Author's Note:
Reno: Holy shit!
Reeve: What?
Reno: We've been upgraded to an 'R' rating!
Reeve: No fucking way.
Reno: Yeah. I have no idea why the fuck that happened.
Reeve: Huh. No shit, eh? What next? Is Tyramir going to start listening to the reviews and fix some of his mistakes?
Reno: Funny you brought that up...
Reeve: Holy shit on a stick. You lie!
Reno: Wait. Not that I'm complaining, but why the fuck are we suddenly swearing like there's no tomorrow?
Reeve: Probably because we can get away with it now, you fuckwad. 'R' rating, remember?
Reno: Oh riiiiight.
Reeve: Tyramir doesn't own the rights to Final Fantasy or any of its characters.
Chapter Twenty Seven
The Elders
Once more night approached, only hours away, and still the refugees of Gold Saucer and Corel had not reached the safety of Cosmo Canyon. Despite the promise by Dio that they would, the group was now carrying wounded, and their pace had slowed to a crawl. Everyone now carried weapons of some sort, whether it was some tool from building the bridge before, such as an axe or a hammer, or something more primative, like a plank of discarded wood, or throwing rocks. The journey was grim, and everyone was frightened, but still they pressed on. These people had met the enemy, and while they had panicked at first, now they would hold their ground and fight.
What had once been whispers of an angelic saviour were now preached aloud. They had been chosen, some would yell, chosen to battle and survive and destroy the White Scourge, as the albinos were now being called. Their Angel, for surely he belonged to them, would protect them and guide them and lead them into battle. These were a people who had been cast from their homes, been forced to abandon almost everything they had known, and had desperately clung to the first thing that had presented itself. And this had been their Angel, Vincent Valentine.
People hovered protectively near the covered wagon that was now the centerpiece of the procession of refugees, for the wounded saviour had been placed inside, away from prying eyes and away from the weather and harsh sun, so that he may recover. Vincent lay on a small bed in the wagon, and Barret and Marlene sat at his side, the girl holding a cloth to the ex-Turk's forehead.
Much had changed about Vincent since Barret had seen him last. The most startling was that the leathery wings that now adorned Vincent's back now appeared to be permanent, as opposed to something temporary brought on by the change into Chaos. And more, rather than the frail physique that bespoke of weakness before, Vincent now had more muscle tone. Not enough to make him as big as Barret or Dio, not even enough to put him on a scale with Cloud, but it was still there. He appeared healthier than ever before.
To Vincent's side, lying on the floor, was Masamune, Sephiroth's sword. Where Vincent had retrieved it and why, Barret didn't know. But the thing made him shiver all over whenever he glanced at it. He wanted to take it and throw it to lie on the side of the road, but he knew some blasted 'worshipper' would pick it up and probably praise it as a relic of the Angel.
"Bunch o' godamn idiots," Barret muttered to himself, and nearly jumped when he heard Vincent groan.
He looked over the ex-Turk hurriedly, and saw that the man was beginning to stir. Marlene smiled happily, as if she wanted to see what 'the Angel' was like when awake. She had bought into this miracle trash as much as everyone else, despite Barret's discouragement of it. She was just a kid, though, so she at least had her excuse.
"Marlene," Barret said, "go sit up front."
"But, Papa..." she said, obviously anxious to see Vincent awake.
"Daddy needs to talk to his friend alone for a little while, honey. Dio's driving. Get him to tell you a story. I hear he's got lots of stories to tell."
Marlene looked a little sullen at first, but her eyes brightened at the idea of 'stories', and she made an act of looking dejected as she got up and carefully walked to the front of the wagon and outside the cover where she could sit with Dio.
"Vince, you up?"
"Barret?" came the mumbled answer.
"Yeah, man. You're gonna pull through just fine."
Opening his eyes and sitting up slowly, Vincent looked about. "What happened? Where am I?"
"Shit, you're asking me? We were gettin' attacked by those albino freaks, and you came an' kicked all their asses. We'd probably all be dead if not for you."
Nodding, the ex-Turk said, "I remember that. What happened after?"
"You passed out. Just collapsed. We didn't know what was up, and most of the people who claimed to be doctors just wanted an excuse to touch you."
"What?" Vincent said flatly.
"You're an ... no, you're the Angel to them. They all think you're here to save 'em and bring salvation an' all that shit. They think you're some kinda Messiah."
Vincent swore.
"What happened, man? Why'd you collapse like that?"
Vincent took in a deep breath, and his wings unfurled slightly, stretching out. "Exhausted myself. I've been flying all over the Cosmo Canyon area ever since I sensed these enemy invaders come up out of the earth. I've been fighting them off every night, killing what I could, but I just can't seem to be everywhere at once. And to top that all off, there were troubles at Cosmo Canyon itself a few days ago... but I think I solved that. The albines, though... There are more of them. I can... feel them. In two different spots. One somewhere to the north, and somewhere else to the east."
"Forget 'em for a minute. We can talk about them later. What happened to you, man? We all thought you were dead."
Vincent shook his head. "I came close. After the Highwind crashed, I encountered Lucrecia. She wanted my DNA to revive Sephiroth, and I told her no. So she shot me. I managed to throw myself into a pool of the Lifestream, and escape. During my time in there, I went into a coma induced by Mako poisoning. And, like Cloud and Tifa, I underwent a type of revelation. I encountered the four beasts within me, and discovered that one of them was Hojo. It was some sort of fail safe he planted into my DNA when he experimented on me. One day, in the event of his death, it would activate, and I would become Hojo. But because of my encounter with the Lifestream, I managed to fend it off and force Hojo and three of the demons out of my system."
"Huh. That's one helluva story. But that still don't bring us to the present. You said Lucrecia shot you? How'd you survive?"
"By throwing myself into the Lifestream. It somehow healed me. But unfortunately, the bullet stayed in my system, and it was a Mako slug. After the final battle with Lucrecia, I went off by myself to die, since there were no competent surgeons in the area. But at the last minute, I chose to live and tore the bullet out of my chest with my own claw."
Barret's eyebrows raised, and he whistled. "Shit, man. You got a pair on you. Tearing a bullet outta your own gut? Makes me go cold all over just thinkin' 'bout it. What happened then?"
"I tried to heal myself with a Cure Materia, but it didn't work. I was panicking. I thought I was going to die, and I heard a Behemoth off in the distance. After repeated attempts, the Materia still failed to work, and I felt Chaos coming on. So, rather than let the Behemoth kill me, I let Chaos take over."
"So that's how you got away. Red told us he found your shirt and coat and gun and the Behemoth, so we all figured it got you."
Vincent shook his head. "I managed to escape. But I hadn't transformed completely into Chaos. Something went wrong. Either a result of Hojo's attempt to hijack my body, or my first trip into the Lifestream, or something else, I don't know. I was mostly human, save a few small differences. Mostly the wings, the light I can now create from my body, and my ability to sense these albinos and those touched by Jenova. And the Planet... it speaks to me. Or it has, and now it's just more obvious. I'm not sure."
"The Planet speaks to you, huh? Does to Cloud now, too. It told us somethin' fucked up is goin' on, and we'd all need to be there when the shit went down. Spike was holdin' somethin' back, too, but I dunno what. He looked scared, though. Got any idea what that might be?"
Vincent nodded, "I was warned with visions and sensations what would happen. A man, held aloft above a crowd, would come to save us, a crowd of us, while albinos tried to infiltrate us and turn us into them. And something more. A feeling of ... betrayal? I'm not sure. What else did Cloud say about this message?"
Shrugging, he answered, "I dunno. Just that it came to him as Cid an' told him that some shit was goin' down. Cloud didn't get none too clear 'bout the details."
"Wait. The Planet appeared to Cloud in the guise of Cid? That's impossible. It doesn't work that way. It speaks to people with sensations and visions. You have to be mistaken."
"I'm tellin' you, that's what he said. I dunno, after that battle with Jenova, Cloud tried to explain what happened, said somethin' about bein' chosen as the Planet's Champion. Maybe that's what he meant? 'Cause he's so special, he gets to talk to the Planet directly 'stead of all this vision bullshit."
"Perhaps," Vincent said, sounding a little dubious.
"Wait. You still didn't tell me where you got this sword from," Barret said, indicating Masamune. "An' hold on. I jus' realized, you said first trip into the Lifestream. The hell? You been on a second?"
"Yes. It was necessary. I was under the impression that a great threat would come, and we would need this blade to defeat the albinos."
Barret nodded. "People are callin' 'em the White Scourge, now. Wish I had my gun-arm, I'd blast the whole lot of 'em a new one."
"I was about to ask about that."
"Yeah. I left it with Cloud in Kalm. Dumb idea, that. I wanted to go home, show Marlene Corel, rest for a week before this new threat came up. Jus' wanted to know what I was fightin' for, y'know? I mean, I know it's Marlene, but I needed to show her what it was all about, jus' so she'd know why I was fightin'. An' I wanted to do it on peaceful terms, no gun-arms or reminders o' violence or any o' that. What a dumb idea that was."
"I happen to disagree. There have been times when I wish I could throw away all of the violence in my past. I envy your ability to have chosen to do that, however fleeting it lasted. You're a good man, Barret, and despite your sins, you are a hero."
"Aww hell, I dunno about that," the big man said, running a hand along the back of his neck. He was about to protest further when the wagon stopped. "Looks like we're at Cosmo Canyon. Or we better be, anyway."
Shouting abruptly started, as if a large wave of protest had started, and Marlene hopped into the back of the wagon from the seat. "Papa, Mr. Dio says that he needs you and the Angel."
"Why, honey?"
"I don't know. But he said something about the Elders."
Barret shot Vincent a questioning look, as if to say, Should we? Vincent nodded.
"Okay, honey. We're gonna go outside. You stay in here, okay?"
The girl nodded, and sat down on a pile of cushions. Barret reached for his hammer, and Vincent picked up Masamune. Neither knew what was happening, but it was a good idea to be prepared in any case. The two hopped out the back of the wagon, and a path in the crowd of people immediately opened for them. Not so much for Barret and the respect they held for him in his prowess in battle as he would hope, but more so for Vincent, their Angel. Barret was surprised that they weren't swarmed over by people looking for blessings. People further away, those who had not yet seen Vincent, were still clamouring, and above them all, Barret could hear Dio shouting into his microphone for silence, and a growl-like sound coming from near the front of it all, undoubtedly Red XIII. The two walked through the crowd, and people parted as they came. Vincent extended his wings, and people backed away further still. As they walked, a silence touched the crowd, until they reached the front of it and stood alongside Dio and Red XIII, who stood at its head. Dio lowered his microphone, and Red XIII wagged his tail once, and began to yell.
In front of them was the entrance to Cosmo Canyon, now barricaded by a large door that had been damaged recently and fixed, with men manning the top of the platform and along the barricade. All wore tribal-like uniforms depicting a warrior-like status, save for three men who stood directly in the middle of the baricade, looking down on the crowd.
The man in the center of the three was shouting, "We'll say again! Cosmo Canyon is closed to you! Leave now or we will be forced to make you leave!"
"Force us?" Red XIII snarled. "This is my home! My people were here well before yours were, Dorret! I am the Guardian of Cosmo Canyon, not you! In all your wisdom, you have appeared to have forgotten that!"
"And gladly would we allow you entry, Nanaki, save for the fact that you would bring these others with you! We do not have the space--"
"Do not have the space indeed!" Vincent yelled. "I was here days ago, when you had turned away similar refugees! I smashed your precious walls then, I will do so again!"
So this is what he meant by trouble at Cosmo Canyon a few days ago. These assholes been turning people away? Barret thought. That's just fucked up.
"We do not fear you, Demon!" the man to the right of Dorret snarled.
"I am not a Demon," Vincent said, flapping his wings a few times, lifting himself from the ground and hovering five feet in the air. "Nor am I an Angel. You have no reason to bar these people entry save your own petty desires. Let us through."
He's changed. A couple months ago, he woulda told us to leave these assholes to their deaths and suggest we go somewhere else. More'n just the wings're different.
"Fools!" Red XIII cried. "The Elders have been allowed to become fools in Bugenhagen's absence! He would never turn away those in need! And why do you? Because you think we do not have the space? Or the resources? Would you abandon these people to death?"
The man to the left of Dorret seemed ashamed, and the one to the right of him flinched, but Dorret himself seemed unbothered by the accusation. "Call us what you will, Nanaki. They are just words. We cannot support these people, and I will not doom this community by spreading our resources too thin!"
Barret saw Vincent's grip on Masamune tighten, and Red XIII's hackles rise. Things were degenerating rapidly, and someone had to step in. Funny. Never thought I'd be the damn cool-headed one out o' us.
Grabbing Dio's microphone from the man's hands, Barret raised it to his mouth and began to speak. "We ain't here to steal your water, or your food, or your whatever. We don't wanna cause no one no harm, but we gotta stick together. These albinos, this 'White Scourge', it's here. It's on us. And if we don't stick together, they're gonna kill us! And not just us refugees. They gonna walk in here, and they're gonna bust up Cosmo Canyon, too. And I've seen these things fight. They don't just kill the men. Hell, they don't even just kill the women! They kill children, too, and that's fucked up. I got a daughter out there. She's four years old. You gonna tell my Marlene she can't come in an' be safe? We ain't here to hurt you. We're here for protection, and not just what you can offer us. We're offerin' ourselves, too. We ain't gonna freeload. Hell, most o' us here are from Corel! We're hard workers. Give us a job, we'll do it. We'll do what work needs to be done, fix up your little fort here, hell, we'll fight alongside you! There ain't no free ride on this train we on, and we sure as hell can't get offa it! So, you gonna let us in, or what?"
The man to Dorret's right looked away, the same as the man on the left had been doing through the entire speech. Dorret himself stood there, an arrogant look on his face. "My, what a lovely speech from such an illiterate barbarian. I'm surprised you managed to get that all out. But the fact of the matter still stands. We cannot--"
Dorret was cut off as the man to the left of him raised a fist and struck him in the face. Caught completely unaware, Dorret crumpled to the ground.
"I apologize for my fellow Elder. He hasn't been well recently. Prone to fainting spells, as you can see. I am Elder Juyan! Cosmo Canyon welcomes you. Doesn't it, Elder Frennal?"
"Yes, of course it does!" the man to the right agreed. "Uh... come on in! Soon as we... uh... get the gate open!"