Chapter 4: One Big Damn Rock
Silence was all that followed this revelation from the President. Indeed, a shock such as that would stun most anyone to silence, even those that had been through the trails this group had over the years. Everyone in the room, even the Turks, looked surprised. President Rufus had the same solemn expression, and he was waiting a few moments before he would continue. It was the least he could do, as this would take time to accept and swallow.
After a suitable amount of time, he went on.
"I had dispatched Tseng to retrieve the latest radar readings, and current position coordinates from the mountains in the northern continent. Unfortunately, we don't have the best of monitoring and tracking technology up there, much of our efforts are being diverted to reconstruction matters here and elsewhere, so we are also pretty much in the dark. He'll be here shortly, and then we'll have a general idea of exactly what it is that is out there."
"I…don't really know…what to say," Tifa managed, her voice quite shaken up, "To think that we all could have been oblivious to the fact, if you hadn't told us. But what do we do? Is there some sort of emergency plan for a situation like this?"
"As of right now…no, there isn't any such plan. And the only thing that I can think of is to send a rocket up with explosives to destroy it. However, I needn't remind you all of our last attempt of something like this. On Meteor, it failed outright, hardly scratching the surface. Not only that, we don't exactly have another rocket on hand to launch up, even if we wanted to."
"Meteor was different though," Cloud commented, not speaking directly to Rufus, "It was summoned by the Black Materia, so it wouldn't be easily destroyed. But if this is just a regular meteorite, then maybe it can be blown up before it strikes the planet." Rufus thought on this.
"That may be, but there is still the problem of getting a bomb up there. We're not exactly specialized in situations like this. As I said before, I thought it would be a wise idea to inform you all, but honestly, I can't really think of a way that you could help…" He seemed about to go on, but a nearby door opened, and in stepped both Elena and Tseng of the Turks, Tseng holding a silver briefcase.
They strode into the office, saluting the President, and giving greetings to their fellow Turks. Tseng then turned, and gave the familiar group a courteous nod, while Elena instead directed a scowl of distaste at them.
"Sorry about the delay sir," Tseng reported, setting the case on Rufus's desk, "The technicians were still having difficulties when I arrived. I had to wait for them to copy all the readings down onto a hard disk before I could leave."
"That's fine; just show us what we have."
"Yes sir." Tseng popped the case opened, and removed a disk, stepping over to the large monitor display on the far wall. He slid the diskette into the slot, and after booting up the telescopic program, punched a few buttons, getting all the systems to light up. The multiple screens began to flare with static, the image slowly coming into focus.
It was shadowy, rather unstable, wavy lines obscuring the image, and lapses in the picture, but there was a massively dark object dominating the center screen. All present in the room stared, watching this. They all felt a damning sense of realism, that no matter how much they didn't wish it to be so, there was something out there. It was big, and it was approaching.
"Estimated length," Tseng went on, fishing several documents from the briefcase, and scanning them, "Roughly four-thousand and five-hundred meters in diameter at the thickest point, moving at a rate of fifty-thousand miles per hour. Expected time of impact, is in about…thirteen days." He paused there, letting these facts sink in.
"What about point of impact?" Rufus questioned, "Were they able to predict that?" Tseng nodded, flipping the page.
"Yes, though the numbers are a bit hazy. If they are correct though, then that may be a small consolation of good news. They suspect that this object will not hit any landmass. Instead, it is predicted that it will fall into the southern ocean. Of course, there will be a massive tidal wave following, the size of which is estimated to have enough force to circle the globe twice over." There was silence, at least until there was an angry exhale of air. Barret looked to be quivering in silent rage. Knowing him, he would not stay silent for long.
"Oh sure," he erupted, casting a nasty glare at the leader of the Turks, "That's good news alright. Uh huh, it surely is! Instead of smashin' into the ground, it's gonna hit the water, and drown 'bout half the people in the world! That's the good goddamn news!"
"Unlike you," Tseng countered with noticeable disdain, "I at least try and see a positive element to such a bleak situation. Yes, the tidal wave it creates will be destructive, but at least it won't destroy the entire planet. And if that is what it's going to do, then we can issue an evacuation notice to all costal cities, and keep the casualties down. You need to stop jumping to conclusions after every couple of words!"
"Funny hearin' you talk 'bout casualties…damn, if you knew about all the people you sons of bitches have…" He would have kept going, but Cloud laid a hand on his arm. Barret caught his eyes, and Cloud only shook his head. A message that said, "Now is not the time for this." Knowing that this was true, Barret, for the moment anyways, desisted.
"Whatever the case," Rufus interjected, not wishing for this dire meeting to break down into meaningless bickering and violent fist fighting, "I think you will all agree that this is something we must begin preparing for. I'm afraid that none of us here have come up with even a single plan of action. We were holding out hope that one of you might have an idea. You've saved the planet from certain destruction before, though the circumstances were different, of course, but we figured there was no harm in asking. So…does anyone have any bright ideas?"
No one spoke. Everyone seemed to be wracking their brains, closing their eyes, rubbing their chins, straining their minds, thinking and thinking, trying to put together an ultimate strategy that could save their world from this looming, unforeseeable, and most definitely ironic threat. One by one, they each opened their eyes, their expressions clear enough. No one had any sort of clue as to what might be done. It was, after all, a conundrum. How does one blow up an enormous meteorite out in space, when they are grounded, with no ways available to even reach it.
Seeing their solemn faces, Rufus nodded slowly. "I thought as much. It's alright though. I just thought it might be worth a shot. But if that is the case, then I think it would be wise for all of you to see to it that your friends and families are in a safe place. We'll issue the worldwide alert in a few hours." No one answered, but it was clear to those that had things to worry about, were doing so right then, the mood growing all the more grave. At least until someone spoke with a rough and clearly upset voice.
"So…what?" Cid burst out, looking around at everyone, arms crossed, giving them a disgusted scowl, "Yall are just gonna bend over and kiss yer asses goodbye already? Just gonna take this shit from a goddamn falling rock from space? Now that is bullshit! Yer talkin' like that damn rock has already licked ya! Well, I ain't just gonna stand around, and let some oversized pebble crush my life. No sir! I may not have a plan right now, but I ain't gonna quit, and I'm gonna find a way to knock it out of my sky one way or the other. If any of you crybabies stop ya whinin' an' suckin' yer thumbs long enough, then maybe yall could get off yer asses and help!"
"A correct course of action," Vincent agreed, "If we accept the fact that we will die by this…then we will. However, if we fight, and push forward as we have always done, we will not fail."
"Shit," Barret shouted, looking pissed, "That's damn right! I can't believe I was that close to givin' up! What's wrong with me? After goin' through all that stuff with Sephiroth an' savin' the planet, I'll be damned if I let all that work go ta waste by some big ass rock! I'm in!"
"He's right," Tifa exclaimed as well, rising from her chair, "We've protected the planet this far, so we can't quit now. Not when something just as bad shows up. If we put everything we have together, then I know we can find someway to save everyone."
"Speaking of putting everything together," Red XIII interjected, "I think I know of a way to help us greatly. Seeing as your calculations are not completely precise, might I suggest we use the observatory at Cosmos Canyon. I remember my grandfather telling me that he received it from Dr. Gast years ago, and it was the most sophisticated telescopic equipment ever created. Perhaps we can evaluate the incoming danger more carefully and accurately."
"Truth be told," Rufus admitted, "We were thinking about asking you initially. But, seeing as we weren't on the best of terms, we figured that we could make due with our own equipment. But if we are working together, then I will dispatch our own astronomers there at once. That certainly would make things clearer for us, and I thank you for the assistance. Well…" he glanced around the posse in the room with a sly grin.
"I never would have imagined you all would have sprung into gear like this. No doubt this was the same way you all were two years ago, and again, six months ago. Uplifting to say the least. Perhaps with that sort of motivation we will be able to get out of this alive after all. And seeing as this is a world crisis, I will put any of our resources necessary at your disposal. Just ask me or Tseng, and we will get you whatever you need."
"Still though," Cloud spoke, getting everyone's attention, "we still don't have a plan. I think we'll need one as soon as possible. If everyone runs off to do their own thing, than chances are we won't get anything done in time."
"Way to inspire everyone Cloud," Yuffie mockingly sighed, "That's really going to get our fire going. Look at me, I'm Cloud! I'm all serious and trying to inspire everyone, but end up making us sad instead!"
"What I mean is," Cloud went on, giving Yuffie a exasperated stare, "We need to know what everyone is doing, and keep things organized, else we'll be running around in circles. Cid, you run the avionics factory, and you're fully staffed right? Engineers and pilots?"
"Damn straight, the craziest and smartest bunch of yahoo's in the whole world. If yall need somethin' build to blow that thing up, then just give us the blueprints, and stand back. We'll handle the rest."
"That's good to know. Red, you should probably take the astronomers to the observatory, and make sure they can operate the machines. You know how they all work right?"
"I lived with my grandfather for more than forty years. I know there design completely."
"Alright. Rufus, you have choppers right? Chances are we'll all be moving back and forth pretty often, and we can't completely rely on Cid's airship to get us around. Can you give us a ride?"
"Certainly. We have several high speed helicopters that have just been completed. No time like the present to test them out I suppose. Reno, Rude, show them the way."
"This I got ta see," Cid exclaimed, following them out. Red XIII nodded a farewell to everyone, and went after Cid. "I'm going too," Yuffie exclaimed, "I want to see if this falling rock is real with my own eyes." Before anyone could protest, she dashed out.
"Reeve," the President called, summoning him to his side, "We have much to talk about. We both have a significant amount of manpower at our disposal, that might need to be called upon. Also, I'd like to run you through the emergency procedures for possible deployments in case an evacuation becomes necessary. No harm in being ready for the worst case scenario."
"Of course, and it will give us a chance to catch up and talk about…old times." Both men, strangely looking almost like brothers, standing shoulder to shoulder, exited the room, Tseng and Elena following them out. Tseng paused before leaving though, and glanced back.
"You all are the same. We've had our differences in the past, but now…I'm relieved we are working together. Perhaps we are not doomed just yet. This experience should prove to be…interesting." Barret sent a snort his way, as Tseng bowed, and followed after Rufus.
"As for me," Cloud told those that remained, getting back to his leadership speech, "I'm not really sure what I can do in the meanwhile, but I'm going to stay. Tifa and Barret, you might want to go back to Edge for the time being. I don't really know how the rest of you can help, so it might be best if you guys…" Tifa wasn't about to stand for that, and stepped right up into Cloud's face.
"You can forget that," she halted him, her eyes all but scolding him for even suggesting such an idea, "We're all in this. I may not be able to help right now, but that doesn't mean there won't be something for me to do later. I'm not going to be helpless here, and I'm not leaving!" Cloud knew when arguing wasn't going to do anything. He sighed, and gave a nod.
"Barret, it's probably not a good idea to leave Marlene alone. You might want to go back to Edge."
"You're right, but I'll be comin' back with her. No way you're leavin' me out of this. It's my job to protect the planet, and if that means fightin' a giant rock instead of some crazy guy, then that's what I'll do. So uh…you think Junon's gonna be our base of operations?"
"I think so; it has access to more resources than Edge. We may have to change later, depending on what happens, but for right now, I think we'll stay here."
"Alright Spiky, I'll won't be gone too long, so don't you do nuthin' damn crazy before I get back here!" Barret hustled out the main doors, dashing off to catch up with Cid and the others.
"What now?" Tifa asked, looking calm but with a hint of nervousness. Cloud was at a loss. "I don't know. And I'm sure Rufus doesn't either. We'll just have to see. Why don't you follow everyone? Probably a good idea to learn where the helicopters are kept. We all might need to learn how to fly them." Tifa nodded. She started for the door, but paused. "You're not coming?"
"I'll be down in a few minutes. I'm not done up here yet." This satisfied her, and as she left, she sent him back a smile.
Once she and everyone else was gone, off to get to work, Cloud noticed one person hadn't left yet, and was still staring at the hazy dark image of the incoming meteor. Staring deeply, his face appeared lost in thought, with no small amount of worry.
"What's on your mind Vincent? Are you finding this hard to believe or are you still concerned about this? Because, trust me; you're not the only one."
"I know. And yes…I'm worried, but not about the meteorite."
"What then?"
"I can't really say. When we met up, both you and I had felt something in the air. Something that gave us an abnormal feeling. And now we are told there is a meteor coming towards us, to strike the planet. Somehow, it doesn't feel right."
"What are you saying," Cloud pressed, "Do you think that Rufus is lying to us, and there might not be anything out there? That this is a trick or something?"
"No. I could sense from his manner that he is genuinely concerned. I have no doubt that this picture is real. But…I don't really believe that a mere meteor, serious though it may be, could be what it is we all sense. I don't know how, but I am getting the feeling that this just the start of something much worse. Something far more sinister."
"I was thinking the same thing. This is bad sure but…well; I've only ever felt this sensation whenever I was fighting Sephiroth. It's kind of like a pressure on my mind, a feeling of being choked. If the past is any indication of things to come, then I really hope that we are wrong about this." Vincent turned around, his cape fluttering, his eyes set and firm.
"So am I." With that, he stalked out, in his somber manner, leaving Cloud all by his lonesome. His mind was turning over and over, running over the last words of Sephiroth in his mind.
"I will…never be a memory." This final statement had echoed throughout his head many a time in the last six months, but not once did he ever feel like it wasn't over.
Then again, he told himself, like Vincent said; something like this is never truly over. There is only a break in between. But right now, I can't preoccupy myself with that. If there is something else out there, then we'll have to face it later. Right now, we have to take care of this else we won't be around long enough to worry about any other threat.
Cloud exited Rufus's private office, ready to go out, and take on this new menace. Before he could descend, joining the others, he noticed that Tifa was hanging just outside the door, leaning against the wall, cradling her arms.
"I…was listening," she confessed. "Do you really think that there is some other thing out there that…that we haven't seen yet? That it might have to do with…" Cloud cut her off.
"We don't know. Chances are, we might just be stressed out, and making ourselves worry about nothing. It doesn't matter anyways. Right now, we have other problems to deal with." As he said this, he noticed that her face was slightly pale, her eyes not having their usual cheerful glow. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over. She nodded.
"I'm fine. It's just…hearing all of this…has taken a lot out of me. Just when I thought the world was back to peace, this happens. Why can't we ever just get a break? Why do all of these horrible things keep happening to us?" Cloud, despite being as unemotional as he usually tended to be, managed to smile.
"We're just lucky I guess. This way, we can all be together again, and fight side by side." This, though strange, did make Tifa feel better.
"I guess that's true, though it would be nice to get together with everyone, and not have to risk getting killed. Going out for drinks, or something."
"If that's your idea, I have a feeling we'll still be putting ourselves in risk, what with Barret and his temper." The joke, although a bit dark, made Tifa laugh, something that felt good, and something that she really needed right then.
"You're right. Well, no matter what is out there, as long as we face it together, then I'm not worried. Come on, let's go find everyone." Cloud nodded, and they headed for the elevators, leading them back down.