Start Date: June 18, 2022
Windwillow
Pre-warning: I think I might have overdone the gore. Get ready, it's gonna get nasty.
Final Fantasy VII
Well, they rescued Aerith. Then they got caught as well, and so were imprisoned for the night. But something unusual happened, something possibly beneficial but mostly horrifically mortifying.
What caused the carnage they were about to discover? The answer would reveal their true mission, and it wasn't necessarily stopping Shinra anymore...
Chapter 12: Escape from Midgar
Scene One
The difference one night makes could be frightening, sometimes. Just a few hours before the party were captives to Shinra, locked in cells awaiting whatever their fate would be deemed to be. They'd been separated, cut off from each other like lab rats awaiting their fate. Now...
You could scarcely call him human, or at least you couldn't make one out of what was left of him. The guard that had watched over AVALANCHE the night before now lay in a mutilated heap, flesh torn open with his face wrenched in utter horror. The sight of his innards dropping from his belly turned their stomachs.
"What..." Barret swallowed hard. He had trouble forming words, even foul ones. After being released from captivity he had joined Cloud and the others at the site of the massacre, looking down at the corpse with stunned terror. Not just horror; terror. "What did this?!"
Crouching down, Cloud examined the body. His chest had been slashed open with what looked like claw marks, but the first wound stretching across his torso was something different.
"B-besides all... this..." Cloud muttered, slowly as to not show his fear. "The first wound looks too clean to be from a wild animal. It looks like he was slashed open like... like he was dissected for a science experiment... with some sort of knife? I can't tell what started as that wound and what ended up being... this."
Aerith stood with her hands over her mouth, shocked. She couldn't quite form words. Well, she could form a horrified shriek when she first found him, but... Red XIII looked on with clear horror, his limbs trembling. Quaking, even. He had trouble standing for a moment but managed to gather his courage.
"Oh, God..." Tifa gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. Her stomach quaked as she turned to the side and wretched. As she cleaned her face she turned her eyes to something else. "Th-there's a... trail of blood..."
Starting from the body, a huge puddle of blood seemed to be distorted, as if something had been dragged away. It started as the guard's wounds, but slowly looks like the blood had been pulled along the floor. Something was dragged through the chaos...
"Uh... guys?" Cloud turned to an open door to find Barret, holding the Buster Sword in his good arm. He dragged it along the blood-soaked floor and tossed it, and Cloud caught it. For a moment he started to reattach it, but quickly flipped it into a battle-ready grip instead. "I found this back here in... I guess the armory..."
'Cept everything else's got blood all over it...
Struggling to keep his composure, Cloud lifted the Buster Sword over his shoulder and put one foot in front of the other. Slowly his steps took him past the corpse, and towards the source of the blood.
"Cloud..." Aerith breathed in a sharp gasp. "What are you..." The idea of following him barely registered, but as the team looked at each other there didn't seem to be any other option. Slowly, steadily, they moved through the bloody cell block with their weapons at the ready.
The bodies continued to pile up, strewn across the floor as well as shoved up against the walls. Omnipresent was the streak of red along the floor, with a chilling signature imprinted in the blood.
"Th-there are..." gasped Tifa, swallowing hard. "There are footprints... Someone walked through... this? What the hell-"
She was interrupted by the sight of a monstrous, seemingly undead panther with its fangs stretched out at her face. Though she screamed and fell back, the creature ALSO fell back in two pieces, cut down the center by Cloud's sword. The... thing's... body continued to twitch until it moved no longer.
Cloud knelt down to inspect the corpse. It was some sort of mutant, something like Hojo might have dreamed up in a horrible nightmare. Gaunt, spiked with studded thorns along its torso, the claws and fangs of the beast dripped with blood. That blood led down the hall... There was no other choice.
"We've gotta keep moving," Cloud said with as much courage as he could. He lifted his sword and shouldered it, slowly inching through the corridors as his friends followed. The carnage only continued...
Scene Two
They continued through the halls, finally reaching a wide open area that they recognized as the lab where they'd first seen Red XIII. More bloody corpses, ripped open in some places and seemingly cut open in others, littered the floors and walls.
"They weren't just mauled..." Tifa inched closer to the bodies. "I can see sword wounds. They were cut open first, then... eaten... by... something..." The obvious conclusion was that the animal that had attacked them had been snacking before they'd met it.
A low growl entered their ears and AVALANCHE jumped back. From behind the corner came a group of panther-mutants, a pack of twelve. They had a better view of them: their bellies were gaunt, rimmed with spiky thorns along their stomachs. Nasty fangs and nasty claws rounded them out, perfect monstrosities out of a horrible nightmare.
Red foam seeped from their maws as they roared and began to charge. Barret briefly hesitated before releasing a rain of gunfire. The mutants agilely darted between the bullets, faster than he could follow. As he flinched the closest beast was jumped by Red XIII and slammed against the wall, quickly breaking out into a violent struggle between the two.
Keeping its fangs at a close distance, Red XIII ignited his mane. Flames licked his fangs as he tore into the mutant and ripped it apart, hurling what remained into the wall where it bounced back and lunged again. Red XIII's mane lit like a candelabra, and a ring of fire shot from it and engulfed the mutant, burning it to death slowly. Emphasis on slowly... It took a while to die.
With three deft slices Cloud bisected three mutants, their bodies falling back in two halves. From behind the corpses a fourth had almost reached his face. Tifa's fist met its maw, breaking its teeth open as Cloud wasted no time in cutting it down. He turned to Tifa with a smile as she crouched down and delivered a roundhouse kick that snapped another's neck.
Aerith snapped her staff open and beat back another mutant, though it quickly charged again. She lifted her free hand and flexed her fingers, causing a burst of fire to ignite the mutant. When it reared back and lunged again she smacked it with her staff and busted open its teeth before delivering a strong kick that slammed it into the wall.
As two more approached Barret recovered his nerve. The barrels of his Gun-arm lit up as he lashed out with his arm, blasting them apart into foaming red bits. Another bore its fangs, but he took his good arm and bashed its skull, sending it flying dead to the ground.
The remaining two went for Tifa. She drew her hands down to her side, cupping them, and thrust them forward. A spiraling wave of energy blasted them back just far enough for Cloud to slice them to ribbons. Tifa dropped to her seat, exhausted. Aerith and Barret joined her while Cloud dug his sword into the ground and used it to prop himself up. Red XIII looked on hesitantly.
Gasping for air Cloud somehow dragged himself to his feet, and he noticed a large pool of blood near a certain chamber. Upon inspection the bloody mess revealed a huge chasm where steel used to be. The name on its plate was one they recognized...
"Jenova..." Cloud gasped. He inspected the chamber (what was left of it), finding the steel ripped open. "Something broke this apart from the inside..." Closer inspection found that the first blow was delivered with a clean downward stroke, like a sword cut it open from the inside out.
Chillingly, there was nothing inside - obviously no head, but this time no body. There was only a mass of pus and blood. Cloud's knees buckled and he drove the Buster Sword into the ground, using it to stop his fall. Whatever happened, it started here... He turned his eyes to the elevator, which was still active. And, of course, drenched in blood.
"It leads up..." he gasped, rising slowly. "We gotta follow it..." Barret stumbled to his feet and began to protest, but quickly his words faltered and he remained silent. His friends slowly stepped past Jenova's chamber and towards the elevator, leaving the carnage behind them.
Scene Three
The elevator lead into a wide area with two staircases on either end. Cloud recognized it as the area they'd been led to on the way to the President's office. And the streaks of blood and the corpses that littered the floor showed that there had been futile resistance.
"These haven't been eaten..." Cloud observed. "They've been... melted..." Indeed, the bodies had been dissolved from the inside out, leaving the ribcages to remain open, soaked in blood and pus. "We aren't dealing with the same mutants!"
"Um... Cloud?" Cloud swiveled upon hearing Aerith's voice, sighting a rotund, floating abomination hovering with its back to him. Aerith slowly lifted her hand and frost began to surround her palm before creating a snowy force field around her entire arm. "I... think we found the other mutant..."
Cloud lifted the Buster Sword in front of him, ready to attack. Three more of the creatures, their backs still turned, dropped from the ceiling. They were blue, ridged with spikes like the previous mutants. Though he trembled slightly, Cloud tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Show yourselves!" he snarled. The four mutants whirled around to reveal four toothy maws, dripping with acid and red foam that streaked from their mouths. They were more like a broken pot with a face torn open from its center. Cloud swallowed hard. "Or not."
The mutants roared, flying straight at the team. Cloud, thinking quickly, evaded the slime that the mutant spat at him. With a single downwards slice he cut the thing in half, leaving the pot to fall into two pieces on the floor. A quick look back saw that the slime it had spewed had melted the floor like acid.
Barret didn't hesitate this time. He unloaded into the mutant pot that approached, the bullets digging into its body and leaving pockmarks as they hit. As the creature readied itself, he stepped aside and charged his barrels. The acid shot out from the mutant's mouth, but he gave an explosive swing that broke it into pieces of blue crystal.
Aerith thrust her frost-covered hand out, the ice freezing her mutant frozen solid before it could spit at her. She breathed a quick sigh of relief before realizing that it wasn't dead yet. The acid melted the ice and shot out like a shotgun blast, causing Aerith to dodge to the side. Her hands became cloaked in lightning and she threw them forward, the thunderous roar breaking it into shards. As the pieces fell she dropped to one knee, exhausted and terrified.
For her mutant, Tifa didn't allow it to fire. She swiftly jumped into the air with her leg extended, using gravity to drop her foot into the pot's head. It shattered slightly, breaking apart from the top down, but its maw was still alive and soaked in acid.
Tifa lost her composure and shrieked as the acid shot forward. Red XIII swiftly used his rear legs to kick her out of the way of the acid, pausing briefly on the ground, before swinging those legs upwards and shattering the remnants of the pot. He did a quick spin and landed on his feet, though he was shaken.
No one spoke, no one cried. There was only silence as the party viewed the aftermath. The four mutants lay in pieces on the ground, some still foaming with red ooze. As the last of them died, Cloud brought his hand to his mouth, turned his head, and wretched. He cleaned his face and turned his gaze upwards. Towards the President's office...
"Folks..." Cloud said carefully, choosing his words. "We have one more place to visit..." As the party staggered to their feet they solemnly nodded, walking up the double staircases from opposite ends.
Scene Four
No one spoke, nor did they move. The sight was enough to silence them completely. A bloody mess, a trail of blood... and a seven foot long sword impaled in the back of President Shinra. It was quite deep, too; the blade was actually stuck through his back into the ground.
"I recognize that sword!" Tifa gasped as she covered her mouth. "That sword belongs to... No! That's impossible!" As the rest of the party stood in stunned silence, Cloud moved forward towards the body. "The only one who can use that sword is-"
"Sephiroth..." Cloud stated, causing everyone to turn and face him. "The Masamune is a weapon that can only be used by one man: First Class SOLDIER, hero of the Wutai War... Sephiroth. He's..." He swallowed hard. "He's... still... alive!"
Hearing a squeal, Cloud reacted quickly. He grappled onto a rotund figure who tried to pass by him, putting him in a headlock; he couldn't hold the rest of his fat body. The man they'd caught was head of the Space Program: Palmer. Perhaps the lone survivor.
"Please! Pl-please! Don't kill me!" Palmer screamed, wrestling against Cloud's hold. "I'm begging you, don't-"
"Quiet, punk!" Cloud hissed, causing Palmer to squeal in terror and cease resisting. "I want you to tell me. Please... don't tell me Sephiroth did this..." Palmer resumed struggling, but was unable to escape.
"H-he did!" Palmer yelled, hard enough for Cloud to wince. "Sephiroth was here! H-he looked at me and said I wasn't worth killing! He was mad, raving about the Promised Land! Like we didn't deserve it... He told me I was a sniveling weasel!"
"You are," Tifa said plainly. "If he said Shinra didn't deserve the Promised Land... does that mean he's going to stop them from taking it?!"
Barret swallowed hard. "Th-then he's on our side!" As Palmer continued to struggle, Cloud stared straight ahead. He knew better.
"No!" he snarled. "Sephiroth's more dangerous than Shinra ever will be! He... he said his mission was to-" The sound of a helicopter broke his train of thought, causing him to swivel around to the source of the noise. "Who the hell is that?!"
Mouthing a foul word, Barret angrily shook his head. "God damn it, Rufus! I forgot about that bastard! Does that mean he's-" Palmer finally broke free and ran from the room, towards the helicopter's landing pad.
"Who's Rufus?!" Tifa shouted, flexing her knuckles. "Is that... No!" Barret nodded grimly, grinding his teeth.
"Vice-President of Shinra..." he said with bile in his voice. "Rufus is the President's son! I thought he was reassigned to some hick town... What is he doing here? Who told him what was happening?!" He shook his head. "Palmer! Dammit!" As Cloud dashed through the door Palmer had passed through, Barret clenched his fist. "You're gonna... Dammit!" The party quickly followed Cloud outside.
Scene Five
The only place left in the building that didn't have any blood was the landing pad, where Rufus had already touched down and conferred with Palmer. He was a handsome young man, blonde, medium build, dressed in a long white jacket he wore more like a trench coat. There were multiple belts and straps scattered across his uniform.
"So it was Sephiroth?" Rufus asked Palmer, receiving a nervous nod as a reply. "God almighty..." He turned his attention to the party as they arrived, weapons drawn. "And who the hell are you freaks?"
Cloud shouldered the Buster Sword. "Former SOLDIER, First Class. Cloud Strife." Barret flexed his muscles and stomped his foot.
"AVALANCHE!" he snapped. As Tifa nodded her assent and cracked her knuckles, she glared at Rufus.
"Same here!" Tifa shouted. Aerith snapped open her staff, spun it around, and caught it, pointing it straight at Rufus.
"A flower girl from the slums! But don't you dare look down on me!" Red XIII bore his fangs, sliding his foot to his side menacingly.
"You bastards used me as a research experiment!" he snarled. "Now I'll rearrange your ugly mug!" Rufus stared, amused, and broke into laughter. He shrugged.
"Quite the crew. So as to introduce myself..." He bowed politely. "My name is Rufus Shinra, President of Shinra. Inc." Barret angrily aimed his Gun-arm at the white-jacketed man.
"Yeah, because your old man has a sword in his back! You didn't earn a damn thing!" From beneath his jacket Rufus withdrew a sawed-off shotgun, aiming it at Barret's head. Barret flinched, much to his own disgust.
"My old man was a capitalist..." Rufus said with a smile. "He bought and sold the loyalty of the world like he was trading stocks. I, however, am different. Why waste money on the commoners when you can keep them in check with a knife at their throats? Fear doesn't cost me a single Gil." Tifa grit her teeth. Somehow, he was worse than his father.
Cloud took the Buster Sword in both hands and pointed it at Rufus, prompting an amused smirk. He clearly wasn't afraid, even with a gigantic sword aimed at his head.
"Take Aerith and get out of here!" hissed Cloud. "You have to get out of this building, out of Midgar, and out in the world where you at least have a shot at surviving!" Barret lifted his Gun-arm again.
"I ain't afraid of no freak in a suit!" Cloud's sword brushed his face, prompting Barret to jump back. He'd turned the edge to his throat. "Point that damn thing at him!"
"I don't have time to explain, God damn it!" Cloud snapped, causing Barret to jump. "I told you to leave, so leave! NOW!" While Barret scowled, he nevertheless took Aerith's arm and started to drag her back inside the building. She angrily struggled, to no avail.
"Let me go!" she screamed. "Cloud-" Tifa grabbed her from behind and hurried her out. "Tifa, you too?!" She saw Tifa's grimace; this was clearly against her own wishes, but she'd decided to trust Cloud. Aerith resolved to do the same, and fled the landing pad with Red XIII right behind her.
Cloud was left behind, sword directed at Rufus, as a bio-mechanical panther leapt from the helicopter and put itself between Cloud and Rufus. His Dark Nation, his own personal 'pet', was designed to double as his bodyguard. As Rufus smirked confidently, Cloud could only grit his teeth harder.
His task was to keep Rufus busy. Everyone else had the mission to escape, whatever the cost.
Scene Six
Given that everyone was dead, there was no resistance as AVALANCHE ran from the President's office. They passed by the blood and corpses, reaching the door through which they could reach the elevator. Suddenly, as they reached that door, Tifa slid to a stop.
"Tifa, c'mon!" Barret snarled. "What part of take Aerith and get out of here did you not hear?!" A fierce glare from Tifa silenced him. He lowered his eyes. "What're you gonna do?"
"Wait for Cloud," Tifa said resolutely. "You go ahead, and Cloud and I will follow when we deal with Rufus. And don't try to convince me otherwise! GO!" Seeing their apprehension, Tifa cracked her knuckles. "I said go! Now!" The rest of the party fled through the door, leaving Tifa alone. She turned her eyes upwards towards the roof.
Come back, Cloud...
The rest of AVALANCHE ran through the empty halls, ignoring the blood around them. Sephiroth had been busy. Finally, they reached the open hall leading to the elevators.
"Let's go, guys!" shouted Barret. "Hey, watch it!" Before they could board the elevator a gigantic robot skidded up to block their path. It was huge, on treads and loaded with weapons. "Aw, come on! Ain't everything dead yet?!"
Barret opened fire, as did the Hundred Gunner. As its name implied, its firepower surpassed Barret's. Though his gunfire damaged its front and broke its main cannon, the machine continued to fire. Its machine guns began to strafe the party, slowly pinning them in a corner.
"Everyone get back!" Turning the team saw Aerith cloaked in electricity, from her head to her feet. "I'm gonna fry it!" With a nod everyone rolled out of the way just in time for Aerith to launch her attack. From her hands a massive group of lightning bolts shot out at the Hundred Gunner, which began to fire.
Before the party could scream a crackle sounded and a wall of solid ice encased Aerith, absorbing the bullets and cracking the armor. The shots didn't make it through the barrier before the Hundred Gunner was mauled with lightning, sending it into convulsions as it quaked and began to explode.
Barret pumped his fist in victory, but quickly lifted his Gun-arm. As the Hundred Gunner exploded a new robot burst from its shell, a multi-bladed cyborg that resembled a living helicopter. The Heli-Gunner drew out its blades and began to fire at Aerith.
Thinking quickly, Aerith waved her hand and sent a barrage of fireballs that absorbed the gunfire just long enough for her to roll to safety. She snapped her staff open, but realized that she wouldn't be able to block the helicopter blades.
Unloading everything he had, Barret riddled the Heli-Gunner with bullets. The shots tore into its body, shredding its blades and shattering them. From its chest a shotgun emerged, something Barret had no time to evade.
Two strikes - a roundhouse from Tifa and a flip kick from Red XIII - busted up the robot, sending it crashing first to the ceiling and then crashing on the ground. That left the elevator open, and they took the opportunity to use it.
Scene Seven
Back on top of the roof, Palmer hid in the helicopter as Rufus and Cloud faced off. Rufus, his shotgun lifted, and Cloud, his Buster Sword aimed at his enemy's chest. Neither side was ready to make the first move, it seemed.
Rufus was the first to break the ice. "Why is it you want to oppose me? We're both enemies of Sephiroth, are we not? Why don't we work together?" Cloud tightened his grip, as Rufus widened his smile. "Sephiroth is an Ancient, same as that girl. Everyone here seeks the Promised Land, it seems..."
"And I won't let either of you have it!" snarled Cloud as he shot forward. Rufus fired and Cloud evaded, lifting the Buster Sword and swinging it at Rufus' face head-on. "It's over, you bastard!"
Before the swing could hit it struck a diamond-shaped barrier, which trembled, cracked, and revealed a smiling Rufus with his weapon pointed at Cloud's face. "Is that so? I beg to differ, my friend."
Mouthing a curse Cloud rolled to the side just in time to evade the shot. As he looked at Rufus he saw the cause: his Dark Nation had erected the barrier, using a projector from its back. Rufus' smile faded and he shouldered his shotgun. He snapped his fingers and two long blades resembling wings ripped from Dark Nation's back, whirling and turning like bull's horns before sliding horizontally.
"Get him, my pet," Rufus said with a smile. Dark Nation shot forward like it was fired from its master's shotgun. Cloud lifted his sword and caught the first blade with a vertical slice. When the second whirled like a helicopter blade he deftly vaulted over Dark Nation. Taking his Buster Sword in both hands, Cloud spun like a razor blade and shredded the panther into pieces. He quickly landed and readied himself to attack again.
Rufus shot twice, causing Cloud to dodge, and lifted up his hand. "I'm afraid we'll need to continue this later," he said with a smile as he snatched the edge of his helicopter and started to lift off. "Ta-ta for now!"
As he lifted off Cloud briefly thought of cutting him down with a flying slash, but decided that he simply didn't have the time and rushed back through the doors. He dashed through the President's abandoned office, down the stairs, and was met by Tifa with her hands on her hips.
"Say one word and I'll clobber you!" Tifa said with a smirk. "We've got to find a way out of here, and the elevator's already being used!" Cloud's eye turned to a large display case and what it contained: a massive motorcycle. They both had the same idea at the same time, and they took advantage of it, jumping on top of the Hardy-Daytona and sped down the stairs.
Scene Eight
By the time the party reached ground floor with the elevator, all the normal employees had fled. So had the security agents, after dragging the dead and wounded out of the way. The elevator had barely landed before the team tore from it and headed for the door.
And right into a hail of gunfire. Everyone took cover but Barret, who immediately returned fire before diving to safety. As the shooting stopped he leapt from behind his barrier and began to unload, soon met with return fire, which he periodically dodged again.
"I'm the one they want!" Aerith yelled, stepping forward with her staff extended. "If you guys get out of here, they might-" Red XIII dove on top of her, knocking her out of the way of a rifle shot aimed straight at her. She rolled and skittered up to the ground, eyes darting between Red XIII and Barret.
"You protected Marlene, now it's my turn to protect you!" Barret snarled, delivering a wild salvo that temporarily stopped the gunfire by clearing the whole group at once. "If you're gonna die, it's gonna be after me!"
Aerith's face faded into a soft smile, and she nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Barret!" Barret turned his head to face her with a scowl on his face.
"I ain't old enough for you to call me mister!" The gunfire resumed and Barret dove for cover. Red XIII stepped forward, his mane igniting.
"I hate to state the obvious," he said, "but we need to focus on getting out of here, rather than shooting everything in sight." Forming a grin, Barret rolled to his feet and resumed firing.
"You sound like Cloud, dumb ass! Bad enough I gotta hear it from him, so shut it!" The gunfire became bad enough that he had to take cover again. "Dammit, they're everywhere!"
"Barret!" The team turned to see Tifa bounding down the stairs, two steps at a time. She gestured towards a large pick-up truck stored in a display as she skidded to a stop. "Everyone get on!" Barret tilted his head.
"The hell? Where's Cloud?!" Tifa dashed forward, took Barret in both hands, and hurled him into the back of the pick-up, where he was soon joined by Aerith and Red XIII. Tifa quickly got into the driver's seat and started it up. "I said, where is-" Tifa floored the gas in response, sliding forward towards the window.
On his motorcycle, Cloud skidded down the stairs and slid to a position parallel to the pick-up truck. As he gave a cheeky smile at Barret, Tifa started towards the window, followed soon by Cloud. They burst through the building's window, skidding to a halt on a long highway. From behind they heard the sound of enemy cyclists.
Cloud detached the Buster Sword and gestured to Tifa, who darted down the highway with Shinra motorcycle troops in pursuit.
Scene Nine
The chase was on. On one side was AVALANCHE, with Tifa at the helm and protected by Cloud with his sword extended. Opposing them was a fleet of Shinra soldiers riding motorcycles. And the speed? Fast as their wheels could take them.
Darting back and forth along the road, the Shinra cyclists rode forward with their front guns extended. They were quickly downed by a wide slash from Cloud, sending them flying back into a flaming wreck (along with a number of men behind them).
Two managed to break through Cloud, aiming for the pick-up truck. Barret promptly opened fire and downed one as Cloud cut through the other. But they weren't out of the woods yet!
From behind them a massive machine roared towards the party. It drove on three wheels like Cloud's motorcycle, but quickly shifted to one wheel, extending its side wheels into what looked like arms. Cloud skidded to a stop in front of the pick-up, as Barret and Aerith slipped out of it as well.
Barret fired everything he had, and the Motor Ball returned in kind with two massive flamethrowers. As Cloud roared forward on his motorcycle, dodging one shot, Aerith threw her hands forward and created a blast of flame that canceled out the Motor Ball's flamethrower.
Cloud brandished the Buster Sword at his side as the Motor Ball switched tactics. It detached its flamethrower and revealed a vicious buzz saw, swinging it at Cloud. As the party screamed in fear Cloud nimbly drove around the blade and jumped. He leapt with his sword horizontal, blade facing up. When he struck steel he pulled up with all his strength and cut through the Motor Ball, sending it crashing back as a wreck.
The pick-up skidded to a stop as Cloud rebounded against the Motor Ball's chest, flipping back and nimbly landing right in the motorcycle's seat as he guided it to a stop. At that, the party turned their attention to the horizon.
And it WAS the horizon. Not the steel plates of Midgar, but the skies of Gaia in all their glory. Cloud dismounted the Hardy-Daytona and stepped forward to meet his friends, reattaching the Buster Sword to his back and staring into the fading sunlight. As he looked into the sunny horizon, Cloud moved forward tentatively.
"My fight is just beginning!" Cloud yelled, tightening his fists. "I've gotta find Sephiroth and put him in the ground where he belongs!" He was startled as Barret moved past him, and turned back with a smile.
"And that'll save the Planet?" he asked. When Cloud nodded, Barret lifted his Gun-arm high into the air. "Then we go together! Let's raise some major hell and kick some ass!" To his shock Aerith stepped beside him, staring into the horizon. Into the horizon, and all the unanswered questions beyond...
Cloud turned back to Aerith with a smile. "I take it you're coming, too?" he asked. Receiving a nod in reply, Cloud folded his arms over his chest. "Be ready for anything. We won't be tied to one railway anymore... No telling where this train will go."
"I've got a lot of questions..." Aerith said, snapping her staff open. "The Ancients, my heritage... All sorts of things that I can only find out way out there!" She barely turned her head before she broke into laughter. "You're ready too, right, guys?" Tifa cracked her knuckles in reply, and stretched her legs. Red XIII reared back and gave a wild howl.
Down they went from the highway to the ground just outside Midgar, where they gathered together for a strategy meeting. Barret's eyes narrowed as he stared into the sun, his thoughts wandering.
Guess this means I'm leaving Midgar... Maybe even... Nah, don't wanna go back there. They'll shoot me dead.
Tifa stretched her neck, turning to face Cloud. She had a lot of questions she needed to get answers too, as well.
Does this mean we're gonna go home, to Nibelheim? Back to where it all began...?
Red XIII cocked his head, looking at each of his companions one by one. He'd come so far, and now...
Will I see you again, Grandpa? I'm coming... Just wait for me!
Aerith looked carefully at Cloud, then craned her neck to Tifa, and giggled softly. This would be a rough journey...
Poor Cloud... Now he's got two of us after him!
"By the way..." Aerith wondered aloud, moving forward to face Cloud. "I vote Cloud as leader. Any objections?" Tifa smiled and Red XIII nodded, and while Barret started to protest he gave up and shrugged. "Where do we go from here...?"
Barret pointed towards the horizon. "There's a village called Kalm northeast of here. Seems as good a place to head as any! What do you think..." He flashed a smile at Cloud. "Leader?" Cloud folded his arms, weighted down by his new burden. But...
We have the whole future ahead of us... Time to make history!
Part One: Midgar
Complete!
Author's Notes
And that completes Midgar! I think my style has developed quite a bit from when I first started... Hopefully it's for the better! I actually finished all this in one day, so it may be a bit rushed... but I'm satisfied with it!
Stay tuned for Part Two: The World Beyond!