Chapter 14

Fluffy white clouds drifted through the noon day sky, offering coolness from the blistering heat of the Gaian sun. A cool summer breeze sifted through the slums of Midgar. In the street corner, several urchins sat, huddled in a bunch, playing yet another game of their own making. As usual, the street vendors had finished setting up their stalls, and were noisily proclaiming their 'booties' in the hopes of attracting customers, hungry for lunch. The air was soon filled with the delicious fragrance of the myriad of food being sold. All in all, it was a perfect day in Midgar.

Two children, a boy and a girl, waved. Marlene and Denzel stood at the door of the Seventh Heaven Bar, bidding goodbye to the help barmaid, Celes. As they watched the blond girl rounding the corner, Denzel turned a sly gaze towards his younger companion.

"Tifa will be back in a few minutes, what do want to do?" he asked.

The little girl pressed a finger to her lips, considering Denzel's question, swaying from side to side as she did so. Her stomach growled. Promptly, the girl stopped her swaying and frowned. Normally, this sparse moment of freedom was their favorite time of day—no adults, no rules. However, a rumbling tummy would only serve to take the fun out of the activities they cooked up. I'm hungry. "We should just wait for her." She decided.

Just then, the phone upstairs rang. Both children ran inside and raced towards the phone. Denzel was first in reaching the upper landing. As he clasped his hand onto the phone, he triumphantly stuck his tongue out at her. "Hah, beat'cha again!" he shouted. Marlene crossed her arms and pouted. Just you wait, Denzel...

"Hello? Oh, hi Tifa. Oh… okay… no problem… okay… be back soon." He conversed, sounding slightly dejected. As Denzel put down the phone, he let out a sigh of frustration.

"What is it?" asked Marlene, concerned.

"Tifa says she and Cloud's got a last minute meeting. She will be back as soon as possible. She told us to lock the doors until she got here. I hope they get back soon, I'm hungry." He grumbled.

Marlene nodded in agreement before she turned and ran back to the doors. She reached up on slight tip-toes then turned the latch and, thereby locking it. "There, done." All of a sudden, something caught her eye. "Denzel, come look!"

Denzel strode to where Marlene stood, gazing outwards. Outside, the once lovely summer sky had suddenly turned angry. Fluffy white clouds were rapidly being replaced by thick, black smoke, casting Midgar into an artificial twilight. In the distance, sounds of people screaming, gun-fire and explosions could be heard. Whatever's going on…it's getting closer! On the street, the citizens of Midgar had already entered into a panic frenzy. Urchins, street vendors and pedestrians alike had abandoned their activities and headed for shelter.

Marlene tugged at his arm, snapping him out of his perplexed state. With fear in her eyes, she frantically yelled, "Denzel, hidey-hole!" He nodded his affirmation and the two children made tore towards the back of the bar as a missile crashed into the building opposite the bar, sending charred timber, concrete, metal and glass flying in all directions. Stray rubble smashed the windows of Tifa's bar just as Denzel pulled opened the well-concealed trap door. He ushered Marlene into the dark underground hiding place before clambering down, pulling the trap door close behind him.

In the dark, the two children sat closely, pulling their knees close to their chins. The 'Hidey-hole' had been built by Cloud, at Tifa's insistence two years ago as they would be spending more time at the WRO headquarters. It was a small underground room, only large enough to accommodate four grown men. The room was reinforced (again, at Tifa's insistence) by cover and shield materias. In addition to being a good hiding spot for the children in times of crisis, it provided a good storage area for their materia. Today, it provided a safe-haven for the two children while whatever battles raged on outside.

Beyond their small enclosure, sounds of explosions and the whirling of missiles shook the ground. Marlene stifled her scream and threw her arms around Denzel. She clung to him, trembling. Screams of agony from nearby brought silent tears to her eyes. She could feel Denzel's shallow breath and hear his rapid heartbeat as she clung tightly to his chest, seeking what little comfort he could offer. He responded by patting her gently on her back. "Cloud and Tifa will come soon, then everything will be alright again, okay?" he whispered. She nodded.

With a resounding crash, the floor above them shook, startling the scared children. When he had mustered the courage to do so, Denzel got up and made his way cautiously towards the entrance of their hiding place. He gave the trapdoor a shove. It was stuck tight. He cursed under his breath, and looked at Marlene. The fear in her eyes was painfully obvious in the dim materia-light. He walked over to her and kneeled down beside her. Again he whispered, "Looks like we're stuck down here for a while."

"At least we'll be safe from the bad people here." She commented, feigning a smile.

It was then that the chill had come, silencing the duo. Black swirling aura oozed through the unseen gaps around the trap door. The two children edged backwards, towards the shelf filled with materia. For a moment, the darkness flowed unimpeded towards them, threatening to smoother them.

Suddenly, a blinding flash erupted from behind and a myriad of colors filled the room. Darkness retreated…the air became warm once more.

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Cloud swung his leg over the seat and got on Fenrir.

"Lieutenant," Cloud said suddenly.

A WRO soldier named Jack came over to stand next to Cloud. "Commander?" asked the young operative.

"Take out every enemy in sight. Focus on this side of the city, don't advance until either told to or first informing me or the other commanders."

"Order acknowledged, sir." He turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing lieutenant."

The youth tuned abruptly and said, "Sir?"

"You have been to Midgar before, I'm guessing?" Cloud showed no apparent expressions.

"Yes, sir," said Jack, not knowing where exactly this conversation was leading to.

"Good, then you know of the Seventh Heaven Bar?"

"Of course, sir." There is no one that has been to Midgar who wouldn't know of the Seventh Heaven Bar.

Cloud nodded. "I want you to take half a dozen men and follow me there. There are two civilians that I want removed from there and brought to the WRO headquarters as fast as possible.

"Yes, sir." Then, he left and relayed the orders.

Just then, the speakers crackled and a voice said. "Ready, Commander Strife?"

Cloud fixed on and adjusted his goggles and then started the engine. Fenrir immediately came alive.

"Ready."

"Drop One, Mission Midgar, drop at will."

A low rumbling sound could be heard as the back of the airship seemed to tear open, reviling a doorway.

Cloud sped down the long ramp, his company of thirty-five WRO soldiers only step behind him.

The airship was flying lower than usual. Fenrir landed firmly on the ground on the outskirts of Midgar and raced in the direction of the city. It wasn't long before they had to start dodging bullets and homing missiles.

Cloud instinctively retrieved a buster sword from Fenrir's sword release and risked a glance backwards. Tifa's team had just only cleared the runway and was rushing towards them, leaving a steady stream of dust in their wake.

He returned his attention to the bloody work ahead of him, and only narrowly evaded anther missile that headed for him. He knew that if Tifa had seen that stunt, he'd probably get a real tongue-lashing later.

They entered the city and Cloud's team split into two forces. The team with the better number jumped off their boards, guns at the ready and started dispatching the enemy to the Lifestream.

Cloud looked over his shoulder to make sure everything was going as planned. They were, but he noticed that only five soldiers excluding the lieutenant were still on their boards. The lieutenant came to travel beside him. Without taking his eyes off the scene before him, Cloud asked, "Lieutenant, there must be something wrong with your calculations, half a dozen is six. Six, not including you."

The lieutenant turned to Cloud. "There were six." His voice was wavering slightly.

Taking out another DG soldier, Cloud said, "Look again, lieutenant."

Just then, the seven men rounded the corner to the Seventh Heaven Bar. Cloud's bike came swirling to a stop. He slid off though his team got off their hover boards much as how a skateboarder would.

Before Cloud could say or do anything, he saw the lieutenant facing the five men which accompanied him and Cloud. "Where's Private Robbie?" he demanded. His question was greeted by shrugs. Nearby, bullets, missiles and blood continued to rain. However, it was a relief that the area around the Seventh Heaven was clear, and relatively safe (well, safer anyways.).

Several, lifeless bodies dotted the streets. Some of which, lay reclined beside the numerous plies of rubbles. "There are no fires here," Cloud noted to himself. Instead, they would see the occasional pocket of black aura. The thought of what that meant worried him. He frowned and told his team to move faster. Marlene and Denzel will be fine…please let them be alright…he prayed silently.

Cloud's team came to an abrupt stop in front of the Seventh Heaven. Or rather, what's left of it…the Lieutenant thought miserably. There was no way anyone could still be alive in there. The front of the building had been reduced to an enormous pile of rubble. Here and there, metal which had once held up the structure jutted out amongst the concrete.

Without a word, Cloud got of his bike and made his way to where bar used to be. He surveyed the area, as if trying to find something. The lieutenant sighed. He decided that it would be better to allow their commander several moments to himself before enquiring their next itinerary. Whoever we came to rescue must have meant a lot to him for him to tend to this mission personally. Usually, the commanders left the infantry to deal with the tedious work which rescue missions represented.

Just then, Cloud seemed to have found what he was looking for. From his spot, he took several paces to the left, counting and measuring his footsteps as he did so. When he had reached his desired location, he stomped on the rubble several times. He frowned slightly. The pile was thick and they would not have the time to remove everything out of the way, piece by piece.

He held out his sword and after invoking the power of the thunder materia which he had placed in his sword's materia slot earlier on. The blade crackled with electricity. He then leaped into the air, and upon aiming for the rubble below, he swung it round, releasing the bolt of lightning.

The Lieutenant and his men gasped in shock. A gapping crater had appeared in the ground where the bolt of lightning had struck.

He landed with a soft thud beside the crater. Cloud kneeled and brushed the dust off the bottom of the cavity. Feeling around, he finally found it, a small indent in the hard wood floor. He gave it an almighty tug. The trap door swung open. From below, shrieks of a little girl could be heard. "Denzel! Marlene! It's me. I'm here now." Cloud's voice held a faint implication of relief, and even joy. He reached in and pulled the two children out one by one.

"Cloud, w-what took you s-so long?" Marlene asked, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"I knew you'd come." Denzel muttered, his face was solemn.

Cloud said nothing. He pulled them in a tight embrace, silently thanking the heavens that the two were safe and unharmed. "It's alright, I'm here now…" He said "…the men will take you to safety."

"Where's Tifa?" Marlene asked.

"She's somewhere around here."

"Can we talk to her?" The children asked in unison.

Cloud shook his head. "It's too dangerous here. Don't worry, we'll be together again soon." He added the last with a smile.

He turned to the men. "Lieutenant, you and your men take these two to back to the airship. Then, have the pilot set a course for headquarters. Don't stop for anything."

"Sir!"

He watched them speed off into the distance. Then, he took out his phone and dialed.

"Cloud?" Tifa's worried voice sounded in his ear.

"They're safe and on their way back to headquarters."

A sigh of relief could be heard.

"Where are you?"

"Barret and I are in sector 3." Tifa sounded much calmer now. He could hear gun-fire and explosions in the background. Occasionally, he could hear howls and yelps as well as screams.

"I'm on my way." Cloud said.

"Alright…what is…BARRET...wha…aahh!" Tifa's voice had turned from unruffled to fearful. And then, there was nothing.

"Tifa? Tifa!" Cloud shouted into the phone. Still nothing. He flipped it close and pocketed it.

Fenrir roared to life. Dust bellowed as Cloud sped off.

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Something was not right. Sector 3 was quiet, too quiet… his eyes widened in shock. He was sure that he'd heard the sounds of battle over the phone. However, the scene before him was as silent as night. It was similar to the area around the Seventh Heaven.

The silence unnerved him. Besides that, where was Tifa and Barret!

Soft laughter issued behind him, causing him to turn around. "Nice of you to join us."

"You!" The word had barely left his mouth. The air around him was suddenly cold. Darkness overwhelmed him, and he knew no more.

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Author's note:

Sorry, everyone for the delay in update. This chapter was a toughie, but I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. Also, I have gained a new respect for the battle and event planners at Square Enix tips hat.

Thank you FuchiaFinn and BeckyLynn for your reviews!

By the way, the one-winged fellow in the last chapter isn't Sephiroth. And if anyone's wondering why I brought back everyone but Azul, well, it's because Chaos stuck a big gun in him. apologizes to all Azul fans

I hope you enjoy reading this new chapter. PLEASE REVIEW…and stay tunned. We'll be checking in on Kalm next.