Crashed Gelnika

"Cid what the hell was you thinking!"

Cid didn't answer he was sitting on some random oil drum he ran a shaky and though his hair. Barret kept ranting at him.

"You're a pilot. I can't believe you'd be stupid enough to throw dynamite inside this rotting lump of Rust."

"Barret."

"Did your brain blow a fuse or something? Damn-"

"BARRET!"

"What!"

"Go and get Vincent."

"Damned fool nearly blows us up and you want me to go and get that freak." "Don't call him a fucking freak." Cid hissed.

Cloud rubbed his forehead.

"Barret please, just go."

"Yeah yeah I'm going."

It was only after Barret had left, muttering the whole time about how they were meant to be hunting down the underwater WEAPON rather than treasure hunting, that Cloud turned back to Cid.

"If you couldn't handle it you shouldn't have come."

"I know." Cid sighed. "I thought that, even if it was underwater, being on a plane would be easier than being on the sub. I was wrong. I should go back instead of Barret."

"Maybe." Cloud agreed. "But then who would tell us, which parts of this plane are most likely to have something useful, and which parts are most likely to give way under the water."

"I just don't do too well in places where I can't stretch my wings. Can't even have a smoke with all this damn oil around."

"Cid you just threw a stick of dynamite at whatever that giant bat thing was and now you're worried about the fire hazard a lit cigarette may be?"

Cid shot Cloud a nasty look.

"So why do you want Vincent here instead of Barret?"

"Because I think Vincent is less likely to kill you if you lose it again like that." Cloud said. "And we might be able to avoid more anymore trouble with him a long, I don't know what Hojo done to him, but he had even better hearing than a SOLIDER."

"Is that so?"

Cloud jumped and looked around to see Vincent behind him.

"How can you walk so quietly when you have metal boots on?" The question came out more as a shout as he startled badly.

Vincent didn't answer, he did however catch Cid's eye and the pilot was sure the gunman was amused by Clouds reaction.

"Barret said you wanted me on the team?"

"Yeah…we've only got half of this place left to check so it shouldn't take to long, oh and we found a new gun for you."

Cloud pulled the gun out from where he had tucked it into his belt and passed it to the cloaked man. He had another weapon tied he had found tied to his back, he was going to offer that to Yuffie, that is if she didn't steal it off him first.

"Outsider class, fitting name." Vincent said turning his gun over in his hands. "And it's in remarkably good condition considering the surroundings you found it in."

Cid and Cloud looked at each other, this was the most animated Vincent had been since they had found that woman's cave.

Vincent tucked the gun away in his own belt. He would thoroughly clean and check it before trusting in on the battle field, as he did with all his guns.

"So, Barret mentioned the beasts here were particularly bothersome?"

"Fucking nasty is what they are." Cid muttered

"Come on the quicker we check for anything useful, the quicker we can get out of here."

Cloud headed for the door to another section of the sunken plane, Vincent quirked an eyebrow when he saw Cid pull a cigarette out of the pack he kept tucked into his goggles.

"Don't worry I'm not dumb enough to light it."

"Glad to hear it Chief."

Cid muttered obstinacies under his breath as he followed the gunman and Cloud. The large door opened out to a walkway that over looked what must have been the hanger, the wreckage of a helicopter was smashed against the side wall.

"Hey the manifest we found said that the choppers were experimental, maybe they'll have something I can use on my baby." Cid said.

Cloud shrugged. "I don't see anything else useful."

Cid descended the stairs but something caught his eye in the opposite corner of the cargo bay.

"Cid we're meant to stay close, those monsters could be anywhere."

"Indeed." Vincent added as he passed Cloud on the stairs.

"He didn't mean you Valentine and you know it." Cid replied as he looked over what he had found. "This looks good."

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

"It looks like a transmitter, but more advance than anything on the Highwind, The gal should be able to get a much better idea of where we are if we need to radio for help."

"That's what a Phone is for."

"This looks more reliable, I bet could use this to guide a god damn missile or something." Cid grinned at Cloud as he tucked the small slightly rusted device in his cargo pants pocket. "Tell me that wouldn't be useful in a fight."

"That's if you can get it to work."

"I think I may have spotted something." Vincent said interrupting the pair. He lifted his gun and used the scope to get a better look. "I looks like a summon materia."

"Let's grab it and go." Cloud said. "Before Cid has a heart attack."

"Oh ha ha." Cid muttered.

The three approached the helicopter but just as Vincent was about to pick up the materia Cid shoved him to one side.

A disgusting meaty flower like…thing spring out of the twisted metal, it narrowly missed the gunman and would have hit Cid if he hadn't blocked the blow with the spear.

A crack split the air as the pilot's weapon split in half.

"Oh shit-!"

Cloud slashed across the mockery of a flowers face before it could attack Cid again. Vincent's bullets struck home as Cid crouched over the now useless weapon.

"You damn fucker!" He shouted as he dug out the equipped materia. "I'll shove a damn stick of dynamite up your ass."

"You'd better not!" Cloud muttered using his sense materia to look for a weak spot to attack. It was clear in how his face darkened that he couldn't find one.

"It's a flower; I don't think it has an ass." Vincent said as he cast Barrier on the weaponless Cid.

Judging by the glare he got, the pilot was far from grateful. Cloud attacked the monster again and Cid picked up the sharp end of the spear and charged at the monster driving it into the things flesh and he could. It shot something at him then, some kind of tentacle with a needle like spike on the end, luckily it didn't get pass the barrier, but the force of it hitting the magic pushed Cid back.

Cloud cast Bio but unfortunately the poison didn't take hold. Cid cast an ice spell; the limited light in the room reflected off the ice and caught on something on the balcony.

"Cover me!" Vincent shouted as he jumped on to the wreckage."

"What? Damn it Vincent this is not the time to go wandering!"

"Vincent wait!" Cid sorted though the materia that he was now holding lose in his hands. "Oh bugger it!"

Cid picked one at random and cast the spell on the thing.

"Gotta love Lady Luck." Cid smiled as the slow spell took effect.

Vincent mean while jumped up from the wreckage and pulled himself up onto the walkway. He grabbed the thing he had spotted. He smirked. It was even labeled.

Spirit Lance

"Vincent look out!"

Cloud's warning came too late.

The tentacle needle stuck Vincent in the stomach. He sunk to his knees his vision turning red on the edges. He reached down with his gauntlet and closed his claws around the needle, the fleshy part of it failing like a detached lizard's tail. His grip on the Spirit Lance tightened and he ground his teeth together as he pulled the needle out.

He gasped as it came free and tossed it over the rail.

Vincent tried to push himself to his feet when pain pulsed though his body again. His claw gripped and crushed the guard rail.

He could feel it in the back of his mind, the howls and cries for blood. But Vincent fought to remain in control. They couldn't afford a monster rampaging loose on this plane, least of all the fire elemental Galian Beast.

Vincent dragged himself to his feet, each throb of pain followed by a rush of power that dragged him farther from rational though.

The putrid bad air from another attack burned Vincent's lungs as he dimly realised he had been attacked again, Sparks flashed across his skin, perfect Death Gigas's lighting was just as bad as Galian's fire.

"Cloud!"

Vincent managed to focus long enough to see Cloud knock Cid out of the way of another attack.

"Cid!"

The pilot looked up just in time to see Vincent throw the weapon he had found into the air, arcs of electricity sparking around it as it flew into the hair.

Cid jumped for it caught the handle twisted it in midair and with a flash of blue light drove it into the centre of the creepy-meaty-flower-thing.

Just as he pulled free of the monster, the pale skinned, scared covered, Death Gigas dove on it pounding it with his fists until it threw him off, he landed in the tangled wreckage of the chopper.

Cloud cast the strongest ice spell he had Cid followed it with slash of his new spear, Cloud delivered the finishing blow.

Panting Cid and Cloud looked at each other and then over to the helicopter.

"Vincent?" Cloud called.

"Oi. You okay?"

There was a groan before a golden claw became a visible followed by a black arm and a red cape.

"Define okay."

Cid sighed. "He's fine."

Vincent threw the red materia in his hand into the air and caught it before tossing it to Cloud.

Cloud looked over the powerful materia before tossing it back.

"I'd say you earned it."

"Great." Cid said slotting his materia into his new lance. "Can we leave now?"

Omake: Why Vincent and Yuffie could be friends but never lovers.

"Cloud what are you going to do with that ninja weapon you found?"

"I think Yuffie can use it."

"If the brat wants it she'll take it off you before you could offer it."

Cloud shrugged as the three men limped back to the sub hoping that nothing else attacked them.

"Do you mind if I give that to Yuffie?"

"Why?"

"I'm hoping she'll stop trying to cheer me up if I give her a thank you present."

Please note that no offence to any Y/V fans out there is intended.