Premonitions III: Advent Children

Chapter 2: The Chronus Wand Redux

The Highwind sped through the skies above the Eastern Continent as Midgar began to appear over the horizon. It was not a city that anyone on board wanted to enter, but it was a necessity. Something had come up, and everyone was kicking themselves for overlooking the danger.

Zack stood on the bridge, along with Yuffie, Cloud, Barret, Jessie, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Cid, and Vincent. He and Yuffie had been the last to be picked up; the events had unfolded over the past several hours.

"So let me get this straight," Cloud began. "You traced Sephiroth to the Southern Continent, passed the Storm Belt, discovered three villages, found a teleportation system, and you didn't even tell me?"

"It was all happening as it went along," Zack insisted.

"And then you let him get away?" Cloud continued.

"You were butt-naked on an island," Yuffie reminded him.

"Who cares?!" Cloud insisted. "He's pursuing the Chronus Wand!"

"The what?!" Zack inquired.

I suppose this is the time to explain the Chronus Wand.

I'll start with the part that's kind of hard to believe. Cloud first encountered the Chronus Wand in 0016. Bestla Heidegger, Heidegger and Scarlet's love child, pursued it. I also may as well explain what the Chronus Wand is for.

It's a time-travelling device.

Bestla wanted it so she could go back in time and change the past. Specifically, she wanted to take Sephiroth's place and absorb the Lifestream when Meteor fell. She even killed Cloud, Tifa, and Barret in the process. Once she obtained the Chronus Wand, she travelled back to December 9, 0007, the day of the raid on the Sector One Reactor. Unfortunately for Bestla, the Cloud, Tifa, and Barret in 0007 were much younger and stronger than their prime counterparts, and the resulting conflict ultimately resulted in the deaths of both the prime Bestla and her counterpart in the past, thus preventing the deaths of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret in the future.

Although Bestla was defeated, the effects of her antics remained. I guess this is a good time to bring up the "rules" of time travel, as told to me by Cloud.

One, if someone travels back in time and begins to change history, the rest of the world begins to have premonitions. You get a feeling of what might happen next.

Two, if you stop having premonitions, it means you've outlived your lifespan in the original timeline. Consider yourself lucky. I still have them; it means I was still alive at least up to 0016 in the original timeline. My husband, Tobin, does not; he died at the Island Gulag originally.

Three, like I said, you can change the past. In the original timeline, Tifa actually married someone else. But in the new timeline, she married Cloud. But here's the catch: the timeline fights back. Sometimes, a person who cheats death dies from something else soon afterward.

I'll give an example. Barret's friend Dyne (Marlene's biological father) committed suicide in the original timeline, but in the new timeline, Barret saved him. But just a couple of weeks later, Dyne died from dysentery.

That really bothers me. Tobin died in the original timeline. Sometimes, I used to sit up in bed and watch him sleep. I was worried I could lose him at any time.

I wanted to savor every moment I had with him.

Four, if you enter the Lifestream, you regain the memories of your former life. If you stay there long enough, you'll remember everything.

Cloud had entered the Lifestream. He remembered everything his prime self had went through. He knew where the pieces of the Chronus Wand were.

One of them was in the Shinra Building, and that was where everyone were headed. Very early that morning, reports came in that Sephiroth had stolen a piece of the Chronus Wand. There were three pieces, and, if Sephiroth acquired all three of them, he would be able to travel back in time and alter history.

Nobody wanted to think what Sephiroth would do once he travelled through time, and everyone wanted to get their minds off of it on the way there. Much attention was drawn to the fact that Zack and Yuffie were holding hands.

"When did you two become a couple?" Cloud asked.

"After your wedding," Zack replied.

"We went together because he owed me a date," Yuffie added. "We just stayed together."

"You're old enough to be her high school teacher," Cloud pointed out.

"Here we go again," sighed Yuffie as she folded her arms.

"You guys," Cid, who was piloting the Highwind, called from the cockpit, "don't tell me Sephiroth wants to use the Chronus Wand to go back in time and replace himself?!"

"It's what it looks like," Vincent, who was standing nearby, replied.

"Lucrecia couldn't make it?" Cid then asked.

"She's getting used to being alive again," Vincent replied. "And so am I."

Red XIII, meanwhile, slowly walked up to Cloud.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked.

"Not really," Cloud replied. "But do I have a choice."

"It is a new timeline," Red XIII reminded him. "And what happened in the old one is impossible now."

Cloud nodded, seeing his point.

Finally, Cid addressed the inevitable question.

"Are you just going to walk through the front door?"

MINUTES LATER...

Cloud and Zack walked through the front door of the former Shinra Building. It had since been rented out, and many of the facilities had been converted into office space.

They were disguised as maintenance workers, as Cloud was a fugitive on the Eastern Continent.

"Good morning," Cloud greeted as he and Zack approached the receptionist, who seemed absorbed in his cell phone. "We're here to replace the wires on the sixty-seventh floor."

The receptionist didn't even make eye-contact.

"I need to see a work order," he said.

"Here you go," Cloud agreed as he presented a fake work order onto the receptionist's desk.

For a while, nothing happened.

Cloud became nervous, concerned that his identity might be compromised, and that the authorities would be contacted.

"Well, are you waiting for a pat on the butt or something?" the receptionist finally sneered.

"No, sir," Cloud declined.

He then led Zack to the elevator while avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"Where did you get a fake work order?" Zack asked as the door closed and the elevator began ascending.

"Jessie," Cloud replied. "She's good at making fake stuff."

"I would have just stabbed him in the head with a knife and told him it was nothing personal before he died," Zack suggested.

"You have a sick and twisted mind," Cloud sighed.

"Thank you," Zack replied.

The elevator stopped at the fifty-ninth floor. They then approached the secondary elevator, that led to the top ten floors.

"Where's the piece of the Chronus Wand?" Zack asked.

"If I remember correctly, it's on the sixty-seventh floor," Cloud replied.

"It's right across from Jenova's tank," Cloud replied.

"Wait a minute," Zack exclaimed. "They moved that thing here?!"

"It got out," Cloud replied. "Sephiroth freed it with his will. It went straight to the top floor and killed President Shinra. We found him dead in his desk, with a sword in his back. Not a nice way to go. Not that he didn't deserve it."

Cloud knew he was President Shinra's illegitimate son, but he didn't care. He only met him on several occasions. President Shinra acknowledged that Cloud was his sperm, but only considered Rufus his flesh and blood.

Cloud then pushed against the wall, causing it to slide to the side.

"How did you know about this?" Zack asked.

"The old timeline," Cloud replied. "When I was thirty."

Beyond the wall lay the metal catwalk. It was still suspended thirty feet above the ground. It ended in an island, which had an altar in the middle.

It's exactly the same as in the old timeline, Cloud realized.

"You okay?" Zack asked.

"I don't like being here," Cloud admitted.

"Did something happen?" asked Zack.

"Barret was killed here," Cloud replied. "In the old timeline."

"And he could be killed again," Zack reminded him.

"You're right," Cloud admitted. "Hell, that future's gone forever anyway."

Cloud and Zack slowly walked the catwalk, the former doing everything he could to block out the memories of his former life. Zack, meanwhile, scanned the room, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of Sephiroth.

"I'm almost starting to wonder if Genesis is lurking here," Zack began.

"Him?" Cloud asked. "Didn't you kill him?"

"I probably should have," Zack replied. "I left him by Lazard's remains. Some witnesses say they saw some people come and take Genesis away, but never said who they were, or where they took him."

Finally, they arrived at the island. Zack eagerly ran to the altar, and picked up the object it displayed.

It was definitely not part of the Chronus Wand.

"A tablet?!" Zack inguired.

"He beat us," Cloud sighed.

"But why would he put a tablet there?" Zack demanded. "Is it some cheap second prize award?"

And then, the tablet activated. A familiar face with long, silver hair appeared on the screen.

"As you can see," announced Sephiroth, "I beat you. Don't feel too bad; I got the piece from here yesterday. But, as of my understanding, you'll know where the final piece is better than I would. I wouldn't delay."

"We need to get to the Sector Four reactor. Now. We're not ahead of him."

"Are we now?" Cloud replied, with a slight smirk.