Plans
A feeling of angst washed over the pilot as he sprinted towards the Inn with such speed that Barret couldn't keep up. It was a relatively new emotion, to be sure. For most of his life, he acted brashly, without considering consequences. This was a result of being consistently stripped of everything he desired in life. Initially, his dream of being the first man in space had been seemingly taken away by Shera. Then, Shinra confiscated the culmination of his brilliance, the Highwind. Finally, the Tiny Bronco had been broken. His constant disappointment led to him rushing headfirst into confrontations out of anger. That anger, however, wasn't as persistent anymore.
He ended up fulfilling his wish of being the first man in space. He ended up getting back the Highwind, sending a blatant "screw you" to the company that seized it in the process. And further, he made lifelong friends that helped him accomplish those goals. Not to mention, he realized just how much Shera cared about him, and how much she had been willing to sacrifice for him. His anger had blinded him for too long, but he finally had woken up, and married the woman.
No, the fury that once controlled him was replaced by sincere concern, with the desire to protect those he now cared about. Of course, that still didn't stop him from excessive use of profanity, however. Once in a close proximity to the Inn, he slowed down considerably, looking around. If it was some kind of Sephiroth clone, he'd want a plan before heading into battle. Barret caught up a few moments later, panting for breath.
"Shh!" He held his finger up to his lip. "Quiet! We don't wanna frighten the %#*(# now do we?" Barret snorted out of frustration, then began looking around as well. Cid took a drag of his cigarette, then tapped his partner to get his attention. Pointing, he had spotted the strange looking man meandering near to the weapon shop. Clothed in a red cloak, with notably good posture, and his face hidden, the man was reeking of mystery. Cid and Barret scurried up to the man, with slight butterflies in their stomachs.
"Hey pal, anything I can help ya with?" He held his spear vertically next to him, attempting to emit a "you don't want to mess with me" persona.
Without turning to them, the man replied, "Eden?". The pilot raised his eyebrow, and his companion stayed quiet. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how in the middle of the day, standing five feet from the man, they still couldn't see his face.
"Nope, sorry man, ain't nobody named Eden in this town. Least that I know of. She related to ya?"
There was no response, so the captain decided to try again.
"Hey, she related to ya?"
Again, no response, to which the pilot didn't take kindly. Barret was becoming pessimistic about this situation.
"Now listen here ya spooky %$&#*, I'm TRYIN' to keep my New Year's Resolution of bein' patient, but if ya ain't gonna cooperate, I'mma show you –" before the captain could finish, he suffered a huge kick to the sternum, sending him flying almost entirely back towards the Inn, with so much force his cigarette fell out of his mouth.
The former AVALANCHE leader wasted no time taking several steps back before unloading a flail of bullets onto the stranger. The man, however, was not getting hit. With incredible agility, he managed to evade each bullet. Barret figured that if the man did have a face, he was probably smirking out of amusement, which pissed him off further.
Hearing all of the gunshots, people around Rocket Town began fleeing into their houses, some placing in calls to the WRO for assistance. Cid finally managed to make it to his feet, though a bit disoriented.
"I'll be a goddamned Nibel wolf's uncle. I ain't even see that $%# comin'!" He rubbed his torso gently, then picked his spear back up. Watching the battle between Barret and the man, he had no idea how someone could possibly move so fast. Even Sephiroth didn't dodge that well. Thinking on his feet, he came up with a plan. "BARRET! KEEP FIRIN' ON THAT %$# "
Barret didn't even acknowledge the order; he knew that even though none of the shots were hitting, if he let up, it might all be over. Cid rapidly lit another cigarette, then pulled out three sticks of dynamite from his shirt, lighting them. "Let's see the %##% dodge this %$#!" He flung them towards the stranger at equal distances from one another, hoping that even if the man moved, he'd get caught in the explosion of at least one of them. "BARRET, HIT THE DECK!"
His partner stopped firing, leaped backwards, and took cover. Less than a second later, three explosions were heard, sending debris flying everywhere. The fence around the weapon shop was completely demolished, with some of its pieces getting stuck into a nearby tree. The two warriors looked up to see if the explosions had found their intended target. Unfortunately, the man was nowhere to be found. The captain stood back up, taking another drag.
"Well, %$ !"
Barret got back up as well, dusting himself off. "What we gonna do?"
The captain began briskly walking back to his house, his partner in tow. Calling towards the residence, he yelled "SHERA! MAKE SOME MORE DAMN TEA!". Then turning back to his comrade, replied, "Let's call Reeve."
Shadows crept over the canyons as its guardian exited his hometown. It'd been pretty boring for Nanaki since the Sephiroth incident. He stayed in his grandfather's observatory for the majority of his time, as the title of guardian didn't bear that much responsibility. Nothing had threatened Cosmo Canyon, and he became rather restless as of late, aching for something to do.
"Nanaki, where are you going?" the gatekeeper called out.
Turning around, he responded, "I'm going to do a bit of monster hunting, as there seem to be no pressing issues today. Keep a careful watch on the village."
"Will do, Nanaki!"
The monsters themselves were pretty boring. After facing off against WEAPONs, these were nothing but small fries. Still, it allowed him to stretch his muscles out a bit. After disposing of several dozen sahagins, he finally came across a golem! Although the foe was still weak, it provided a bit more of a challenge. Nanaki relied on his claws and fangs to attack, but golems were made of stone and metal, which made them difficult to damage.
The golem initiated a punching frenzy, but Nanaki's agility was superb, and he ended up not getting hit a single time. He leapt up, and with his back legs, kicked the golem square in the chest, leaving slight cracks. This time, the golem decided to play it safe by placing some distance between them and using an earth based attack, but Nanaki avoided it by running along the sides of the canyon toward the creature before using his back legs once more to kick. Surprisingly, the golem reacted just in time to avoid it, but not in time to avoid the Bolt 2 used from behind. When the lightning cleared, the golem was in pieces.
Taking a breath to recuperate, the guardian decided to visit the river slightly to the north of Cosmo Canyon. Walking at a slow pace, he began a trip down memory lane. It was already a year prior that the entire team walked this very path. He recalled the day before they took this path, the gang was gathered around the Cosmo Candle and discussed their reasons for being in the position they were in. Following his grandfather deep into hidden caves, he learned that his father was not the coward he assumed, but rather a noble hero.
Now, although they managed to save everything from destruction, he seemed to have nothing. A life without a goal was pointless. What goal did he have now? Protect Cosmo Canyon? From what? His father was gone. His grandpa was gone. He had very little contact with the rest of his friends.
"I guess this is what loneliness feels like. In Hojo's lab, I didn't exactly have time to think about it, as I was always trying to plot my escape," he muttered to himself. Finally coming to the river, he decided to rest for a while, still reminiscing.
After a two hour nap, he returned to Cosmo Canyon and went back to the observatory.
"Grandpa, I miss you," he said to no one in particular, looking up. Something was…out of place. He couldn't pinpoint it yet, but something was different. Had going outside the canyon messed with his head this much? "Wait a minute," he realized, opening his one eye widely. "Where's the huge materia?"
Seven hours elapsed as Junon was thoroughly searched by the WRO, aided by Tifa and Yuffie. The sun was beginning to set, and suffice it to say, everyone was more than a little exhausted.
"Tifa," Reeve began, looking apologetic, "I hope you understand but, I'm going to need to recall the search for Cloud. The Turks are arguably the most qualified in the WRO to handle this…situation."
Tifa managed a small smile. "I understand, it's okay. This is definitely more pressing, I guess."
"Is it safe to assume that you will continue your search?"
"Yes," she nodded in confirmation.
"Well then, I hope you'll let me know if anything comes of it," he offered a slight smile in return.
"Of course!" Just about then, Reeve's PHS rang.
"Reeve Tuesti speaking. Yes?" Tifa and Yuffie noticed the man's face grow dark and concerned as the person on the other line spoke. Both began to get a bad feeling about this. "Very well. I'll send some troops out there right away. Is everyone okay?" He waited for the other person to respond. "Alright, bye". He snapped his PHS shut then addressed the two girls in front of him.
"That was Cid. Apparently, someone similar to the man who attacked here attacked Rocket Town. Cid and Barret approached the man, who prompted a physical encounter, and the two fought with no luck."
"Damn!" Yuffie commented. "Who are these people?"
"To be quite honest, I'm not sure I want to find out," the WRO leader responded. "If even Cid and Barret didn't stand a chance, I'm quite hesitant about sending ANY of my men to face them."
"Hey, Yuffie, why don't we go check…," Tifa was cut off by her own PHS ringing. "Sorry," she continued as she fished her phone out of her pocket, answering it. "Hello? Oh hi, Nanaki. What's up?" Yuffie and Reeve listened intently, wondering if he as well had the misfortune of encountering one of these mystery opponents.
"WHAT?" Tifa shouted in response, her eyes widening. "Okay, I'll come to Cosmo Canyon right away!" Then closed her phone. "Bad news guys." Reeve felt butterflies in his stomach. He hoped that by forming the WRO, he could avoid any future threats or catastrophes, and in just about one day, that idea was blown to hell and back.
"What's up, Teef?" the ninja prompted.
"That was Nanaki."
"Yeah, we gathered that much," Yuffie rolled her eyes. "So?"
"The huge materia is gone."
There was a silence and then, "Oh….shit."
"So, you think these weird people took it?" Yuffie asked.
"No idea. I think we should go to Cosmo Canyon to investigate. If it was those strange men, then that's two sightings on the same continent on the same day. So there's a good chance we might run into them on that continent," Tifa responded.
"Actually," Reeve explained, everyone looking at him now, "unless they can fly, there's a 100% chance that they're still on the continent. There are no ships or planes heading anywhere off the island for a week."
"Alright, then. So what's the plan?"
"I think we should all meet up at Cosmo Canyon. And I mean everyone. These guys are powerful, so we'll need all of us to stand a chance."
"And then search the continent? That gives us a week. Should I arrange transport for us from town to town?" Reeve offered.
" 'Us'"? Yuffie inquired.
"Come on, you think I'll sit back and let you guys do everything!" he smiled. "I'm sure Reno will want to come along as well once he heals, which shouldn't take too long."
"Alright. Speaking of Turks, what about Rude or Elena?"
"They're in Midgar on a special investigation. I'd like them to remain there for the time being. If all of us can't defeat any of these guys, I doubt those two would make much of a difference."
Tifa couldn't help but wonder what the special investigation was, but then again, it was none of her business. Ironically, though this situation seemed very bleak, it made her feel better. Soon she'd meet up with all of her companions, and they'd have a goal again! With everyone fighting side by side, there's no way they could lose, right?
"Oh hey," the ninja began again. "What about Vincent?"
Tifa frowned. "I have no idea where he is. And he refuses to get a phone, so I guess there goes that idea."
"Oh, I see."
"Okay, then. Tifa, I suggest you call your friends in Rocket Town and tell them to plan to meet at Cosmo Canyon tomorrow. If they need transportation, I can arrange it. We'll depart from Junon airport at sunrise tomorrow. Sound good?"
Tifa smiled diligently. "Sounds like a plan."
In a location completely removed from the rest of humanity, a deranged man labored diligently in complete silence. He entered commands on a relatively primitive computer, swallowing his relentless frustration at the long bits and strings required for each code. If he had his way, he'd be working with some of Shinra's finest technology, but that was moot at this point. During Meteorfall, most of Shinra's technology in Midgar had been severely damaged. Regardless, even if the technology survived, it would've been incredibly difficult to relocate it to his current "home".
As he continued on with his research, he heard something, or rather, someone. Out of shock, he turned around and noticed four shadows entering the entrance of his cave. As the shadows dissolved, and he got a look at their faces, terror found its way to his being, though he remained steadfast in his resolve not to show it. None of the four were strangers, but three of them were ghosts from the past. He wasn't entirely surprised to see the person on the far left, but the other three, for as far as he knew, shouldn't be alive. Then again…he wasn't supposed to be either.
"So, has humanity found a Resurrect materia, or am I just behind on the times?" The scientist made no attempt to hide both his bewilderment and his sarcasm. The second man from the left stepped forward, a cocky smirk on his face.
"Surprised? That's a word I never thought would describe a scientist of your caliber." The scientist tensed up, taking annoyance to the petty insult. If there was anything he was proud of, it was his intellect. How dare an inferior mind mock his? Regardless, he had to, deep down, agree.
"Well, I'm not nearly as surprised that any of you are alive, as much as I'm surprised that you knew that I was. Or where to find me." He replied, placing his hands behind his back, allowing him to slouch.
"Knowledge is power. And I was a very powerful man."
"I see. So what exactly do you want? You are disrupting me, at the moment," his patience beginning to wear out.
"We're here to…disrupt you permanently," the man's grin becoming more cold.
"What?" He let his hands fall back down to his side, to defend himself if necessary. The men immediately to the left and right of the speaker of the group drew their swords, taking their combat stances.
"Wait a minute! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He placed his hands up. He had always been too proud to admit defeat in the past, but in the past, he'd always been able to have some trick up his sleeve. This time, much to his chagrin, he'd been caught off guard. He never expected anyone to find him.
"We came into contact with some of your more recent experiments. We cannot allow another global catastrophe to occur simply to satisfy your own selfish desires."
The scientist's mouth hung agape.
"What experiments?"
This time, the man to the left of the speaker, who seemed to be twitching and having a hard time controlling his anger, was the one to speak. "Don't play dumb, you son of a bitch."
"No need to resort to name calling, failure," the scientist replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
This was a response that none of the men had expected. It was very uncharacteristic of him to play dumb. Further, whenever he was pleased with his work, he never tried to conceal it. Was he, god forbid, telling the truth? No. If he wasn't responsible, then where had they come from?
"The strange men who've been appearing. The ones with incredible strength and speed?" The speaker tried to jog the man's memory.
"What kind of strength and speed?" He adjusted his glasses, fascinated.
"These two," the man pointed to the two men with swords, "had great difficulty even defending themselves. Considering their relationship with Sephiroth, I'd say these strange men are on his level, or, dare I say it, above him."
The scientist stood, pondering the consequences of what this man had just said. Was he telling the truth? He had to be, or there's no reason why they'd so desperately seek him out. But better than Sephiroth? Impossible.
"They kept mentioning something about Eden. Perhaps another…discovery of yours?"
"Never heard of it," he replied confidently.
"Hm. So you're saying you have nothing to do with these strange beings?"
"No. Is that all?"
"Well then, I have a proposal for you." The two men with swords tensed again, their faces burning. They knew what was coming, but didn't like it one bit. Still, considering their last few encounters, there was no other choice. "You nearly costed the planet its life once before. How'd you like to atone?"
"Not interested. I'm, how do the intellectually inferior call it, morally insane?" He cackled.
"Then how about doing it for the science?"
"What science?"
"To figure out where these men came from, and for what purpose. Aren't you curious? Beings more powerful than your beloved Sephiroth. I'm sure that would be a thrill for you."
"And how exactly am I supposed to figure that out? I haven't any research specimen, no proper technology, no nothing in this place," he glanced around, waving his arms for emphasis.
"We can arrange that."
The scientist turned his back, and rubbed his chin, walking back over to the computer.
"Well then…you have a deal," he nasally laughed, "Mr. President."
