CHAPTER XXIX
UP AGAINST ALL ODDS
After the initial shock wore off, Cloud, Mickey, Aerith and Yuffie began to explore the massive base inside the meteor. Cautiously, they weaved in-between the small heartless crafts, making their way to the central computer. It looked as if no one had used it for a while – the keyboard was a pristine silver color that most certainly would show dirt.
Cloud immediately tapped his micro-com, staring up at the huge computer. "Hey Cid…can you hear me?"
Cid's voice shot back at him faster than he expected. "What's goin' on, Cloud? Gotten yourself into any trouble yet?"
Cloud smiled. "Sadly, none at all. We found this massive computer located in an asteroid…looks like some sort of base for heartless ships. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this sort of tech, would you?"
Cid shot his fist into the air on the other side of the micro-com, excited beyond belief. "Well, I can do ya one better. These micro-coms are designed with a special little feature. Why don't you place it on the keyboard and I'll show ya."
Cloud did as he was told, and was astonished to see the small micro-com extend four small legs, each the size of a toothpick. They clicked down on the surface of the computer, as the micro-com began to scurry back and forth over ever inch of the computer terminal. It finally found a small port, nestled into it for a few moments, and returned to the spot Cloud had placed it, as if nothing had happened. Cloud placed it back on his cloak and tapped it again, making sure it was still on.
Cid spoke first. "How'd ya like that? Took only a few seconds to upload the coordinates of the base onto my laptop! And just for good measure, I saved any files that we might find useful in the future…"
"Thanks, Cid. Glad I could help," Cloud said, rolling his eyes. Aerith and Yuffie giggled as Mickey's ears perked up.
"Shh…" he said, quieting them down. "I can hear some voices coming from that corridor…"
Mickey led the way, as Cloud, Yuffie and Aerith snooped along behind him. They entered a large corridor with rock-like walls, occasionally sporting a giant steel pillar. Obviously, this base was made in a hurry, and they didn't have time to make it fancy.
As they came around a corner, Mickey spotted a glassine window, leading out into another, smaller bay. The bay seemed to be connected to the main hangar by a large shaft over head and the small corridor they were in, but what was on the ground was far more interesting.
The Legion ship that they had followed inside, the silver one seater with the white tribal marks, had opened the hatch and out came a man dressed in the standard Legion uniform. Instead of black or silver tribal markings, there were blood red ones, and on his mask there was a flat line for a mouth punctuated with two long fangs.
As he walked into the bay, he was greeted by three more figures – each wearing the uniform, they walked up to him in an almost regal manner. The first one they saw they immediately knew as Master Maximilian, the Smiling Man that Sora had told them about. The next was in a pretty standard suit, except the mouth of the mask was in a large X shape, obviously indicative of silence. The final one was wearing a much more form fitting suit – black with purple and silver tribal markings – that showed off her very feminine physique. The Legion female and the Silent Man bowed down as Maximilian passed between them, heading straight for the Fanged Man who had exited the ship.
Instantly, he reached up and grabbed him by the throat, holding him a full foot off the ground. The Fanged Man did not struggle, but hung there, motionless.
"You know, I get no pleasure from torturing you. Being immortal kind of sucks the fun right out of it, wouldn't you say? Yet time and time again you find it necessary to screw everything up, causing this regrettable torture session to never end."
He let the Fanged Man's feet touch the ground before relaxing his grip. The Fanged Man's voice rang out with a dark timber to it. "All part of being a vampire, I suppose."
"Half-vampire, if I'm not mistaken. In fact, boy…I have it on good authority that you're not a vampire at all…but merely…an experiment. Tell me, Vincent…why do you feel the need to lie to me?"
Vincent Valentine reached up and removed his mask, tossing it to the ground.
Cloud's eyes widened. "Vincent…no…"
His black hair flowed outward, as his face was still mostly obscured by his red cloak. He stepped on the mask as it vanished beneath his foot. "Because it's easier than explaining the truth. If that's good enough for me, it should be good enough-" but Vincent was cut short by a hand gesture from Maximilian.
"Ah, my peon. I care very little about your pathetic back story. What I do care about, and I believe many other people share this feeling, is the Dark One. I captured him, you distracted me as he escaped."
"But, sir…"
"I'm far from finished. Then, I sent you after him again, but this time, he had the keyblade master on his team. So what did the scared little vampire do?"
"I…"
"I'll tell you what he did. He disappeared, as Jafar went out and attempted to slay the keyblade master himself! A second failure, of course."
"Sir, the Dark One is…"
"Wait until I finish, boy. Then, you shall have your chance to redeem yourself. Now, if those massive displays of ineptitude weren't quite enough, you were sent on a mission less than an hour ago. You have returned without what I sent you for, making this strike three."
Vincent shifted his eyes to the floor. "I was attacked by a gummi ship, sir. I had to retreat. I wouldn't have made it."
Beneath his mask, Maximilian's eyes grew wide, as he looked in all directions nervously. He heard a small, faint voice, coming from behind a glassine barrier almost one-hundred feet away…
Cloud tried his best to cover up the sound of Sora's voice as he whispered into his micro-com, which had gone off at a very inconvenient time. "It's called Materia. Is the person that used it friend or foe?"
When he heard foe, he just shook his head. "That's some powerful stuff. Good luck, guys," he managed to blurt out, as static and a shrill piercing noise rang through the corridor.
"Is that…" Aerith asked, sure of the answer.
"An alarm!" Yuffie answered, standing up and running at full tilt back toward the Fenrir 2.
In the smaller bay, the Silent Man and the Legion Woman both disappeared into a black portal in front of them, as Maximilian lifted his hand from the alarm button, wrapping it once more around Vincent's neck.
"And now, Valentine, it seems you have struck out four times. It's not enough for you to constantly fail me…but to lead the enemy into our hidden base…it is completely inexcusable!" he screamed, throwing Vincent backwards into his ship. "We shall deal with this matter at a different time. For now, attempt to help the other members in the main hangar. I've been fairly lenient with you, Valentine. Don't make me regret it more than you already have," he muttered, disappearing into a portal of his own. Vincent took a breath and ran down the corridor toward the main hangar, cursing his bad luck under his breath.
As Cloud, Mickey, Aerith and Yuffie entered the main hangar they were greeted with several unwelcome sights. Far ahead, the Fenrir 2 was covered in darkness…darkness, they soon realized, in the form of at least fifty shadow heartless crawling all over it like ants. In front of that, in the center of the hangar, two portals opened up simultaneously, and the Silent Man walked out, followed by the Legion Woman. Something was vaguely familiar about them…something Cloud couldn't put his finger on until the Silent Man finally spoke.
"Of course. The only one stupid enough to infiltrate a hidden asteroid base swarming with heartless would be you, Cloud," he said, removing his mask slowly. Leon smiled darkly at the friends, as he tossed his mask to the side and slashed it with his gunblade.
"Funny thing about masks…they lose all their value if you know whose face is behind them," Cloud said.
"Oh, but why would I need to hide myself from you, Cloud? In fact…I think you deserve another touching reunion…" he said, reaching over and grabbing the Legion Woman's mask from behind. He jerked it over her face in one fell swoop, tossing it away as it shattered on the ground.
A mane of gorgeous black hair fell down past the woman's shoulders, as her once beautiful eyes glowed a pale yellow. She looked at Cloud with no emotion in her face, as she pulled on pair of black gloves with yellow tribal marks on them.
Aerith, Cloud, Mickey and Yuffie stood stunned, staring at Leon and Tifa – both reduced to nothing but menacing, evil, heartless soldiers.
