rocket Town!" The man looked infuriated, and walked away from Zen. The boy studied the map, noticing a pattern.
"I think I know where they're going to hit next!"
Cid Highwind turned to the kid, "How would you know?" He stumbled over.
"They've cut off the ways off of the continents by sea, now they'll try to take each separated continent piece by piece. I don't know how they acted so fast, but I think the Gold Saucer will get hit, next."
"That's…" Cid watched the Gold Saucer. "Not too bad, kid." He turned to the pilot, "Steer and accelerate for Gold Saucer, double time!"
As soon as the Airship began to turn, a monstrous shape seemed to get larger, aimed toward the Highwind itself. Cid watched the thing, and then turned to his map. Huge shapes began to cloud the sky. One landed in the oceanic deep, another surfed the waves, one dug itself into the sands below the Gold Saucer, another stirred and began to make its way to Midgar, and the last was going to collide with the Highwind.
Aerith appeared, suddenly, "The Weapons!"
"What? What're you saying, woman?!" Cid screamed, and ordered the pilot to flip the emergency levers while Cid took the controls. "We're not going to take this thing head on! We've gotta' move!"
Zen's eyes widened at the oncoming danger. Weapons were humongous creatures not to be dealt with lightly. The one flying is inevitably going to be the Ultimate Weapon, he thought. Details seemed to scream out at the watchers, as the Weapon got closer. Gigantic wings that didn't seem to move kept aloft its hulking body.
Cid spoke into the comm. Microphone, "Brace yourselves, there're two switches I've been dying to touch! This step's gonna' be a loo-loo!"
The Airship shuddered, and the rear fans fell off, opening up space for two turbo-engines to emerge. The engines flared blue, and the Highwind sped away from the path of the Ultimate Weapon. Caught off-guard, the Weapon stopped in its tracks, and seemingly dismissed the fly in the air to fly over mountains and rivers to reach its destination.
Zen was sent sprawling from the holo-map, but Cloud appeared in time to stop him from colliding with metal. "Thanks," He said, but wasn't seemingly heard.
Cloud stepped forward with a certain grace, despite the motion of the Airship, and approached Cid, who was having trouble piloting the aircraft. "Need some help?" He offered.
"Yeah, just hold that thing in place-there, you got it. Now hold it steady while I bring us to a slow." Cloud held onto a small lever, steady amidst the lights flickering and floor rumbling.
No sooner said than done, Cid pulled the Airship to a stop, a few miles above the gambling arena known only as Gold Saucer. Cid adjusted his goggles and slapped Cloud on the back, "You did it! Good job, I'm feeling sick." The Highwind's captain slowly strode away. Zen, feeling himself out for any sickness like Cid, took in a deep breath.
Aerith stopped clutching to a flight terminal and stood up straight. Mimicking Cid's voice, slightly, but taking Cloud's hand, she said, "You did it!"
Zen turned away when Cloud began to smile, and lean closer to Aerith.
Donald and Goofy ran up the metal catwalk, followed by Tifa and Barret. "What happened?" The duck quacked, obviously disturbed.
"Weapons. Aerith'll tell you about them. Wake me up when we're ready to go into the Saucer." The boy looked fatigued, though he had experienced sleep about ten hours before. Donald nodded, and the group shuffled past him.
Zen's white, running shoes slapped against the metal catwalk, he started to shiver. When did it get so cold in here?
"When the Heartless appeared."
Zen looked at the man from his previous dream, "You, again…what do you want?"
"I came to introduce to you a friend of mine. Well, he used to be a test subject, but what the hey, he knows the real you. Riku."
A silver-haired, green-eyed boy stepped out from behind the old man.
Something struck at Zen's heart. He recognized this older boy, but couldn't quite place how. "Who are you?" He was at his knees, already.
"It doesn't look like him, but he gives off the same aura as…" The boy was wearing a yellow and blue baggy jumpsuit with black suspenders and dark shoes. "Does this prove what you were trying to prove, Doctor?"
The oldest man in the room stepped forward, his neck and lower features all hidden by his black cloak strewn across his shoulders. The cloak's end seemed to fade in the air as it billowed out behind him and back. "It doesn't prove, it just puts me one step closer to what he was saying. Does he remember you, or not?"
Riku started to speak before Cloud appeared on the catwalk. "You two, get out of here. Leave him alone."
"But don't you want to know what happened to Sora, Mister Mercenary?" Riku laughed.
Cloud snorted, "Get off this Airship, or I'll be forced to throw you off." The rest of the group appeared behind Cloud, to witness the events.
Zen pushed himself from the metallic floor, "No, Cloud, let me handle this." He put out a hand toward his new friend. "I need to figure out what they're trying to tell me." In that same hand appeared the Kingdom keyblade. "I know how to use this, now. I can… feel it."
Riku flipped backward, off the catwalk, to end up on a large grating of metal above Airship wires. You could see past small circles and into the heart of the Airship. Zen gave one look to the creator of those haunting papers, and jumped after Riku.
The old man shook his head as Cloud started to leap toward him, only to collide with an invisible wall. "My name is Doctor Namse. In case you were wondering, the dark splatters on the group of papers only hid 'And Scientist', haha. None of you have heard of me, I can tell."
Cloud grunted, falling onto the catwalk, helpless.
A swing and a miss, Riku's larger keyblade darted past Zen.
"Ha!" Zen side-swiped, only to be parried. Both boys were forced backward in their respectful directions, only to get ready to charge again. Their keyblades locked for a few seconds, little sparks of energy started to fly.
"Give it up," Said Riku, as he deflected Zen's keyblade to his right, and punched the boy in the head as he unwillingly spun with the force. Zen shredded his cheek on the grating, but forced himself up. Despite the injury, Zen screamed at his foe and began his next attack.
Riku, impressed and overconfident, hardly managed to block the next keyblade flurries delivered by the other keyblade wielder. "Stop, Sora! We shouldn't be fighting!"
The other boy halted his rage, "What'd you call me?"
Riku smirked, and jumped back up to the catwalk, alongside Namse. "Can we give Sora his heart back? He doesn't remember me."
Namse smiled, laughing. "I've proven my cousin wrong, oh Ansem. Your research and hard work after being defeated by that sniveling boy, all for naught. Hearts contain no memories at all! And I've already proven they were imperfect, thanks to Riku, haha."
The menacing voice coming from the old man darkened as he kept speaking.
Riku looked at Zen, but turned to the dark portal behind him. He clenched his fist before leaving the Airship.
Namse gritted his teeth, taking in the seemingly sweet emotion. "Maybe I'll tell you all some more next time we meet. Until then, goodbye." He followed Riku, with a severe limp in his right leg.
Zen kept his gaze steady, even after the portal disappeared. A few moments later, and the lights seemed to turn off, as he fell to the floor once more.