TOMB OF LIFE

TOMB OF LIFE

CHAPTER 15

Cue the "Price of Freedom" at paragraph 7.

Do a Youtube search for the song since I can't link it here. Search words (Crisis Core The Price of Freedom)

The airships and ShinRa choppers were putting up a valiant fight. Cid stood aboard the Highwind cursing and shouting orders as they opened fire on the floating city, hoping to catch a few of the winged demons in the process. However, the chopper gunfire did not seem to have much effect on the gray structures, neither did the missiles from the airships.

They were able to take out a few of the creatures, but unfortunately it seemed that most of them had made it to the city. This didn't bode well for the people trapped in their homes vulnerable to attack. Cid only hoped his friends on the ground would be able to take care of the imminent threat the rest of Midgar was facing.

"Heads up!" Angeal shouted. About half a dozen of the flame throwing demons had launched an attack on the crew atop the ShinRa building.

Realizing that the fireballs heading their way would be impossible to avoid Sephiroth shouted, "Angeal, help me get them off the roof." His long gray wing extended. He grasped Lara around the waist and instructed Tseng and Zack to hold onto him. Angeal extracted his snowy white wing and did the same with Barret and Cloud. Together, the winged SOLDIER's flew off the roof with their passengers in tow, narrowly avoiding the demons attacks.

Lara glanced back from her perch in Sephiroth's arms to see the roof in flames. Other than the glass windows of the top floors shattering, the rest of the building itself seemed to remain intact as the demons broke off their attack.

The group made it to the streets of Midgar that were deserted, except for the occasional ShinRa crew of either Turks or troops that were scouring the area. Tseng immediately received a phone call informing him that a portal had opened in the Midgar square and hordes of the alien ground troops were coming through. "Back-up is being requested at the Midgar square, it seems the second wave is well underway." Zack, Angeal and Barret took off running down the empty streets intent on offering their assistance.

7) Sephiroth took Lara aside intent on having a word with her. "The Turks have set up an evacuation center in our Deep Ground base and I want you to go there."

"What? NO, you will need my assistance," Lara protested.

"You're injured, please don't fight me on this."

"It's just a bump on the head. I've survived a lot worse." Then a thought occurred to the Tomb Raider. "Why are you treating me like I'm incompetent? We fought side by side earlier."

"That was before I found out about the petty revenge this demon woman seems intent to enact upon you. I know how competent you are, but I won't put you at risk," Sephiroth explained.

"Nothing has changed, we still have to stop her and halt this invasion."

"Weiss's team will be here shortly – Nero's oblivion alone will be enough to take out a legion of these demons and more."

"That's beside the point, this is happening because of me. I cannot abide by your decision here," Lara argued.

"My decision stands," Sephiroth stated sternly

"Do you honestly think I can stand idly by while Natla wreaks her destruction on this world? You should know me better than that."

"Yes I do know you, and that is the reason I can't let you sacrifice yourself to her. I can't lose you Lara." He touched his gloved palm against her cool cheek gently. "I love you."

Lara's hazel eyes widened. She had suspected as much for some time but never actually expected him to admit it. Her eyes glossed over as she searched for her true feelings for this man. She blinked a few times as the deep ache in her heart grew. This could end very badly for the both of them. Perhaps she should admit to him how she felt – at least just once. She became distracted when she saw Vincent fly onto the scene. He was in Chaos form but quickly reverted to his human body upon landing.

Sephiroth turned in the direction of Lara's gaze and saw Cloud standing with Vincent. The General placed his hands about her shoulders and lead her to the other men. "Vincent," Sephiroth said in greeting. For once, those emerald orbs did not observe him with hatred in their depths. "We need your help," He said before handing him a spare phone.

Vincent accepted the phone while holding Sephiroth's gaze with his ruby vision. This was an unspoken truce between the two. Perhaps it would be short lived, either way Vincent's heart soared to be given the opportunity to fight on the same side as his son.

Cloud grabbed Ultima Weapon from its sheath on his back and swiveled it around twice. "Tseng and I are going to join the Turks and SOLDIERS in the square." He stated before taking off at a breakneck speed down the empty streets, Tseng kept pace with him without any problems.

"I need to join them as well, but Vincent, a favor. Please take Lara to the Deep Ground compound." Sephiroth felt her stiffen at his side, indicating that this was not the way she wanted things to go down.

"As you wish," Vincent replied.

Sephiroth turned to Lara once more. "Please, stay at the compound where you'll be safe – let us take care of this." He hugged her to him briefly. After he released her he flew into the air, his single wing flapping furiously as he headed towards the square.

Lara turned to Vincent once Sephiroth was gone. "Vincent, I'm going to need your help."

--

Sephiroth joined the scene at the Midgar square -- a popular park that boasted a fountain and lawn chairs. Now it was the location of a gory battle scene. Sephiroth saw as his fellow SOLDIERS, a couple members of Avalanche and ShinRa troops engaged in fierce battle with the invading aliens. Without further ado, the General flew into the thick of the battle, retracting his wing before he began swinging the Masamune at the nearest demon.

The battle waged for over an hour – it seemed as fast as they cut the demons down more would follow, until finally the steady influx of enemies dwindled to none. Sephiroth stood observing the massacre, his breath coming hard. They had lost a few ShinRa troops, but all the SOLDIERs were intact. He glanced around to see if Barret and Cloud were okay as well, he saw Barret, but Cloud was no where in sight. He quickly scanned the mass of bodies but could not find the spiky-haired blond. He continued to grip the Masamune that was now coated with purple blood, while he reached for his phone and made a call.

--

Cissnei stood in the receiving center of Deep Ground amidst a crush of refugees and wounded that were pouring in by the minute. She had been instructed to keep an orderly flow of the influx along with another Reno. When her phone rang she quickly answered, "This is Cissnei."

"Cissnei, how goes it on your end?"

Cissnei's eyes widened, it was Sephiroth. "As well as can be expected sir."

"Do you see Lara?" Sephiroth asked.

Cissnei glanced around and finally was able to make out the gunwoman who was kneeling next to a little girl handing her a glass of water while speaking softly. "Yes she's here." Cissnei hoped the dry tone in her voice did not convey to the General.

"Good, I want you to call me if she leaves," Sephiroth stated.

"Yes sir," Cissnei replied. After hanging up with the General, she continued to observe Lara. She saw when the auburn haired woman stood up and locked eyes with her from across the room. She watched as Lara turned slowly and left the building. Cissnei smirked, she didn't' care if the gunwoman was injured or better yet, killed, so much the better for her since she had no intention of telling Sephiroth what he wanted to know.

--

Lara ran to the ShinRa parking lot, she had already stolen the keys she would need from the nearby office, and made her way into the garage. Many of the vehicles were currently in use by the ShinRa troops fighting the invasion, but there were still a couple motorcycles left.

She hadn't planned to spend any time at the Deep Ground compound at all, but had been drawn in by the helplessness of the refugees that had been brought to the center. She stayed for an hour while she assisted the Turks and the doctors as best she could, washing a wound, bringing refreshment to a child or offering consolation to a mother whose son had been missing most of the night. She did realize that the longer she remained inactive, the more these people would suffer, it's what prompted her to leave the compound. She had seen the brown-haired Turk staring at her before she left. Lara hadn't many dealings with Cissnei and as a result hadn't really formed an opinion of the reclusive woman. She attributed the Turk's often disturbed glares as a stiff demeanor, never actually knowing how much Cissnei truly disliked her.

Lara was still a few feet away from her intended mode of transportation when she heard a familiar voice call out behind her.

"Lara,"

Lara turned around to find Cloud standing there. His clothing was slightly dirty and his huge sword that hung from his back was coated with purple blood, it was obvious he had been fighting the demons. Other than a slightly disheveled appearance he seemed to be physically fine, but she still had to hear him say the words. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Cloud began as he closed the distance between them. "What are you up to?"

Lara tilted her head towards him and said emphatically, "Nothing that concerns you."

He glanced down at the keys in her hands. "Going somewhere?"

"Why should I tell you, so you can try to stop me?"

"No, so I can help you," Cloud replied.

Lara couldn't help the surprised look that crossed her face. "Why would you help me?" After all the problems she had unwittingly caused for him, Tifa and Sephiroth, it didn't make any sense.

"Just because I can't have you, doesn't mean I no longer care." His glowing Mako eyes seemed to burn into her soul.

Lara gazed at him for a seemingly long minute. Perhaps she should trust him, it didn't help that Sephiroth had forced her to this because of his over protectiveness. "Okay," She said, before resuming her trek to the ShinRa bike with Cloud close behind her.

--

Tseng stood in a private section of the infirmary located in Deep Ground with President ShinRa. Rufus had been injured during the attack on the ShinRa building. His office was located on one of the floors that had its windows shattered by the demon attacks. He sported a bandage wrapped around his sandy hair, as well as a few more around his hands and arms. The wounds had proved too much for simple healing materia and he was forced to bed rest to aid in his recovery, but at least he was still conscious. "The Mako cannon arrived a few minutes ago. We should be able to take a shot at the alien city within the hour."

"Good, what about the battle on the ground?" Rufus asked.

"So far so good – we have Avalanche and SOLDIER fighting side by side, and the ShinRa troops as back up. However, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight as they keep coming," Tseng explained. "Hopefully once the city is destroyed the invasion will cease."

"Yes, hopefully," Rufus agreed.

--

Lara urged Fenrir through the double doors of the ShinRa building – revving the bike up on its back wheels. She caught the surprised glances of a few personnel that still lingered in the building but ignored them. Unwilling to stop, she lifted a pistol and shot the elevator button, the door quickly pinged open allowing her to keep her forward momentum. She then swished Fenrir to a halt once inside. Hitting the top floor she waited for the elevator to ascend.

Lara's heart thudded in her chest as she thought about her plan. It was risky but was worth a shot. She knew if Sephiroth found out what she was about -- he would do everything he could to stop her. She was comforted that he cared so deeply to want to protect her from all harm, but Lara was used to doing things her way, and that wasn't about to change because of Sephiroth's feelings for her.

Once she made it to the top floor, she was grateful that the demons attacks had not damaged the part of the roof that housed the elevator, or this plan could have never been realized. She was about to attempt to jump Cloud's motorcycle from the ShinRa roof to the alien city. Cloud convinced her she would never make it with a standard ShinRa bike, and offered to let her use Fenrir instead. It was an offer she couldn't refuse, especially since it seemed contingent on the success of her plan. Cloud had even offered to jump the bike for her, but only Lara knew Natla well enough for the plan to work. Plus she had no intention of endangering the blond's life.

Lara sat astride Fenrir, gazing out at the still smoking roof that was no longer a smooth surface. There were several ruts in the concrete that would halt her momentum if she got stuck in them. The areas of the roof's surface that were still intact would determine the route she would take. She lined up the areas in her mind with the floating city in the distance. It took her a few minutes before she felt comfortable enough to begin the attempt. Revving Fenrir a few times, she hit the gas and began to swerve as need be to avoid the ruts. The adrenaline pumping through her veins thudded like a hammer against her skull. Eventually, she cleared the roof and found herself sailing through midair. The feeling was almost euphoric for a brief second, before Fenrir touched down on Natla's city and she screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding a building.

Lara quickly dismounted and took the opportunity to infuse herself with levitate and strength materia, then she drew Excalibur. She dodged a fireball attack before she even saw the demon that had thrown it. Spinning around she flicked her sword and tossed a green energy beam at the creature, which sent it careening through the sky. Lara was attacked by two more creatures, she expertly side flipped and rolled to avoid their attacks while sending out attacks of her own. Eventually, Lara got the desired effect when Natla flew down to her.

"Hmm, I would have thought you'd like more time with your friends during their last days," Natla began with a smug look on her face. "Are you that anxious to become my prisoner?"

"No, but I'm anxious to see you die!" Lara said, before sending an energy blast at the red eyed woman. Natla sprung up, her wings flapping as she easily avoided the blast.

"For your insolence, I will force you to witness Earth's destruction, over and over again," Natla chuckled. At the confused expression on Lara's face she continued. "This world you know is but one reality of many. Same goes for Earth. There are some realities where Earth's humans have destroyed themselves by their nuclear devices. Yet there are others that are much like your own. And by use of the inter-dimensional device, I could travel to any Earth of any reality and destroy it. Or better yet, I could strand you on an Earth where the planet is dying. Which would you prefer Lara?"

"I'd actually prefer that you'd remained dead," Lara said calmly and evenly, while vaulting into the air swinging Excalibur.

Natla flipped out of the way and took the opportunity to form an elongated blade between her hands. She was slightly surprised to see Lara still coming at her. They now locked swords several feet above the city ground. "Hmm, I see you've made use of the assets your new friends have to offer," Natla said, indicating Lara's renewed strength and gravity defying attacks that were due to the materia. "It will all be over soon Lara."

They continued to clash their swords together as the moment drove them further and further into the air, they were now floating above most the city's gray buildings. "Very soon, another wave will come through, and I don't care how strong your friends are, they can't keep it up forever," Natla snickered.

"That's where you're wrong, you're wave isn't coming. We've stopped it," Lara stated confidently. She watched as Natla's red eyes swiftly flew to a nearby tower. Lara followed her line of sight quickly and saw an Oblong faced alien standing in the window, it was possibly the same one she had encountered in the alter realm just before escaping to Gaia.

Lara quickly back flipped from Natla and landed on the flat surface of a nearby roof. She grabbed her phone and quickly shouted into it, "Vincent, now!" She saw as an enraged Natla began to charge her, realizing that she had been duped into revealing the source of the portals. Lara jumped off the roof to avoid the charging woman. She would have been overtaken had Vincent not intervened.

In Chaos form, the ex-Turk Grabbed Natla and threw her forcefully into a nearby building. He drew the Cerberus and fired. He saw as the woman roared when one shot struck home, before she quickly raised her flame shield.

Meanwhile, Lara was frantically making her way to the tower she had seen the alien. She had to fight a couple more of the winged creatures that got in her way. After they were dead her phone rang. She answered it as she kept running.

"Lara, where are you?" Came Sephiroth's voice through the phone.

"I'm doing what needs to be done," Lara replied.

"Where are you?" The General repeated.

"On the floating city," Lara replied, realizing he couldn't do anything to stop her now that she was this close.

"By Shiva! The Sister Ray is about to open fire on it." The alarm in Sephiroth's voice was apparent.

"I can't leave yet, I'm sorry," Lara said, hanging up. She burst through a door and made her way up the flight of stairs until she entered the room with the alien. She observed the alien warily. The creature was as tall as Natla but with pale blue skin and dark eyes. Lara could make out no discernable nose but there was a thin line for a mouth. It seemed to be wearing some sort of dress that was made of the creatures skin itself. The replica of the portal device that it held in its hands drew Lara's attention.

"I knew you would come Lara Croft," The creature spoke.

Lara was stunned that the creature could speak her language. She locked eyes with it while she waited for it to continue.

"I am Tria – I belong to a race called the Sclementians. Long ago we discovered a way to travel between alternate universes, and thought to do some good with this ability. We are a peaceful race. However, several years ago, we were deceived by the demon you know as Jacqueline Natla. She used our dimensional devices to open portals to worlds that housed beasts which were better left alone. We were imprisoned within our own home, and forced to do her bidding. When I first saw you, I knew you'd be different. You were strong enough to escape, and I hoped you would herald the end of our torment under Natla."

"How do we stop the invasion?" Lara wanted to know. She watched as Tria punched a few buttons on the portal device.

"The portals are now closed, but the demons that remain must be disposed of," Tria explained.

"I think we're up to the task," Lara began. "But first things first – let's get out of here." Lara placed one foot in the window and motioned for Tria to come to her side. Grabbing the alien by its narrow waist she jumped out of the window, attaching her grapple to a nearby pole structure as they flew past gray buildings nearing the ledge. Lara led Tria back to where she had left Fenrir, encountering a few demons on the way that she quickly dispatched.

Before they could make it to the bike – Natla attacked. She grabbed Lara by the arm and threw her into a nearby building. Lara felt pain explode down her back as she made firm contact with the wall. Grunting on impact she wasn't given a moments reprieve as Natla was once again upon her, choking her with her clawed hands. Lara began to feel the blackness enveloping her when suddenly, she could breathe again. Glancing through pain filled eyes she saw that Vincent once again held Natla's attention. The two were locked in a death grip, both trying to squeeze the life out of each other as they flew upwards past the building rooftops.

Lara pulled her gaze away from the battle, coughing and wheezing she stumbled towards Fenrir. She saw as Tria emerged from a hiding place behind a building. She mounted the bike and after she felt the alien ease onto Fenrir behind her, she revved up the engine preparing to make the jump back to the ShinRa roof. That is when it happened. A huge green energy beam from the Sister Ray Mako cannon struck the floating city.

Lara and Tria still astride Fenrir were blasted from their perch off the city. When it occurred to Lara that they were about to fall to their doom, she glanced around quickly, hoping to find something she could attach her grapple to, but there was nothing. She glanced over at Tria with an apologetic look on her face. She had saved the alien only to reward her with death. Well, at least at these heights, it would be instant and painless. They abandoned the Fenrir, which was sinking a lot faster than they were, and held on to each other for support.

Lara wasn't sure how long they were in a free fall, when she felt strong arms encircling her waist. She glanced around and saw Sephiroth taking hold of both Lara and Tria. Her tawny eyes locked with his emerald green gaze. Emotion constricted her chest -- she couldn't help it and placed her head on his shoulder, so grateful that he had gotten there in time.

--

"So what's the verdict?" Sephiroth asked Tseng over the phone. He stood with Lara and Tria in an abandoned parking lot which wasn't far from the main ShinRa Complex. He could see that the floating city had been destroyed, but there was no word on the status of the invading army or Natla herself.

"We haven't been able to get a visual on her, or Vincent," Tseng explained. "It is possible the cannon destroyed them both."

After Sephiroth hung up with Tseng, he glanced over at Lara. She looked weary – the past couple of days had been hell. He supposed he should be upset that Vincent had gone behind his back to aid Lara, but he didn't feel it, Lara had already explained that the gunman had saved her life twice over. He didn't allow himself to think that Vincent might be dead, it finally seemed like he might be able to allow the ex Turk into his life but it may be too little too late.

"Lara Croft," Tria spoke up, which drew the gazes of both Lara and Sephiroth. "If you wish to return to your world, I can show you how."

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked.

"It's a long story," Lara intervened but gave Sephiroth the long and short of it.

"You're of the race that wrote the prediction cave, aren't you?" After Sephiroth explained to Tria what that was, the alien nodded slowly.

"Did it help?" Tria asked.

"Oh yes, it definitely did," Sephiroth said with a half smile.

Suddenly, Sephiroth's phone rang. The General answered, it was Tseng again.

There was a somber tone to Tseng's voice as he said, "We found Vincent."