Chapter 42: The End
(Same tags apply as in Chapter 1)
Onika turned to the heavily armed group behind him with a smirk as the door that he had previously activated, continued to rumble open. Dust filtered into the cavern, causing the scientist to be enveloped in a dusky brown haze, but he wouldn't run. If he even tried, the group would be on him before he even stood beneath the night pre dawn sky.
"Ah, if it isn't the saviors of the planet. I truly do thank you! If it weren't for you, meteor would have fallen and I would have never had the chance to conduct my research."
"That was an unfortunate side effect at best." Vincent stated dryly.
"We didn't stop it for people like you." Tifa said with narrowed eyes. "Don't you know that what you're doing is no better than what Hojo did?! You risk the chance of creating another crisis. Jenova is hell bent on destroying the planet, and what do you do? You go and create more!?"
Onika laughed and moved forward to lean against the vehicle, seemingly bored with what she was saying. He scanned the woman from head to toe, unable to stop his scientific mind from analyzing her physical attributes. "My dear, unlike Hojo, I have my Jenova under my complete control. " He stated, earning a growl and a string of curses from the blond brute working with him.
"Fraser has been fully infused with Jenova, but I can subdue him without second thought. No doubt you saw what happened to my young male specimen-"
Yuffie cut him off when he referred to the boy. "His name is Yoshi, not specimen! Living beings, no matter what they may be, are not your playthings you fucking bastard!" She yelled at the older man, gaining a wide-eyed look from Tifa and a proud grin from Barret.
"What you choose to call it is of no consequence to me. In order for progress to be made, things, usually insignificant, need to be sacrificed. Science and experimentation is the only way to evolve. People would live longer, perhaps even forever! They would be faster, stronger and more resistant to disease. Science is doing what the planet and evolution alone could not! Just look at Valentine and Strife!"
Yuffie's gray eyes hardened, taking on the appearance of ice cold steel as she faced off with the man. Even though she was leaning heavily against her gunman, it didn't make the ninja look any less intimidating.
'Its because of people like you,' Yuffie thought through a haze of anger as Onika continued to talk. 'That people suffer. Sephiroth, Lucrecia…they died because of the torture that was inflicted on their bodies in the name of experimentation. Vincent…Cloud…they've experienced the pain, and even though they're alive, they remember it. Each time they look in the mirror and see their eyes they remember!
'Tifa lost her family…Aeris died and it was all because of greedy, selfish and immoral bastards like this thing standing in front of us.' She glared and shuddered with disgust when she remembered how he looked at her with obvious lust in his eyes and how he held her closer than necessary when taking her to the cell.
Yuffie broke out of her angered musings just as Onika was finishing his so-called speech.
"…So if there's nothing else, I'm afraid we best be going." He said dryly and opened the drivers' door.
"Ya honestly don't think that we'd let ya walk your ass outta here, did ya?!" Barret bellowed, leveling his Missing Score at the scientist as the others prepared to strike.
"Well, that's what I would advise." Onika replied and looked behind the group as a sixth person came behind the group.
"No fucking way!" The pilot hissed around the toothpick sitting between his lips as he took up position next to Barret. His blond hair was tinted the same red that tinted his Venus Gospel as he placed a fresh toothpick between his lips, wanting nothing more than to have a cigarette at the moment.
"Sorry, you guys aren't going anywhere." Cloud nodded to the blond before preparing to strike.
Onika scoffed and smirked at the group, shaking his head. "I didn't think that the famed Avalanche wouldn't just allow us to leave, but it would have been infinitely better for all parties involved if you did.
"Despite my appearance, I did come prepared today." The Professor said with a smile as he removed a small device from his pocket. With a few taps skillfully and quickly placed on the screen, it flashed, a message popping on the display.
'Releasing. Commence cell deployment in 30 seconds?'"Why not?" He answered aloud as he pressed yes.
The group watched as Zade, who had been surprisingly quiet as he glared at the ninja, slump against the hood of the truck. The blond felt the familiar wave of an intense high flow through his system. He know that this was yet another effect of something that was done to him by the scientist as the timer counted down.
'00:00:24.42'
"What in the hell...did you do to me?!" Fraser asked before collapsing to the ground in a ball, filling the Avalanche team with surprise and unease.
'00:00:18:22'
"Its very simple. I'm sure that Avalanche has some knowledge of some of the experiments that Hojo did." He started as time on the device continued to count down. "Zade, you should remember this too since you were the one he tried this with…"
'00:00:11:22'
Yuffie went pale remembering what had what been said during the meeting before she left as Onika continued.
"Zade, I thought you'd like to experience a nice high for this fight, so I gave you a nice dose of lysergic acid diethylamide."
'5…4…3…2…1…'
"Commencing Jenova release." Flashed across the screen and in that instant, an inhuman scream ripped from Zade Fraser's throat.
Avalanche watched in horror as his flesh began to bubble and bleed. The blond's hair began to fall to the cold stone beneath their feet as he curled in on himself further as if trying to escape the pain. Without tentacles shot from Zade's body in the direction of the team of armed fighters, causing them to scatter to avoid being impaled.
Onika laughed with glee at the sight before hopping into the transport, taking his chance to escape. "Sorry kids, but its time that I take my leave. Have fun with Zade!" He called to them over the shocked, angry and horrified cries from the group as he started the engine. It roared to life, thanks to the mako power cells. His foot slammed on the accelerator and the vehicle lurched back before he spun the wheel. It was quickly put in drive before he shot out of the cavern, leaving mayhem behind.
.::-o-::.
"Son of a bitch!" Barret bellowed as he dove out of the wave of yet another tentacle. "We gotta find an opening or we're just gonna keep dodging this thing while Onika gets away!"
The group continued to avoid the grotesque appendages sprouting from the creature, when a chilling, dual-toned voice filled the cavern. "Aww, you don't wanna play?" It asked, sending Barret flying backwards before retracting its tentacles towards its central mass. Tifa and Yuffie checked on Barret while Cid, Cloud and Vincent watched the creature.
Its limbs shot towards the ceiling, the walls and floor, creating a web of flesh that blocked the exit that the scientist had just taken. Barret pushed himself to his feet, allowing a string of curses to escape his lips.
"Lets play! It'll be fun!" The maniacal voice taunted.
Tifa's hand began to glow with a yellow energy as sparks of electricity danced along her fighting gloves. The words that she spoke were drowned out by the creatures laughter before she sent forth the spell she hand been spinning.
"Bolt!" She commanded, causing a bright current of electrical energy to fill the cavern, striking the creature before them.
"No effect!" Yuffie shouted.
"Ooh! That tingles!" It, said, the deeper half of the voice more dominate. "Now its my turn!"
For the second time in her short life, Yuffie was witness to all hell breaking loose on a massive level.
.::-o-::.
The sound of gunfire assaulted the ears of all who had entered the cavernous garage as Vincent's Death Penalty and Barret's Missing Score unleashed hails of large caliber bullets. Hot lead tore through the beast, leaving holes that dripped a putrid dark blood as they slowly tried to close. This thing was no longer the man named Zade Fraser, this was just another spawn of Jenova.
Tifa continued to launch magical attacks at the creature, trying to find some sort of weakness they could use to their advantage. "Cid, can you sense anything?!" She called to the blond man, knowing that the yellow orb was in his possession.
"Nah!" He said and dodged a blow aimed at his stomach as he thrust his spear forward, severing one of the tentacles of the creature. "Somethin's blockin' it!"
The creature launched tentacles that had the ability to tear through flesh with the ease of a razor. One of those very appendages slipped along the ground towards an unsuspecting pilot as he sliced through the creatures' nearly transparent skin.
The burgundy eyed fighter sent a powerful ice spell at the creature, causing it to howl in pain. She felt a wave of satisfaction wash through her before calling to her comrades and rushing towards the creature, her gloved fists glowing a icy blue just as they contacted the beast. "Use ice spells!"
The group began to launch the spells at the creature, causing some of the disfigured limbs that had been blocking the exit to crumble to the ground. The room grew extremely cold as the group reappeared from the protective darkness after Shiva's diamond dust attack tore into the Jenova creature.
"Bitch!" It bellowed and lifted a thick limb, sending it flying towards her head as she reappeared.
Tifa dropped to the ground to avoid having her head taken off before looking up in time to see a second limb coming towards her in a downward blow. Tifa rolled to the left as the limb crashed to the ground with incredible force, causing the stone to crack like an eggshell under the power of the blow.
Cloud whipped around when he saw his lover drop to the ground, she was safely out of the way, but that's when he saw it. "Cid! Watch out!" He yelled at the pilot, but it was too late.
A yelp followed by a string of curses caused them to halt the spells that were being launched at the creature. Cid was lifted into the air by the limb that was wrapped tightly around his leg, causing him to drop his Venus to the ground.
"Let me go you fuckin' son of a bitch!" The pilot bellowed, attempting to reach up and grab the appendage but bit back a cry of pain as his ankle cracked under the pressure of its grip just as needle like projections pierced his skin easily. Cid felt his body go cold and a wave of nausea wash through him. His vision blurred and the pain he felt in his fractured ankle faded as consciousness fled his mind.
"Cid!" Yuffie, Barret and Tifa cried out as the man when limp. They watched in horror as the creature began to swing Cid like a pendulum.
"Put him down!" Cloud commanded, but was only met with an odd, rumbling laughter as the arc of the swing began to grow, bringing cid closer to the wall. Limbs out towards the group again causing them to dive out of the way to avoid being touched by the now oozing limbs.
Yuffie watched the pilot swing for a moment and quickly sliced through the tentacles closest to her.
"Yuffie!" Vincent called out to her, causing the ninja to look over to her gunman.
Their eyes met for a moment as she lifted her shuriken and watched as crimson moved to the limb and then back to her own stormy eyes. The raven-haired man nodded and fired shots at the main body, causing the creature to jerk as the bullets tore through its central mass. He dodged the attacks that were launched at him as he continued to fire.
When he saw the ninja release her Masara the gunman borrowed speed from his demonic half and darted towards the left side of the cavern. A roar filled the cavern as the razor sharp metal tore through the limb causing it and the pilot to go sailing towards the wall. Vincent leapt into the air and caught Cid's limp form in his arm, sending them crashing into the stone wall.
They all let out a sigh of relief when the pilot was released from the creatures grip. Tifa started in the direction of the down blond and the gunman but was knocked back with a powerful blow to the stomach, sending her crashing into Cloud. Barret and Yuffie glanced over to the left in time to see them go down and watched in disbelief as a limb tore through the lower left side of Vincent's stomach, pinning him to the wall.
"Vincent! No!!" Yuffie cried out as Cloud regained his footing.
Pain shot through his form as he looked down to the limb that was retracting from his abdomen, slowly, torturously before becoming removed completely with as sickeningly wet sound. Blood poured from the wound and began to form a puddle on the ground beneath him.
Tuning out the voices in the cavern, Vincent staggered as few steps away from the battle and placed Cid on the ground. Blood was still flowing from the wound and he could taste the coppery red liquid in his mouth as he dropped to his knees. "Chaos…" He murmured aloud and within his mind as he felt the demon surge forth.
He could feel the wound closing as the demon took over his body. While the wound healing would not replace the blood he had already lost, it did stop the blood from flowing as well as repair his torn intestines and flesh.
Cloud could see the black tint that Vincent's skin was taking on and knew that Chaos was about to punish the creature that had harmed his master. He rushed forward and moved Cid towards the back of the cavern, placing his crystalline sword on the ground as he began to treat the poisoned man.
Tifa felt power surge through her veins as she stood protectively between the creature and the downed forms of her comrades. She knew what was happening to the gunman; the wound he sustained to his gut pushed him past his limit, just as the blow she had taken pushed her past her own.
Wings tore out of Vincent's back completing his transformation into the winged demon as Chaos. Impressive leathery wings gave an ominous flap and the fighter rushed towards the central mass. Chaos ripped through mutated flesh as Tifa sent a torrent of punches and kicks at the creature.
Gunfire and sharp blades were hurled throughout the cavern as Tifa landed her final blow and leapt back towards Cloud and the still unconscious Cid. The flesh that had once blocked the exit that Onika had taken less than ten minutes ago, hung in tatters. Chaos glared at the creature, hatred burning in its dark eyes. "Pitiful." The demon growled and looked over to the fighter. "This man…Onika, believed that his creations were better than the vile incarnations created by Hojo?"
"Now it's my turn!" Chaos mocked the creature before allowing a feral grin to trace his lips. The familiar and ominous skull of fire and brimstone formed beneath the Jenova creature as the demon pulled back his fist with a growl before launching it forward with a roar.
The cavern grew quiet as the Chaos pulled his bloody hand from the chest of the smoldering creature. Chaos flapped his wings and came to land beside Yuffie who watched as the beast that was created from the body of Zade Fraser, perished.
The demon looked the weapon in Yuffie's hand and then the exit that Onika had taken. "Where are your kunai?" He asked and watched as she sat her Masara on the ground and pulled a pouch from the pack that Tifa had recovered for her. She ignoring Cloud and the others as they gave word of Onika's escape to the command post that had been set up on the Highwind which had landed to the south. She quickly strapped it to her thigh and removed one as she heard someone at the command post tell them that Onika was being pursued and the base had been secured.
A yelp escaped her lips as Chaos scooped her up and flew from the cavern and into the sky as dawn began to break. She didn't question him as he looked out on the plains and grinned when he saw what he was looking for before taking off towards west.
He held on to her tightly as he sped through the skies in the direction of the dust clouds and roaring engines he heard. Terrell Onika had a sizable lead on the Soldiers and Shinra guardsmen chasing him, but it wouldn't last for long. He looked down to the ninja in his arms as she began to cough.
The cold morning air was causing her lungs to ache. The scent of blood reached his nose as he watched her pull her hand away from blue tinted lips only the see the tiny red dots of blood on her palm. She knew the demon who was holding her saw it and she when she looked into his eyes, she saw the frown that traced his lips as well as the concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine." She said and hid her face against his chest in an attempt to shield her nose and mouth against the cold air.
Chaos held her a bit tighter and increased his speed and looked down, watching as they passed over the three vehicles chasing after Onika. He swooped down and pushed himself harder in order to catch up with the military vehicle that he had taken.
"Yuffie, do you think you can hit the tires with your kunai?"
A short chuckle escaped her lips as she pulled her face from his chest and watched how quickly they were closing in on the truck. "Of course! You obviously forgot who I am, Chaos." She said held on to him as he switched her position slightly so she could aim easier.
Yuffie reached into her pouch and removed two of her kunai and took aim for the back tire on the passenger's side as Chaos kept pace with Onika. She closed one stormy eye and threw her arm forward with a grunt, biting her lip to keep the moan that wanted to escape her lips at bay.
.::-o-::.
The professor heard a loud pop and felt the truck begin to lose traction. "They couldn't have caught up with me already!" He murmured and looked out of side mirror and felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop.
Pursuing him was not the Soldiers that had been chasing him but the small ninja in the arms of a demon. She was preparing another kunai to launch at the front tire. He couldn't let them catch him. He couldn't allow them to stop him and his research.
Onika rolled down the window and removed his gun from the seat and pointed the weapon out of the window and fired in rapid succession.
.::-o-::.
"Chaos, watch out!" Yuffie cried out as she saw the gun point out the window. The first shot missed them, but the second impacted with the demons shoulder just as he started to dodge to the right. His grip on Yuffie tightened as he moved out of range of the gunfire with a growl, the action also causing the ninja to lose almost all of her shuriken and kunai.
He knew that he wasn't going to last much very long with Vincent's blood loss along with his own minor wounds and the gunshot wound. "Yuffie…try again for the tire!" He said and looked over his shoulder to see that the reinforcements were closing in as the vehicle began to lose speed.
Yuffie quickly launched one of her two remaining kunai and hit the front tire on the passenger side. Chaos pulled back and they watched as the rig swerved to the right, then the left before flipping and rolling multiple times off the road before coming to rest on its roof.
Chaos landed and gently set his passenger on the ground as they approached the smoking wreckage. Onika was laying on the roof of the vehicle, his leg twisted at a odd angle as he tried to crawl out of the window towards the gun lying not far from him. Yuffie sent her last kunai through the air and into his hand, pinning it to the ground. "Sorry, you're not going anywhere."
His scream filled the air as Chaos moved over and tossed the gun further from the man. Yuffie used her only remaining shuriken to shred the bottom of her shirt. She ripped off a piece before moving to Chaos and holding it over his bleeding shoulder.
"The bullet is still inside…" He said and was about to reach up to pull it from his shoulder when he felt his form begin to waiver. "Yuffie…good shots. That's my ninja…" He said with a grin before his form rippled and Vincent came forth. Vincent collapsed to the ground, a soft groan escaping his pale lips as he stared up at the dark blue sky.
"Vincent…Vincent stay with me." She said, still holding the fabric over the wound that hadn't closed.
"I'm fine Yuffie." He said and closed his eyes. "I just need to rest."
A few of the guards moved over to the professor while the others moved to Vincent and Yuffie. One man knelt by Vincent's side with a medical kit and began moving gauze pads for Yuffie to continue applying pressure to his wound. "There's a team on the way to contain this area because of what he was carrying. The President has ordered the Jenova destroyed. Once they arrive, we'll be taking you and our prisoner back to the Highwind for treatment.
"I'm fine, worry about Vincent."
"Yuffie," Vincent murmured. "You will receive treatment. Do not fight this."
Crimson eyes opened just as she was about to protest but as gray met crimson, her protests died. The ninja nodded and sighed miserably. She was sore, she was exhausted and guilt was still bubbling with her.
It was going to be a long wait.
o-o-Authors notes-o-o-
-tiptoes away so she's not hit with various flying objects, some unidentified-
Did I scare ya'll with that chapter title?
After the seventh revision and almost 4000 words later, I finally got it out. Some of the other versions came out way to detailed and full of injuries. I didn't want it to overshadow the final battle with Sephy-sama. Other versions were not detailed enough or just didn't come out how I wanted it to, at all! I think that when I get more time, it will be easier to get through some of the next parts especially since I already have a few chapters written. I don't think the next chapter will be very long and as promised to all you Jonathan haters,
Heeee's baaaaaaack!
I would like to thank all of my supporters, stalkers, and just those of you who don't review but should because hey, you ain't got nothin' better to do if you're readin' my crap :3
I love ya all! Please don't forget to review.
Ezzy
Ps: I'm trying to chose the punishment for Onika. Death or Life in prison where he can become someone's bitch…hmm, I'm likin' the latter for him better a the moment. I'm not gonna get too much into that after this but it'd be interesting to see what ya'll thought.
10/05/07
Edited because of change in formatting. Also re-numbering chapters. Minor content edits.