A/N: A bit more development in this one hopefully. Trying my best to move the plot along without rushing.
Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance
Chapter 17 – The Long Haul
Tifa awoke slowly to the soft beep of an alarm. She had only gotten about four or five hours of rest and her mind still felt groggy. The female fighter blinked blearily in the darkened room before looking down at her PHS, which told her it was just after ten at night. As Cait Sith had explained earlier, they were to enter Shinra at night, so she had made a quick dinner of packaged rations before resting for a while. While she still felt a small bit of annoyance at the toy's actions earlier in the day, that frustration had diminished somewhat after her short break. She stretched tiredly, working out the kinks in her neck and rubbing shoulders still stiff from jumping off a fast-moving train. As she did, there was a soft knock at her door.
"Tifa? Are you awake?"
It was Vincent. She had seen him dozing on the couch earlier in the evening and let him rest. The man seemed to still be struggling with the idea that his mission was not to be done on his own, but if his words from earlier were anything to go by, he was slowly coming to accept that fact.
"Yeah," she yawned lightly. "Just got up."
She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and wiggled her toes briefly in the soft carpet of the bedroom. Looking around the room, her eyes fell on her travel pack which had been haphazardly thrown across the small desk in the room.
"You think we'll be coming back here?" She asked.
There was a brief pause as Vincent considered her question.
"Most likely," he finally replied. "We'll be watching Shinra's movements until Cloud and the others return. This safe house is the perfect setup for our needs."
Tifa put on her socks and tied her boots before walking over to the door, still mostly shrouded in darkness. She opened the door and had to squint a bit at the light of the hallway.
"Alright, let's get going then," she said as she began to leave her room.
Vincent stopped her briefly as she did. She looked up at him, sleepy confusion still in her eyes.
"It's hard, knowing this is likely the only chance we'll get," he muttered softly. "I know why you told me what you did, but…"
He faltered, as if lost for words.
"I guess I'm trying my best," he finished lamely.
Tifa let out a small sigh.
"That's as good as any of us can do, I think," she replied as she passed him. "Now come on, let's go get that arm fixed."
The gunslinger nodded and followed the young woman into the living room, where Cait Sith was waking up in response to his own internal alarm. He bounced to his feet before quailing at the sight of Tifa.
"Er… feeling better?" The cat asked tentatively.
Tifa nodded and Cait Sith let out a small sigh of relief.
"Alrighty then," he said with a renewed energy. "We're going to be sneaking into Shinra so no fighting, if possible. The main building is a bit far, but we should be able to get there within two hours. Reeve said he'd freeze some security cameras by one of the side entrances and then let us into the ground floor. Once we get there, we should be able to take an elevator up to his workshop."
When he got no additional comments from the other two, he raised a furry fist into the air.
"Alright! Let's get going then!"
They left the well-maintained safe house and found themselves back in the dingy hallway of the rundown apartment complex. This time, no doors were cracked open as they passed, likely due to everyone else being asleep. They stepped out into the Midgar night. Eerily enough, there was little difference from the daytime. The streets were still mostly barren, but now even the few scavengers they saw during the day in Upper Midgar had sought shelter. The moon hung overhead, illuminating their path, but forcing them to alter their path to remain hidden from prying eyes. Tifa noted that, despite Upper Midgar being comparatively less chaotic than the Slums, there were still signs of looting and violence here and there. Graffiti could be seen around the smashed windows of small stores and there was a faint smell of smoke in the air. With a frown, she turned her attention back towards the towering structure that was Shinra Headquarters.
"Hold," Vincent suddenly hissed as he placed a hand on the robotic cat's head.
The mog stopped and Tifa inched closer towards the two, staying in the shadows. They were currently in a darkened alleyway, only a few dozen paces from the entrance to the main street. As they crouched in silence, they heard the tapping of boots against concrete. Shortly after, a small squad consisting of a commanding officer and three underlings strode by. Judging by their stance, they were rather inattentive and seemed to only be doing their job because someone would complain if they did not. Unfortunately, their senses seemed to be sharper than the average MP as one of the underlings turned towards the darkened alleyway and raised his gun nervously.
"What was that?" He whispered.
The trio of infiltrators froze. The squad of MPs had now stopped as the commander doubled back.
"Richards, what's going on," he grunted. "Bad enough we have to be out here, I don't need you jumping at every little thing."
The MP named Richards shook his helmeted head.
"No, sir," he protested. "I thought I heard something in alleyway."
His commanding officer shook his head in disgust.
"You've been drinking on the job again haven't you?" the officer growled.
Before they could get any further, Cait Sith quickly untied his cape and took off his crown and gloves. Vincent's eyes widened as he realized what the robot was about to do, but he was too slow to stop it. With a convincing yowl, he took off down the alleyway, clattering against a trashcan noisily. The small black cat exited the alleyway, darted past the MPs, and disappeared into the alleyway across the street. Vincent and Tifa held their breaths, nervously waiting for what would happen next. Fortunately, the commanding officer seemed to be fooled. The man turned back to Richards and slapped him across the head.
"Just a damn cat," the commander sighed. "Get your shit together, Richards."
"It was a black cat though…" the nervous underling mumbled before deciding that shutting up was probably in his best interest.
Vincent and Tifa waited for the MP patrol to disappear before quickly making their way across the street as well, Cait Sith's robotic mog following them obediently. When they reached their next source of cover, Vincent handed back the robot's accoutrements.
"Good job," he said as he did. "That was some quick thinking there."
Cait Sith preened under the bit of praise.
"Of course," he bragged. "I am a supercomputer."
"Not quite sure of that," Tifa sighed with a shake of her head. "But thanks for getting us out of that."
She glanced up again at the Shinra building slowly becoming more prominent in their horizon. The power company's headquarters stood heads and tails above its neighbors, looking completely untouched by the surrounding conflict. Though many of them were dark, the windows of the building appeared unblemished and well polished. The only sign that anything was going on was the small bit of construction she could make out from this distance. She reminded herself that construction to utilize the canon from Junon was still underway and they had time before the path to Sephiroth would be opened. Shaking her head slightly in disgust, Tifa turned her attention back to the road as the trio crept closer to the outskirts of the building. They managed to avoid one more MP patrol before reaching a heavy chain link fence that seemed to have been recently installed on the perimeter of the headquarters proper.
"This way," Cait Sith hissed as he picked his way towards the side of the building. "The cameras were frozen around here."
Vincent glanced up at the fence and readjusted his rifle slightly. They watched as the robot and mog began awkwardly scaling the fence, trying their best to make as little noise as possible. After a bit of flailing, Tifa and Vincent helped shove the bulky toy over the fence. It tumbled over and hit the ground on the other side with a dull thud. With that, the one-armed gunslinger began to climb as well, making very little noise despite the fact that he needed to climb by quickly releasing his right hand and grabbing the next portion of the fence in the same motion. Seeing that he appeared to be fine, Tifa quickly made her way over the fence as well. They found themselves by a stairwell set into the side of the building. Tifa had a brief flashback to the time she, Cloud, and Barret had climbed up the building by foot. But before she could wallow in that horrible memory, Cait Sith approached the door to the stairwell and knocked out a small pattern. With that, the door was pushed open as they were greeted by Reeve Tuesti himself.
"Good, you're here," he said in a low voice. "Come in, quickly."
For Vincent, the man must have been familiar from his repeated dream. But for Tifa, meeting the man in person came as a bit of a surprise. He was dressed in a well-kept blue business suit, looking like an average employee. However, there was a certain intelligence in his dark brown eyes as they scanned the area around the side door into Shinra. The man also looked fairly tired, whether it was from waiting for them to arrive or simply general fatigue from the entire Meteor crisis she did not know. But for someone who had initially sent Cait Sith to spy on AVALANCHE and potentially interfere with their actions, Reeve gave off a surprising sense of calm. Despite the chaos that likely described his current work day, he still looked to be completely in control of the situation. He lead them swiftly through the halls of the building, stopping every once in a while to type something on a portable data pad. After three or four of these stops, Tifa realized he was manually manipulating the security cameras set around the building, allowing them to ghost through the halls unimpeded. Approximately five minutes later, they reached a service elevator and they piled in. Reeve let out a small sigh as he scanned his badge and the elevator began to move without him pressing any other buttons.
"Thank you for helping with this," Vincent said in the sudden quiet.
Reeve waved it off.
"I might've been overly cautious about this whole thing," he said as he gave a small laugh. "Honestly, even if you snuck in without my help, you probably would've been fine. I don't think there's anyone manning the security cameras anymore."
"Better safe than sorry though," Tifa countered. "Thank you anyway. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mister Tuesti."
The dark-haired man pulled a rather childish face, one that did not match his almost regal appearance at all.
"Don't call me that," he complained. "It sounds weird. Not even the people I work with call me that. Reeve is just fine."
The elevator let out a soft ding as it came to a stop.
"Honestly, this place is falling apart," he continued softly as they stepped out into a dimly lit corridor. "Most of the people still with Shinra are simply here because they either have no families or just need something to do to take their minds off the impending apocalypse."
They continued through the halls. Soft lights placed periodically along the walls stopped it from being pitch black, but this was clearly some automated nighttime setting for the floor. Reeve led them to a large room and scanned his badge again and there was a light click indicating the door had been unlocked. Tifa and Vincent both squinted as a sudden burst of light momentarily blinded them. They stepped out into a fairly clean-looking workshop. The ground here was simple concrete with a few sturdy tables placed here and there. Lining the walls were hundreds of tools and other equipment that Reeve used in his work. Piled on the tables and in open corners of the room were pile of scrap metal and other miscellaneous bits of material. A few powerful computers were placed in the remaining free space. All in all, it looked like a fairly standard workshop.
"Please, have a seat," Reeve instructed as he gestured towards a few empty chairs. "I'll grab the replacement arm."
Cait Sith bounced over to a few abandoned projects and began poking around at random. Vincent did as the engineer suggested and sat down with a sleepy sigh. Tifa wanted to sit, but felt like she might doze off if she did, so she remained standing. The engineer continued to talk as he unlocked the door to a side room
"Sorry it took so long for me to have a replacement ready," he called out. "We sort of just assumed you wouldn't need any serious repairs or maintenance. Before we met you, we often saw Barret doing regular maintenance on his own hand and figured you did something similar. But then again, he didn't lose his arm to Sephiroth…"
The man trailed off with an awkward chuckle. There was the sound of tools being set aside as Reeve appeared to be preparing the replacement arm. Tifa guessed the side room was a more private workspace of sorts.
"Oddly enough, I never had to maintain my arm," Vincent replied in a slightly louder voice so that Reeve could hear him. "I don't know what Hojo did, but it functioned much like my original arm, but it was a little less wieldy so I was still forced to relearn everything with my right hand."
"I see," the Shinra employee called out. "It was a bit hard to find a match based on the remains of your old arm, but when Cait Sith showed me some pictures of the exposed socket, I realized it was actually an older version of an existing model."
Reeve returned after a moment holding a sleek looking prosthetic. The forearm arm had a darker metallic sheen to it, the surface resembling a carbon fiber alloy. The wrist and finger joints were made of a polished metal, allowing for both flexibility and strength. The fingertips were now more rounded and humanoid, compared to the claws Vincent had sported for so long. All in all, the design looked more modernized than the old gauntlet design he once had. Tifa peered at it in interest, fascinated by the humanoid design.
"As much of a monster Hojo is, both you and many other amputees have him to thank for advances in prosthetic technology, I think," Reeve said as he looked over the artificial limb. "Veterans have lived much happier lives because of how well integrated artificial limbs are now."
"Hojo cut off my arm to install my gauntlet," Vincent replied in a slightly unhappy tone.
Reeve nearly dropped the prosthetic.
"O-Oh… is that so," he stuttered. "My apologies, I did not… I mean… I guess we should be thanking you then?"
Vincent waved away the man's apologies.
"It was a long time ago," the gunslinger dismissed. "How exactly has the technology chained?"
The engineer brightened at this, seemingly finding the change in topic more comfortable.
"Oh! Well, the coding and sensory output for one," Reeve chirped in an excited manner not unlike that of Cait Sith. "Using a combination of Materia-based surgery and improved hardware, Shinra developed a way to improve how limbs relay touch to the brain. Long story short, it utilizes small electrodes along with precise application of the Cure Materia in order to allow nerve endings the ability to respond to sensations felt by the prosthetic."
Vincent looked mildly interested, though he might have also just been tired from the day's travel. He remained silent as the engineer continued on, delving into the more complicated aspects of the new prosthetic limbs. After a few minutes of this, Tifa cleared her throat.
"Er, Reeve?" She drew his attention. "Perhaps you can explain more while you help him install the new limb?"
The brown-haired man flushed when he realized he had been rambling.
"Sorry, bad habit combined with a lack of sleep," he chuckled. "Let's get this started then."
He put on a pair of gloves and gingerly unwrapped the bandages around the metallic joint attached to Vincent's elbow.
"Now, I had to adjust it a bit because of your older joint, but this should work just the same. This is probably going to sting."
Vincent nodded as Reeve pushed the new limb into place. There was a light click before his eyes bulged and he let out a sharp exhale of pain. Worried, Tifa was immediately at their side.
"Is something wrong?" She asked. "Did it not work?"
Reeve shook his head calmly.
"His nerves are being reintegrated for the first time in a long time. It's likely worse for him since he's been using the older model for so long," Reeve explained before turning to Vincent. "Breath, buddy. It'll be over soon enough."
Vincent's right hand reached out and grasped the nearby table so hard that his knuckles went white. The prosthetic limb was still held in Reeve's hands as the engineer waited for the other man to catch his breath. Tifa could only glance worriedly between Reeve and her friend as the minutes ticked by. After what seemed like an eternity, Vincent let out a ragged sigh. His forehead was drenched with sweat and his face looked pale. His new prosthetic now lay on a cushion on the table to his left. Reeve chewed on his lip momentarily before clearing his throat.
"How is it now?" He asked tentatively.
Vincent let out a low, frustrated growl. The engineer appeared to take this as a good sign.
"Whenever you feel ready, please try to lift your hand," Reeve instructed before waiting patiently for Vincent to comply.
After gathering himself, the sleek prosthetic wobbled slowly into the air.
"Perfect!" Reeve said. "It seems like the initial connection is a success."
"Initial?" Tifa asked with a frown.
The man waved her off.
"The hardest part is over," he reassured them. "I need to run diagnostics and tune it to your strength now. If you'd like to rest, feel free to. I simply need to hook my laptop up to the limb and I can work without your input for a while. I will eventually need you to perform some basic maneuvers with your right hand so we can calibrate the strength of the prosthetic to match your other arm. That way, you won't feel unbalanced once you're out in the field. You'll still need to practice with it in order to prevent overexertion or overextension, but you won't accidentally injure someone's hand with a handshake."
Vincent let out a sigh of relief.
"Whatever," he grumbled. "Do what you need to do."
With that, he adjusted himself so that he could rest his head on his other arm. Within seconds, his breathing had slowed and he seemed to be drifting off to sleep again. During this time, Reeve looked back towards Tifa.
"Feel free to nap in my office if you want," he said. "This will take a while, but I should be able to finish before two or three in the morning. That should give me time to sleep and you enough leeway to sneak back to the safe house."
"Don't you need sleep?" She asked worriedly.
The engineer merely waved off her concerns.
"I'll be fine. This isn't anything new to me," he chuckled before turning back to the computer.
Tifa nodded uncertainly and allowed Cait Sith to lead her into Reeve's office. There was a simple couch in a corner covered in folders and papers. The robot moved them to a side and gestured for her to use it as a bed. The young fighter thanked the robot, once again allowing herself to doze off. For the first time in a while, she felt relief in that something had finally gone according to plan. As she drifted into unconsciousness, she hoped the rest of AVALANCHE was having success in their endeavors in both the City of the Ancients and whatever else they decided to do after realizing it would be a while before they could assault North Crater.
…
"Look out!"
Yuffie flung herself to the left as a blast of energy hit the outer deck, the heat barely tickling her calves. Cloud and Cid were not nearly as lucky. The blonde swordsman attempted to shield himself with his blade and was able to stave off some of the damage, but the pilot was caught unawares and hit the ground with a cry of pain, falling limp a moment later. The metal of the Highwind deck creaked ominously, but the sturdy metal held against the WEAPON's attack. The blast was weaker than previous ones made by the WEAPON as it hovered unstably in the air before them, eyes squinting in pain and anger. Globules of dark blood dripped from its panting maw as it snarled at the ship that would not leave it alone.
"Cid!"
Nanaki gained his bearings first and rushed over to unconscious pilot, dragging the man away from the edge of the outer platform and reviving him in the process. Barret cursed, seeing the beast rearing back for another attack, and unleashed a blast of condensed energy into the creature's face. At the same time, Yuffie let forth a bolt of lightning from her fingertips directly into its chest. Something seemed to give and with a strangled roar, Ultimate WEAPON fluttered desperately once, before plummeting down into the ground. Moments later, there was a dull thud as the gargantuan body hit the ground below. A sudden explosion rocked the Highwind as the Planet's energy that had originally given birth to the beast was released from the defeated corpse. The members of AVALANCHE steadied themselves as the shockwaves subsided. For a while, the team simply sat on the outer deck, too exhausted to move.
"It's over…" Cloud groaned as he lay on the cool metal.
The team had attempted to find Ultimate WEAPON the previous day but was unsuccessful during the day time. As nighttime fell, they had instead flown Bugenhagen back to Cosmo Canyon and rested for the time being, many of them still thinking about what they had seen in the City of the Ancients. They were awoken rather early, however, as the crew of the Highwind reported seeing the form of the WEAPON flying around on the horizon. Taking the opportunity to give chase, a tired AVALANCHE forced themselves to prepare for battle. During the first encounter, they had been able to tag the creature with a tracker that allowed them to follow it every time it tried to run. This unfortunately resulted in the team becoming wearier and wearier as they clashed with the aerial creature multiple times. It was with great relief that the latest encounter proved to be the last. And despite several close calls, everyone was still alive, even if Cid appeared to have fallen asleep on the outer deck.
"Let's land for now, we can decide what to do after we get some rest," Yuffie suggested as she grabbed Cid by the foot and began dragging him inside.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that, especially since they did not have any plans for the immediate future. The Highwind touched down at the edge of the large crater left behind by the death of Ultimate WEAPON and the weary fighters took a short break to make up for their lack of sleep and hours of fighting. It was not until just past noon that Yuffie awoke in her small room of the Highwind. Yawning widely, she stretched and sat in bed for a bit while simply staring at the opposite wall. It seemed like two hours or so or additional rest had been enough for the young girl to recharge. Now that she was awake again, she had a moment to herself.
With Ultimate WEAPON down, they would likely be able to turn their attention towards other tasks now, including her request to revisit Wutai. She swallowed hard and tried to recall what she knew of the Pagoda and its guardians. Old man Gorky had trained her when she was younger and she had tussled a few times with Shake, the annoying brat that had trained alongside her. She'd seen Staniv and Chekov around occasionally during her studies, but she never saw them training or heard of how they fought. Even now looking back on it, Gorky was simply a teacher and Shake had likely been taking it easy on the daughter of the Emperor.
In the end, she really knew very little of the people she was planning on fighting.
Her post-victory high plummeted as she sat in her bed thinking about the Pagoda. Eventually, the sticky feeling of dried sweat and dirt forced her up and out of bed. Forcing those depressive thoughts away, she decided to take her mind off things by taking a shower. Poking her head out of her room, she noted the relative silence of the parked ship and figured no one else was awake just yet. Taking the opportunity, she grabbed a fresh change of clothes and a towel before slipping into the unoccupied bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged from the steamy bathroom, hair still wet and looking a bit happier than before. She tossed her dirty clothes into her room before wandering out into the halls of the Highwind, looking for something to eat. She found herself raiding the refrigerator in the small mess hall of the ship. A simple sandwich in hand, she began wandering around, eventually making her way up to the helm of the ship.
"So… whatcha doing?" She asked around a mouthful of food.
One of the pilots looked up in surprise.
"Oh, hello there Miss Kisaragi," he greeted. "We're just running maintenance on the ship. We sustained a few heavy hits during that last fight and the some members of the crew are outside checking the structural integrity of the outer deck."
The young girl hummed and pretended like she understood what he was talking about. Feeling bored and restless, she walked over to the window and stared out into the crater they were next to.
"Hey, what's that out there?" She asked pointing a bit to the left of the crater.
The engineer who was looking over diagnostic data from the ship glanced out the window.
"No idea," he shrugged. "Seems like a regular forest to me."
Yuffie frowned as she squinted out into the distance. It was faint, but the forest seemed to be giving off a different feeling than the rest of the scenery. Finishing off her snack, she dusted off her hands.
"I'm gonna go have a look."
The man she was talking to nodded idly.
"Alright… wait, what?"
By the time he had registered her words and turned, the girl was already gone. Yuffie grabbed her shuriken from her room before skipping off to the outer deck. She waved at the crew that was working outside and they each gave her a confused look. Reaching the edge, she threw down a rope ladder.
"I'll be back in a bit," she called and descended before anyone could reply.
Skirting around the lip of the crater, Yuffie made her way over to the edge of the forest. It seemed like the explosion caused by Ultimate WEAPON had destroyed part of the mesa the forest grew upon. This had in turn created a rough ramp of sorts leading up towards the odd forest. As the young girl drew closer, her instincts told her this forest was different from the average forest. The air seemed somehow cleaner the moment she entered and the streaks of sunlight filtering in were oddly enough to light up the entire space. Looking up, she saw that the canopy overhead was actually rather dense, making the presence of light all the stranger. There was also an odd peacefulness despite the sounds of insects and small animals. It almost seemed sacrilegious to speak in this place.
The girl continued forward, taking in the vibrant green of the vegetation and the sharp contrast they had with the various flowers that dotted the landscape. Turning around, she made a quick note of where she entered before stepping onto a rough path leading deeper into the forest. Her head remained on a swivel, taking in the sights and sounds of this strange forest. About ten minutes in, she found herself at the end of the visible road. Further ahead was an additional path but the ground she was standing on ended a few feet in front of her. Bridging the gap was deep red plant that appeared to be rather sturdy. She edge closer to it and saw that the petals were actually fairly thick, approximately the same as a plank of wood. It rustled lightly but was otherwise inert. In the middle of the plant, something glinted dully in the light. This set off every alarm bell in Yuffie's mind, telling her that this was undoubtedly a trap of some kind. She glanced around quickly to make sure no creatures were sneaking up on her before falling to her belly and inching forward.
"Easy does it…" she mumbled to herself as she poked the outstretched petal.
When there was no response, she poked it harder. Again, the plant did not appear to move. With a humph, grabbed a pebble off the ground and, aiming carefully, tossed it towards the middle of the plant. As expected, the thick petals of the plant slammed shut, the edges brushing the tip of her nose. The girl barely flinched, having expected just that from her prior study of trap-making. Instead, her eyes narrowed as a flame was lit. At this point, she did not care what the item in the middle of the plant was. She just wanted to beat the plant. And so the young girl waited patiently for the carnivorous plant to reset itself. Once the petals were spread again, she unsheathed her shuriken and reached forward beyond the gap. Upon closer inspection, the item appeared to be the trigger guard of some kind of firearm. Using one point of her shuriken, the girl carefully hooked the trigger guard and gave the weapon an experimental tug. When nothing happened, she carefully lifted her shuriken a few inches. Again, nothing happened. Over the course of a few tense minutes, she slid a short-barreled shotgun out of the plant's 'mouth', the long barrel sliding somewhat easily out of the gaping hole.
RING! RING!
Yuffie twitched in surprise as her PHS rang out, the sound shattering the peaceful silence of the forest. Her hand moved just enough for the barrel of the shotgun to bump the plant's mouth. She felt the plant shift and immediately burst into motion. Flicking her shuriken upwards, she tugged the weapon out forcefully while using her other hand to shove herself backwards. The closing petals caught her arm briefly, causing her to wince in pain. But years of training caused her grip to tighten on her weapon and she sprang backwards, her prize dangling from her weapon. Frowning down at her still ringing PHS, she answered the call.
"Yes?" She asked in a huff.
"Yuffie, where are you? The crew woke me up and said you had wandered off!"
It was Cloud, of course. The man sounded more confused than concerned, knowing that she'd likely be able to take care of herself. She bit back a curse when she realized her urge to keep herself busy had worried the crew enough to get Cloud involved. Looking around the forest, she realized she must have lost track of the time. The lighting had not really changed during her little trip and she was not sure how long she had been gone.
"Ah… sorry, Cloud," she apologized. "I woke up earlier and got bored. I saw this weird forest and decided to have a look."
The swordsman let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well, come back," he directed. "The others woke up as well and I figured we'd talk briefly about what to do next."
" 'Kaay!" She replied cheerily and hung up.
Her forced cheer disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. She heaved a sigh, hoping the others were not too upset at being woken from their rest. As she stepped away from the large flower which had returned to its original position, she gave the retrieved shotgun a quick once-over. It was partially covered in slime and the metal of the barrel appeared to be somewhat corroded. Despite that, the gun appeared to be relatively undamaged. She did not know much about firearms in general, Wutai having a more traditional method of warfare, and figured one of the others might have a better idea if it was functional or not. Holding the weapon by the somewhat cleaner grip, she began retracing her steps out of the strange forest. The path back out was a lot faster now that she was being summoned back to the Highwind, and she managed to make it back out of the forest within ten minutes. Eventually, she made her way up the rope ladder onto the Highwind still holding onto the weapon. She found Cloud waiting for her on the outer deck.
"Everything go alright?" He asked. "What's that you got there?"
The girl shrugged and gingerly handed over the slightly damaged weapon.
"No idea," she replied. "I figured Vinnie could do something with it."
Cloud frowned.
"I doubt it," he said while pointing to a point on the gun's barrel. "There's a faint crack along the length of the barrel. I doubt that's fixable."
"Oh…" Yuffie pouted a bit in disappointment. "I guess I'll just… uh…"
She tossed the weapon over the side of the ship and gave Cloud an innocent look. Her 'boyfriend-of-sorts' stared at her speculatively.
"You say you found this in the forest? I wonder how it got there," his gaze turned towards the tree line for a moment before shaking his head. "Anyway, let's head to the conference room for now."
The pair entered the ship and made their way to the large room Cloud had used when speaking to the entire team. Currently, the remaining members of AVALANCHE sat around in various states of consciousness. Barrett let out a huge yawn before rubbing his eyes wearily. Nanaki sat perched in his chair, a slight slump in his posture the only indication that he was any worse for wear. Cid on the other hand, was dozing with his chin in one hand.
"Cid," Cloud called out loudly, startling the older pilot. "You can go back to your room. We'll update you once you recover a bit more."
With barely a nod, the man stumbled out of the room and out of sight. Cloud gave a small sigh before sitting down at the head of the table. Yuffie grabbed a simple sandwich the crew had prepared for them off of a tray in the middle of the table. Judging by the tired look in the others' faces, they had not even considered eating just yet. She, on the other hand, was feeling peckish again from her small adventure through the strange forest near the airship. Her energetic appearance seemed to annoy Barret who grumbled something about hyperactive teens which she ignored.
"Sorry for waking you Barret, but Yuffie and Red were already up and I wanted to get a sense for what we should do next. It was rough, but with that WEAPON down, the various cities around the Planet should be a bit safer," he sighed. "While we've seen others, none of them appear intent on going anywhere. With this one down, we should be able to move freely now. Does anyone have any preferences on where to go, what to do?"
He looked out at the gathered members of AVALANCHE and seemed to be waiting for any possible lead.
"Has anyone gotten word from Cait Sith and the others?" Nanaki asked. "They're in a fairly dangerous spot and I was hoping they would send regular updates."
Cloud blinked for a moment before nodding.
"Right. That was the other point of business the crew informed me of," he corrected. "Cait Sith sent a message to the engineers this morning but we were too preoccupied with the WEAPON to receive it. Vincent has apparently gotten his arm replaced and is currently undergoing a bit of physical therapy to become accustomed to the new limb. Tifa and Cait Sith will be keeping an ear out for any new information by wandering around incognito during the day. Based on what Reeve told them, it will be a few days before the cannon arrives and is installed properly. When it is, the city itself should be easy enough to infiltrate. Most of Shinra's fighting force has scattered in response to Meteor. Unfortunately, those that remained are some of Shinra's strongest units. Scarlet and Heidegger have been pushing production of mechanical units to make up for the lack of human units."
Barret rubbed his face tiredly.
"An' where the hell are they getting' the money for this?" He asked gruffly. "They're gonna end up screwing over their citizens if we all make it out of this alive."
Their leader shook his head in exasperation.
"It seems like Shinra is focusing on the 'now' in its entirety. They're preparing for an all out war against Sephiroth with the expectation that by killing him, Meteor will disappear."
Nanaki huffed slightly at this.
"They're not entirely wrong," he mused. "But I agree the consequences for doing this are immense."
"The question remains, though. What should we do in the meantime? We can't simply sit around until something happens," Cloud sighed.
Yuffie grimaced slightly as she was reminded of her plans.
"I want to go challenge the Pagoda in Wutai," she said solemnly as she finished her food. "That shouldn't take too long. The challenge involves defeating all five Mighty Gods in one go. Either I can do it, or I can't and we just leave."
Barret grumbled at this.
"That's just for you. What about everyone else?"
The girl stuck her tongue out at the dark-skinned man, but it was half-hearted at best.
"You can go explore that weird forest then if you're not coming," she countered.
Nanaki turned towards her when she said this.
"Forest?" He asked curiously. "Does this have to do with where you went while we were still resting?"
Yuffie nodded in confirmation.
"There's a weird forest nearby. The WEAPON's explosion caused a portion of the mountain to collapse. There's something strange about it, but I can't put my finger on it."
The feline looked pensive at this.
"I've heard of a forest near Cosmo Canyon that supposedly contains a large concentration of energy. A few years ago we had multiple groups of people stay in the canyon in preparation to go searching for that forest," he tilted his head slightly in a gesture of dismissal. "Most of them came back disappointed, and those who didn't were assumed to have died due to the local wildlife."
"That would explain the old hunting shotgun Yuffie found," Cloud mused.
Nanaki perked up at this.
"Wait, you're saying you actually found it?" He asked incredulously.
The girl shrugged uncertainly.
"Like I said, the explosion earlier opened up a path to this weird forest. I just went in to wander around for a bit," she replied.
"If that is truly the rumored forest, we might be able to find some powerful Materia that could aid us against Sephiroth," Nanaki explained looking slightly excited, all trace of his earlier exhaustion banished. "If the rest of us are free to do as we will, I'd like to explore the forest for a day or so and see if I can find anything in there."
"I'll go with," Barret added. "Not sure I really want to visit Wutai again so soon."
Yuffie frowned at this, but refrained from making a childish retort. Only about a month ago she had tried to rob the group and leave them to die in the mountains, so the lingering reservations were certainly understandable. However, that didn't make their comments any less hurtful to the young girl.
"Will you two be alright alone or did you want to take Cid with you as well?" Cloud proposed in an attempt to shift the topic away from Yuffie's hometown.
Nanaki shook his head at this.
"I got him stabilized earlier, but that last hit from the WEAPON really did a number on him," he said. "I'm surprised he was even able to come to the conference room, much less leave his room. The pilots should be able to take care of things now that the biggest threat in the sky has been taken care of."
Cloud nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, if you two want to finish resting up before heading out, feel free to do so," he said as he stood. "I'll have the Highwind stay grounded until you're ready to leave. Then we'll head off to Wutai."
"Wait, yer not comin' with us, Spike?" Barret asked with an odd look.
Their leader shook his head.
"No, I'll be going with Yuffie to provide moral support. You remember Godo, right?"
The black man pulled a face and relented. The group left the meeting room to go about their business. Now that they were all awake, most chose instead to relax and, in the case of Barret and Nanaki, prepare for their upcoming exploration. Yuffie was left to her own devices again. She tried to practice some forms and light katas but she could not muster up the energy to train seriously. Even so, she mindlessly danced around the cargo hold of the Highwind, striking at invisible enemies as she did. And while her body moved on autopilot, her mind continued to drift towards her impending challenge. As much as she disliked her father's choices, she still respected his strength. That acknowledgment of his will had only increased with Leviathan's reminder of the core tenants. Partway through a stance, she lost her concentration and rolled her ankle. The girl fell to the hard steel floor with a thud, her shuriken clattering nearby noisily. She grabbed the weapon and raised it in frustration, ready to throw it blindly, but let it fall with a weary sigh. Feeling all the more skeptical of her chances against Wutai's five strongest fighters, she put away her things. She cleaned herself up and went to get some dinner. Looking around the mess hall, she spotted Nanaki sitting on a bench and tearing into the roasted leg of some animal.
"Hey," she said unenthusiastically.
The feline glanced over, watching as she poked disinterestedly at her food.
"Something on your mind?" He asked.
"Just nerves," she mumbled. "When are you and Barret heading off?"
Nanaki gave a look of concern before answering.
"We'll leave around dawn. It'll be better if we can make the most of the daylight to explore the forest. Rumors say the creatures in the forest have mutated due to the energy of the surrounding lands, so it'll be safer if we have enough time to do what we need to do."
Yuffie nodded idly.
"Be careful of the plants, one of them tried to eat me when I was there," she warned him.
This time, the cat's look was more speculative.
"Interesting…" he muttered. "Carnivorous plants don't usually go for large organisms…"
He stared off into the distance for a moment. Yuffie tried to eat a bit but her mouth just was not tasting anything at the moment.
"Well," she sighed, picking up her half-eaten plate. "Good luck on your expedition."
"You too," Nanaki responded distractedly.
With a sigh, the girl wandered out of the mess hall again. She made her way outside and leaned against the railing of the outer deck. The cool night air played across her face as she stared out into the darkness. Once again, she thought about her father and the challenge she would soon undertake. Her stomach clenched in nervousness and anticipation and she began to pace. As the temperature dropped, she made her way back inside, still pacing unconsciously. This time, she found herself standing before a familiar door. Yuffie hesitated for a moment before knocking. There was a brief pause before she heard the sound of shuffling feet and the door was opened.
"Yuffie?" Cloud still looked a bit tired, having only just gone back to bed.
A bit of guilt squirmed inside of her. Cloud had spent the day going over reports from Cait Sith while trying to plan out their possible movements with the limited information. It might have been a futile effort but it left the man weary nevertheless. The girl shuffled her feet a bit, feeling anxious.
"Can… Can I come in?" She asked.
The blonde shrugged and opened the door wider.
"What do you need?" He asked suppressing a yawn.
Yuffie looked away for a moment before speaking.
"I'm a bit scared of the trials…" she admitted. "I'm worried about the fighters. I haven't seen them in the years since I left home. I… I don't even know how he will react when I show up again. We didn't exactly leave on the best terms. Hell, I didn't even see him when we were last there… What if… what if he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"
Cloud was paying more attention now, despite his drowsiness. From his place on the bed, he tiredly motioned for her to step closer and drew her down into a comforting hug when she did. Now sitting in his lap, Yuffie took comfort in the warmth emanating from his body and buried her head in his shoulder.
"I know you're strong, Yuffie," the man said gently. "However strong the fighters in the Pagoda are, I'm sure you're stronger. We've fought worse than them. Hell, we just killed one of the legendary beasts that were supposed to find and destroy threats to the Planet. You'll do just fine."
The girl shook her head into his shoulder.
"But… that was with all of you," she mumbled. "I'm not sure I can do it alone…"
Cloud chuckled softly and placed his chin on top of her head.
"You have the skills to succeed. I've seen you fight, after all. And if you need additional firepower, you're free to use any of my Materia. The only thing left to master is your will."
He took her by her shoulders and tilted her head to face his once more.
"You'll do fine, Yuffie," he said firmly. "I believe in you. Get some rest and clear your head, the pilots will head to Wutai as soon as Barret and Red set off."
Yuffie nodded but made no move to leave.
"Now if you'll excuse me," the man let out a yawn. "I'm gonna sleep some more. I'm still feeling tired from that fight."
Reluctantly, the girl stood and took a step away before stopping. She fidgeted as Cloud lay down and closed his eyes, not even caring that the girl was still in the room. Finally, she spoke again.
"Can… can I stay here for a bit… I don't want to go back to my room like this," she muttered looking away. "I think too much when I'm by myself."
One vibrant blue eye opened and looked at her briefly before closing again. Wordlessly, Cloud shuffled to the side a bit and gestured for her to lie down as well. Nervously, the young girl did so, jumping in surprise when his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. His hand rested gently on her stomach as his breath slowed. While the blonde was quickly falling asleep again, Yuffie was feeling a lot warmer than before. She could practically feel the blood rushing to her face as she tried not to focus too hard on their proximity. Unsurprisingly, her tiny moment of embarrassment was enough to drive the worries of her task out of her mind. But as she listened to the sound of Cloud's breathing, her eyelids naturally began to droop and she soon fell asleep as well.
…
The dozing MP let out a soft choking sound as Tifa's arm closed off his windpipe. His arms flailed in a momentary panic, slapping blindly against Tifa's grip. The fighter held fast, face grim and eyes darting around to see if anyone heard her attack. As he fell limp in her arms, she let him rest against the chair he had been sitting in, giving off the illusion that he was sleeping on the job. She looked up to see the bulky form of Cait Sith hopping towards her. Her eyes scanned the area one more time to make sure they were truly alone.
"Hurry it up," she hissed to the toy as he passed her.
The cat plugged a thumb drive into the computer the guard had been sitting at and pulled up a basic programming window. With a dexterity Tifa had not seen before, the robot's clawed fingers began to dance across the keyboard as he hacked his way into the local server, turning the simple security outpost into a gateway into Shinra's more guarded information. They were currently looking for information on the projects Scarlet had been pushing through. While Heidegger's military was geared more towards brute force and explosives, the manipulative woman's plans were unknown and therefore posed a threat. From their observations earlier in the day, a few soldiers wandering the city had been excited for the incoming robotic troops as it meant they could potentially leave the battlefield until the all-out attack against Sephiroth began. This meant that, while it was too late to prevent those mechanical units altogether, they could possibly figure out where the production lines were and cripple the military that way. The two spies had found a relatively isolated security outpost during the day and waited until things quieted down for the night. They took a window of opportunity between wandering patrols to strike at the lone guard dozing at his chair.
"Tifa…" the cat let out a worried whimper.
She glanced down at what the robot wanted and saw the screen he had managed to pull up. A massive mobile armor unit stood displayed on the illuminated screen. A few measurements indicated it was probably close to forty feet tall. It had a fearsome array of weaponry hidden within its limbs and a truly massive cannon strapped to its back. Her memory of Vincent's notebook reminded her that this goliath of a machine was called Proud Clod. The fighter swallowed hard, her mouth dry at the prospect of fighting that unit.
"How many have they made," she asked with growing dread.
The cat closed the window and continued to copy files over for later perusal. He opened another file and skimmed its contents.
"Fortunately, just one," he responded to her relief. "But I think it's still being tuned up so there's a good chance we could damage it if we found where it was being held."
Tifa nodded and resumed her watch. A few tense minutes later, the cat removed the portable drive and returned the security screen to what it was before they had arrived.
"Alright," the cat nodded. "Let's get out of here."
They left the unconscious guard and made their way back into Midgar. Cait Sith was once again wearing his disguise and Tifa had thrown on a similarly bulky coat to cover up her more… prominent aspects. It was cool enough outside that no one questioned their choice of clothing. Tifa also had her hair pinned up and was wearing fake glasses in an attempt to look different from the wanted terrorist she was labeled as. Together they appeared to be just another pair wandering civilians that still resided in Upper Midgar. The few guards they passed at a distance patrolling the streets did not even give them a second glance. They made it back to the safe house with no issues. When they opened the door, they found a curious sight before them.
Vincent sat in the middle of the living room in a small puddle of water. He was thoroughly drenched and there were broken bits of rubber scattered around him. In his organic hand, he held a water balloon that was just big enough to be popped by too much force. Nearby, there was a small bucket filled with similarly sized water balloons. As they entered the room, Vincent tossed the balloon in his hand upward and attempted to catch and cradle the balloon with his prosthetic. The initial catch went fine, much better than the jerky motions Tifa had seen the night before, but when the hand closed, the balloon burst, splashing the man with water. With a frustrated growl, he tossed the deflated plastic aside and picked up another balloon.
"Have you been doing that all day?" Tifa asked incredulously.
The man merely grunted distractedly.
"You're soaked!" She scolded as she made her way over to him. "Go change your clothes! We'll clean up this mess."
"We?" The cat asked with a frown.
Begrudgingly, the gunslinger put down the water balloon and stood, dripping onto the carpet. With a sigh, Tifa grabbed a towel from a cabinet in the hall and tossed it over the dampness. Then she moved the bucket of water balloons to the sink and sat down on the couch with a sigh. Cait Sith bounced over to a corner and pulled out a small cable which he plugged into the wall.
"I'll send the data over to the Highwind," he explained.
Tifa nodded distractedly and watched as the cat slumped as he began to send out the data he had managed to copy from Shinra. For a while, Tifa simply sat there, resting from the day spent observing the enemy's movements and trying to figure out Shinra's current military strength. The files they retrieved went a long way, but it seemed that Heidegger and Scarlet were still pushing for a larger army. Light footsteps signaled Vincent's return and she turned her head towards the hallway. Vincent was now wearing a simple white dress shirt and a dry pair of pants. Several of his buttons looked half-way done and it seemed he was still struggling to finish buttoning his shirt with one hand. The young woman sighed and got up.
"Looks like you're getting better with the arm at least," she said as she stepped up to him. "Here, let me."
She brushed his hands aside and finished buttoning his shirt for him, fixing the other buttons as she did so.
"Thanks," he said softly. "How did the surveillance go?"
Tifa turned and sat back down on the couch. He followed suit.
"It went well," she explained. "We managed to sneak into a small security checkpoint and hack into Shinra's files. Cait Sith is sending the Highwind what we managed to get."
Vincent glanced over at the robot that was still lying limply on top of the mog.
"How is Shinra's army looking?" He asked despite the two of them knowing what was to come.
Thankfully, Tifa played along.
"The worst thing we found was a large war machine meant to be piloted by two people. It seems they've only made one, but the amount of firepower that single unit carries is more than enough cause for concern. If you think you're up for it, we could try attacking the production line to prevent more of these from being made."
The gunslinger shuddered slightly at the thought of facing multiple Proud Clods and nodded.
"I still can't grip things properly, but I have enough control over the arm that I can use it as before," he explained. "It'll still make reloading a problem, but at least my aim should be steadier."
"Would it be better to use a pistol?" Tifa suggested. "We'll be needing stealth after all."
The man thought for a moment before replying.
"If we're going for silence, I can resort to hand to hand combat," he decided. "I'll bring the rifle in case we're forced to fight in earnest, but our goal should probably be to remain as hidden as possible."
Tifa nodded for a while, glancing over at Cait Sith like Vincent had done.
"Any… guidance on what we should do then?"
It was clear she was referring to his memories but Vincent shook his head.
"Nothing except the standard caution," he sighed. "We'll be going into this blind."
The young woman fidgeted. She felt strangely uncomfortable with suddenly dealing with the unknown despite constantly being in a state of unknowing during her time with Vincent.
"I think we'll be fine," Vincent said after a while. "We three work together just fine. So long as we remain vigilant during the sabotage mission, we should be able to get in and out before anyone knows it. I imagine we'll be using explosives and I'm pretty sure Cait Sith knows how to create remote detonators."
"I heard my name!" A cheerful voice piped up and suddenly the robotic cat was between them. "What are you two lovebirds talking about?"
Tifa glared half-heartedly at the cat.
"We were planning. Do you know if there's an important factory somewhere? Maybe a crucial step in production that we can disrupt?" Vincent chose instead to ask.
The black and white cat frowned and put his chin on his fist while tilting his head to the side. After a moment, he sighed.
"There is one," he began slowly. "But it's rather heavily guarded."
"Could we sneak in like we did the outpost today?" Tifa asked.
The cat spaced out again, his head lolling to the side. Tifa screwed up her face in distaste at the somewhat disturbing display. As soon as he started, though, he straightened up again with a little hop.
"I managed to pull some old blueprints for the area. It won't help us with security, but it'll give us an idea on the layout of the place," he explained. "We could try to get near the area during the day and plan for an infiltration at night?"
Vincent nodded.
"I believe that would be best," he agreed. "You two get some rest, I'm going to work on my control a bit more before turning in."
Stuck in the heart of enemy territory, the trio of infiltrators took what little comfort they had in their tiny bit of safe haven. Tomorrow they would plan a strike against Shinra's production line, but they had done more than enough to warrant a rest for today. Tifa stood and slowly slouched off into her bedroom, her feet dragging ever so slightly. Behind her, she could hear Cait Sith starting up another conversation with Vincent about something or other. By this time, she was too sleepy to care. After a full day of spying and the impromptu theft at night, her muscles ached with unreleased tension. She stretched momentarily before lying down on her bed. Her eyelids quickly closed and she was asleep within minutes.
…
The room was dark when Yuffie stirred awake. A faint sliver of light illuminated the edge of the window in Cloud's cabin, indicating it was approaching dawn. Beside her, Cloud continued to sleep, his warmth comforting. Confused at why she had awoken, Yuffie was about to go back to sleep when she heard a light commotion at the door.
"He's probably still asleep…" the deep voice of Barret could be heard through the closed door. "Should we wake him and let him know we're leaving?"
There was a brief pause before another voice sounded.
"No, he knows we're leaving. Let's make the most of the daytime and explore as much of the forest as we can," Nanaki replied. "Can you please go lower the ladder? I'll be along in a bit."
Heavy boots stomped off and there was silence again. A few moments later, Nanaki spoke again.
"Good luck with your trials, Yuffie," the feline called out through the door.
The fading click of his claws indicated he had left. A few minutes later, the ship lurched slightly as they took to the skies again. Rather than awakening, Cloud let out a soft sigh and tightened his grip on the girl by his side. Smiling slightly, Yuffie closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
…
A/N: Research is ramping up again but I'm still keeping up my daily writing sessions. Up next, the Pagoda and the assault on the manufacturing plant. Feel free to leave a review if you wish, let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see and I'll try to work it in if it's reasonable.
…
Omake 17:
The man snorted as he was rudely kicked awake.
"Hmmwha?" He said blearily.
"Richards!" His commanding officer hissed angrily. "Get up you lazy ass! What the hell do you think you're doing sleeping on the job!"
The guard looked around blankly for a moment before his memories suddenly returned.
"Sir! I was attacked!" He blustered "Someone… someone knocked me out! They must've been trying to get through the security point!"
The commander scowled in disgust.
"If you're gonna come up with a story, at least make it a believable one," he sneered. "First jumping at cats and now sleeping on the job? Useless piece of shit. Go home, you're fired."
Richards's eyes widened in surprised.
"But… but…" he tried to protest.
"Get out!" The commander roared.
Wincing in shame and confusion, Richards fled. He eventually made his way home, walking through his doorway with a sigh.
"Honey?" His wife peered out from their bedroom. "I thought you had work tonight?"
The man threw his helmet in a corner in disgust.
"I was let go… Commander thought I was sleeping on the job," he spat.
The young woman left the room, dressed in a plain nightgown.
"What happened?" She asked curiously.
"I think I was attacked," he said. "I felt someone choking me and the next thing I knew, the commander was kicking me awake."
The woman wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"You could've been killed," she realized. "Forget this job, you're alive aren't you?"
Richards sighed, his anger bleeding away.
"You're right," he said. "Let's go to sleep. Maybe we can find a place to live in Kalm. I'm sick of this city, Meteor or not."
His wife merely nodded, never once letting go of his hand.