...what have I got in my pocket? ...a candy wrapper. That's all I own. So no character/place in this story is mine. Thank you very much for the reviews, people, and of, course, for KMS for being a wonderful beta! Take care!
This was written under the influence of too much sugar, and the editing at one particular scene is probably messed up, but I hope it's readable. Actually the whole document seems to be squished together, again. I'd say a word or two about this new QuickEdit, but I'm afraid I'd be kicked out straight away for the language... Is it just me or is anyone else having problems with that?
Chapter thirteen: Learning to fly
-
Cloud was not amused. He had intended to be well on his way by now. He wasn't too keen on leaving, or traveling to the distant island where he knew his destination was. But the command that rang inside his head as strongly as the beat of his heart gave him little choice.
He could have caught a chocobo and be well away from the Canyon by now. He had never actually caught a chocobo, he somehow knew that it was something new to him. But his mind carried a memory of luring one of the large birds with greens and hopping on its back when it was busy eating. He remembered riding the startled animal straight into the jungle and to the other side, almost into the arms of a group of monsters looking for dinner. But the chocobo had been a quick one, and they had managed to escape. Eventually it had thrown him off its back, and he had limped his way back home, rubbing his injured behind, musing on how much money he could have made with it in the Chocobo Races at the Gold Saucer. Mom had been mad at him when he had gotten home, and dad had grounded him for a week, but it had been worth it.
He couldn't really remember ever having a father. Must have been one of Zax's memories. He'd have to ask the Soldier. As soon as he wasn't mad at him anymore. Cloud had intended to be far from here by now, but here he was, up in Bugenhagen's observatory, with the members of Avalanche, Zax, the Elder and Aeris' parents. And Vincent was just on the other side of that door. He nailed his blue eyes on the door, trying to convince himself, and the door, that he could see through it. He was intentionally ignoring the ongoing conversation. It didn't concern him: he was going to the Temple, not to Sephiroth. Only when he had the Black Materia would he go to Sephiroth.
But gathering the bits of the conversation that his mind hadn't ignored, it was clear that no one wanted him to go to the Temple. No one wanted him, or Sephiroth, to get the Black Materia.
Ifalna's anxious words earlier had silenced them all for a moment. "We cannot allow Sephiroth to get the Black Materia. Even if we stop Cloud from getting it for him, we can't be sure that he doesn't just find some other puppet. The Materia is not safe at the Temple, I'm afraid. It is guarded against those who would use it against the Planet, but it's not unreachable."
"So what exactly does this Black Materia do?" Cid had asked, but the Cetra hadn't given them a straight answer; she had only said that the Planet might not survive it.
"We just have to stop Sephiroth, any way we can."
That had lead to more talking, and eventually they had decided to go to the Temple, get the Materia, and bring it back here, where they could figure out a way to keep it away from Sephiroth. Cloud had, of course, ignored the whole conversation until they started to decide who would actually leave, first to get the Keystone and then to the Temple.
"So who wants to go an' get it? With the Bronco?" Barret said, looking around in the crowded room. Yuffie had almost shot her hand up, eager to get to the new, special Materia, but quickly changed her mind with the mention of the small airplane. Cid nodded, not wanting anyone else flying his baby. "No more than five or it's gonna be tight!" the pilot added, looking around at the others.
"I'll go," Barret said when no one else seemed eager to volunteer. "Those who ain't comin' can stay here an' keep an eye on that Turk and... other things." He glanced quickly at Cloud who caught his eyes and frowned. Zax sighed when the blond stood up.
"Count me in..." the clone said quietly but clearly, staring up at Barret. The taller man frowned and shook his head.
"You nuts? You jes' said you'd take the Materia to Sephiroth, an' you still think we're lettin' you anywhere near it?!"
"I'm. Going." Cloud said stubbornly, his hand clearly inching towards the hilt of his sword. Zax grimaced and tensed, ready to jump in if needed.
Barret wasn't the only one who seemed ready to lock the blond in the same room with Vincent and lose the key, but the Soldier had to admit that it wouldn't be the smartest idea to let Cloud anywhere near the Black Materia.
"No. You're. Not." Barret answered just as stubbornly, lifting his gun-arm slightly. "Listen, blondie, there's no way in hell you can give me even ONE good reason why you should go, so shut up!"
"I'm going, with you or alone. If you won't get me there, I'm sure Sephiroth will." Cloud's ice-cold words stopped the leader of Avalanche before the man could turn away from him. The whole room seemed to freeze.
Barret turned slowly back to the small blond, his eyes now full of barely contained rage. "Are you threatening us? You little... you think you can order us around?!"
"Barret, please!" Aeris stopped the inevitable fight half a second before Zax could. She left her place between her parents and walked to the two, putting a calming hand on Barret's arm before turning to the blond. "Cloud, you must understand, we have to keep the Materia away from Sephiroth, and letting you near it would put it closer to him."
Cloud frowned and, eventually, nodded. "I'm not threatening you. I'm saying, I need to go to the Temple. I was programmed to do that. And if I don't get there any other way, Sephiroth might take care of it. Faster than any plane."
"Just whose side are you on?" Barret roared to Cloud's face, ignoring Aeris who tried to calm him down.
"I don't know. But I don't want to die. If I can't do what I was told to do, I am useless, and being useless to Jenova and Sephiroth means being dead."
The clone's words were quiet and level now, and his eyes locked to Barret's again. The gun-armed man opened his mouth angrily but couldn't find anything else to say.
"Cid? What do you think?" Aeris asked, making the pilot twitch and give her a 'don't you drag me into this' -look. "You're the pilot, after all."
Cid swore under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Bugger it. Kiddo, you think you can keep backstabbing the Planet to a minimum if we let you come?"
"This is mad. This won't end well..." Barret muttered, shaking his head.
"Looks like we don't have another choice," Aeris muttered, smiling sadly as she reached up to touch Cloud's cheek gently. "We leave him here, he'll either die or beat us to it."
The blond blinked a few times, finding that he didn't have the strength to hold the forgiving look Aeris was giving him. "...I'm sorry. I don't mean to be trouble, but I can't help it," he whispered only to her.
"Take him with you, please. He might be able to help, in some way," Ifalna said suddenly, and her words decided it. Gast started to protest, but she squeezed his hand and the Professor fell silent.
Barret's shoulders sagged and he nodded, glaring at Cloud. "Fine. But I'm watchin' you, clone..."
"I guess I'm in then, too..." Zax muttered and lifted his hand above his head for a moment. Barret turned away when Cloud glanced at the Soldier. When their eye contact broke it seemed as if the tension in the room had, if not disappeared completely, at least lowered to a tolerable level.
"Um..." Cait Sith lifted a paw, "I used to work at the Saucer. I can get you guys to Dio."
Barret seemed against it, but the cat was insistent. "Come on, I can actually help you here!"
"...Fine!" The gun-armed man agreed finally.
"That's five already. So, off to the Gold Saucer?" Cid said, getting up, more than relieved that it was over.
"Wait. I'll come too," Aeris said just as everyone was getting up and ready to leave or to see their friends off.
Barret and Cid glanced at each other and the pilot shrugged. "Are you sure?" the gun-armed man asked, and the flower girl nodded.
"Yes. The Keystone, and especially the Black Materia should not be left in the wrong hands, not even for a short time. I... we'd feel better once it was in our care once again. The sooner the better."
"Fine by me," Cid said and shrugged again, already walking towards the door. "I'll get the Bronco ready, you guys get what you need and meet me down in the valley. Time of departure; as soon as possible."
"The rest of you..." Barret said to the remaining members of Avalanche, "stay here an' keep an eye on things. We'll be back soon." Tifa and Nanaki nodded. Yuffie seemed annoyed at being left behind like this, but flying in that small plane didn't sound too inviting either.
"And you..." Barret nailed his eyes on Cait Sith, and the little cat froze as in fear. The large man walked slowly to the robot, looking like he was ready to slam the thing into pieces. He lifted his human hand to point at the cat, which would have sweated if it hadn't been just a toy. "Before we leave... you tell my girl that daddy loves her very much and misses her."
With that, he left.
Rufus sat on a chair, concentrating on the TV screen that showed him Reeve's office and a few of the numerous screens there. The bugs around the office carried sound clearly to their ears, and recorded it for possible later use. Elena and Reno stood behind their President, also following the conversation happening half a world from here.
Eventually the conversation ended, and Rufus leaned back in the chair, letting out the air from his lungs, not daring to even breathe loudly in case he missed something. "So... Sephiroth wants this 'Black Materia'... and these people are going to keep it from him. I think not. If this Materia really is so powerful, I think that WE should have it. If we don't... well, like they said, it can be used against us." He turned the chair around and smiled at the two Turks. Elena answered his smile and stood just a bit straighter, and Reno smirked, standing less straight, if that was possible.
Rufus stood up and placed one hand on Elena's shoulder and the other on Reno's. "You have done well. This is a big step for us. Another one is when Reeve next reports to us. We'll see how far we can trust him. You may expect large bonuses for this. But for now..." The Turks stepped back to allow their President to step away from the computer. The blond frowned and took a few steps around the room, clearly deep in thought. "For now, we need to make sure that the Black Materia falls in our hands. Not Sephiroth's, not theirs. Yes. I've made up my mind." Rufus stopped and turned to them, giving the duo a brilliant smile which immediately made the hairs at the back of Reno's neck stand up.
"You two will leave immediately for the Gold Saucer. You will get the Keystone from this Dio character, go to the Temple, and bring the Materia here."
Reno's face fell and Elena's smile froze on her face, but in a second they had both regained their composures and appeared calm. Reno's mind came up with sensible objections first.
"But our duties here, sir? Protecting you? Keeping up the peace and all?"
Somehow he managed to keep the desperation from his voice. Rufus just shook his head.
"Nonsense. Rude will be here with me, as are all the guards and a lot of Soldiers. This is the most protected place in all the world! You'll only be gone for a few days, I think we can manage. Now. Make the necessary arrangements. You can take one of the smaller jets, you should be there in time. One of you can fly it, I presume?"
Reno was still speechless but Elena nodded. Some small part of the redhead cursed the blonde woman, and the President as well, as Elena pulled him out of the office and towards the plane hangars. Sooner than his brain could react, they were in a new, expensive and fast (and very, very small, his brain noted, there was barely anything between them and the fucking sky!) plane, and when he finally started to object, they were out of Midgar.
The Tiny Bronco rose swiftly from the valley, circled Cosmo Canyon once and headed northeast. The members of the Avalanche who had stayed behind, Aeris' parents, and Elder Bugenhagen stood outside next to the Candle and watched until the plane was out of sight.
("...I mean... I can't OWN you. No one can. You are you, you belong to yourself, no matter what others say.")
It had been a smart thing to say. Not perhaps well put, but he had gotten his point across. In his... in his self-pity, loath to admit it even to himself, he had not realized it until he had said it to someone else.
("...other than that, you still have your own free will. Your own emotions, your own body. Your own existence. Because of what Hojo did to you, you have to do some things. But other than that, you are yourself. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?")
Hojo had originally shaped him as well, but lately it had been her, Jenova, who had turned him into this pitiful creature. This wasn't living anymore.
He had no mind of his own. He didn't dare to disagree or disobey her. He felt that his moods, as well as his whole being, were in constant turmoil. At one moment he wanted nothing less that the destruction of the whole world. The next minute he just wanted to sink into death's arms and sleep away. Anything would be better than this existence.
If he had managed to say it to Cloud so well that the clone had gotten strength enough to gather itself together, then why had he himself forgotten all that he had once so strongly believed in?
("But you still have to stop lying to yourself...")
No one owned him either. He owed nothing to Hojo, who had only hurt him. The scientist would argue that he'd given his finest specimen strength and all the things that had made him what he was today, but if that was all the old man had to offer, then Sephiroth could very well live without it, thank you very much.
He still had his own body, which was far more that Jenova had. She could argue that she had given him all his powers that raised him above the pitiful humans, but as far as Sephiroth was concerned, she could keep them.
He still had his own free will, and even though he wasn't using it much right now, it was his right. And his will was that he'd had enough of this. Enough of Hojo's and Jenova's madness. He wanted out. He wanted to live, to be free. To just... exist. This was a prison. And he wouldn't lie to himself anymore.
Sephiroth made up his mind and stood. He had retreated to his small alcove after she had scolded him the last time. Pretending to sleep or meditate, she had left him alone for a surprisingly long time. Enough to make him think things through and to wonder what he really wanted. What did everyone want, in the end? He supposed that it was a human thing to want acceptance and peace, maybe a little love. So maybe he was human enough. Even if he'd come to the conclusion that there was nothing human in his genotype, did it matter? Couldn't he be what he wanted to be? If even the clone, a thing built in an underground laboratory, could live and be free after doing a few simple things, why couldn't he?
/Son? Come to me. The wheels of destiny are turning. The Black Materia shall soon be ours.../
With a sigh Sephiroth stood and stepped out to the larger part of their 'home'. He stopped when he saw Jenova, on the pedestal across the hall, staring into nothingness.
The easy part had been realizing what he wanted. But how could he ever make her understand?
"CID! SLOW DOWN!" "Elena! Do we have to go so goddamn fast?!"
"Shaddup!" "We have to get there before the Avalanche!"
"CAN'T WE GO SLOWER?!" "Like that's possible..."
"NO!" "Your pessimism certainly isn't helping."
"Zax... I feel sick..." "...Women..."
"Breath deep, Cloud..." "And put out that cigarette!"
"If he barfs, I'm outta here!" "...Damn it."
"Nearly there, just sit tight!" "Not too long now. Take a nap or something."
"...Like we have a choice..." "..."
"...u...ungh..." "..."
"Oh SHIT!" "..."
"Stick his 'ead over the side!" "..."
"No! I'M FINE!" "..."
"CID! CAN WE GO ANY FASTER?!" "...Are we there yet?"
Sephiroth walked to Jenova's side, wondering if he should share with her what he had just thought. But he didn't have the courage. The pain from her last punishment was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't dare to anger her again just yet. She seemed happy now, eager and impatient.
/I can feel something is happening. Have you managed to reach the puppet yet?/
He swallowed with dread and shook his head. "Not yet. He seems to have blocked me out. But the last time I tried, I did get a feel of him."
Her attention turned completely to him now, and she didn't seem that happy anymore.
/Have you reached him or not?/
"I... I can tell where he is, or what he's doing, yes, but I cannot reach his mind." Sephiroth felt the urge to start running, but getting away from Jenova didn't keep her from punishing him. She could reach him anywhere. He wished he'd know just how Cloud had blocked him out, as maybe it would work with her as well. No matter how high he lifted his mental walls, she always
found a way around them.
/Can you control him?/
"I don't know. He is working to get to the Temple, I am sure of that. As long as he obeys, I don't see the need to command him further. He might start to rebel against us."
/He is our puppet. OURS. He wouldn't dare to disobey./
"Yes, mother. But Hojo created him, and he has yet to create anything that works perfectly." Sephiroth could feel her confusion, even though it lasted only a second or two. She probed at his mind, surprisingly gently.
/You do not think YOU work perfectly, son?/
"I can only try, mother..." he muttered and changed the subject. "Right now, I can feel that the puppet has the Keystone."
/Ah! Good./ She wasn't interested in him anymore, and Sephiroth felt relieved. He concentrated on following the thin thread that still linked Cloud to him. From time to time he managed to catch a glimpse of what the clone saw or heard, and that added to the emotions and thoughts that flowed through the tentative link managed to give him a pretty good idea of what was going on.
Cid swore like he hadn't sworn in a long time. They had managed to land outside North Corel without problems, everyone still in one piece and his baby 100 percent vomit-free. But apparently that had been only the start of their fun.
The people of North Corel still hadn't been too happy to see Barret, but they had managed to get to the tram without much trouble. The driver had been on his lunch break just then, for what seemed like three hours. When the cable car had finally gotten to their end of the line, the townspeople had had fun by throwing insults and even some rocks at their little group, and Zax had almost had to sit on Cloud so that the already nervous and agitated blond wouldn't go and shorten the townspeople with his sword. But finally they had managed to get to the damned Gold Saucer.
The man Dio indeed had the Keystone, but he hadn't been too keen on parting with it. Someone had to fight for it. Not against the man, oh no, wouldn't want to ruin his tan or tear his speedos. No no. Someone had to go into the battle arena itself and fight whatever random monsters the supervisors sent in. Eventually they had chosen Cloud, even though Zax and Aeris had been against it. The short blond seemed to be packing enough anger and frustration at the moment to take down the whole city, and Cid and Barret had thought it better for him to take it out on monsters than people.
Watching the fights from above, Cid had made a mental note never to piss the blond off. But Dio was properly impressed and gave them the Keystone, promising Cloud good money if he ever needed a job. The blond was too tired to answer, he'd just taken the rock and left. Cid and the others had followed at a short distance. The pilot and Barret had wondered earlier if the blond was about to split with the Keystone, but they never got far enough to find out. For on their way back towards the tram, they bumped into some old friends. If a friend was someone you'd like to see lying dead at the bottom of a deep gorge.
They had gotten out of the Battle Arena, and almost to the bottom of the stairs to the plateau which lead to every part of the amusement park, when the Turks had appeared. And now Reno threatened them with electricity sparkling at the end of his rod while Elena held out her hand.
"... There's six of us and two of you. What are you, stupid?" Cid finally growled when he ran out of words. Barret had his gun ready, Zax's hand was at the hilt of his sword, Cait's mog had raised its fists and even Aeris held her staff threateningly. Cloud glared at the Turks impatiently, holding the white Keystone with both hands.
Elena shrugged, and with a small smile brought out her PHS. It was on, and through the crackling and static of the line they could hear voices.
"... Talk to daddy, kid."
"Papa? Is it you? When are you coming back, Papa?"
Barret started to shake with rage when she closed the device. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"You give us trouble, the kid gets it," Elena said, slipping the PHS into her pocket.
"You bastards..." Zax growled, pulling his Buster-sword out in one quick, fluid move. Some of the passing patrons noticed the weapon but paid them little heed, probably thinking that it was all a part of a show. "Reno, stop this while you still can."
"Sorry, Zax, but the time for stoppin' is way past. We can only move on and see what happens. So why don't you give us the Keystone, and the girl and the lady will wake up tomorrow..." the redhead said quietly, smiling all the while, his piercing eyes on the Soldier. Elena thrust out her hand again.
"... Do it, Cloud! Give it to them!" Aeris suddenly shouted, almost at the verge of tears.
"Shut up, woman!" Cid turned to her but lost his anger at the sight of her hopeless expression. Aeris started to tug at Barret's hand.
"Let them have it. Better them than Sephiroth." She stood on her toes to whisper quickly into his ear. "They won't have the power to use the Materia."
Barret lifted his human hand to his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Ok. Give it to them, kid."
Cloud looked ready to run but turned to stare at him incredulously. "What?"
"GIVE IT!" Barret roared to his face. Zax twitched, fearing Cloud's reaction, but the blond went expressionless and straightened his back. Turning back to the Turks, he carelessly tossed it towards Reno. The redhead almost missed the catch but managed to grab the stone, momentarily mesmerized by its colour and power. But a moment was all Cloud needed.
Zax had moved to put a hand on the blond's shoulder, but as soon as Reno caught the Keystone Cloud's hand came up in a fist and punched the Soldier in the face, pushing him back. The rest of his body jumped forward at the same heartbeat, towards Reno who looked up in time to see the face of the same monster who had murdered Tseng. Fear and panic washed through him and he reflexively lifted both hands to cover his face and throat, thus dropping the Keystone and his weapon. Cloud grabbed the stone before it hit the ground and was running before Reno fell and Elena had her gun out.
Zax found himself sitting down, his nose feeling odd and mushy. When he could see clearly again Cloud was running out towards the main entrance, Aeris and Cid hot in pursuit. Elena was threatening him, Barret and Cait Sith with her gun and Reno was getting back to his feet, shaking visibly.
"No more stupid moves! We still have your daughter, Wallace! Reno! After them!"
The redhead wisely ignored that a rookie was ordering him around and started to run, only remembering later on who he was chasing. But the Turks could know no fear, so he ran on, seeing a flash of pink or the pilot's spear every now and then. They were heading out of the amusement park itself, past the tram and towards the plane decks where the rich could land their private jets and conveniently avoid seeing the poverty of North Corel. Oh shit, they were going to get away if he didn't hurry!
He ran even faster, elbowing people right and left. Good thing that the pilot and the girl had already opened something of a path for him to follow. The blond was nowhere in sight, but he supposed that the others knew where he was going. Damn it, he wouldn't fuck this up! He'd get the Keystone and blast the blond's brains out, get even for what he'd done to Tseng and for all the sleepless nights in the past five years when it all came back and--
"Oh fuck!" was all Reno could yelp when Cid, now not too far ahead of him, tripped and crashed to the floor, swearing. The spear went flying and neatly caught the Turk's legs, and he fell on top of the panting man.
"Get in! You're not getting away now so don't make any stupid moves!" Elena ordered, threatening the three with her gun. They obeyed quietly, even though they clearly saw her hand shaking with nervousness, and stepped into the elevator. She pushed a button up, all the while keeping her gun and eyes on them.
They had followed the others out to the entrance area, but taken a turn left from the door, towards the elevators used by the patrons who didn't arrive with the tram.
The modern elevator moved quickly through floors, all the way up. Zax frowned when he realized where they were going. The plane decks. He'd come in through them a few times, on official business. Of course, after the official business had been taken care of, they'd had more than their share of fun. But this wasn't good. This meant that the Turks had a plane up there, and there wouldn't be many places to run to. And he didn't even know if he'd dare to try to escape. The blonde Turk seemed agitated enough to cause harm to the hostages if one of them made a wrong move. The gun-armed man would do nothing to hurt his little girl, or forgive anyone who had caused her harm.
Climbing up stairs that easily rivaled those of the Shin-Ra HQ, Aeris dared a look back when she hadn't seen anyone else besides Cloud for a while. She had thought that Cid was right behind her, but the stairwell was empty. She wanted to turn back but realized that if Cid wasn't there, she was the only one who had a chance to catch Cloud right now. She had no idea what would be at the end of the stairs, but judging from how long they'd climbed so far it would be somewhere very high.
She was out of breath and feeling almost giddy already, her legs aching from the climbing, but she couldn't see Cloud anymore so she forced herself to go faster. Another step, and another, and another and another and then she almost bumped into Cloud who was standing on the very last stair, struggling with a door. Aeris grabbed the back of his shirt just as he got the door open, and barely managed to catch her breath when she was already pulled out.
"Cloud, stop! Where... where are we...?" She still held on but didn't see where the blond was pulling her. Their surroundings enchanted her completely.
They seemed to be at the very top of the amusement center, at a platform filled with small and not so small airplanes. Above them was only the sky. Night was falling fast, only a small stretch of orange lit up the western horizon. The sky was dark blue, and the stars... the stars were shining so bright, the almost full moon rising among them. The air was chill and fresh: gone was the stench of so many people in such a small place, the heat, the pushing and shoving... it was all so beautiful and peaceful she almost forgot everything else.
Until Cloud stopped again. She stopped just before bumping into him, and turned to see what he was doing.
"Oh no. Cloud, please! Do you even know how to FLY that?"
"...you son of a... bloated goat! Get OFF OF ME!" Cid roared, spitting out dirt. Oh yes, people, walk on, stare and point, but don't help, oh no!
"I would if you'd stop HITTING ME!" Reno screamed back. Both were trying to get up before the other, which ended up in a wrestling match.
"I don't have the time for this!"
"Me neither!"
Cid stopped struggling and Reno followed suit a moment later. The onlookers leaned closer to hear better.
"Ok, Turk. We get up like civilized people, get our weapons, and leg it. Fine?"
"Sounds cool." Reno nodded and they picked themselves up without problems.
The Turk grabbed his lightning rod and the pilot took his spear back from a nosy kid, and turned it just in time to block the rod.
"Damn!"
"You think I'm stupid? Ha!"
And then they ran.
It seemed to take forever but finally the elevator slowed and stopped. The door slid open and a gust of cold wind entered, flying around them. Elena shoved them out and towards the far end of the deck. Zax looked around, trying to figure out if there was any possible way to get out of this.
Across the deck was a small hut, the way back down through the stairs. He could try to reach it, but the Turk would probably shoot him unless he could hide behind one of the planes.
"Move it, Soldier!" Elena ordered and Zax turned back to her. They had stopped in front of a quite new jet with the Shin-Ra Power Company logo on each wing.
"She's pretty. Too bad you had to spoil her with those..."
"Shut up!" Elena opened the cockpit and motioned for Barret to get in. The gun-armed man obeyed without objections. "You do anything stupid while my back is turned and I'll shoot him!" She lifted her gun to Barret's head to make sure they understood each other. Zax nodded morosely and watched her get half in to cuff Avalanche's leader to the inner wall of the jet. She was just stepping back out, grabbing Cait by the red cape when they heard a noise from the other end of the deck, near the stairs.
Aeris started to believe Cloud either didn't hear her or completely ignored her presence. The blond seemed to be working like someone or something was controlling him.
"Oh no... Cloud! Don't!" She'd tried to stop him when the blond had started to climb into one of the small planes, but he had almost unconsciously shaken her off. The owner had left the cockpit a bit open, and Cloud had jumped in and was hotwiring the engine quickly but with apparent experience. Aeris climbed in as well, hoping to stop him before it was too late. But then the engine started, the cockpit closed and locked, and the whole plane shook a little.
"No! Stop, Cloud! Please!" Aeris screamed, tugging at his hair, hitting him and the windows. "Let me out! Cloud!"
But the blond didn't listen. In stead he steered the moving plane to the runway that ran across the whole deck.
Zax felt his heart miss a beat or six when he saw Cloud and Aeris in the moving plane's cockpit. She seemed desperate to get out, and when she saw him, she started to wave and scream, although there was no way he could hear her.
"Stop!" Elena shouted but Zax didn't know if it was aimed at him or at the plane. He was running now, even though he realized there was little he could do against a moving plane that was coming towards him faster and faster.
"Stop or I'll shoot!"
"Stop!" Now even Barret was telling him to stop. But he had to try. Damn it Cloud couldn't possibly fly a -- oh yes he could. Zax almost stopped to kick himself. The clone had received some of his memories, and he could clearly remember the day when no one else but Reno had taught him to break into most of the modern plane types and to fly away with them.
Even above the noise of the engines he heard the gun go off, and soon felt a pain in his lower back, just next to his spine. His legs gave out quickly and Zax collapsed on the runway as the world went black.
Reno reached the door maybe two seconds before Cid. They had fought their way up, literally. Cid had done his best to trip the Turk with his spear or punch him with its butt, and Reno had used every opportunity to try and smack the pilot with his electric rod. But once they reached the door they both behaved until Reno got the door open. Then Cid smashed his boot on the Turk's expensive yet dirty designer shoe and whacked him in the neck before jumping out to the deck. Reno groaned and flipped his rod up, catching the pilot at the back of his left knee. Cid screamed and jumped, but luckily the thick material of his pants took most of the shock. Still, they were now both limping towards the other end where they could see Elena standing by a plane. She was screaming something but they couldn't hear, for a plane had just taken off and the noise almost deafened them.
Cid swore when he saw Zax lying face down on the ground. He couldn't see the others anywhere until they got closer to Elena, who was aiming her gun at Barret who was sitting in the plane next to her. Now it was quiet enough that they heard her words.
"--more step and he gets it! Reno, come here, we have to catch them!"
Cid stopped and even lifted his hands up, swearing even more. Zax was still a few dozen feet from him, and he couldn't even move to help the Soldier for fear of the Turk shooting Barret.
Reno reached his partner quickly and after a quick conversation they both hopped into the plane and took off, Barret still with them. Cid covered his head and ran behind a plane until the runway was free again. Then, fearing the worst, he hurried to the fallen Soldier.
To say that this whole thing had been one massive cock-up was the understatement of the year.
Back at the Northern Crater, Sephiroth started to wonder if he'd have to rethink his opinion on Hojo and the man's creations. He had managed to keep in touch with the puppet's mind and tag along for the ride, relaying the images to Jenova. He almost had to admire the clone's quickness, both of body and mind. It had been amusing to watch the Turk's scared face when Cloud had jumped at him, and interesting to see just what the puppet had in mind. He didn't know if it was Hojo, Zackery or Cloud himself who was responsible, but the clone managed to surprise him again and again during its short escape with the Keystone. Jenova was thrilled that the Cetra girl happened to be the one who caught him first, and ended up leaving for the Temple with him.
/She will be of much help in getting the Black Materia! And those foolish friends of theirs are nowhere close to make a mess of things this time! Get ready, my son; as soon as they have the Materia, you must go and take it for us! I do not trust the clone long with it.../
"Yes, mother..." Sephiroth muttered, watching as the stolen plane turned to the runway. His heart skipped a beat when, from the corner of the puppet's eye, he saw Zackery. It was just a quick glimpse, Sephiroth couldn't say for sure if he'd seen correctly, but it looked like the Soldier was
falling down
limp
hurt...
dead?
If... if Zackery was dead... gone... what, or who, was left for him? It hit him like a brick to the face. He was all alone. Jenova didn't care for him, she cared for her revenge. Hojo was more important to her than he was. All he was was a puppet, and a misbehaving one, too. She had made it clear that she wasn't pleased with how he had acted recently. She was only nice to him when she needed something from him.
"Mother."
The bluish head on the stone pedestal didn't move, but Sephiroth felt her move her attention to him. She was in a good mood now, but feeling her being wander all around his mind again made him feel nervous, and less prepared to say what he wanted to say.
"There's... I've been thinking."
/What is it, my son?/
Sephiroth swallowed and looked away from her. But Jenova would have none of that, and forced him to look back at her. At her empty, dead eyes which still held such power in them. The ex-General felt his resolve slipping but shook his head sharply.
"I've... thought a lot, mother. Jenova. And... this... this life..." he lifted his arms a bit to gesture at everything around him, "...it's not what I want." He could feel her anger flaring up but continued on. "You have taught me things that I would never even have heard of otherwise, and I respect your hunger and belief in what you fight for... but I feel that this is not my battle anymore. This is not what I want."
Her rage was like a furnace now, hot and burning where it slipped past his mental walls. But he had been a General, he had had to learn to be ready for anything. He lifted his walls higher, concentrated on imagining a fortress around his thoughts, his mind, a fortress that was completely sealed from the outside world. Like he had been all those years ago.
Jenova's rage grew again, but she sounded amused when she spoke outside his walls. /My. You have been working. But it breaks a mother's heart to see that the only thing her only son could better himself for is to go against her./ She tried to push through but Sephiroth blocked her. He couldn't go on like this for long. She could.
Sephiroth had been a fortress once, out of reach of everything. But he had conveniently forgotten that someone had broken through his high walls even then. Zackery had made it, with kindness, curiosity and a lot of good humour. And now the Soldier had left him. Like Tseng. But this hurt far more, even though he couldn't tell for sure if the Soldier was really dead. But just the possibility was too much to bear.
Jenova was breaching through, but her weapons were not as kind as Zackery's had been. The silver-haired man cringed as it became harder and harder to block her out. It had been too long since he'd been a General. Having Jenova think his moves for him, tell him what to think and what to do, destroying what little faith he had had in himself had weakened him, in both body and spirit. Still he had dared to hope. And look where it had gotten him now...
"...No..." Sephiroth gathered all of his mental strength to one last, feeble attempt. Jenova was laughing now, somewhere, pushing through his walls to make him surrender completely to her.
/I see that it was a mistake to let you keep your freedom, son. But not a mistake that can't be fixed. Now stop fighting me before I lose my patience with you!/
"...NO!" Sephiroth screamed, his voice high and broken. She was pushing through to his mind, tearing the walls down. It hurt so much, in his mind and his body. He fought to stay standing, to get a chance for one more attack, one more second, one more chance...
/GIVE UP!/
His hands worked instinctively when they reached for the hilt of the Masamune. The weapon, always at his side, slid out of its scabbard with a low, hissing sound, so quickly it seemed to just materialize in his hand. She was slowly destroying his mind, but his body still fought on.
"NO!" he screamed one more time, making her hesitate for a moment. He used the small break from pain to run closer and lift the Masamune.
Jenova attacked his mind harder than before, but the long sword was only inches away from her head and falling fast.
-
A.N: I'm holding the rest of the story hostage. If you want to read more, leave a review at the bottom left corner of the screen, and whatever you do, don't call the police, or Windows gets it!! ...actually, it might get 'it' in any case...
Sorry for the delay! Almost done graduating, moved halfway across the country, not much computertime... excuses, excuses. I'm gonna be away from computers for all of June. I'll try to update a chapter before that, and then pick the story up in July. Should have more time to write then...
Answers to questions! Jpopslover (mmm I prefer Jrock myself... :D) asked about Cloud... I suppose the clone is about 19, 20... maybe a bit shorter than in the game, and skinny. And as for Tifa & Cloud, she does recognize him, but hasn't had the chance (or the courage, since he was supposed to have died) to go and talk with him. I intend to make them talk, now that Cloud's 'up' and relatively sane. :) And thank you for the compliments!
If there's anything that doesn't seem to make sense, or just out of curiosity, ask away, as I'm likely to miss something. :)