Mack twisted the controls around of the massive craft. Though he had to do it quickly, and the huge monolithic machine that was built around him swerved in a manner that would seem dangerous, he knew exactly what it was capable of. As he looked out the window, he saw the world rotate around him as he backed the machine over the landing site, using his rotation to position it just right. As he eased up on the propulsion system, allowing the airship that he now drove to come to a halt, he found himself stopping perfectly right over the open area of the forest. The trees were bunched around him, but none were under him.
Mack grinned. The mission was complete, and he had nailed this landing. Immediately, he underwent the sequence for descent. It was automatic by now. He moved his hands over the flaps, the engines, and the hovering pads like clockwork. Within moments, the airship was coming down for a smooth landing on the area below. He looked out and made sure he was in the clear, but he was already good. A few seconds later, he touched down. He finished powering down the engines, and the ship came to a hovering halt.
Still smiling, Mack looked at the world directly in front of him. For a moment, he still saw the trees of the forest in front of him. But then…they, along with everything else, faded into a single light blue color. The sky, the ground, and all elements of the wood…all of them turned into a shapeless blue mass, without dimension or contour. Only one thing stood out from it. That was a series of white letters that hovered in mid-air in front of him.
Congratulations. You passed the level eight exam.
"Yes!" Mack cried mildly. He was a level eight pilot for an airship sized craft. Two more levels, and Cid would have no choice but to approve of him manning one of the flying fortresses himself. Of course, the way things had changed over the past few months, he might put a raincheck on that. After all…there was another type of aircraft he was training on now.
Mack turned around to the rear of the cockpit area. There were no other crew members here, and only the basic pilot controls were present. In the back was a single metal door, only lacking a hatch that most doors normally did aboard these airships. He made for this. On reaching it, he immediately pressed a button nearby that caused it to pop open, and stepped out into the world beyond.
There was no airship body on the other side of the door. There was only a metal grate staircase leading down to the floor of the hanger that the cockpit was located in. One wouldn't know it had been a cockpit at all from looking at it exteriorly. All they would see would be a long black cab of some sort suspended by machinery so that it could roll, pitch, yaw, and even go upside down. This was the training simulator that Cid had built for aspiring pilots in the Planet Protector Army. It beat having to sequester one of the airships for trainee pilots to risk crashing. Although Cid already had his own score of crews-in-training, Mack had decided to enhance his repitoire by training himself on it. After all, it was good to get some additional skills while his army was enjoying its good fortune.
Mack had been nearly helpless four months ago when the road to Junon was blocked. His own force was stranded in Junon with nothing to do but await the destruction of the rest of their army. Knowing death was eminent either way, Mack had eventually decided to disobey the orders of the man he had followed since the beginning and engage the Juggernaut and its associated ships. However, even as he was preparing them to launch, it ended up being unnecessary. Word was relayed to Junon that a navy had appeared in Midgar Bay and was decimating the enemy fleet. The aircraft carrier and its consort had already turned back, and the army had been saved.
It wasn't for another month that the road was clear, but Mack was able to return to Midgar long before that by boat, where he learned that an alliance had been struck between Wutai and the PPA. It was the Wutai navy that had saved them from annihilation, and enabled them to retake Midgar Bay. In addition to this, however, there was some information that was pertinent to him. The Bismarks were being disbanded…but their crews were being "reorganized". They were merging with Captain Cid's own "air force". The reason being that Isuzu Industries and Wutai engineers were putting into play a new type of fighter, one far more effective than the crude jet skis they had been using until now. About a month ago, they had finally perfected the prototype, and began to produce them for Mack's division. Since then, they had been training on them in preparation for a potential battle.
Mack had a good view in general of the entire hanger from his position. Most of it was still filled with airship parts and Cid's workers. However, there were at least twice as many workers now, and the field had expanded to incorporate an additional hanger building. Mack himself was in the first one. The second was mostly his, although the simulators were still in the first, which had brought him here. Yet despite the airship importance, a few of the new crafts had found their way in here for retooling.
These were true fighters. Until now, aerial combat had involved large, bulky flying ships that involved bombing. Helicopters were the only types of craft that could engage each other in one on one fighting before this. But that had changed. The craft themselves were long and flat, with twin propulsion engines behind them. They caught air very easily like this, and with the amount of thrust behind them could move at supersonic speeds. It actually grew a bit unstable at those speeds, what with the amount of lift being generated. Because of that, there were flaps on the rear that automatically deployed at critical points to act as stabilizers. The main body of the ship was a long, flat shaft. The wings were circular arrays that seemed to radiate out and forward. They were rayed, and the guns and missiles were embedded in them. They came to a point in front, making them look almost like wings. In fact, that was what the prototype had been called: the Warbird. Yet on General Ragnar's orders, the new division was going to be named the Phoenixes.
There were several people working on them right now. Because of that, the ones in the hanger were partially gutted. However, Mack still marveled at them as he began to descend. These things would give those Harbingers a run for their money. Unfortunately, based on current projected models, even with their incredible speed they would be unable to evade the defense grid of the New Shinra. If nothing else, the enemy could set up a flak screen. Yet Mack was still enthusiastic about them. They'd make them far more effective against the fleet at least. Deck guns wouldn't be nearly so much of a problem. And coupled with the new weaponry that was being built specifically to try and damage the Juggernaut, he was looking forward to their next encounter.
Mack hit the ground a moment later. After that, he turned and began to head for the Captain's office. He wanted to tell him the latest good news. Maybe he'd start letting him fly one of the big ones if he heard he was up to level eight already. At any rate, he was wanting to impress him with telling him that he already mastered the Phoenix simulation. It was amazing. He had lived in a backward place like Icicle Inn his whole life, and yet his true calling didn't seem to come until he became a pilot in this volunteer army. Perhaps that was why Cid and him seemed to mesh better. They were both pilots…and, in truth, Mack felt himself growing a love for the air as much as he did…
The commander was soon approaching it. The man had never been to Rocket Town, but if he had he would have noted that it was similar. Essentially it was an extension from the wall to create a long room, where he could store his models, plans, charts, and other essentials. It was sound proof to keep out the racket that was usually generated on a daily basis. It also had windows taking up most of the side walls, designed to allow Cid to keep a sharp eye on his engineers. He had little tolerance for what he termed "screwing around".
However, Mack was a bit surprised to find that the blinds were closed. That was odd. The only times they were closed were when Cid hadn't shown up for the day yet. And that never happened. He was always here long before the rest of the crew arrived. Now it was getting past noon. He continued to approach until he reached the entry door. Once he did, he looked over it a moment.
Captain Cid Highwind, P.P.A.
(If I ain't here, stay the hell out.)
Mack cracked a smile and let out a snicker at the message, despite how serious Cid would be if he was here to inforce it. Yet despite the Captain's bulldog-esque attitude, the pilot didn't feel too nervous about this. He looked up a bit to the door, and thought for a moment. There was no way Cid had taken a day off. The only thing he could think of was that he was out to lunch. If so, he had to be returning pretty soon. Mack himself didn't have anything else to do…and he was a bit eager to get Cid's verdict on his latest increase in pilot ability. The commander eventually reasoned that it might be better just to wait inside for him, to make sure he didn't miss him when he came back.
The man reached down and grabbed the door handle, and gave it a light twist. It halted, signifying that it was locked. That asserted to Mack that Cid was gone. He left it open if he was just stepping out. Normally, the commander would have just waited outside at this. However, General Ragnar had recently had a key copy made and given to him. Since he was operating out of the hanger now, Ragnar wanted him to have easy access to the phone in case he put in an emergency call. Mack dipped into his pocket with this in mind, and emerged with a small key. He inserted this into the lock, gave a quick twist, and undid the latch. After doing so, he turned the knob, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
Immediately on entering, Mack became aware of a new sound going through the inner room. It sounded like some sort of air compressor humming… Wondering if Cid had left something on, he turned his head around the office and traced it to the source. He soon found it.
There was a small air compressor of sorts running in the room. It had a set of thin plastic tubes running out from it. They were looped around the head and inserting into the nose of a man reclining on the couch, seeming to just be focusing on breathing.
That man was Captain Cid.
Mack saw this, and immediately froze. However, Cid, who appeared to have been napping somewhat until now, was awakened a moment later as he realized someone had come into the room. His eyes lazily opened slightly at first…but after doing so they immediately snapped open the rest of the way. He spun around on the couch to look to the door, and saw Mack standing framed in it. His face flushed with anger.
"Damnit, commander! Shut that damn door!" He barked in a hoarse whisper.
Mack snapped out of it at this, and immediately obeyed. Quickly, he ducked in the rest of the way, turned, and began to shut the door behind him. Meanwhile, letting out a steady stream of curses, Cid rolled back over and began to sit up. Mack quickly looked out to make sure no one was watching, and then shut the door and locked it.
Once it was closed, Cid coughed a bit as he pushed himself back into a sitting position. "How the hell did you get in here?" He snorted. "And can't you read? The door tells you to stay the ?$ out!"
Mack turned back to Cid, now more nervous and unsettled. However, he gave a simple shrug in reply. "General Ragnar gave me a key so I could answer the hotline in case you weren't in."
Cid muttered an explicative at this.
The commander was silent a moment. He walked in a bit closer, but Cid merely sat with his arms bracing against him and slowly breathed, still having the tube in his nose. He glared at the floor, and his appearance was dark and irritated. Mack looked again at what was on him, and then finally back up to him.
"…What's going on, captain?"
Cid spun his head around to him. "What the hell does it look like, commander?" He retorted. "I'm trying to breathe. And I'm also trying to not let anyone know about it. But since that damn kid of a general gave you a !&?damn key, I guess I didn't do that good of a job."
"Breathe?" Mack answered in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
The captain rolled his eyes at this and groaned. He began to lean back against the couch, and sighed slowly as he stared out into space again. He was silent for a moment, but then turned back to Mack. The man was still standing there, waiting for him to answer. Cid's look immediately turned more surly and irritable. Grunting, he shook his head.
"Well, hell… Fine, I might as well tell you." He grumbled. "'Cause now you ain't gonna leave me alone until you know. Damn young bastards…always gettin' attached to me…"
The pilot straightened up a bit and got more comfortable. He let out a long sigh, and then bowed his body forward. As he spoke, he frequently took a break to get in a deep breath from the compressor.
"…When Ragnar, Cloud, and the rest of those a—holes showed up to have me join them, I had a bad cold. Son of a bitch wouldn't go away no matter what I took. I thought I was gettin' some sort of allergy. But when I joined up with the PPA…I was startin' to get short of breath. I ignored it…kept on as I always did. But as the months went on…I started gettin' dizzy during missions. I kept having to stop to have a coughing fit. I was gettin' tired all the time, and sometimes I had to just stop workin' all together and sit down for a half hour. Now me…I'm as stubborn as hell when it comes to goin' to a doctor. But Shera started to notice this when I talked to her over the phone. She kept needlin' me to see a damn doctor, and finally I did. What finally made me go is I woke up one morning coughin'…and this time I got up a bit of blood."
Cid paused again, and inhaled deeply.
"…Guy wanted an X-ray. I let him. After he saw it, he said he was surprised that I wasn't already bedridden." The man paused here and sighed, not wanting to say this next part. But after a moment or so...he finally closed his eyes and made himself spit it out.
"…I got lung cancer."
Mack's eyes widened. He breathlessly loosened his jaw as the news struck him.
The Captain continued. "…Beautiful, ain't it?" He sarcastically snorted. "I survive all these battles and flights and sh't, and what does me in is these damn cancer sticks. This is the second time Shera's made me feel like a horse's ass for not listenin' to her. She told me to quit ever since she met me… Now look at me. I ain't even 40 yet, and my !$?damn lungs are rottin' away as if I was 90…"
The commander didn't know what to say. This was stunning to him. He had known Cid coughed a lot, but he always thought that was tar. Then again…he hadn't seen him smoke in quite a while. And though he always seemed to have more energy than a lot of them, he also seemed older than he really was. Something about his mannerisms and the way he carried himself. But lung cancer… Mack had never suspected it. He knew how horrible it was…how it could very slowly and very painfully kill you… He also knew there was little to no chance of surviving that sickness…
"…What's the prognosis?" Mack finally asked.
Cid kept his frown. "…Damn doc said I should quit the PPA immediately and spend as much time as possible sittin' around like a damn vegetable." He answered. "He wanted me to stay on this damn thing shoved up my nose all day. Basically, it's just to keep me from gettin' worse, so that maybe I can stay alive long enough for a transplant to show up. Other than that, they ain't got nothin' for me."
The commander felt uneasy at this.
"…How long?" He finally asked.
The pilot slowly sighed. This was another part he didn't want to mention, and he was even more hesitant than he had been before. He looked down and drummed his fingers against the cushion for a moment. But finally, nearly muttering it, he answered.
"…Four months. Maybe five…maybe three…if I don't quit."
This immediately made Mack react. "Well then, quit." He answered, somewhat imploringly. "Drop out of the PPA. Ragnar will understand. There's plenty of pilots who-"
"Oh, and do what?" Cid cut off with a grumpy response, looking over to him. "Sit around and rot for the last few months of my life? Go out like my own grandpa did? Laying in some damn bed in a hospital strugglin' to stay alive for six months of pain?" The pilot hesitated here, and then sighed and shook his head. "I don't wanna die, kid. But I don't wanna spend what little life I've got still in me on a damn bed waiting if tomorrow will be the last day I'm on this world, and worryin' if I'm gonna get some infection. If I'm gonna live for four more months, then I'm gonna live in those four months. I ain't gonna lie around like a corpse waitin' to be carried to the damn parlor. If I'm gonna cash in my chips, it's gonna be while I'm flyin' one of my babies. That bastard Death may get me fifty years early, but he's still gonna have to get me in that coffin kickin' and screamin'."
Mack was silent. He supposed to man was right. Living like that wouldn't be living at all. What good was it to spend what little life you had left focusing all your energy on cheating death? He knew he wouldn't want to go out like that. He's rather live each day to the fullest while he still could. However…this wasn't him. This was a different man…one he had grown to respect and admire for his own devotion and daredevil tactics. He was the man who showed interest in him when he first assumed control of the Bismarks, and led him to desire taking command of the Phoenixes.
In the end, the man asked something else.
"…Then why don't you let everyone else know? Why don't you let your friends-"
"Aw, to hell with that…" Cid cut off again, waving his hand at the idea. "What good is that gonna do? I told Shera, and she wanted me to come back to Rocket Town right there. She's the one who wouldn't let me stay here unless I got on this damn miniature iron lung for two hours a day. If I told the rest of the sons of bitches around here about it, every time I coughed or had a bad day or looked tired, they'd all cluster around me like a room full of mother hens and a baby chick. They'd keep tryin' to take over for me or get me to lay down or somethin'. Damn general's got a bleedin' heart the size of Aerith's. He'd probably make me quit." A pause, and then a snort followed by a mild grin. "…And I'd have to tire myself beatin' the sh't outta the little punk to show that I've still got more fight in me than he does."
Despite the enthusiasm in that answer, Mack was still worried. Again, Cid was probably right…but that didn't help things. Everyone in this hanger loved him. It didn't matter that he could be rough or demanding. Truth be told, he was still a great guy to be around, and if he praised you he meant ever word of it. He inspired a lot out of his crew and everyone else he ran into. That would be the real reason they would tell him to ease down. Not because they thought a sick man shouldn't work…but because they admired him too much. And yet…if they really admired him…then Mack realized they would respect his wishes and let him go out swinging like he wanted to.
The captain relaxed a moment longer, but then turned back to Mack.
"Mack…I can see all over that damn face of yours that you're already more worried about me than some eight year old over a orphan duckling. But if you really want to do me a favor, you won't tell anyone about this. Not my crew, not my pilots, and sure as hell not any of my friends. Who knows? Maybe some transplant will come through. Maybe not. But either way, it ain't gonna change what I wanna do with the last bit of my life."
Mack anxiously looked at the man a bit longer. Yet he paused again at this. Cid was actually asking him for a favor. Cid hated to ask anyone for anything, but Mack realized he had to ask him this. For once, the man needed his help. It was humiliating enough to his own pride to do so. And as a result, the commander couldn't protest any more. At last, he caved in with a sigh.
"…Sure, captain. Whatever you say."
Cid hesitated a moment, and then sighed.
"…I ain't had to say this to anyone in a long time, kid…but thanks."
The translation was a bit rough…but Ragnar still understood the gist of the report.
He was back in the meeting room, much in the same orientation that he had been in four months ago when the initial alliance had been struck between the PPA and Wutai. The same officers as before were gathered, including Admiral Godo. On his side, there were Cloud and Red XIII once again. However, the table's positions had been expanded somewhat, allowing far more minor officers in on both sides. All of them had a copy of the latest report from the Wutai spynet. It was not promising.
Ragnar looked through the pages of his own report. Scattered in it were bits and pieces of schematics and information that the Wutai spynet had managed to claim from their highest points of infiltrated security. Nevertheless, he had heard from Godo that many had died to give them this information…in particular the full color photos that he saw toward the rear of the report. The text had several chilling messages in it as well…detailing what this new terror was supposed to be capable of.
Looks like we were right to be worried when we saw the Sister Ray missing…
"The pictures of this turret…they're only half complete at best."
"Yes." Captain Staniv answered from his side. "However…they received new orders recently. They're building a shield generator for this facility, similar to the one they built for the Dome itself. It is to be complete within a week, starting yesterday. That means, including today, we only have six days left."
"And there's no way they'll allow us to send in a demolition team to sabotage it." Captain Gorki threw in. "The security is too thick…geared with us in mind. Once the shield is up, we'll be unable to stop it. The only way to shut it down will be to launch a full scale invasion. That means we'll only have a few months to end the war."
"Unless we destroy it now." Cloud asked.
Gorki nodded.
Ragnar looked over the photos again…knowing what this would be capable of. It was a frightening thought. There was no question about it. This would be the next big target of the newly combined Planet Protector Army and Wutai Gold Navy. It had to be taken out as soon as possible.
With that in mind, the young general inhaled, and slowly shut the folder in front of him. He looked up and to the officers surrounding the table. They looked back at him as he slowly folded his hands in front of him.
"Alright." He stated. "Let's boil some coffee if we need to…but we are not leaving this room tonight until we've constructed a plan to destroy this monster."
The next day, the respective armies wondered where their high officers were. For the Planet Protector Army, the two generals and Colonel Nanaki were all not present for normal activities of that day. On inquiring about them, they found the same thing that they had thought had ended last night…that they were in a meeting. Some of the minor officers were wondering how they could still be in a meeting after all night. The truth was that they weren't, but they were still enacting measures from that meeting. The generals themselves had gotten out of the assembly at about 0400. They went home and crashed for four hours, and then got up and returned to their work. This time, they didn't go to the operation's center, however. They made their way toward the docked flagship of the Wutai Gold Navy: the Murasame. No one had seen high nor hair of them since.
Around noon, a message was put on the general channel, going to every radio and station throughout the entire military zone, and distributed to every officer and division. A meeting, the biggest one ever called, was going to be held at 1800 sharp aboard the Murasame.. Every officer who held a position greater than Sergeant was to attend, for both the Planet Protector Army as well as the Wutai Gold Navy. Needless to say, the PPA was soon in a buzz. There had been no rumors of a coming attack, and at this point many of the officers had been thinking of themselves as being secure. To call a meeting of that magnitude only happened when there was a major emergency. Most officers had never set foot aboard a Wutai ship either.
Even Commander Tifa Lockheart was rather confused, and that was saying a lot. Her fiancé was one of the generals, and yet she didn't know what was going on. That morning, she had just come down to see that the two generals had come in for the night, and the next minute saw them take off again. Since then, she hadn't seen anything of them all day. Then while she was at mess hall, the message came on over the radio about the huge upcoming meeting. Tifa had no idea what this was about, but reasoned that it had to do with the unusual schedule that the two men had come up with that morning.
And so, at 1600, she found herself adjusting the last part of her own uniform in front of her mirror. She hated this. The combat uniform was far more loose and comfortable, but to look official she had to wear the high collared tan suit that Ragnar always wore. However, she knew she couldn't be nearly as miserable as Cloud. He never wore his own uniform, yet his was missing from the closet. It had to be something important if he was cramming himself into one. At any rate, she had to leave soon. In the recent months, there had started an "officer transit" system in the camp, as some officers now had to interact with Wutai and be able to reach the coast quickly. But even now, it would take a while to get there.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in." She answered as she inserted a finger into her collar and tried to stretch it out.
The doorknob turned, and then slowly swung open. Tifa turned her eyes to it as it did so. She hoped that it was Cloud or Ragnar, coming in and telling her what was going on. However, it wasn't. Aerith was the one who came through instead. And that wasn't all. She had changed clothes. She had finally traded in her dress for pants, it seemed, and over a white shirt she wore a heavier version of her old military-issue coat. Probably because it was getting colder out.
"Oh, hey Aerith." Tifa greeted as she entered. "Are you going somewhere with the kids tonight?" She asked in regard to her change in attire.
To this, however, the Cetra hesitated a moment, seeming somewhat uneasy about what she was going to say. But after a moment, she managed to look up and speak.
"…Tifa, I came here to ask you something."
The woman finished adjusting her uniform, and then turned to her. "What?"
"…I want to know if I could come to the meeting tonight."
This caused the bar hostess/military officer to stop. Her look turned somewhat confused. "Come?" She asked. "I thought you were going to look after Denzel and Marlene tonight while we were out?"
"I already called Cait Sith to come over." Aerith answered. "He just got here. He's waiting downstairs. So I wondered if I could come with you to the meeting."
This puzzled Tifa. Aerith wasn't an official member of the army. She had received a civilian award for helping out in the Second Battle of Midgar Bay, but since then she had mostly stayed at home and stayed out of military affairs. Her only interaction now was when she went to see Ragnar at work. She had a minor clearance pass for that, but generally she avoided these things. Yet now, she was saying she wanted to go. She even seemed anxious to go…
"Why do you want to come?" Tifa found herself asking. "I mean…just out of curiosity. This is supposed to be for higher officers only. We'll probably not be doing anything except going over plans or strategy. I don't think it will have anything to do with you."
Aerith hesitated again, still looking strangely nervous. Her face seemed a bit troubled.
"…Maybe." She finally answered. "But I still want to go. If you want me to tell you why…" She hesitated here, and then shook her head with a puzzled look. "I can't tell you. It's just…something tells me I need to be there tonight. I have some sort of feeling."
Tifa paused at this. Her own face turned somewhat concerned.
"…Did something in the Planet tell you to come?"
"No…" Aerith slowly answered, turning her eyes to the ground. "I mean…yes…well… I don't know. Nothing came out and said it…but I felt something inside me urging me to go to it. When I heard there was going to be a meeting…something inside me just lit up. I feel like there's a purpose to my going there." She hesitated at this, and then looked up to the woman. "I can't really say why. I just really feel like I need to go there. So…could I please come? If they won't let me in, I'll just turn and go back. But I want to try and get in."
Tifa hesitated a bit longer. This was odd. Nothing like this had happened with Aerith in a long time. For anyone else, she might try to talk them out of it. However…this was Aerith. And she had come to believe, as they all had, that Aerith knew things and feelings that the rest of them didn't have. She seemed to have an innate ability to know when she had to do something. And what they didn't understand she did. Because of that, she could sympathize better with her. Besides…in an official situation like this, it might put her more at ease to have another friend there. She wished she would stay with Denzel and Marlene in part…but she knew they'd be safe with Cait Sith. And if she really wanted to come…
In the end, Tifa made a light smile, and gave a shrug. "Alright. I guess we can try to get you in. But I still think you'll be bored."
Aerith, however, finally smiled at this.
"Thanks, Tifa."
Tifa felt a bit nervous when she and Aerith were finally dropped off at the Murasame. Nothing in particular stood out about it, but it was still a large and frightening sight. The PPA didn't usually hang around the Wutai warships. And after seeing how devastating they had been in combat, to be that close to one of the intimidating war machines was frightening indeed. Because of the lateness of the year, it was already dark by the time they reached it. Many other officers were already there, and going on board on a long stairway ramp. Spotlights illuminated it to help guide them to the location, and they accented its golden color well. Essentially, it appeared like a great streamlined shaft in the water, with the upper half swelling out and flat, decked only with the four great turrets. Wutai had exposed itself now, and so their colors were painted all over it, and their characters boasted of its name. Both Tifa and Aerith found themselves staring at it and how big it was as they got in line and made their way to and up the ramp.
When they finally reached the top, Wutai guards were there to intercept them. They halted Aerith for a moment, but it didn't take much to get her through, surprisingly. Tifa only had to essentially say that she was "with her". After that, they admitted the two into the inside via a doorway-like hatch on the side of the ship.
Inside, the two slowly made their way through the halls of the interior and toward wherever the meeting was being held. They were surrounded by dozens of other officers making their way inside. As they passed through the corridors, Tifa noticed that the interior was as streamlined as the exterior. Everything was made of shining, silver metal, and illuminated with bright white lights. All the details were curved and smoothed out. Not only did it look very advanced compared to the technology of the PPA, but it seemed far more futuristic too. At any rate, all of the side branches in their pathway were roped off, and the two had little trouble finding their way along.
At last, a large opening appeared ahead of them. Tifa and Aerith followed the pathway up to this point, and passed underneath it. When they did, they finally emerged into the meeting hall. Auditorium was probably a more appropriate term for it…and both of them were immediately captivated.
The room was gigantic. They realized that they had to be deep within the bowels of the destroyer for there to be this much ceiling room, for it stretched over them like the roof of a stadium. The white lights overhead came from circular fixtures, and bathed the silver metal room with their strong glow. The two ladies found themselves walking in a certain trench that led into the center of the room. There were three of them equidistant around the chamber, and they noticed that, despite the lack of branching in the path, all three were filled with incoming people. As the women made their way further in, they came out of the trenches and into a circular pathway that ringed the middle of the room. The circle seemed to enclose some sort of raised platform that had walkways, but each of them were blocked off by railing at the moment. Up on the raised platform were numerous chairs ringing the perimeter of it, and what appeared to be a tall silver podium.
Outside of the ring were rails that had a few breaks in them. These allowed people to access the immense number of stadium-like seats that surrounded the chamber. They made an impressive number of aisles, and allowed all who came in to have a good view of the center. It was almost like some ancient theater in the round. The officers were slowly filling these places up, and it looked as if half of them were already filled. Half of the room was being occupied by Wutai officers. The other half was filling with PPA officers.
"Wow…" Aerith remarked.
"Same here…" Tifa answered as she looked around. "Funny…I used to think that whenever there was a place like this, it was usually where the bad guys met, not us…
"I guess Ragnar might be right to wonder why Wutai wants our help…if they've got all this." Aerith added.
"Hey! Tifa!"
Both women immediately recognized the familiar deep voice that called out. They turned their heads to the source, and found themselves looking in the front row of one of the aisles nearby. They soon saw a rather large man waving a metallic hand at them.
Tifa immediately smiled and waved back. "Barret!"
"Come on over! We saved ya' a seat!"
Tifa nodded back, and turned to Aerith to make sure she had got that. After doing so, both women turned forward and began to walk up to the nearest break in the aisle. They kept their eyes on Barret as they did so. He wasn't alone. Cid was seated nearby, along with Commander Mack. Although he wasn't as close to the "original group" as Ragnar had become, he did have a closer relationship with Cid, so that explained why he was there. Besides, as the leader of their Phoenix Squadron, he probably had to sit in front. On Barret's other side…and him seeming to be acutely aware of it...sat Yuffie. She, along with Mack and Cid, seemed to be uncomfortably shifting in their uniforms, pulling at their necks or squirming within them. Barret, on his part, had thrown propriety to the wind, and wore only a white sleeveless undershirt with a vest over it, much like he usually dressed anyway.
The two women eventually went up in the rows, and then managed to work their way over to the rest of their friends. As they neared them, they seemed to recognize that Tifa had someone else along with her.
"Aerith? You got in somehow?" Barret addressed as she came close. "That ain't no problem. We been savin' a seat for a no-show, so you got a spot."
As Tifa and Aerith began to sit, Yuffie spun around with a confused look to Barret. "Huh? I thought you said I took the saved seat?"
Barret looked down to her and frowned somewhat in response. "You took the one meant for Spiky. We had another one for that scary-ass son of a bitch. Still don't mean I was savin' one for you, ya' damn materia thief. Why ain't ya' sittin' over there wit' the rest of those Wutai officers anyway?"
Yuffie frowned indignantly at Barret's insults, but then pouted even more when she heard that last phrase. She turned back forward, and then leaned over and propped her head up with her arms and elbows on her legs. "My dad said since I left Wutai and joined the PPA, I have to sit over here with you guys. Gawd…he makes me mad sometimes…" She paused a moment here, but then suddenly spun around with an angry look. "And why didn't you save a seat for me, anyway?"
"'Cause I can't stand you! That's why!" Barret barked back. "After four years, I still get a headache jus' listenin' to you whine!"
Yuffie scowled. "And after four years, you're still a big grouchy a—hole to me!"
"Why the hell do you curse so much anyway?"
"Why do I curse! Look who's talking! If I had a materia orb for every time you said sh't in a day…"
"At least I don't curse 'round Marlene, like you! Why the hell do ya' think I always try ta make you shut up every time ya' come by?"
"Maybe because you're a big grouchy a—hole!"
As the two continued, Cid groaned from where he was. "I hope they start this sh't soon…just to shut these two up…" He muttered.
Tifa had to admit that she shared Cid's sentiments. However, she ended up having to listen to Barret and Yuffie banter on for another fifteen minutes. During that time, officers continued to pour in and move around the auditorium, taking up their seats. There didn't seem to be any end to them, and they soon started to make the entire auditorium solid and uniform with their numbers. All empty seats began to fill up, and still they continued to come. Tifa was amazed that the PPA had added so many officers to their ranks. In just a year and half, they were rather large indeed… And yet, remarkably, there seemed to be just enough seats for everyone. When the crowds finally ceased arriving, she could only spot one or two seats still open.
With the last person in, and everyone settling down, she felt herself grow a bit anxious. It was finally time to see what this was all about, and why they had to call so many of them in there. That sentiment was shared. Barret and Yuffie calmed down eventually, and began to shift a bit in their seats, along with the other officers who were arriving. It appeared that the Wutai officers didn't know either, for they too seemed to carry an air of unease and puzzlement. Whatever was going on, Tifa had a feeling it was big.
At long last…the lights overhead dimmed and turned off, plunging most of the room into shadow and darkness. All that remained on was the lights over the central platform. Immediately, the whole chamber went silent. Everyone turned their attention to the floor below, and awaited what would come next.
Then, two of the side doors slid shut. Only one of them remained open. A few moments later, and people began to come through it, and walk down the one remaining aisle. Tifa couldn't see them well at first, because of the darkness. However, as they drew closer, she saw that there were two lines. One was that of Wutai officers. The other was PPA officers. In the lead of one was Admiral Godo. The other was led by General Ragnar. Both looked rather stony faced and businesslike as they led their respective trains. Once they reached the center, the railing that had blocked it off before popped open, allowing them to enter. They both did so, stepping up to this central platform.
Both lines broke at this, and began to surround the space in the center of the circle. This had the effect of breaking the Wutai and PPA officers into two clusters. They all soon filled it out, and then turned and faced the center. As one, they turned and sat, except for Admiral Godo. He alone remained standing. Now they were all clearly visible. As Tifa looked out, she immediately recognized Cloud sitting next to Ragnar. Next to him sat Red XIII. The Wutai people seemed to sympathize with his plight, giving him a raised cushion instead of a seat to recline on.
Once all were seated, Tifa watched as the railings closed again, and the steps leading to the central platform seemed to raise and flatten, turning the stairs into part of the platform itself. After that, Godo moved up to the central podium. He put his hands out to stabilize himself, and then looked up and out to the audience in front of him. Something surprising happened. Suddenly…the whole platform began to slowly rotate. Tifa was puzzled at this for a moment, but then realized what was it was. Everyone was surrounding the center. He was slowly rotating so that he could face everyone as he spoke. Moments later, he began to do so.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice to this, our first mutual strategy meeting for the combined forces of the Wutai Gold Navy and the Planet Protector Army." Godo began. "At the end of this meeting, all of you should understand our need for urgency in calling this. Time is an issue here, and I, my own tacticians, and those of the Planet Protector Army have been working for hours to mount a counter strategy to the latest threat that has mounted itself.
"Now, before we begin, it will be necessary to brief you all on some background history. No doubt, many of you are at least somewhat aware of this. But this will ensure we are all on the same page. If you could direct your attention overhead."
Tifa was again confused by this, wondering what that was supposed to mean. However, she soon found out. To her surprise, as well as that of most of the PPA officers present, a whining sound suddenly went out, and a blue laser erupted from the center of the podium and shot straight up to the ceiling. It stayed there only a moment before widening its path, and then suddenly beginning to shimmer. When it did, to Tifa's amazement, a holographic image was projected over the podium. It was similar to the old schematics that were present in Midgar's public access terminals, only this one was far larger, more detailed, and three dimensional. It was amazing, and made Aerith, as well as many other more inexperienced officers in their wing, gasp in surprise.
The image itself was one Tifa almost immediately recognized. It was one of Midgar, prior to Meteor striking. Not only that, but it also showed that it was just prior to Diamond WEAPON's assault, for the Sister Ray was mounted in the split between two sectors, with all seven remaining reactors fueling it.
"This is Midgar, a week prior to the Meteor Crisis." Godo began. As he spoke, the Sister Ray was suddenly highlighted, and the image rotated and zoomed in on it. The graphics seemed to respond to his words. "And this is the Sister Ray, the most powerful weapon ever conceived, with the potential exception of the missile that Shinra No. 26 was transformed into. This weapon was originally intended to fire off shots charged with Huge Materia, the materia byproduct of years of old mako reactor production. Each focused shot possessed the destructive power of 330 individual orbs of fully matured materia fully discharged at once. Unfortunately for the Shinra Corporation, the Huge Materia was consumed at this point. But they found a way to achieve the same effect via the combined output of seven mako reactors.
"Although the cannon produced a terrifically powered shot, the Sister Ray sustained heavy damage simply from firing off the weapon once, and became critically unstable. When Meteor arrived, what was left of it was turned into scrap. With this in mind, the idea of a mako cannon of that size ever being applied to warfare was considered no longer worth considering."
Godo paused here, as the graphic above him disappeared. He inhaled a deep breath, and his gaze became darker.
"…About three years ago, one of several maintainance companies contracted to clean up the ruins of Midgar went to work on dismantling the remains of the Sister Ray and reclaiming its scrap. However…this company ended up being not contracted to specifically clean up that wreckage, and none of the components they removed ever arrived at the scrap yards or steel recycling facilities. At this time, the New Shinra was still operating in secret, and the Wutai spynet was still in its infancy. Based on what records we could gather…there were a series of mysterious ship dockings and transports from Midgar following the arrival and work of this crew."
Tifa felt something beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't alone.
"For years, we heard nothing new about this." Godo continued. "That changed about two months ago, when our spies began to pick up clues leading to the idea that the New Shinra were constructing a new massive weapon. A further in depth investigation ran into walls of new levels of security far more rigorous and solid than previously thought." Godo paused here, and let out a slow exhale. "…Many of our brave men and women have died to bring us the information we will be sharing with you all tonight, but I am eternally thankful that they have. Their investigation culminated only a few days ago, and has brought us definitive proof of our worst fear. The New Shinra is rebuilding the Sister Ray."
The room stayed silent…but fear immediately became evident. People turned and looked to each other, showing their sudden anxiety. Many officers shifted in their spots, and brought their hands to their mouths. Tifa herself shuddered at the thought of this. She had seen the weapon in action before. Then, it had been used against their common foe. But now…it no doubt was being aimed at another purpose. The New Shinra's last attempt to annihilate them without presenting a target had failed…yet it seemed they had found a new way.
Godo waited for the room to accept this new statement. Once he had been silent for a few moments, he spoke up again.
"To better elucidate the problem, I now give the floor to Captain Gorki, who will relate the full findings of our spynet's report."
At that, the platform suddenly stopped turning. It didn't settle down again, but it enabled Godo to turn and walk back to the seat he didn't take before. He took it now, and Gorki stood instead. He turned and walked back up to the podium himself, and stabilized his own body against it. When he did, the platform began to rotate again.
As this happen, a new graphic was projected overhead. This time, it showed what appeared to be some sort of mountainous landscape. However, a great indentation had been made in it, and there were several foundations surrounding it as well as buildings in progress. Some sort of machinery was arising from a partially constructed sphere in the middle of the huge indentation.
"We have found the construction site of this new weapon located deep within a mountain range west of the New Shinra HQ Dome." Gorki began. "It's new name is the Gauntlet of Zeus. This is how it looks at the moment, but the fully finished project will resemble this."
In response to Gorki's words, the structure was suddenly overlaid with a second, different colored graphic, showing the additions that had yet to be made. The result was a few small buildings built into the mountain, all surrounding a monstrous turret that had been built for the barrel of the giant cannon, which itself was mounted within it.
"This weapon is being built in this high altitude range for several regions. One is that the New Shinra plans to make this weapon capable of firing multiple shots. This new cannon has neither seven mako reactors to power it, nor Huge Materia for ammunition. However, the New Shinra have worked around this problem, and have managed to pack smaller materia pieces into specially designed shells. In order to survive the impact involved, the cannon has to be braced against a mountain. This area is in an especially rough terrain, making it virtually inaccessible on foot, and almost impossible to target and attack from aircraft. Last but not least, with this high elevation coupled with the turret…the Gauntlet of Zeus will be capable of targeting anything on Gaia by either direct targeting, or through firing a shot in an appropriate path that will encircle the Planet until it reaches its intended impact point."
The graphic enlarged at this. The cannon itself shrunk, but only so that it could back away and show more of the surrounding area. It continued to do so, until the graphic formed a massive topographical map of the entire southern half of the Northern Continent.
"The only clear route to the weapon is here." A pathway began to light up on the graphic. "Leading through a valley that is in front of the weapon. This area is the only way that is vulnerable to bombardment. To that end, the New Shinra has placed an almost impenetrable defense grid leading from their shore all the way to the weapon. Mobile artillery…flak guns…cannons…guided missile launchers…Harbinger units… Even for our new supersonic craft, it is suicide to attempt to attack the Gauntlet. Yet the New Shinra do not consider this sufficient. They are constructing a shield projector similar to the one surrounding the Dome. They are scheduled to complete this in five days, including today. Once it is finished, the Gauntlet of Zeus will be all but indestructible to any methods we have. The New Shinra will be able to continue construction unimpeded until the weapon is fully operational. At that point…it will only be a matter of two hours for the weapon to destroy both Wutai and Midgar."
Tifa felt herself stiffen again at this, and her stomach turned once more. She wasn't alone. Some murmuring was beginning now, and the air of fear was quite distinctive among all of those gathered. Once again, their army was faced with sudden and abrupt annihilation from their foes.
Once people had quieted down somewhat again, Gorki stepped back and returned to his seat. The platform once again stopped for him when he did so. Again, Godo rose and went to the podium, and spoke out once more.
"It has become the new top priority for our combined forces to never allow this weapon to reach completion. We strongly believe that this weapon may represent a last act for the New Shinra Army. After having suffered heavy losses at Midgar Bay, as well as sustaining heavy casualties from the actions of the PPA, the New Shinra is in desperate need of a definitive victory to give itself more troops and resources if it is to continue the war. Therefore, not only do we need to destroy this weapon to ensure our survival, but to possibly bring a quick end to this war. To carry this out…we have elected to mount the largest operation yet to destroy this facility prior to completion of the shield generator. To better outline what this will entail, I give the floor to the Planet Protector Army's head tactician: Colonel Nanaki."
Once more, a stop, and Godo took his seat. Red XIII got down and made his way to the podium next, and sat in front of it. Whoever was running the platform seemed to be aware of this, and so the podium actually sank partially into the floor in order to accommodate his erect sitting posture. The beast didn't seem to mind, and as the platform started up again, he began to speak.
"Two separate operations will comprise the total operation. The first and smaller one, Operation Hiccup, will involve PPA operatives coordinating with the Wutai spynet to infiltrate the New Shinra HQ Dome itself.
"Starting the morning after tomorrow night, a strike team of PPA and Wutai units will disembark on a stealth, disguised boat for the Northern Continent's eastern shore. The ship will dock next to the ice cliffs adjacent to the snow fields surrounding the Dome area around the afternoon of the following day. Spynet operatives will be there to haul the team to the top of the cliff, where they will wait until nightfall. After that, they will march into enemy territory, and carry out an operation where they will replace themselves with the New Shinra contingent at one of their outposts. After creating the appearance of an enemy strike, our operatives, assuming the identity of New Shinra soldiers, will return to the Dome, bearing with them, in disguise, one of the latest armaments in the Wutai arsenal: an EMP Projector.
"On arrival and barrack deployment at the Dome, the team will use spynet intelligence info to break into the maintainence corridors of the facility and work their way to one of the mako reactor cores. This one is a main supplementary power source to the defense grid stretching between there and the Neo Junon area. The EMP Projector will be used on the mako reactor core, creating a 'hiccup' in the system that will temporarily shut down power to part of the defense grid, and send a ripple through all other systems that will disable them for thirty minutes. Then, under cover of power failure, our team will escape the Dome to the adjacent airfields, where a stolen Gelinka will return them to base. For the other half of the operation, I give the floor to Captain Staniv."
Again, the floor was switched as before, and this time Staniv took the podium. When he did, the graphic of the Northern Continent appeared again, but this time showing the bay as well. There were numerous graphics representing ships and turrets added too.
"The other half of the operation is being termed Operation Gold Strike. This will commence one hour prior to the strike team's disabling of the defense grid. The combined power of the Wutai Gold Navy and the air force units of the Planet Protector Army will engage the New Shinra Navy. While the heavier craft pin down the Juggernaut, the Phoenixes will break through to the shore and begin to move through the defense grid, beginning at the precise time in which it is disabled by the strike team…making coordination and timing of utmost importance. The Phoenixes will run for ten minutes along the shore until they reach a threshold where they can release a special guided missile. This will have coordinates and topography programmed into it, and if released at this point and properly targeted with have enough fuel to travel the rest of the length of the journey and impact at the construction area. A powerful enough explosion should cause a cave in on the mako reactor they have underneath the site, causing a pressure build up that will set of a chain reaction. The result will completely annihilate the zone."
Tifa heard a snicker from nearby. "'Bout time I finally could strike back against the New Shinra." She heard Mack mutter.
"Shut up and listen." Cid answered. "I hate it when you cocky sons of bitches talk during my briefings…"
After this, Staniv went back to his seat. The platform stopped yet again. The person who took it next wasn't Godo, however. It was General Ragnar. Looking as straight and proper as the others, he walked to the podium himself, and it began to rotate again.
"We are almost ready to begin this operation at this point in time." He started. "As I understand it, Wutai has already selected its seven participants for their half of the strike team, seven elite units. As for the PPA portion…"
"What!" Yuffie abruptly exclaimed from the audience, not whispering at all and hence interrupting the meeting and causing everyone to look to her. "Nobody told me anything! Why wasn't I picked? You-" At this point, the combined efforts of Cid and Barret leapt on her and forced her mouth shut.
Godo bowed his head, rubbed the bridge between his eyes, and sighed tiredly. Ragnar himself tightened his jaw slightly, showing his obvious irritation at being interrupted. An uneasy silence lingered before he was able to speak. "…Our members are still being selected. Seeing as neither of us will be needed for land based command on this operation…both myself and General Cloud Strife have elected to fill the first two spots on the strike team list. Both of us have familiarity with Shinra procedures, and I myself am familiar with the layout of the Dome. The other five members of our group will be selec-"
"…Get off me!" Yuffie suddenly erupted from the crowd, managing to finally squirm her way free of Barret and Cid. And to ensure that she wouldn't be grabbed again, she immediately rose to her feet in the aisle. She glared at Ragnar and immediately pointed to herself.
"I'm better than all seven of those operatives, General! And I'm going to prove it! Bring me along! I'll teach these bozos to snub me!"
Godo was turning red at this point, and seemed moments from further deteriorating the order of the conference by getting up and ordering Yuffie to sit down or get out of the chamber. Ragnar himself rubbed his face tiredly. "…As I was about to say, the other-"
"Well then, I better come along too then!" Barret suddenly interrupted, standing up in his own position, and once again disrupting the meeting. "I ain't 'bout to let you two scrawny sons of bitches do this by yerselves! 'Bout time I did somethin' ta' make a dif'rence in this war. Besides…someone's gotta keep this miserable thief from screwin' everythin' up."
Tifa felt rather bad for Ragnar at this point. Most of the crowd on both sides was now looking rather puzzled and confused at this breach of meeting ettiquette. Some were starting to murmur among themselves, while Yuffie wheeled around to Barret, and looked moments from going into another tirade. The General, seeing this, and sighing from his position, wanted to spare himself further embarrassment. He finally put up a hand and called out in a louder voice.
"Fine… To speed things along, I'll just place a call for volunteers now. Commander Wallace…Commander Kisaragi…that's four. Are there any other volunteers?"
There was a pause in the room momentarily. Crossing their arms and glaring at each other, both Barret and Yuffie sat with impugnant looks directed to one another. Cid shook his head and muttered some obscenity. Everyone was still a bit unsettled at Yuffie's outburst. But once things calmed down, Tifa looked back up to the central podium. She looked past Ragnar, and back toward the aisle.
Cloud was sitting there, arms crossed and looking like his normal cold self. Just like he always did before a big mission… He had looked that way countless times back when they were chasing Sephiroth, before they overcame some big hurdle. Tifa didn't get a chance to see him like that this often now…seeing as in the heat of battle it was mostly every person or division for themselves. There weren't many chances to go out on missions like these, when it was just a small group working together again… Everything was too regimentalized…and more often than not, Tifa found herself lagging behind when Cloud went to do something.
With that in mind…a smile suddenly crept over her face. It wasn't going to happen this time.
"General Ragnar?" She called out, getting the man's attention. "I'm in."
Cloud recognized her voice immediately, and turned to her in a snap. His mouth hung slightly, surprised that she had suddenly spoken up. Ragnar, however, was far more calm and businesslike, and gave a nod. He turned back to the audience soon after. "That's five."
"…Six."
Tifa, as well as everyone else in the chamber, turned their heads to this voice. Everyone received a mutual surprise. Standing in the ring, seeming to have materialized from nowhere, was Vincent. Tifa was stunned. She hadn't even seen him come in. Apparently, no one else had either. She had been under the impression that he had skipped out on the meeting. However, she was obviously wrong. For there he was, standing calmly like he had been there for hours, with his arms crossed and looking up to the central platform.
There was a moment of hesitation in response, but then Ragnar gave a nod to this, indicating his approval. Tifa was still a little fuddled, as she thought Ragnar likely was. Vincent wasn't one to volunteer for things… But then again, he had come through for them in Midgar without any prompting. And he had intervered when Cloud was in trouble before. Not to mention the fact he had tailed Aerith… Maybe this was the latest in a steak of becoming more altruistic…
"…And I'm going too."
Again, the attention of the audience was turned. But Tifa found herself looking to one of the most surprising directions of all…adjacent to her. As she turned her head to the source, she already knew who had spoken before she looked.
She was staring right at Aerith.
This caused a bit more disruption. As the other officers looked to this woman, they turned back to each other with confused expressions. Aerith wasn't even an officer, and few to any of them had seen her before. They were a bit surprised to see this pleasant-looking, unaggressive, non-combat-hardened woman suddenly speaking out. But nowhere was that more evident than on the central platform. Ragnar's own business exterior finally cracked as he turned and looked to see who had spoken. Cloud and Red XIII also turned their heads to the audience, although the former was the one who showed true surprise. Ragnar's own jaw loosened when he saw who had spoke. No doubt…he probably hadn't even known she was present.
Tifa felt herself inhaling deeply, expecting another tirade ruining the meeting, and a bit dialogue from Ragnar about "you're not going and that's final". After all, she was no special operative. And it took more than a special ability to qualify you for a mission like this. However…she was surprised when she heard only silence as the response. When she looked over to Aerith, she felt herself hesitating a bit too. The Cetra's expression had changed. Suddenly, the woman looked far more certain of herself, and far more firm and resolute. This was a far cry from the unease that she felt earlier when she asked to come. Now, she had become as hard as the best of the officers. Tifa was a bit surprised by it, and began to wonder what was going on inside her head. Did she feel this was why she had to come to the meeting? Did she feel this purpose was reserved for her?
The woman looked back to Ragnar. When she did…she realized he must have seen it too. His own face had suddenly gone a bit limp, and his initial surprise had died. It was not replaced with defiance, however. Something within him too seemed to be reacting…seeming to tell him that this was the right thing to do just as it was to Aerith. Tifa didn't understand this…but she was aware of how Ragnar and Aerith went out to the garden from time to time. How they both appeared to be in tune with the Planet…at least in some ways. And just as Aerith always seemed to know the right thing for her to do…it seemed as if Ragnar had a trace of that coming into him as well.
In the end, Ragnar seemed a bit surprised at himself when he leaned back somewhat, closed his mouth, and then made a calm statement.
"…We have our seven member team."
To be continued...
Next Chapter: At long last...Bahamut returns!