Warnings: Violence and bad language in yet another chapter! -Gasp!- I still make no claim to owning anyone in this story here. I just write this for fun.
Thank you ShiAne for the review! :D
Chapter Twenty: Rocket Dive
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The days were slow near the Knowlespole. Even with the huge Meteor now in clear sight, there was no rush, no hurry, and very little to fear. The few monsters didn't really care about anything from the sky, all they had to worry about was each other and the cold. Mr. Holzoff liked to say that after near twenty years up there, in the cold, all alone, death might be a nice change. Not that he didn't appreciate his company. Zax would smile up until that, but then the old man would start going on about him being so young; he should've seen more of the world before giving up like this. Didn't he have any friends, family? Anyone who'd miss him?
When he'd mentioned that he didn't even know if his parents were alive anymore, Mr. Holzoff said that this was the time to find out! Not that he was in any kind of hurry to get rid of him, no no! It was quite lonely up here and all company was highly appreciated!
When Zax would ask why the man didn't just go back home, Mr. Holzoff would mutter something about his wife and change the subject, usually to snow. He talked about snow a lot. Zax had had no idea of all the different types of snow that there were. Powder snow, hard-packed snow, the more watery type, icy snow, large, slow snowflakes, small, sharp ones and on and on. But he could just tune it all out and think of nothing. Just stare at the snow instead of talking about it. The man would eventually shut up or wander off and leave him be.
When the snow got to be too boring to stare at anymore, he'd turn his eyes towards the Crater, and the magical barrier now protecting it, keeping everyone out, and Jenova in. Keeping her safe. The bitch who had taken his best friend, the man he thought he'd loved, his past, present and future, his hope, dreams and faith. His whole life. He'd wait here until the barrier disappeared. The others were far from here now, it would take time for them to get back here. He was closest. He'd beat them there. He'd get the privilege of killing her. Once and for all.
And after that... well, there would be time to think about that later on.
The wind howled through the branches of the long-dead trees that still stood on almost bare rock. It howled through cracks in stone and deep gorges that littered the cliffs. It was cold and bit to the bone, through clothes that couldn't possibly keep a body warm against it.
The barren stone was partly covered with ice and snow, making the thin mountain paths even more treacherous. Vincent knew that one step in the wrong direction could cost him his life. But still he struggled to keep his hold on Hojo, to not let the man escape again. The scientist tried to run, to beat his fingers and arms to make him let go. They'd wrestled in the snow, Hojo trying to escape, Vincent trying to stop him. The ex-Turk knew that if he'd let go, if he allowed Hojo one moment to gather himself, the madman would teleport away immediately, leaving him here to the mercy of the cruel nature.
So far he'd managed to hold on, and he'd die before he'd let go. But Hojo was surprisingly strong, and fought him frantically. The scientist had managed to wrestle away Vincent's sniper rifle, and had even kicked it down to a deep gorge. He still had the small pistol hidden away, but had had no opportunity to use it. He hadn't even had an opportunity to catch his breath, Hojo was giving him so much trouble.
"Let go of me!" Hojo screeched, kicking him below the belt. Vincent grimaced but held on. He was almost flat on his stomach on the cold ground, holding on tight to Hojo's laboratory jacket. The kicks hurt his ribs, he was quite sure he'd already broken a few of them. He could faintly taste blood in his mouth.
"I'll... let go... only when you're DEAD!" Vincent growled and felt the skin of his back grow tighter as two powerful wings tried to push their way out. He panicked and almost let go. He hadn't realized that Chaos was back again, lurking, angering him, pushing him farther to the edge where he would just let go of his identity. The ex-Turk swallowed and forced himself to calm down, even though Hojo was still abusing him. That he was used to.
Suddenly Hojo stopped beating him. Vincent looked up and realized that the man was concentrating, readying himself to teleport, even with him. Biting down a groan of pain, Vincent forced his body to move, and kicked Hojo to the back of his knees. Concentration broken, the scientist yelped and fell to the hard ground, almost biting his tongue off.
Vincent smirked ferociously as he quickly flipped himself over Hojo and fought his hands to get a good hold of the man's throat. Chaos was rumbling in his mind again, stretching his body from the inside like an animal breaking its eggshell. The dark man knew that Chaos was fueling his anger, giving him strength, trying to break him enough to get out. Vincent couldn't allow it, not now. Hojo was his prey. He wouldn't let anyone else take this life.
"You... can't... beat... Jenova!" Hojo hissed, his strength beginning to falter. Vincent's hands moved an inch closer to his throat. "You have to kill... all of Her... to save the Planet..." the scientist laughed, spitting blood to Vincent's face, "... and you can't... do that."
Hojo let go of his arms suddenly, reaching out to grab Vincent by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him closer. The ex-Turk immediately went for his throat.
"The Planet is Hers..." Hojo hissed and grinned as his body began to convulse, muscles moving almost violently under his skin. Vincent grimaced and instinctively pulled back, sitting up on Hojo's stomach. He watched with disgust as the scientist's body spasmed and twisted, knowing that it probably looked much like this when one of the four beasts inside of him had taken him under control.
Chaos chuckled.
Vincent stumbled away as the man's form and appearance began to change in front of his eyes. He pulled out the pistol and aimed it, releasing three bullets straight into the forming creatures head. It didn't seem to bother Hojo at all. The scientist just let out a cackling laugh which chilled Vincent to the bone worse than snow and ice.
/You can't win this one, human./
Vincent froze as he heard Chaos' voice inside his head. His eyes were still nailed to the pale form of Hojo, but his attention was elsewhere.
/He is too powerful. Release me./
"No. He's mine." The ex-Turk hissed between his teeth and realized he was now looking up to a floating Hojo. The scientist didn't have legs anymore, just one, spiking tendril. His hands ended in sharp spikes, and a tail of sorts twisted and snapped in the cold air. The man's skin was pale as snow, a bit greyish, with yellow and almost black stripes.
/RELEASE ME!/
Horrified, Vincent realized that Chaos might be right.
Cloud yawned and rubbed his aching eyes. He hadn't really slept at all since... well, since Zax had left him. He couldn't get the Soldier out of his mind. Had Zax left him because he hated him? Or had he just thought that Cloud would follow him out? The latter didn't seem too likely, but he had to at least try and believe that, or the pain inside grew to be too great to bear. He didn't want to think that he'd never see Zax again, that the Soldier would never forgive him. Zax must be angry with him now, he'd done such horrible things, but did that mean that the Soldier wouldn't ever forgive him?
He could hear as well as feel her coming closer. Sephiroth's body was tall, muscular and therefore heavy, and she wasn't completely used with it yet, she couldn't move as quietly as the General had managed. The heavy leather jacket and its buckles swished and clacked, the boots struck the ground heavily. But then again, she didn't need to walk noiselessly here, in her own domain.
Soon she was standing right behind him, and Cloud could feel eyes traveling around his back and neck. It made the small hairs at the back of his neck stand, and he couldn't stop himself from shivering when a warm hand rose to his shoulder, and a gloved finger caressed the side of his neck.
"You know... as a child of mine, you are not completely without powers yourself." She whispered to his ear. Cloud shivered again with the hot breath on his neck and looked up, up to where the chamber of ice had previously been.
"What do you mean?"
"You're thinking about him, aren't you..." her voice was so much like Sephiroth's it unnerved him, but what he could remember of the ex-General, he'd never used such a tone. She sounded like she was purring and laughing at the same time, like her voice came from the stars, or deep inside the earth. Ignoring the strange sensations her voice had on his body, Cloud dared to nod, even though he didn't know which would be the right answer according to her.
"I can tell. He's on your mind constantly. Well, with the powers you were... born with, powers inherited from me, you could go and see him..."
Cloud forced himself to turn slowly instead of whirling around excitedly. "Do you mean it? But... what if he still hates me and doesn't want to see me?"
"Well, then you would know it. For sure. Here, let me teach you a few tricks..."
Vincent squared his jaw and corrected his aim, releasing bullets at the man's head again. It did little to hurt the creature, let alone stop it as Hojo lifted to the air a bit and then shot down towards him, almost as fast as a bullet. Vincent instinctively fired and closed his eyes as the creature flew by him, teasing him, slapping him with the end of its tail.
"You can't even touch me... you've no hope to stop Her!" Hojo screeched gleefully and flew a few loops in the air.
Vincent wiped blood from his face, the tail had left a cut just below his eye that now bled to his chin. "I don't CARE about her. I just want you dead." He hissed, making Hojo laugh.
/Let me finish him off! You can get back to leading your miserable life then, just let me taste his blood on my tongue.../
"Shut UP!" Vincent screamed, silencing even Hojo. Chaos just continued its restless rumbling, but the scientist was quick to catch up.
"Your little friend wants to come out and play? Why stop him, Vincent? You jealous of how marvelously he is able to destroy the lives of others?"
"SHUT UP!" Vincent roared and felt his teeth grow out to sharp, long nails, too big for his human mouth. He clamped a hand over his mouth immediately, but Hojo had noticed it and was laughing mockingly.
/I'll shut him up.../ Chaos promised, his voice full of barely concealed mirth.
Vincent whimpered as blood trickled down his lips and throat. The sharp teeth had punctured his cheeks, lips and tongue in several places before he'd managed to force them down. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, that he could tell Professor Gast that he indeed could control the demons now. The next time they met. Which, at this rate, would be in the Lifestream, if the Planet survived at all.
Hojo flew by him again, the tail teasingly slapping him on the other cheek. Vincent half staggered, imagining that he would soon look like Reno with the scars.
"Fight me, Vincent! That's what you're here for, right? To get revenge on what I did to you and your little girlfriend..."
Vincent thought his heart stopped, or at least skipped a few beats at the mention of Lucretia. Even Chaos fell silent, listening to his reaction.
"Lucretia loved me. ME! And then you came along, in your fine Turk uniform, and took her from me. But you couldn't take her from Jenova. Lucretia was Hers, even more than I was. She willingly offered your child to Her, to give Her new life. She was a true scientist. But after you came along... she never looked at me the same way ever again."
Vincent stood very still, on the frozen ledge of stone and snow. His gun was no longer aimed at Hojo. Didn't really matter, he was almost out of bullets, and they didn't have any effect on his enemy anyway. Chaos was quiet, waiting for him to react in some way, any way. Hojo pretended to shed tears over his lost love, even though they both knew he had never loved Lucretia. He had just been possessive of her, like a spoiled child of his toys.
"And your son. You'd love to avenge him. But you are looking at this the wrong way, Valentine... he is becoming a god of this planet!"
Vincent felt very calm, completely in control of his body and emotions. He didn't really feel the pain when the wings tore through his skin, tearing his shirt to shreds. Claws grew from the tips of his fingers, swallowing his fingernails into them. He felt the teeth push out again, forcing his mouth open. Chaos roared with rage as it realized it had been cheated.
He was transforming, at least partly, but Vincent was still the one in control.
Hojo looked at him appraisingly when the black-winged creature threw the wings open, dotting the white, pure snow with drops of blood. Vincent lifted bloody eyes up to his old enemy and took to the air.
The scientist cackled with glee. "I've been waiting LONG for this!"
Zax sat on a rock, not far from Mr. Holzoff's house. The old man had mentioned to him several times, that if he kept on sitting on icy rocks all day like that, he'd get sick, and there wasn't a doctor anywhere near here. The first two times Zax had commented that it was his own business. The next three times he'd said that it was his own ass and he'd plant it anywhere he wanted. After that he'd just ignored the man. The cold, the pain creeping up his body was a sure way to ignore the pain inside which was so much worse. When it got to be so cold that he couldn't even hear the wind over the chattering of his teeth, the inner pain would be numb already, and he could just not think. He knew that his Soldier-body would keep him healthy enough, keep the cold down so that he didn't have to worry about frostbites too much.
He could sense someone was suddenly behind him, but guessing it was the old man, he didn't bother to turn or speak. Holzoff took care of the speaking; after 20 years of solitude, the man just didn't shut up.
"... Zax?"
He almost didn't hear the quiet voice, the wind howling past his red ears so loudly. But he heard it anyway, and recognized it. His long and painful exercise on not thinking about anything was shattered immediately.
"Zax?"
The voice was closer now, and sure enough, a small, cold hand soon landed on his barely covered shoulder. The Soldier shivered, not with the physical cold of the touch, but with the shots of ice that crept into his soul. He couldn't let himself care, couldn't let himself get hurt anymore, couldn't love, couldn't want...
"Go away."
"But Zax... I just want to talk with you."
"Yeah? But I don't wanna talk with you. Go away. Go back to her, that's where you belong."
"But…"
"Didn't you hear me? Leave me alone. I never want to see you again."
"But... Zax, please--"
"Leave. NOW."
"... I love you!"
"I hate you!"
"... you do?"
"Go."
Zax didn't turn around once, not even when he was sure that Cloud had left. He sat still for a few more hours, until it got dark. But the darkness wasn't complete, not with the stars so bright this far in the north. Not with the magical barrier shining nearby. Not with the Meteor hanging in the sky.
The tears had frozen on his cheeks.
Vincent felt surprisingly free of everything. The weight of his body, his emotions, he'd left them all behind on that cliff, and now he was flying. Soaring in the sky like a bird with blood-spattered wings that had barely dried from their sudden birth. He didn't know if they were permanent or not, and it didn't really matter as he didn't expect to live to see the sun rise.
Hojo might have lied about Lucretia, or he might have told the truth. Vincent finally realized it was all in the past, and he couldn't do anything to change that. There was no going back. He could spend his last moments of his quite unusual life agonizing over it, wishing he'd done something differently, or he could do what would make him happy. And what would really make him happy was to kill Hojo.
Taking one good, long look at the very early morning sky, the stars and dark clouds above him, Vincent said goodbye and turned to drop towards the face of the Planet again. He instinctively knew how to tilt his body, how to tug his wings in to get more speed or spread them to slow down. It wasn't like this was the first time he flew. Just the first time he himself was flying.
Hojo was waiting, his pale form almost glowing in the darkness, a sickly, greenish shade coming fast towards him. The scientist was shouting, insulting him, but Vincent let the wind swallow all the words. He didn't care for them anymore. He was here to kill Hojo, even if he'd die trying.
Their bodies crashed together in midair, and Vincent felt a sharp pain when his fractured ribs gave out. But his own claws sunk deep into Hojo's side, scratching against bone, making the other man screech with pain. But Hojo didn't stop to lick his wounds; he wrapped his tail around one of Vincent's legs and tugged, making the ex-Turk miss with his other hand. But Vincent was now low enough to headbutt the bleeding wound he'd already caused. The pain made Hojo loosen his hold on him, and the winged one pulled free, rising higher to the air, away to catch his breath. Hojo gave him a moment before chasing him, screaming ferociously.
They collided again, this time sending themselves into a dangerously reckless fall until Vincent got his wings to work. By then Hojo had wrapped his boneless-seeming body around his, and was squeezing painfully. The spiky arms were raking his sides, and all Vincent could do to fight him was use his claws. He sank them into Hojo's flesh, drew long scratches, making the man bleed. But it didn't slow Hojo, and Vincent knew he had to get away, and soon, or he'd lose this fight before he could make sure he wouldn't be the only one to die.
/Release me you fool! You can't win this fight!/
"NO!" Vincent roared and punched Hojo in the face with newfound strength. He could feel bone break, and what was left of the man's nose twisted to the cheek, spilling blood over them. Hojo's hold weakened just enough for Vincent to pull himself almost free, free enough to bring his knee up to meet Hojo's chin. Teeth crashed together and broke, the pain making the hold on him loosen completely. Vincent used Hojo's chest as a lever to push himself off and into the air, to flap away from the furious, howling creature.
He was bleeding, badly. Many of his ribs were broken, and there was a small tear in his right wing, and the cold, strong wind was in no way helping that. Hojo, on the other hand, was just bleeding from cuts and a broken nose. He'd managed to crack a few teeth. Make one deeper cut by the man's ribs.
Chaos was right. There was no way he could win this.
/Vincent! Don't give up! Please! You can do it!/
Vincent froze, halfway ready to give up and let Chaos out. But then he heard her voice. He'd missed it so much, even when he hadn't dared to trust it was really her. He still didn't know, but she gave him strength, courage. He pushed Chaos back down, back to the deepest pits of his soul. Vincent could hear the beast howl and claw and do its best to get out, to gain control. But he wouldn't let it.
He knew his blood was falling from his body like raindrops from a cloud, to patter on the earth somewhere far below. Hojo was howling and flying towards him, fast and furious. Vincent flapped his wings enough to stay still in the air while death flew closer and closer. He concentrated in stead of flying away or towards Hojo, concentrated all his strength and power to his right arm, and especially the palm. His fingers curled a bit and went completely stiff, turning into one powerful spike, not completely unlike Hojo's paw. He looked straight into Hojo's eyes in the darkness, and held the gaze while aiming his 'weapon' straight at the man's heart.
Hojo's toothless, broken and bloody mouth was open in a scream of rage, arms reaching out to pierce Vincent's body. He didn't know whether they struck him or not, he felt no pain anymore as his arm pierced first skin, then bone and muscle before reaching their goal. His fingers clenched to a fist around Hojo's heart.
Most of the Shin-Ra guards were either dead or injured enough that they couldn't fight anymore. But the Soldiers, Reno and Nanaki were barely able to keep the five monsters busy enough to stay alive. The Soldier who had climbed to the control room had died when two of the monsters had surrounded him, so there were only five of them left. Aeris was doing her best to heal the wounds the fighters received, but she knew that sooner or later someone would be hurt beyond her ability to heal them.
After the Soldier had died and they'd taken care of most of the guards, they had managed to take the elevator down to the lower floor of the laboratory. The five monsters had followed through the elevator shaft, cutting the cables on their way. Aeris and the others had hoped to escape before they could be followed, but the first monster to come down had managed to race before them and block the hallway's mouth.
The guards were slower in following them down as they weren't as agile as the monsters in descending through the elevator shaft, but the shadow creatures had gotten over their fear of fire and started to harass the five again. Nanaki took care to be as far from Reno as possible while still close enough for safety. But the shadow creatures mobbing around them did keep the larger monsters away.
"We are fucked." Reno muttered, pale as a sheet.
The two Soldiers had opened fire on the guards, Nanaki was throwing fire spells into the throng of screeching monsters, and Aeris was whacking them away with the end of her staff. But they were still surrounded, and even though they could probably survive the shadow creatures, no matter their number, and the guards, there were still the monsters. They seemed almost human as they prowled behind the excited creatures, waiting for their turn, watching as their prey ate away at the wall protecting them.
"So much for saving the Turks, eh, Valentine? You creep. Hope you burn slow..." the Turk muttered, bursting a shadow skull open with his electric rod.
"What can we do?!" Aeris shouted next to the Turk, her staff, arms and clothes covered with blood. Behind her, one of the Soldiers almost fell, screaming with pain, a bullet in his leg.
"Hope that Vincent had more luck than us." Nanaki answered, mostly to himself in between spellcasting. He raised his voice when he spoke the next words. "Just in case, it was good to know you, Aeris. And maybe even you, Turk. It was a nice trick, but if you ever touch my tail again, I will kill you."
"How about we try it again, and if it doesn't work you can kill me?" Reno shouted back and swore as one of the monsters got tired of waiting and jumped closer to them. "Do you wanna dance, pretty boy?"
Aeris had to smile at the Turk's attitude, even though the monster was now close enough for her to smell the rot in its breath. They were horrible creatures, so much like humans, but still not much more than raging beasts, but she tried not to let her fear get the better of her. Maybe Vincent had managed to follow Hojo, maybe the madman was dead by now. It was a morbid thought, but made facing certain death a bit more bearable.
Reno swore as the Soldier behind him staggered and bumped against him, almost throwing him to the horde of enemies. "Watch it!" He could feel the man get back up on his feet and was grateful that his back was still guarded. There couldn't be too many guards left anymore, if any. Most of the sound of gunfire was coming directly from behind him, so he figured that the Soldiers were killing the creatures or trying to hurt the monsters enough to stop them.
Then everything went silent. The creatures and monsters stopped altogether. The five didn't know what to make of the situation; the creatures seemed to be listening to something, but even with the almost unnatural silence, there was nothing to be heard.
Then the silence broke as suddenly as it had started. The monsters threw their heads back and let out shrill, bloodcurdling screams, and the smaller creatures took off towards the exits, some climbing the walls, some crawling into the ventilation shafts. The five just stood in the middle of the floor, completely surprised.
The room was empty within half a minute, save for them.
"Okay..." Reno muttered, shaking, "okay..."
"What on earth..." Nanaki wondered, sitting down. Aeris promptly sat down next to him, still holding her staff with shaking hands. The Soldiers were still alert, weapons ready.
"I knew that would happen. Yeah. Of course." Reno said, almost giggling nervously.
"Did... something call them away?" Aeris suggested, wearily pushing her hair out of her eyes.
"We better get out of here before they decide to come back." One Soldier said, and reached out to pull Aeris back up.
The two Soldiers took the lead as they started towards the hallway to the door, knowing that a couple of the monsters had headed this way. But the hallway was empty, and the guards outside the open door were alive, even if they were more than a bit shaken.
"What the hell were they?"
"We better get back to the President's office, I suppose the others will be there." Nanaki, ignoring the guards, suggested as no one else seemed to be able to make a decision. Aeris nodded and followed him, Reno not far behind. The Soldiers soon took lead again, hurrying up the stairs. Small groups of guards rushed past them, shouting to each other, barely avoiding bumping to them.
When they reached the presidential office, the atmosphere there seemed to be as chaotic as in the laboratory. Aeris rushed over to her father and Nanaki followed her. Reno found Elena and demanded to know what was going on.
"This is mad, Reno! I mean, it's not even morning yet, but we've been running around for hours now! As soon as you guys went in to the lab, all hell broke loose. Or that's when we started to get the reports! There's a swarm of strange creatures at loose in Midgar, everyone's panicking, it's not like they're killing people, just causing havoc, but it's still a problem and no one's doing nothing and NOW they're in HERE in the HQ and they just started to scream and it's horrible to listen to!"
"Elena, SHUT UP!" Reno roared, his thin frame shaking visibly. The blonde fell silent, but just for a moment.
"And they were coming from the laboratory! Reno, what did you guys do? Did you get Hojo? Is he dead?"
Nanaki suddenly turned from Aeris and Professor Gast, and started to listen to the Turks.
"He disappeared but Valentine managed to follow him. So much for being your savior of the Turks, yeah?" Reno explained, not too happy.
Elena opened her mouth but Nanaki beat her to it. "You don't suppose that's what the creatures were so upset about?"
"Huh?" Elena asked, both of them turning to the beast.
"Maybe Vincent managed to hurt Hojo, perhaps even kill him. The monsters seemed very upset. They were his pets."
"They were his assistants." Rufus joined the conversation, looking surprisingly alert and fresh, considering it was very early in the morning.
"What?!" Reno barked.
"Apparently he put his assistants into Mako and turned them to monsters." The President explained with an even tone. "It's not the first time he's used humans as... experiments and specimens."
"That's... horrible." Elena muttered.
"Tch. Well I hope Valentine got him good." Reno said, shaking his head. Rufus patted him on the shoulder.
"Good to see that you are fine. Because I want you both to head over to Midgar and do what you can there. Now."
Elena dragged Reno out before the redhead burst into tears, for he looked like he just might do that.
Nanaki and Rufus joined Aeris and her father, the professor just explaining to her what had happened. They had received word just a moment ago that Highwind was nearing Rocket Town.
"We've also decided to use the Sister Ray to break the barrier over the Crater. But Junon is far from there, and at an odd angle, too many mountains and such on the way. So we're moving her here. Scarlet is taking care of it as we speak." Gast finished.
"So with any luck, the Meteor and barrier shall be taken care of within the next few days. That would leave the Weapons, and what's IN the Crater." Rufus joined the conversation. "I've already given command to send troops up there, to be ready to attack as soon as the barrier is gone."
Nanaki let out a long breath. "Again, things don't seem so hopeless. I think I'll head to town myself, see if I can be of any assistance." The beast nodded at each of them, his tail twitching almost nervously.
"I suggest that you get a bit of rest, miss Gainsborough. You too, Professor. We'll continue this later." Rufus suggested, looking at his watch.
"I think I'll go with Nanaki." Aeris said, squeezing her father's hand for a moment. "I might also be of some help."
"Are you sure, dear?" Gast asked, smiling at her.
"Yes, I'm not tired. And even if I were, I don't think I could sleep just now, not knowing what's going on and what happened to Vincent and Hojo."
"Be careful!" Gast called out after the two hurrying to catch the Turks.
Dawn was breaking when the Highwind finally flew over the last mountains, and the Rocket Town area was seen. The rocket stood out in the even landscape. Tifa stopped to stare at it for a long moment before joining Cid and Shera on the railing. They'd reached Junon before midnight, but it had taken a long time to load the bomb into the ship's bowels. It would take longer still to get it into the rocket, but Cid was determined to launch it before nightfall.
None of the three spoke much, besides wishing each other a good morning. They stared at the rocket getting closer, trying to ignore the Meteor.
Cid had already contacted Rocket Town on the radio as soon as they had left Midgar. The villagers had immediately started to give the rocket a check-out, and to do any necessary repairs. All they'd have to do was load in the bomb and take off.
One of the ship's crew came up and saluted. "Sir!"
Cid turned, squinted at the sun shining straight into his eyes, and nodded. "Yeah?"
"We're staring to land, sir. Your orders?"
"All right then, this is it. Get some guys down there to make sure nothin' happens to the bomb. Take her down softly, as close to the Rocket as possible. As soon as we land, we're dumping the bomb out. Now get to it!"
"Sir yes sir!" The man saluted again, grinning as he turned and ran below decks. Cid chuckled.
"Look at that! They're as excited as kids who've been promised candy."
Shera smiled, looking at him. Tifa noticed it, and when he headed down the stairs, she stepped closer to the engineer.
"I thought you and Reeve had something going on..." she said with a smile. Shera blushed and turned to look at the ground again. "So what's with the look?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just that the Captain... he's the same as the others. Happy. Finally. He's going to space. It's what he's always wanted."
"You loved him, didn't you?" Tifa askes, no longer teasing. Shera nodded after a moment.
"He never cared for me though. But I stayed with him and took care of him. Someone had to. Reeve's so different from him. Gentle and soft spoken, to start with. But when he's like that, the Captain is irresistible." Shera smiled and looked at the fighter from the corner of her eyes. "Don't you agree?"
Tifa laughed and shook her head. "He does look... somewhat different. But I think I can resist my urges..."
As if he'd known they were talking about him, Cid popped his head out of the door. "Hey you snails! Get in here, damn it! We're landing!"
The landing was smooth, and the crew, with the help of villagers, were able to unload the heavy mako bomb out of the ship. Cid had sent Shera into the Rocket with some of the crew to check everything was in order, and was bossing the rest around, trying to find the easiest and safest way to get the bomb in. It was the size of a small car, although not as heavy.
"Watch it you bloody morons! This baby breaks on us, we'll be crapping green shit for the rest of our lives! Which will last about two hours in horrible, Mako-poisoned madness!"
Tifa took a few steps back, just in case. She almost jumped with surprise as she bumped into something hard. Turning around, she as even more surprised to see Rude. "... Aren't you going to help them?"
"... Not my job."
"Fine, let's just stand here and wait for the Meteor to drop." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. Rude shrugged one shoulder slightly.
"Why aren't you helping them?" the Turk asked quietly as they both stared at the busy workers.
"I am. I'm watching this side, in case something goes wrong." She said and lifted her chin a bit.
"... You were too short to be of any help?"
"... Shut up." Tifa muttered and blushed.
Well past noon, the bomb was finally pushed and pulled into the rocket, with the help of several improvised pulleys and cranes. And Cid was ready to burst.
"All right everyone! Go and get some rest and grub! You, bring me a cup of tea! You guys, take down the pulleys and all this crap! You, make sure the supports aren't rusted to the rocket! Tif, you and Marbles get your asses here! We're goin' in!"
He lead the two up a ladder and through the main door, into the rocket itself. The day was a hot and humid one, but the air in the rocket was cool, even though so many people were running around inside it. It was dark there as well, most of the lights inside not turned on. "We're gonna save energy wherever we can. No chances. This'll gotta work on the first go!"
"Cid, how many cups of tea have you had today? And how much sugar?" Tifa asked quietly as she reached the beaming pilot's side. Cid just chuckled and waved a hand at her.
"Nothing can stop us, girl. Not now. We're going to go and say Hello to the stars face to face!"
They reached the cockpit, where a few members of the crew were checking and re-checking everything. But when Cid stepped in, they all stopped what they were doing, turned around to face him, and started to applaud. The proud Captain just smiled and bowed several times before lifting his hands up to quiet them.
"So. Long time no see, guys! How's the rocket?"
"It's pretty much ok." One man said, beaming as much as Cid was. "There's just one problem that needs to be fixed before take-off, but don't worry, Shera's taking care of it."
"Oh great! What a buncha wizards you guys are! She's gonna take 100 years! I'll take over, so don't worry about it."
"Our rocket's gonna save the planet!" Another guy said, shaking his head with marvel and stroking a wall gently.
"Man this is so COOL!" Another said, also excited.
Tifa backed away a bit, and could see from the corner of her eye that Rude was doing the same. They both felt very out of place there, amongst those whose lives the Rocket had pretty much defined. Besides, the men seemed to be talking in a language completely their own.
Soon Cid ordered the men out, and told them to start getting everyone else out as well. Only the three of them and Shera would stay in when the rocket took off. The repairs indoor were all done, except for the one Shera was finishing.
"All right. We're almost done. And way ahead of schedule, too! The only thing that bugs me is that the bloody moron's gonna take care of the launch." He swore at the thought of Palmer, who, even though he was a babbling fool, was still the head of the space department, and responsible for the launch. But his annoyance was short-lived as the Captain stretched and looked around the cockpit, smiling, genuinely happy.
"I guess if I had to choose, I'd rather put my money on the power of science. Humans who used to only roam around on the ground are able to fly now! And finally, we're about to go into outer space. Science is a 'power' created and developed by humans. And science just might be what saves this planet. I was able to earn my living thanks to science. So to me, there's nothing greater!" Cid shook his head and turned to Tifa, and Rude, too. For once there was no annoyance in his voice, no anger in his eyes. Just happiness and sincerity. "And I'm glad you guys are here to share this with me. Well, at least you, Tif. And Shera. I've been a total ass to her, I know. She'll be happy with Reeve, right? Ahh, doesn't matter now, we'll think on that once we get back."
Tifa was too surprised to say anything right then. The next moment, the rocket started to shake, and lights blinked on and off.
"What the hell... what the hell happened?!" Cid shouted and ran to the radio, screaming the same question into it.
"'Hey hey!'" Came the answer, bringing back the Cid they all knew and loved.
"Palmerrr! You mad motherfuckerrr..." Cid growled, squeezing the radio's mouthpiece. "What the hell did ya do?!"
"'They said they finished the repairs. So, I launched it!'"
Cid swore again, and switched into the rocket's own radio, calling out for Shera. She soon answered, and received an earful of profanities.
"Are you done there? Palmer launched our asses! We're heading to space!"
"'Yes, Captain, I'm done here!'"
"Well, drag your ass up here then, or you'll miss the show!" The anger was giving way to happiness again in his voice as he turned to the two and ordered for them to take seats and put on some seatbelts.
"We'll need to be seated during lift-off, but then we can hop around and check everything's staying together." Cid explained and shooed Shera into one seat as soon as she reached the cockpit.
"'Three!'" Came Palmer's cheery voice over the radio just as Cid grabbed his own seatbelt.
"'Two!'"
"Hold onto your drawers, people! This is it!"
"'One! Blast OFF!'" Palmer screeched. His voice was drowned by the roar of engines and the moans of metal as the supports started to break loose and the rocket itself complained about the sudden energy flowing through it. Tifa squeezed her seat's handrests so hard she knew her knuckles were white as bone inside her gloves. They'd been so busy the whole day she hadn't had a chance to be scared. It certainly hit her full force now, when there was no turning back anymore. They were really going into space!
Cid howled beside them like it was just another ride at the Gold Saucer.
"I finally made it... outer space... let's see, how's the course set?"
The worst noise had just died down, the little light with Fasten Seatbelts written beside it still blinking, but Cid was up from his chair already, standing by the small, thick-glassed window of the cockpit. He pressed a few buttons on the control board and lights appeared on the glass; the Planet on the lower left corner of the screen, the Meteor still up in the right upper corner, and their course set in smaller lights towards it.
"... We're going to crash into it?" Rude asked and opened his seatbelt, paler than usual.
Cid snorted and turned to them, shaking his head. "My baby's got an escape pod just for emergencies like this. We'll bail out right before we crash into Meteor. The bomb and the rocket're gonna hit it, and go Booooom! And maybe that'll be enough to take care of it."
"Maybe?!" Tifa shouted, her ears still ringing from all the noise. She was the only one still seated, Shera had gotten up just after Rude, and was watching the window.
"Nothing's for sure, cupcake. Only death and Shin-Ra being asses. But we can hope, like Aeris would put it." Cid said, toying with a few buttons. A light started to flash beside his hand.
"Wonder what they're up to... if they've come up with something to fight Sephiroth and the Weapons with." Tifa muttered and dared to open her seatbelt. They were flying deeper and deeper into space, and everything was starting to feel very light.
"Yo, Shera," Cid said and pointed at the blinking light, "would ya go and check this out for me? Take the Turk with you."
Shera nodded and headed out of the cockpit, gesturing Rude to follow her.
When they were gone and the door had closed, the Captain tilted his head a bit to the side. "Ya know, Tif... gotta tell you something. I know what I've said about this. But maybe all that I really wanted was just to go into outer space. I don't know if this'll do anything to stop the Meteor, but, ya know, at least we tried. And I got to see the stars."
Another light started to flash on the other side of the board before Tifa had a chance to respond. Even though he cursed about it, Cid seemed slightly relieved. He informed Shera through the radio about the second problem before heading for the door himself.
"Come on, we're takin' care of this one."
Tifa tried to keep up with him, but walking in the rocket felt so strange she was having a hard time matching his pace. She imagined that it must have been a bit similar to this to be under water. Feeling that there was nothing outside, only something intangible. But still strong enough to keep them from falling, or drowning.
"We're almost there..." Cid muttered and eyed the walls around them. "These are the bloody oxygen tanks... last time, Shera insisted there was something wrong with one of these, and we had to abort the launch." He stopped in front of one, and turned to Tifa. "This one, number Eight, to be exact. Look at it, nothing wrong with it and it's been years!" He rapped it with his knuckles and gave out a short bark of laughter. Tifa opened her mouth but was interrupted yet again, as the oxygen tank exploded.
Shera and Rude soon returned to the cockpit, problem taken care of. She went straight to the controls and checked the board and their position on the screen.
"Not long now. I had no idea the Meteor was this close to the Planet already..." she muttered and turned to the Turk. "We have maybe fifteen minutes before we have to be in the escape pod. Where's the Captain and Tifa? He mustn't have realized that we're this close already, I don't think it's necessary to fix that." She reached over to the radio.
"Captain? Are you there?"
A long moment passed before they heard the familiar static noise before Tifa's voice carried over to them. "'Shera! Come quick, both of you! The oxygen tank exploded, and Cid's hurt!'"
They could hear Cid's swearing in the background. Shera didn't stick around to wait for any more information, she took off like a bullet, and Rude quickly followed so that he wouldn't get lost.
"I can't lift it..." Tifa groaned, trying to ease the heavy metal piece back onto his legs as gently as possible. She hadn't managed to lift it much, but Cid still groaned when the weight returned upon him.
"Don't worry 'bout me. Hurry up and go! If you don't hurry, the rocket's gonna crash into Meteor, and you with it!" Cid said between clenched teeth.
"I can't leave without you! Shera and Rude are on their way, we'll get this off of you!"
"You dumbass! No time to worry 'bout other people! Go!"
"No!" Tifa shook her arms and was just ready to try lifting again when Shera and Rude all but burst into the room. The Turk went to the other side of the piece of wall on the Captain, and Shera grabbed it between them.
"You're stupid. You're all really fucking stupid." Cid muttered and squeezed his eyes shut when they lifted. "So tank number 8 blew up... it really was malfunctioning. Shera... you were right."
With the three of them doing the lifting, the metal piece wasn't so heavy anymore. After a few tries they managed to lift it high enough to turn it over and free the Captain. He didn't seem seriously hurt, so Rude unceremoniously picked him up by his armpits and set him standing. Cid was a bit shaky on his feet, and a lot sheepish as he tried to look up at Shera.
"... Sorry."
Shera smiled. "I'm glad you're ok, Captain. But we have to go now, I'll go and detach the escape pod, you three go to it already."
She turned back towards the cockpit but Cid stopped him.
"Hey, Shera! Does this pod really fly?"
"It'll be ok. I checked it before the launch."
"Then I'm relieved."
Shera nodded as a thank you, and hurried off. Cid, limping quite badly but not complaining too much, guided the others towards the escape pod. They kept the door open until Shera joined them a few minutes later. The pod detached from the rocket, and started to fall back towards the Planet. From the window they could see the rocket nearing the Meteor.
"So this is... outer space. Man... it's the real thing... I'm really here in outer space. So long, ShinRa No. 26..." Cid muttered. The happiness wasn't so obvious in his expression anymore, but he was clearly more peaceful and calm than before.
There was nothing else to do in the small pod, so they watched as the rocket got nearer and nearer, and finally reached the Meteor. The collision, the explosion it caused was far too bright for them to bear witness to every moment of it. But when the light faded and they could see the Meteor in small pieces, a loud, gleeful shout rose in the pod.
When the Meteor started to gather itself back together, adding on the debris from the rocket, their joy died quickly.
Jenova smiled as she heard Cloud return to the cave. The blond was sobbing, and trying very hard to hide it from her. He'd learn that there was nothing she didn't know of him. The Soldier had turned him down, of course. And it had torn Cloud apart. Now he'd be all hers to command and manipulate, even more than before.
"Well? What happened?"
Cloud stiffened at hearing her voice, and with his back turned to her quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. Jenova pretended not to see it.
"Umm, he... he was still a bit upset. So I just came back." His voice was strained, and Jenova guessed he was just a thought away from bursting into tears again.
"Well you can of course go and see him again later. I don't object. We still have some time before the Meteor arrives."
Cloud cleared his throat and finally turned to her, his eyes slightly red. Jenova couldn't keep a smirk down when she saw the suspicion in them.
"Why are you so nice to me? Earlier, you didn't like me at all."
"You didn't like me either." Jenova said with a raised eyebrow, her hands crossed over Sephiroth's bare chest.
"... Who says I like you now?" Cloud muttered, glaring at her even though he was clearly cowering away in case she tried to lash out at him. She just laughed.
"Well, I'm all you have now, dear Cloud. And you're all I have. My only child. The one with most of me inside of you."
"You made me kill Ifalna. And all those others. That Turk..." Cloud shivered and avoided her eyes, but Jenova stepped up to him and caught his chin, lifting it up so that their eyes met again.
"To make you stronger, my child. Ifalna was a bit different. The Cetra had to die before she could summon the Holy to counter Meteor. She was an obstacle. The others don't matter. Don't lose any sleep over them. None of that will matter in a few days." She pulled him closer, against her wide chest, and cradled his head in her arms. "Now. Tell me. What really happened?"
"..." Cloud let her hold him so surprisingly gently, let her warm arms chase away the cold of the outside world, and the chill of having his love turned down. The thought brought fresh tears into his eyes, and he turned his face against the bare skin, sobbing gently.
"Don't tell me the oaf made you cry, my sweet child..." Jenova purred, smiling now that he couldn't see her.
Cloud's shoulders shuddered, and he began to cry. "He said he hates me!"
"Ohh, poor thing..." She petted his hair, trying to tame the spikes without success.
"He never wants to see me again..."
"He is just human. He can't understand us. He's envious of us, even though he'd deny it if asked. But don't blame him too much. Humans can't help what they are. They'll try to become like us, to reach the stars, but they'll fail." She let her powers flow into his unprotected and momentarily vulnerable mind, soothing him. That was all it seemed like to Cloud, just a calming presence. He didn't notice her sinking her hooks deeper into his being.
It was almost night when the Highwind finally picked them up from the sea. Cid had been pretty much beating himself, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. So none of them were in the best of moods when they reached the deck, and the officer waiting there, looking like he had news, and he wasn't thrilled about them.
"All right, spit it out..." Cid growled when all four were on deck. The man nodded and cleared his throat.
"We've been in contact with Midgar several times during the day, and afternoon."
"Yeah, we heard the bug reports this morning... have they figured out what the shadow things were yet? And what happened to that Hojo?"
"No, Captain. But they're transferring the Sister Ray to Midgar as we speak. And President requested that we get back as soon as possible. They've spotted two of the Weapons near Midgar, and there have been reports of one flying over here as well, so we need to practice caution, sir."
Cid sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the railing. "So what else is new... well what are we sitting over here for then, let's get moving! You're in charge, I'm just gonna sit out here for a while."
The officer nodded and left the deck. Rude followed him soon without a word to anyone. Tifa and Shera exchanged looks and went to sit with Cid as the great airship turned and started to gather speed.
"Captain..." Shera started after a quiet moment. The wind on deck started to really blow as they turned, chilling them all to the bone. "I don't think there was anything we could have done differently. That thing... maybe it can't be stopped. But at least we tried..."
Cid waved a hand at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know... the bomb barely fit in the rocket, and it was pretty much the strongest. We blew it apart, and it gathered itself again. I know, but I still don't like it. Ah, look, why don't you two get down there before you freeze your butts to the metal?"
Both Shera and Tifa smiled at that.
"All right. But what about you?" The fighter asked, getting up.
"I'll be along soon. Just need to have a cigarette first."
The two wished him a good night and left. Cid pulled a cigarette slowly out of the crushed pack in his goggles and lit it, inhaling the smoke and immediately feeling more relaxed. The Meteor, bigger and brighter than before, competed with the rising moon of the domination of the sky that was still bright with the colours of early night. The first stars were starting to come out. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, he, Circinus Highwind, Captain Cid, had been up there with them. But it was true. His lifelong dream had come true.
With the end of the world closing in on them so quickly, he felt a bit guilty about being so happy. But he couldn't help it. He didn't want to help it.
Cid looked up at the starry, starry sky and smiled.
-
A.N: What what what? A nice ending for a chapter? :) How about, the 77th reviewer gets to request a picture? :) I'm not half bad at drawing... and the 777th reviewer gets chocolate. :D I'm delusional here...
I was chatting with a friend while writing the big battle, and she wanted to help Vincent, and threw him an electric flyswatter:
He knew his blood was falling from his body like raindrops from a cloud, to patter on the earth somewhere far below. Hojo was howling and flying towards him, fast and furious. Vincent flapped his wings enough to stay still, when an electric flyswatter suddenly appeared in his hands. Not questioning this sudden change of events, Vincent swung it ready like a baseball bat, and when Hojo got close enough, he whacked it SMACK! Straight to Hojo's face! The bastard screeched and screamed and cried and fried, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Vincent smiled and let the flyswatter fall down into the depths of the mountain gorges, sure that whatever was still in one piece in Hojo's body would be completely crushed.
Please leave a review! :3 They make me very, very happy, and make me write a LOT faster...