Cid Highwind; The world's first Astronaut
The team arrived in Rocket Town not ten hours later. Cid ran up towards his precious rocket and bowled over several SOLDIER guards to get to the cockpit of the rocket. Cloud and Barret followed Cid, telling the others to stay behind.
Beth watched as in five minutes, the rocket launched and took off into space. Tifa yelled for Cloud and turned to run into the Inn. Beth, the Turks and Vincent just stood and stared.
Cloud and the others returned in a few hours, and told the group that they had better hurry to Cosmo Canyon.
"Good," Nanaki said, "I have some things I would like to ask Grandfather..." He looked at Kukarui.
Soon, the whole allied group of Avalanche sat in Bugehagen's laboratory. Cloud wanted to discuss how to handle Sephiroth and Meteor, but Nanaki wanted to discuss other things.
Bugenhagen told Nanaki that he would answer his questions soon enough and told Cloud to store the Huge Materia in his machine, where it would be safe from harm.
"We must return to the Ancient City in order for the Key that Cloud found to have any use..." Bugenhagen told the group.
"Grandfather... I..."
"In due time, Nanaki..."
Soon Bugenhagen had shown the group the place in the City of the Ancients where he would use the key. He asked that three people come into the water sphere with him. Cloud, Beth and Nanaki did.
"Aeris..." Cloud said after they were gone for almost ten minutes.
"Huh?" Tifa said.
"Aeris prayed for Holy, but Sephiroth is holding it back..." Beth said.
"You're brother is killing the planet?" Reno said.
"Please, call him by his name, he is only my brother through birth and nothing else." Beth hissed.
"If Sephiroth isn't killed, the planet will die as well." Cloud said.
Beth grew uneasy and quiet.
On the way back to the Highwind, Cait Sith, quiet until now, spoke up, "Hey, Guys... the Junon Cannon has been found... it's in Midgar..."
"What is Shin-Ra doing with THAT cannon?" Tifa said, looking at the Turks.
"Hey, don't look at us, we just WORK there!" Elena said.
"They have attached it to the Mako reactors and are planning to use it on Sephiroth" Cait Sith said.
"We'd better hurry to Midgar and FAST!" Cid said, as the group ran onto the Highwind.
Just as the group started to get onto the Highwind, the earth began to rattle.
"A WEAPON!" Tifa cried, "It's gonna attack Midgar!"
"Come on Cid, show us you know how to drive this hunk of junk and get us to Midgar NOW!" Cloud yelled as Cid took off, throwing everyone to the back of the ship.
"It's NOT a HUNK OF JUNK!" Cid yelled.
Diamond WEAPON attacked the group just as they landed on the beach by Midgar.
"Beth! VINCENT! Ready to show us you're limit breaks?" Cloud said.
"Uh... looks as if we have to anyway!" Beth said, "Like it or NOT!"
The fight started with Vincent casting Mbarrier on the group. Cloud then quickly cast Haste while Beth cast Regen. Diamond weapon attacked after that, leaving Beth hurting.
"Don't worry about me, I'll heal myself... you just set up Barrier!" Beth yelled at Cloud, when she noticed he was reaching for a potion.
Vincent used Comet2 and Beth used Heal2 All.
Diamond attacked using a strong attack, knocking Beth back almost to Junon. She jumped up with a fire in her eyes.
"VINCENT! She has hit her limit break!" Cloud said, holding off on using Knights of the Round Table for a second.
"CLOUD!" Vincent yelled as Diamond hit him with Diamond Flash, almost killing him. "PAY ATTENTION!"
Cloud cast Knights of the Round Table, Vincent used Ultima on Diamond.
Beth let out a roar and transformed into Panthera, a huge winged panther humanoid. Vincent looked over for a moment and felt almost... jealous, all Hojo had given him was Chaos, who was about to come out and play himself.
Panthera let go with an attack called 'Dark Night,' an attack that caused Diamond to retaliate on Vincent, sending him into his limit break. Chaos.
Cloud knew that it was his job to heal the group and to make sure that he didn't die. He cast Regen again and watched for his own butt.
Chaos roared with might and hit the Diamond WEAPON with Chaos Saber. Cloud jumped to avoid being hit in retaliation and cast Haste on the group.
Panthera showed off her other Limit Break attack, called "Tsunami of Hatred" Diamond WEAPON got hit by a wave of crimson blood that caused severe damage.
Chaos used his Stan Slam on Diamond.
Shortly after the trio fought Diamond WEAPON, it shot at Midgar, but Midgar shot back. The Sister Ray's mako ray tore through WEAPON and towards the Crater. WEAPON had shot back, and it was heading towards the Shin-Ra building.
By the time they heard the crash, Beth, Vincent and Cloud were back on the Highwind.
"THE SHIN-RA BUILDING!!!" Elena cried.
Beth, Tseng, Rude, Reno and Vincent all ran over to the window of the ship to see that the president's office had been hit.
"RUFUS!" Beth cried, Tseng looked at her, then back at the building.
Nothing more was said, until Cait Sith said that there was nothing stopping them from entering the Crater now. So Cid took the group to the Crater.
"Let's go!" Cloud yelled as he was about to leave... but Cait Sith stopped him.
"Guys, I... I mean Reeve is having trouble stopping Hojo, who is going to shoot at the Crater again with some more Mako! There's nothing we can do to stop him!" Cait Sith said.
So the Highwind hurried back to Midgar. Cid was about to land.
"Joy... after all these years, I get to tell Hojo thank you..." Vincent said.
"If you think you aren't taking ME along to meet my father, Cloud, you got another thing coming!"
"Yes, you two will be chosen to fight with me. But There's no time to land Cid, fly over... everyone else, grab parachutes, we have to HURRY!"
Everyone grabbed a parachute and put it on. Elena looked pale by the time that Cloud and Tifa jumped over the side of the Airship.
"What's-the-matter Rookie? Forget your training?" Reno said, jumping over the side. Beth and Vincent, Barret and Cait Sith followed suit.
Tseng helped Elena and they soon were all in the air above Midgar..
"GERONIMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Reno yelled. Tseng, floating down with his own parachute beside him, gave a disapproving look.
As soon as they landed, they lost their parachutes, Cait Sith showed them where to go to reach Hojo.
"We must hurry, there is no time to loose!" Cait Sith said.
"Yeah, Reno... listen to your boyfriend..." Elena joked as the group ran along.
"I didn' kno' a stuffed toy coul' blush!" Barret said.
Cait Sith was blushing. "We aren't really dating... that's an ongoing joke in the Shin-Ra building..."
"Fuck off! Yer stil' blushin' ya stupid stuffed animal!" Cid yelled.
Soon, the group is standing on the sixty-fifth floor, where they met Scarlet.
"TURKS!" She cried, "Scoundrels! Two-Timers!"
"Yeah, so, get on with it you old, ugly bat!" Elena said.
"Oh! How dare you talk to me like that... I'll show you the destructive power of Proud Clod..."
"Proud Clod?" Cloud stood, almost laughing....
"She was never one for spelling..." Tseng said.
The Turks fought this one, Tseng, Elena, Rude and Reno. They thought it was customary.
The Turks fought well, but knew that the next fight was for Beth, Cloud and Vincent. Barret went ahead and got his 'Missing Score,' and Beth and Vincent prepared for the battle.
Beth drew her long sword, making Tseng a little jumpy.
"Don't worry, Tseng... this is meant for Hojo, not you..." Beth said, smiling. Vincent loaded his gun and Cloud thought...
"Nanaki..."
"Yeah?" Nanaki looked at Cloud.
"You fight this one, for Aeris..." Cloud handed him some materia and smiled. "She lives in all of our memories!"
So, Nanaki, Beth and Vincent went on to meet Hojo.
"HOJO! STOP!" Beth yelled at the man sitting at the work station, trying to work on the Sister Ray.
"And just WHO are you?" Hojo looked at the trio.
"You know damn well who I am!" Beth hissed, her sword out to her side.
"You look like my son, Sephiroth..." He said, "Who I am helping by giving Mako energy too!"
"Shut up you old bat!" Vincent hissed, "Take the punishment that your past experiments have waiting for you!"
At that, Hojo stood up and glared at the three creatures.
"I am your daughter, Hojo! Sephiroth's sister!" Beth yelled.
"IMPOSSIBLE! I killed her when she was an infant..."
"No... you didn't..." Vincent said. "I took her away."
Hojo's eyes grew wide and he looked at her, "No... no!"
The battle began. Beth set up Haste and Vincent used Knights of the Round on him. That almost knocked him out.
"Weakling father! Is that ALL you've got after all these years of tormenting those stronger than you???" Beth snarled.
Hojo just laughed, "I have Mako in my blood same as you, Daughter..." He laughed and transformed into Helletic Hojo.
"Ugh, I hope I don't look like THAT when I get older..." Beth said, weapon drawn.
Nanaki set up Regen and Vincent healed the group, leaving Beth free to slice the monster as much as she wanted.
"STILL WEAK!" Beth hissed as that figure of her father lay dying...
"I have one more thing up my sleeve..." He said, transforming into Life-Form Hojo.
It took Beth a Sephiroth-type jump attack to finish off her father, who transformed back into his old self before dying.
"You...are... my....my....daughter..." He said quietly as he died.
Beth lowered her head.
"Beth! We have to return to the Highwind!" Vincent said, and Beth followed after him.
Once on the Highwind, Cloud asked, "Now what?"