She used her attacker's distraction to throw the younger woman to the ground and leap to her feet. Angel landed hard on her side, her hair falling over her face as she lifted herself to her knees. She shot another terrified glance to the figure beside her. Cloud Strife gave another incoherent moan through a mouthful of blood and thick green liquid, his blond hair covering his dull, dead eyes. He was alive, but only in the most technical of senses. Angel turned her eyes back up to the other dark-haired woman and got to her feet.
"Who are you? What have you done to him!"
The woman bowed, making Angel blink in surprise: "Experiment 819720—Codename: Ayden."
"An experiment?" she repeated, confused.
"My master created me. I am the perfect mixture of physical, mental, and magical strength."
"Oh, well, that's nice to know," she replied dryly.
"My orders are to terminate Cloud Strife and to bring his son to my master," the other woman continued.
"Don't you think he's dead enough?" Angel gestured angrily at the man on the floor. "And you'll never find Caleb; he'll defeat you and your master."
There was a bright flash of green and then Angel was on the floor, coughing as she choked for breath. Ayden stood over her, a fist clenched. She hadn't even seen her move!
"I will protect my master with my life," she said. Angel rolled her eyes, getting to her feet.
"Because he told you to? Or because he programmed it into you?" she wiped her mouth and raised her fists, the blades lining her arms glimmering in the light emanating from the dark blue lake behind her.
"I must carry out my orders," Ayden took a similar stance, and beside Angel, Cloud flinched.
"Tifa… Tifa…"
"If you don't have anything to fight for besides that, then I'm definitely going to kick your ass," the younger woman smirked. "I'll protect Caleb because I want to do it." They jumped at each other. Their fists met, their legs struck, their elbows locked. Angel backed away and narrowed her eyes, looking at her opponent carefully. "What are you? An android?"
Ayden came running at her: "How dare you compare me to such medieval technology!" Angel grunted as she blocked as many swings from the experiment as she could. "I am beyond anything you humans could ever imagine!" One fist slammed into the hollow of her chest and Angel doubled over, wheezing. The next things she saw was a knee rushing up to her and then the black sky. She was flat on her back, and her nose was broken. "I'm invincible!" A booted foot was coming down to stomp the hell out of her ribcage.
Angel rolled to one side and bounded to her feet: "You're a looney." She launched herself at the other woman's knees. They both fell again, and Angel clawed her way up Ayden's body, clenching her fists together and raising them up over her head. A hand clamped on one of her calves and she looked back down at the person who had grabbed at her.
"Please…" Cloud rasped, one of his faded blue eyes cinched shut with pain. "Don't hurt… Tifa…"
"Tifa…" Angel blinked. "Your wife!" He nodded. She stared and suddenly there was a bright, searing pain at the base of her skull. It throbbed into her vision, making her ears ring and her eyes unfocus. Between the pain and her broken nose, she couldn't breathe. Ayden's mouth was at her ear, one hand in her hair, the other crushing a pressure point on the base of her neck.
"Tifa is dead. I'm simply going to reunite them in the afterlife."
Angel's eyes flashed and one of her own hands shot out and grabbed a handful of thick brown hair. She pulled the woman's face to hers and snarled, her other fist flying out and slamming into her face. They tumbled again, Angel getting unsteadily to her feet as the world continued to spin and she fought for balance.
"Kiss my white ass, bitch," she heaved, turning to Cloud and kneeling beside him. "We have to get you to Caleb. He has the materia to help you." She reached for his arm. Cloud's unseeing eyes skipped up over her shoulder and she tried to turn around in time. With a fierce yank, Angel was pulled back by the hair and tossed to the floor. Ayden wiped something from her mouth—not blood, and not saliva; something green and glowing—and stalked towards her. Angel quickly vaulted back up to her feet only to be kicked full in the chest and she went hurtling backward, slamming hard into the trunk of one of the large thick trees. She felt something crack and screamed against her will. Experiment 819720 drew back a fist and suddenly, Angel was feeling the wrath of what seemed like two different fighters: punches, slams, rips, kicks, throws. One of her arm blades was snapped off—she heard the sound but couldn't move to do anything about it. Snapped off like a sapling branch. One of her shoulders was being held against the white bark; if it hadn't been, she would have fallen to the ground a long time ago. She half-sensed the movement and fully felt the crescendo of pain that spurted out from the center of her chest and echoed like a ripple pattern throughout her entire body. Unnatural warmth seeped down the front of her body, and suddenly she wanted to lie down. Anywhere, really. It seemed like an excellent idea. Only, when she tried to let her legs give out so she could find the floor, she remained upright. The hard bark of the huge tree was very uncomfortable. And there was a sharp pain in the center of her chest, but that was going away. Everything was going numb. She closed her eyes.
I'm sorry I'm such a burden, Caleb. Just a short nap, I promise…And suddenly there was a loud roar and everything went white.
Caleb Strife picked up his motorcycle and looked beyond the line of trees, into a small clearing at a lakeside. Angel had taken his bike; she was supposed to have gotten out of the city. So, why was it here? He heard two voices, both female, and the next moment they were fighting. A pause, then more fighting. A longer pause. A body being slammed against something. A choked gasp, and then, nothing. The silence was the worst part. Caleb quietly started his bike and slipped on, gunning the engine and shooting off, urging the bike to go faster with each harsh twist of the throttle. He reached behind him and yanked out the crystal-lined Ultima Weapon.
God, Angel. Be alive. Please, please, god, be okay.
Ayden looked to the tree where she had pinned the troublesome girl. "Hn," she grinned to herself, "serves her right." She shook herself out and ran her hands back through her hair, looking down at the barely-alive man.
"You truly are a+n extraordinary man," her hard green eyes softened as she gazed down at him. "But I must do what my master commands." She bent down to grab him again. A roaring engine made her stand up abruptly. A black and silver whirl of sleek color darted past her, and her right arm was broken. Just like that. She lifted her cold green eyes to the intruder. A blond man on a motorcycle swerved around and idled by the woman hung on the tree. He grabbed the blade holding her up and hissed through his teeth as the sharp metal cut through his palm Carefully, he pulled the short metal piece from her and she crumpled into his arms. He caught her tenderly, as if afraid to do any more damage to a dead woman.
He shook her gently. "Angel…? Angel, come on, open your eyes; say something!"
Her lids fluttered slightly. He held onto her tighter, lowering his lips to her cheeks and then trailing them up to her forehead.
"Angel, come on. Please…?"
Slowly, she opened her clear blue eyes and smiled up at him.
"I'm just napping, Cale," she assured in a faint voice, her hand coming up to stroke his face. "Just a little longer… Let me sleep a little longer…"
"Angel…!" he shook her again, but her eyes closed once more. Her hand slipped from his face and fell limply to her side. He shuddered, pulling her body closer to his. "Angel… Ang—Kali. Kali, come on! Kali! Angel!" He wailed, squeezing his own eyes shut and wrapping his arms tightly, protectively around her.
"My son," she whispered sweetly, closing her eyes, "Caleb. I know you're going to be such a strong, handsome man." His hands touched her hair and a smile flickered across her face. "Such a good boy. I love you, Caleb. I love you more than anything else in this world, or the next." His hands stroked his mother's hair. Her hand slipped from his face and struck the floor. He turned his face to his mother's, one pudgy hand reaching down and touching one still eyelid. He closed his eyes and lowered himself to her chest, pressing one small ear to the place over her ceased heartbeat. He wailed and huge tears leaked from his eyes.
Caleb looked up at the only other figure standing in the clearing. The woman was taller than normal, with a flowing length of brown hair tied loosely behind her. Her white tank top and suspenders stretched against her frame as she turned from the human figure on the floor to look at him. The black skirt came midway down her thighs. Her steel-toed boots were covered in dirt and blood, as were her leather-gloved hands. He kicked down the stand, settled Angel onto the seat, and turned to the woman that had once been his mother. He lifted the point of the glowing weapon to her chest level.
"I'll kill you for this," he hissed, his amber eyes narrowing in determination. She turned fully to face him, cracking each of her fingers and knuckles individually as her own monstrous green eyes locked onto his.
"Not if I kill you first," she said. They ran at each other.