Cait Sith ventured onto the bridge, his attention sweeping over the bustling crew and pre-landing procedures. Hojo slouched in a seat against the far wall, his hands knitted over his midsection and an ankle crossed over his knee in boredom. Rufus, Heidegger, and Scarlet stood talking near the foot of the massive windows at the bow, and just past them Cait Sith could see the looming cannon of Junon approaching in the far distance.
It was time.
Reeve wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this whole ordeal unscathed, but Cid had won even him over. The risk was worth it for their sakes.
The mooglesaurus hopped its way back to the interior decks, and it stopped in the middle of one of the catwalks. It threw two hefty, fluffy thumbs up to the guards standing near one of the staircases. The soldiers glanced at each other dumbly. One of them awkwardly gave Cait Sith a thumbs up in return, unaware of what had just been put into motion.
While the prisoners had been removed of obvious weapons, an unknown force was among them. From Nibelheim to the Northern Crater, many an abomination and monster had been on the receiving end, but Shinra forces had not yet had the pleasure of meeting the Galian Beast. Throughout the center decks a howl from beyond resonated across the metal walls, and a hulking, horned form of black and midnight-purple burst toward Shinra security—sparks flying as its bony claws propelled it forward.
The effect on morale was instantaneous, soldiers scrambling and screaming as they blindly fired weapons and tripped over one another. Cait Sith had seen Vincent's other form repeatedly and even he was intimidated by seeing it charging in his general direction.
Distraction doing its job to the letter, the other three dashed for further into the ship. Cait Sith's mount rushed after them, making it in time to catch Yuffie's arms turning into a flash as she dove at the soldiers guarding the renegades' equipment. A series of clangs and sickening splashes followed, and the pair of soldiers were suddenly on the ground groaning. Tossing aside the now heavily-dented and empty bucket, Yuffie aggressively kicked open the door to the room.
Cid, Nanaki, and Cait Sith gawked at Yuffie in disgust from the scene at their feet and she grinned back at them devilishly. "A good ninja uses every tool at her disposal. Every tool."
Rearmed with his spear, Cid looked over his shoulder as he heard further clamor and boots approaching. "Your go, cat."
Cait nodded and the mooglesaurus obeyed his commands to run back to the entrance of the hall. The main deck was in disarray as soldiers struggled to get back on their feet and the raging howls of the Galian Beast faded to other parts of the ship. Heidegger threw degrading insults at the crew as they ran circles in a panic, a much more exaggerated panic than their completely untouched conditions should have demanded. They hadn't even been part of the plan, but they were a welcome addition.
Near the bridge Rufus pointed fiercely at slashes around the ship's interior and barked at Hojo—who only shrugged noncommittally. Scarlet, predictably unwilling to delegate, stormed in Cait Sith's direction, kicking aside any security foolish enough to not crawl away from her warpath. She snatched a rifle off the ground and her face twisted in a beastial snarl as she neared, flanked by soldier escorts.
"They got their weapons!" Cait Sith blurted, planting himself in her way and waving his arms. "If we hurry we can catch 'em. They mus' be he—"
Scarlet bodily shoved the mooglesaurus aside, slamming it into the wall. She scoffed at him. "Useless no matter what you look like."
Steadying himself, Cait hopped in her wake. Far ahead of them the escapees made a mad run for the stables.
Scarlet stomped a heeled foot and cried, "There's nowhere to go, you drooling idiots!"
In the middle of the hall Cid screeched to a halt and spun to face his pursuers, leering at Scarlet.
Scarlet raised her firearm and took aim. She hissed, "Arrogant waste of gil."
With a cutting laugh Cid shouted back, "Next time you wanna start a war with me, do it on your turf and not mine!" He stabbed his spear against a valve, and jets of steam burst from pipes lining the walls.
Letting out a cry of surprise, Scarlet staggered back and shielded her face. Unconcerned with scalding steam, Cait Sith bounced ahead of her and the soldiers. "Aye got 'em, Scarlet!" he called dramatically as he followed Cid and the others.
Nearing the stables, Cid raised two fingers to his mouth and used them to let out a shrill whistle. While this alerted the security guarding the door, it also caused the figure trapped in one of the pens to raise his head sharply. The escapees ducked behind cover as gunfire rang out, bullets bouncing off the floor and crates.
Cait and his mount slid to join them, skidding to rest beside Yuffie. Yuffie actually grinned at him and gave a pat to his head. "Y'know, I almost don't hate you. Almost."
Nanaki looked back at the direction they had come, his nostrils flaring. "They're coming."
Cait watched Cid scowl in the direction of Barret's prison, and followed his gaze.
Barret made no moves to struggle against the restraints on his arms or to stand. He intensely stared at Cid and very deliberately shook his head.
Cid's brow tightened, and he whispered, "I get ya, buddy. I figured." Cid spun back to the others. "Barret won't leave without Tifa, and we don't have time to drag her out. We gotta come back for both of 'em."
Yuffie's mouth hung open in shock. "What?! Are you senile, gramps!"
Nanaki barked, "We can't leave without them. We may never have another chance!"
"We will," Cid snapped. "But if we don't make a break for it now then we won't."
The group relented as Cid led them to and up a set of stairs. The open air and rushing wind of the outer deck greeted them, and they hurried to the railing. Over the side a neat row of lifeboats hung in wait, dangling from frames. They looked like ordinary dinghies, but would sprout gliding sails as they drifted from the boat—the only option for safely evacuating an airship.
Yuffie and Nanaki climbed in one of the boats as Cid directed Cait Sith. The two of them rapidly set every last lifeboat to launch, and then paused as Heidegger's gravely shouts and thundering groups of steps approached. Steeling himself with a smirk, Cid hopped in the lifeboat with Yuffie and Nanaki and gave a swift kick to the side of the Highwind to get their vessel moving.
"Hey, Heidegger!" Cid blasted at their nearing adversaries. "You better believe I'm comin' back for my ship, shit-fer-brains!"
As the distance between the Highwind and the escape vessel grew ever larger, Cait Sith hesitated at the edge of the railing. This was the point of no return. Follow his companions, the ones who he considered friends, or stay with his employers, the ones who had given him everything and made Midgar a reality…
Cid whistled sharply and tossed out Vincent's distinctive, three-barreled revolver past Cait Sith's shoulder. The next few seconds passed in only a breath and as long as an eternity. The revolver's owner flew past Cait Sith, his hand perfectly clutching his sidearm, and he whipped around in a leap off the side of the ship. Vincent's flourish moved him to directly face Cait Sith, his crimson cloak spreading around him like bloody wings. The triple barrels of Vincent's gun leveled with Cait Sith, and his brow tightened in a twinge of regret.
Vincent said softly, "I know what Shinra does to traitors. Goodbye."
A blast.
Reeve cried out in horror, thrown backwards from shock. He let out a second cry as his chair tumbled and he spilled onto his office floor, his hand instinctively clutching his chest. Gasping for breath, Reeve layed on the carpet in a heap, shaking. Cait Sith didn't feel pain to share with Reeve, so he didn't exactly have a good excuse for his extreme reaction…just that staring down a gun and getting shot in first person was so much more terrifying than he'd been prepared for.
He rolled onto his back and stared up at his ceiling, for a time doing nothing more than calming his nerves by degrees. He could vaguely see through what was left of Cait Sith: Heidegger bellowing at soldiers and pointing to the distance in rage, security sending gunfire off the ship's side at the fleet of lifeboats giving the escapees cover as they glided to safety, the sideways glances Cait Sith's pieces were given as others walked by him callously, and the very familiar sound of Scarlet's screaming as Cait's head was punted across the deck.
Reeve let out a long breath and recalled the knack from this puppet. There was no use in keeping it going anymore.
However, Reeve still didn't move from his spot on the floor and he rested his hands on his chest. While Reeve had internally debated, Vincent had made the decision for him…and it was ultimately the right one. It was ridiculous he had even considered making Cait Sith escape with the others. His shaky company loyalty would have been undeniable, and Reeve would have had to answer for it in person instead of through a plush toy. Vincent had protected him. Through everything that Cait Sith had done, even trying to convince them all to not resist Shinra's retribution, Vincent had still protected him. And said goodbye as though Cait would be missed.
The ache in Vincent's eyes would linger in Reeve's memory. Probably for a very, very long time.
It was hard to imagine it was all over. His companions were going to fight their own battles, and Cait Sith was no longer necessary for any of them. Not for the renegades, not for Shinra, not even for Marlene and Elmyra. Without Cait Sith being beside Barret, Reeve would have nothing to report…
Reeve was just going to have to go back to his life before…Why did that thought suddenly fill him with such bitter resentment?
Of course, nothing would be exactly the same as it was. Who knew what exactly was coming, but something had changed forever. Things could never go back.
Elmyra pushed open the double doors of the school's entrance, escorting Marlene out. "What did you think?" Elmyra asked as they strolled, tugging at her hand gently.
Marlene shrugged, the movement jostling the floppy Cait Sith in her arms.
"All the children in the neighborhood were excited to see you," Elmyra offered. "And everything looked very colorful, didn't it?"
Marlene considered this, then leaned closer against Elmyra, making their steps more awkward.
"Come on, Marlene," Elmyra insisted, slowing to a stop to ease her away from her leg. "You can't hide behind grown-ups forever."
Pouting, Marlene instead gripped Cait Sith harder. "I'll miss you."
Tiredly, Elmyra nodded. Not nearly as much as Elmyra would miss her, but she couldn't admit that. She couldn't allow Marlene to let Elmyra hide her away and keep her for herself, away from an overly-cruel world. "You'll love school, though. And your father will be so proud of you if he sees you learning."
A smile began to creep across Marlene's face at the mention of her father. She looked up to Elmyra to speak, but stopped. Her brow grew hard as her large, brown eyes stared above Elmyra in puzzlement.
"W-What is it, Marlene?"
"What is that?" she asked curiously.
"Hm?" Elmyra turned to look upwards, and her blood grew cold. Unobscured by daylight, an eerie object hung in the blue sky. It was tiny, but the fact that it burned brightly enough to be seen midday with the naked eye sent a shiver through Elmyra. Ever since Aerith's death, the looming cloud of impending dread hadn't lifted, and she couldn't simply dismiss it as grief. Elymra had no idea why she thought it, but that distant, ominous star had something to do with what had happened to her daughter. And it was a sign that the worst was to come.
Others in the street also paused, pointing upwards and hushed voices pondering the new celestial body.
"Ms. Elmyra?" Marlene asked, breaking her out of her frightened trance.
"L-Let's go home," Elmyra said firmly. "Maybe…Maybe school isn't the best choice right now."
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