48 Hours Before Commencement Of Operation Gold Strike
Right on time, the group departed at 0500.
There wasn't much said that morning. The previous night, they said their goodbyes to the children and had Cait Sith come in. That way, they didn't have to make them leave and stay with someone else. That morning, they were still awake when they all got up, got dressed, and then moved out. It was still dark, and rather cold. It acted as a slap in the face for Ragnar, waking him up a bit more. The four made their way to the nearest transit, and had it whisk them away to the shore above Midgar. It took quite some time, and Aerith fell asleep again on the way there. Ragnar probably would have fallen asleep as well…were it not for last night. Even now, he had a hard time, after awakening so recently, believing it wasn't some fantasy…
On arrival, the others were already there and waiting. Barret looked grouchy and ready as always. Vincent was stoic as ever, having not even changed his clothes despite the cold morning, and the even colder time they would have on the sea. Yuffie, however, was shivering, chattering, and generally complaining under her breath about one thing or another. The people from Wutai were already there; silent, ready, and totally business-like. Their ship was also there for them. It seemed good to Ragnar. It was indeed an old, rusty, beaten-up barge that looked rather outdated and potentially hazardous. If the New Shinra went by outer appearances, then this thing would look perfectly mundane. It didn't even appear seaworthy, let alone sturdy enough to get them to the Northern Continent. However, Ragnar trusted that this was mostly appearances, and when it was time to board he readily did so.
There were no grand send offs. Only the local guards and soldiers gave a nod or a salute to them as they went on board and began to haul anchor. After all…they didn't want to make this public. That was part of the reason why Ragnar and the other officers hadn't mentioned what they were planning until they were on board the Murasame. Even if there were no spies, it was reasonable to assume that the enemy was watching the shore. For this reason, the barge wouldn't be going straight away from the coast. It would actually travel east until it passed the Eastern Continent and was about a quarter of the way to Wutai. Then it would turn north. That was one reason why this would take so long.
Red XIII gave them a call at 0500 sharp, wishing them well and telling them that they had exactly 48 hours before Operation Gold Strike began. In exactly 49 hours, they had to be disabling the reactor. Ragnar acknowledged, and sent out a message of good will and hope for those who would be fighting the naval battle. After that, he signed off, and all further contact with Midgar was thereby terminated. Only emergencies would be allowed.
A cold breeze was on the water that morning. The ship had barely left port before Tifa, Aerith, and the others wanted to go inside. Even Barret was uncomfortable. Ragnar alone stayed outside. His excuse was that he wanted to get some fresh air. Yuffie managed to choke out some inquiry about how he could stand to stand out there gazing at the ocean before she threw up for the first time (of what would be many) and collapsed to the ground from motion sickness. Needless to say, Cloud half-dragged her into the hold, leaving Ragnar on top.
About thirty minutes passed. As Ragnar stood at the rail and looked out over the rolling waters, he could still easily see Midgar and Kalm from where he was. They weren't even to the Chocobo Ranch yet. The sun hadn't risen either, although it had grown lighter. An icy breeze whipped up around him every now and then, but he was used to it. He focused mostly just on the ocean around him, and enjoyed the solitude and the quiet. If the situation wasn't so dire…this might have been a nice trip. He had only been on a boat a few times in his life, and always it was in a pressing situation… But this trip almost seemed calm enough to enjoy.
Ragnar at length heard footsteps coming up from below behind him. They began to click on the deck and make for him. The youth turned his head behind him, and saw that it was Cloud. He looked back out to the ocean once he confirmed this. Cloud, on his part, said nothing until he reached his side. After that, he put his own arms on the edge and looked out.
"How's Yuffie?" Ragnar asked.
"She threw up again about two minutes ago. The crew is scrambling to get her a pot before she covers us with the stuff."
Ragnar couldn't help but smile and snicker.
"It's pretty damn cold out here, kid. Even for you." Cloud continued after a moment. "You should come down. They have coffee."
The youth winced and groaned. "Ugh…no thanks. I can't stand that stuff."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're a real sweet tooth."
"I'll be down in a little though."
Cloud turned and looked to Ragnar's face. It was still aimed at the horizon, and showed nothing. The ex-mercenary stared at it for a few moments, noticing how Ragnar wasn't changing or even seemed to notice that he was looking at him. After this, he turned his head back in front of him.
"…Alright kid, spill it."
Ragnar turned to Cloud at this, looking confused. "Excuse me?"
"Tell me what's bothering you." Cloud answered simply, still looking out. "I know that look on your face. I've been around you too long. You've been a bit quiet and reserved this morning, and I don't think it was all due to being tired, especially not with the hours you keep. You're nervous about something. Let's get it out before the mission begins."
Ragnar frowned. Cloud must have been getting to know him too well. It looked like the moment had come at last. It was time to say what he had seen last night. He thought for a moment of bluffing about it…not getting everyone to worry. However, that wouldn't help things. And it might be dangerous, or stupid. Besides, if anyone had a right to know if he would be there, then Cloud did. With that in mind, he slowly exhaled again, and turned to look back out to the sea. Then, he slowly related what had happened last night. Only one detail was omitted…that Bahamut had been convinced that Sephiroth was coming for him.
Needless to say, when he was finished, Cloud's own demeanor had become more tensed, and his face filled with more anxiety and apprehension.
"Why didn't you tell me this last night?" He asked.
"I didn't want to start getting everyone upset." Ragnar answered. "There's still a chance to turn back before we scale the ice cliffs."
Cloud's face stayed dark. "I don't care. I don't want Aerith or Tifa anywhere near that continent if he's there."
Ragnar merely sighed at this, and turned to his friend. "And what do you think would have been the reaction if we had tried to make them stay and we went?"
Cloud hesitated after hearing this. In the end, he frowned again and sighed. If they hadn't stayed back for that suicidal last battle, it was more than likely that they weren't going to stay behind for this. Aerith, on her part, had never feared Sephiroth. And Tifa wasn't going to let him run off on his own again if she could help it.
"We could abort this mission." Ragnar suggested lamely.
"Well, we can't do that." Cloud answered. "This is too important."
"We might be able to let the Wutai people handle it." The youth tried.
Cloud frowned and shook his head. "No matter how good they think they are…they're nothing if they're going to go up against Sephiroth. There's a chance he might leave them alone…but somehow I doubt it. He might kill them just to further make problems for us. He arbitrarily killed the original president of Shinra just to show them that he was back. I might need to come along now just to make sure that we can finish the mission."
Ragnar slowly exhaled. "I know how important this mission is. But I'm wondering what's going to happen if we don't abort. We'll be playing right into his hands if we don't break off."
"Maybe." Cloud darkly answered. "But I don't think he knows that we're expecting him…which is something in our favor. Then there's the fact that we have the others with us. He's strong…really strong. But I managed to beat him one on one before. With us together, we could probably take him again. If we want to make sure the mission gets completed, and also make sure that he doesn't try anything, I don't think we have much choice but to go on. Besides…if he doesn't know that we know he's there, we may catch him off guard. This might be our chance to stop him before he causes any more trouble."
Ragnar didn't voice his true thoughts on the matter. He remembered what Bahamut had said…that he wanted him. But why him? What good would that do him? Who was he to him? He didn't know…but at any rate, this made him more at risk than the others, in his opinion. He was going to be the most in danger on this mission. However…he wasn't afraid. And it didn't change that this had to be done. It didn't change that he trusted himself to complete the mission more than anyone else. And it didn't change that this might be the only chance they had to stop him. Powers aside…Sephiroth was a threat to all life on Gaia. He had to be stopped before he could cause any true misery to it or its people. And if he was looking for a fight…then Ragnar was determined to give him one. Cloud had beaten him alone before. With him and the rest of his friends together…they could finish him again. And if this didn't end now…it would eventually end at some other time. And then, it could only be after there were more threats or deaths. If this was going to be inevitable, it might as well happen now and be done with it. They had far too much to lose by evading this fight now.
"I agree." Ragnar finally answered.
Cloud, however, frowned a bit at this. "Don't get any wild ideas in your head, kid. I meant what I told you before. I want you to stay away from him if he comes after you."
Ragnar sighed at this and groaned. "Why do you always treat me like some toddler when it comes to him?"
"I'm serious." Cloud darkly answered, reasserting his decision. "Now come on down. We're going to tell the others, but that's all we're telling. I don't think these Wutai operatives would be much help anyway. And some of us might as well have all of our thoughts focused on this mission…"
The group took the news reasonably well. It took some time to get everyone together, but around noon an opportunity presented itself. The sun was out and the temperature had risen, giving those on board the chance to get some fresh air while they still could. After all, they would be sailing all night. At that point, Ragnar and Cloud finally managed to draw the others aside and give the dark news. Yuffie showed the most anxiety out of all of them, although it was more tired and moaning rather than outright fear. Barret showed the least, expressing his eagerness to shoot Sephiroth as soon as possible with his new arm gun. Vincent showed no fear or enthusiasm whatsoever, simply taking in this dark news and than resuming being alone with his thoughts.
Tifa was more nervous. Although Aerith had been killed and Cloud had the worst experience…Tifa too had felt Sephiroth's sting in the past and hadn't enjoyed the encounter. She too had been saved only by a miracle and an old friend. However, true to what Ragnar had suspected, she wasn't going to break off from Cloud now. Indeed…it seemed as if she had come on this trip solely so that she could fight next to him, and she wouldn't abandon him at this point. She let Cloud fight alone last time to quell his inner demons…but now that they were rendered almost dumb she wanted to be alongside the one she loved.
Aerith was the most surprising of all. She looked mildly tensed about Sephiroth when she first heard about him, and Ragnar almost expected her to grow as fearful as she had been when he first returned, or when he first met her. To his surprise…she wasn't. She soon grew normal, and even more like her old bright self again. Ragnar was amazed. Was she that good at covering up her emotions? Or was she just that much at ease? At any rate, she said she was ready to fight alongside her friends when the time came. About that time, the rest of the crew began to come back in. They were forced to suspend discussion of it for now. After all…they believed Sephiroth would come for them if for anyone first. And they agreed with Cloud. Telling the crew might just give them unnecessary anxiety, and there was little they could do about it if they knew.
Ragnar longed for another chance to talk with his friends, but the opportunity never presented itself. The crew stayed close the rest of the day, and his own group broke up frequently as some went to the upper deck to get fresh air on their own. He too went up and looked out several times. The Eastern Continent was still slowly rolling by. Nothing too fascinating was happening. The trip was pretty boring…which was not good for Ragnar. He was left with too much time to think…and doing so turned him back to his thoughts of Bahamut. He thought of how the esper had warned him…how grim he had been…how dark and focused…and how stricken he had been when Ragnar said he would proceed anyway…
The sun dipped back down under the horizon. The crew ate their meals, and then went off to bed. Bed was a relative term. In the cramped space of the ship, there was only enough room for meager hammocks. The girls stayed in one chamber while the boys stayed in another, although there was no undressing involved. It wasn't wise to. The thin covers they had barely kept out the chill of the night. Ragnar, despite his own upbringing, found himself nestling deeper into his own clothes and pulling his covers tightly around him. If he was cold, then he could only imagine how bad it was for the rest of the crew. Nevertheless, he tried to sleep.
The youth felt a sharp turn around midnight. He knew now that they had rotated to the north. They were now headed for their destination. With that in mind, the general struggled to sleep and get his rest for tomorrow. This would be his last chance to get a full night's sleep before the operation. However…he couldn't. He began to feel an unease inside him…something crawling underneath his skin and in his stomach. He found himself growing strangely restless. And he kept thinking back to Bahamut and Cloud's warnings… He eventually did drift off to sleep that night, although he didn't know how.
Ragnar was last to wake up the next day, even later than Yuffie. No one complained about it. After all, they all probably should have slept as long as they could to save up for what they would be doing that night. It was less than twenty-four hours until commencement of the operation. Everyone was beginning to show tension at this point. Even the hard-trained Wutai operatives seemed to be a bit more rigid and stiff as they went about their business, eating their last meal prior to landing. The time was getting very close now. They were passing into hazardous areas at this point, and none of them knew if they were on some distant ship patrol's radar. If they were…they might be bombed first rather than identified. They were going deeper and deeper into enemy waters and zones…and every moment that went by only brought them closer to danger.
Ragnar went on deck around noon. Even with the sun up, it was darker out than back at Midgar. The wind was much colder and more biting, and he shuddered against it. He was the only one hardy enough to even be out there for any length of time at this point. Far to the west, he saw a faint dark outline that was somewhat irregular. He knew what this was. They were now pulling up alongside the Northern Continent. About a hundred miles to the west, according to intelligence, was the nearest New Shinra destroyer, patrolling for infiltrators like them and preparing to blow them to kingdom come. The full measure of the danger of this mission itself began to grasp Ragnar now. They were actually invading enemy territory, going into the heart of New Shinra itself. Thousands of troops and weapons were here with the sole purpose of killing PPA members. Even now, unseen as their ship was, it was like a child picking his way through a mine field.
Then, at last, the ship turned west. Now they were headed straight for the continent itself. Ragnar went back down at this point to warm up, but as soon as he was he headed back to the deck and watched. Anywhere else that was landible along the coast…and this would be suicide, plain and simple. The New Shinra made it a point by now to annihilate anything that was capable of docking with the shore. Nothing could even get within two kilometers of a landing zone. And here they were…moving right up alongside this fortress, to land at a point less than a half day's hike from the Dome.
As Ragnar watched it, the continent slowly grew bigger in his eyes. The sun was lowering by now, turning the already dark world into a more forboding place yet. As it did…the sharp, jagged, bleak peaks of the mountains began to rise in the distance. As they got higher and higher in the sky, they appeared to be almost the source of these growing shadows… Ragnar had seen these mountains thousands of times before…and yet now they appeared to be something new and terrible. They seemed so unknown and alien to him…almost as if they had turned to the side of darkness along with the New Shinra…and the person who he knew had to be up there somewhere. They only seemed to grow higher and higher as they went closer, looking down more and more on them and their tiny boat, almost as if they didn't want them there anymore than the New Shinra did. The air seemed to grow colder as they neared…and Ragnar wasn't sure if it was because of their proximity to the frozen land, or something else…
The cliff that they were to ascend gradually came into view. As they drew nearer to it, and Ragnar saw it beginning to rise higher and higher into the air…he received an appreciation for just how large it was. The Wutai spynet hadn't been kidding about how remote this was going to be. This cliff was nothing more than a wall of ice stretching over a hundred feet in the air…perhaps even two hundred feet. It looked unscalable to Ragnar. If this had been summer, he never would have gotten anywhere near it, or thought that it was possible to climb. One thing was certain. It seemed impossible to get up now, even knowing that this was their entry point. The New Shinra would never expect that they would be climbing up here.
While Ragnar watched it approach, the others began to come up and take position on deck. They shuddered in the cold wind. Their breath was definitely misting now, and it was only because Ragnar had been out here so long and acclimated to it that he didn't realize just how much colder it was. As they drew close enough to seemingly collide with the ice wall, the boat went into a sharp turn. Whoever was driving was very good with the awkward seeming barge…because he or she managed to pull it up right alongside the ice wall. They were so close that Ragnar could reach out and touch it. Only then did they come to a halt and drop anchor.
Minutes later, and unseen people from far overhead dropped down a series of cable-like ropes. Using these, the crew members on board the barge cobbled together a system with the people overhead, eventually tying it into some machinery. While that was being done, the others had to start getting into special harnasses. Aerith paled a bit while she put hers on, knowing what was coming next, but she did so with the others. Once the system was complete, the people overhead hauled up a few crates of equipment, one at a time, and then finally turned to hauling up the people themselves.
Ragnar was one of the first people up, along with one of the members of the Wutai half of the group. They could only bring up two at a time, but that was the way it went. Ragnar had to admit he didn't like the point where he was dangled over a few-hundred-foot fall into oblivion, and was very grateful when he was finally pulled over the edge and onto snowy ground. Once he was secure and detached, he got up and gave a look around him.
There were about six new people here, all dressed for the elements in snow-white clothing. They were obviously concealing themselves. There were several tents erected…more so than six people would need, indicating that they had anticipated their arrival. Three of the people were dragging the last crate from the boat under a white tent to cover it from prying eyes. Two of them were working the cable machine, lowering it for the next load. One remaining person approached Ragnar and the Wutai operative as they rose, and on arrival gave a salute. Ragnar and the Wutai officer saluted back. She was concealed in the arctic gear as well, so that Ragnar was unable to see her hair or her eyes. However…her facial structure was not that of an oriental. He assumed that she had to be one of the units who had been surgically altered.
"General…commander…I presume?" The spy addressed.
Both men gave nods. "Looks like you've been expecting us." Ragnar threw in.
"We wanted to be ready, so that we can go immediately." The officer answered. "I am Major Wuu. As I understand it, you fourteen will be the soldiers we're working for. Combined with us six, we will form a full mock unit of New Shinra troops. Now, for the purposes of this operation, I will be acting as the 'unit commander', carrying out all interations with the New Shinra, including giving codes, security clearances, etc."
The commander nodded. "Acknowledged."
Ragnar cracked a smile. "Make sure not to tell Commander Yuffie that…" He threw in as a mild joke.
His humor, however, was wasted. The spy and the officer turned to him and gave him a mirthless look for a moment, and then turned back to business. They were totally focused on their duty, and had no interest in "idle talk".
"Alright…the time is now 1800 hours. That gives us roughly twelve hours before we need to use the EMP projector on the reactor. We will have to march for several hours in order to reach both the security station and the Dome. Because of that, we will be leaving at 2300 hours. That gives you five hours in which to rest before we begin. You should go to the tents and get warmed up before we leave tonight, because we will be hiking across tundra in near sub-arctic conditions. However, before we go any further, I had better get this cleared up. Are there any members of your respective groups that have need to remain here and/or return to Midgar for any reason?"
"No." The Wutai commander immediately stated with a head shake.
The spy nodded, and turned to Ragnar after this. The youth hesitated only for a fraction of a second, before he shook his head as well.
"No. We're all set to go."
8 Hours Before Commencement Of Operation Gold Strike
"Last maintainence check is in, Commander. We're set to go."
Mack slowly exhaled, and tightened his hands on the controls of his new craft. Although he had perfected the simulator tests, he had only been behind the helm of one of these fighters three times. They had purposely cut back on doing runs with them to keep the New Shinra from being aware of what they were building. As such…the cockpit felt a bit unnaturally cold, and it seemed as if there wasn't quite that much air in here. He swallowed, and looked back out through his helmet visor to the view beyond.
Mack, along with the rest of the members of Phoenix Squadron, were currently at one of the new airfields. This one was built closer to the shore, only about a mile from the edge, now that it was more secure. The Phoenixes had been wheeled out there that morning, and had been fueled and fully armed. The pilots arrived later, as the rest of the shore came alive. The Wutai Gold Navy, fully armed and functional, was pulling away from the shore in front of them and beginning to turn to make their way north. The Sierra, the Highwind A, and the Excalibur were all in the air, hovering and waiting for the other members of the fleet to get underway. Soon, the sky would be filled with fighters just as the sea was filled with destroyers.
The individual Phoenixes had fuel reserves to take them over the long distance that was the channel between the Northern Continent and the Eastern Continent. Still, it would be a slow flight, following and circling around the Wutai Gold Navy, for nine hours. Only then would they arrive at the battle site and engage the enemy. Until then, it would just be Mack and this craft, flying for hours on end over the ocean. As such…he had snuck a sandwich on board. He was bound to get hungry if not sleepy during this flight. After all, the sun was setting and the sky had already turned orange. It would be night soon, and when day broke again it would be time to engage the enemy.
The commander was rather nervous. He had been good on a jet ski, and he had done well on the simulations. But this was real life. How would he fare now? And for that first hour of battle…if he got too close to the shore, he'd be pounded by enemy anti-aircraft guns. He had never tried flying through another enemy's defenses before…
Mack sighed and shook his head. He had to stop thinking about this. He had to be enthusiastic. This was their first real strike against the New Shinra. Until now they had been almost totally defensive. And Captain Cid was using a new series of missiles with diamond-bit drill heads. Hopefully, they'd do some damage to that Juggernaut, and by the end of this the New Shinra Navy could be reeling and ripe for the kill. He should be happy.
With that in mind, the commander inhaled deeply, and then turned to his radio and switched on the general channel.
"All craft…prepare for launch."
7 Hours Before Commencement Of Operation Gold Strike
Ragnar looked at the time.
2200 hours.
The youth sighed and rolled his eyes, falling back into his insulated sleeping bag. His impact made Cloud shift a bit nearby in his own, but for the most part the ex-mercenary was out like a light. Ragnar turned and looked to him, and gave a small frown. Even when he was in his worst times, Tifa had told Ragnar that Cloud was always able to sleep. Even knowing that Sephiroth was waiting for them, and that each step they would take would bring them closer to him, he was still catching what rest he could. The young general, on the other hand, couldn't sleep now if his life depended on it. It was too close to the deadline time. And now that he had woken up with an hour to go, he would never be able to sleep again.
After they had all reached the top of the ice cliff hours ago, they had broken off and gone to their tents to take shelter until nightfall. Yuffie had plunged forward and rushed into hers before being assigned one, causing more dark looks from Ragnar and Barret alike. But after that, they gradually paired off. Yuffie was given the tent that had to be shared with another Wutai operative. Everyone else paired off by sex. Tifa and Aerith shared one, Cloud and Ragnar shared one, and Barret shared (albeit extremely reluctantly) one with Vincent.
Ragnar had struggled to rest until it was time, but it was hopeless. The last few hours had been a struggle for him just to lay still. Initially, he kept Cloud from sleeping. The ex-mercenary was sore at this, telling him that if he didn't get some rest he'd be too tired to do the mission, let alone deal with the potential of Sephiroth. Ragnar was about to point out to Cloud that he would rather be awake and alert, waiting for danger to come rather than let it sneak up on him, when he realized this was Cloud he was talking to. If anything was out of the ordinary, he'd probably notice it and spring on it a lot faster than Ragnar would. With that in mind, the youth leaned back and tried to rest.
But now it was no good. With only an hour to go, Ragnar realized he'd never be able to sleep. They'd have to wake up in thirty minutes just to start getting dressed anyway. With that in mind, he leaned up within the small tent and looked around.
It was dark inside the tent, but the night was clear. Moonlight was refracting off snow all around and bathing everything in a pale glow. Cloud was still in a pile on his side, zipped up in his sleeping bag. A miniature heater was going in the center, which helped maintain a slightly warmer temperature within the tent. Most of the heat within here would still come from bodies. Leaned against one end of the tent was their equipment. Their full blue uniforms, winter clothing, and tools, weapons, and accessories that New Shinra units would be expected to wear. They'd have to change into these fairly soon, but there was still some time left.
With that in mind, Ragnar decided to get out and walk around a bit. Slowly, he got up and unzipped his sleeping bag. He was still dressed in his earlier winter clothing. After slipping on his boots, and taking up his trusty blade, he went to the tent flap and unzipped it. He quickly ducked out and zipped it shut again, not wanting the cold breeze to wake Cloud up.
It was rather frigid out. Ragnar immediately gave an initial shudder as his flesh acclimated to the temperature. He looked around him. The tents were all dark and perched around him, each one looking like nothing more than a mound of snow in the dim light. Ragnar exhaled a breath of frosty air, and looked overhead to the heavens. Sure enough, it was a clear night, and the moon was bright and beautiful as it shone down. But because it was so dark this far north, Ragnar realized he could see a multitude of stars around it despite how bright it glowed. It was amazing…and he found himself pausing a moment to stare at it. He hadn't seen so many stars in a very long time…ever since he moved to the bright, eternally lit city of Midgar. Even with their endless night finally broken, one could rarely see the stars over the city. But he could see them now.
As his eyes gazed at the heavens and traced across them…he slowly saw something new, and far more captivating. Even as far north as Ragnar had lived, he still gasped as his eyes beheld it.
The infamous northern lights were glowing. Great ribbons of green and red light painted across the sky far in the horizon, gently weaving in and out through the heavens to make their breathtaking patterns. The youth was struck dumb and motionless, spellbound by seeing them dance. The wonder…the awesomeness of nature and the universe struck him when he saw this…and for a moment he was back in the garden in Midgar. Cold and lifeless as this seemed…it suddenly accented the fact that it had a power of nature in it that even the most livid places in the world still lacked. It was more primal…and yet so much more powerful…
Ragnar probably would have stayed captivated at it…had he not noticed that he wasn't alone.
Framed against those ribbons of light…almost seeming to have them weave and dance around here…stood the silhouette of Aerith.
Ragnar found himself struck again…seeing her like this. It seemed…somewhat natural, to see these forces of nature seeming to be circling around her. And it held him a moment. He did break free, however, and began to walk forward toward the woman. She didn't seem to notice him as his feet lightly crunched the foot-deep snow they were camped in. She didn't react as all as he slowly pulled up behind her, and came to her side.
The first movement Ragnar noticed was when Aerith let out a shiver.
He turned to her at this. "…You should be back in your tent. It's warmer there."
The woman turned slowly to him, indicating that she wasn't surprised at his sudden appearance. She gave him a smile, and then looked back out and shook his head. "That's alright." She slowly answered. "I wanted to see this. I might never get another chance. I've never seen a night so clear with a full moon…and yet seen so many stars. And I've never seen anything like this before…" It was obvious that she referred to the northern lights with this phrase. She paused a moment after this, and then shivered again, chattering her teeth once. "It's just…so cold…"
Ragnar looked at her for a moment silently. He was motionless during that time…but then finally an idea occurred to him. Suddenly, he stepped up behind the woman and put his arms around her, trying to engulf her body with his it seemed. He was small, but considering Aerith's own small body and his added size from his coat, he managed to do well. The Cetra turned in some surprise as his arms went around her and linked in front of her body, fastening "himself" around her. But then…her eyes closed slightly, and she smiled. She nestled back a bit more into Ragnar's embrace.
"Better?" He asked.
"Yes." Aerith answered with that same smile, and then turned and looked back out to the horizon. Both stood silently for a short while after, watching the lights continue to dance in the sky ahead of them. They both allowed it to captivate them, just as they had used to be captivated by the garden.
"It's beautiful…" Aerith remarked out loud as she watched it. "It actually reminds me of the Lifestream…how it turns and dances out there like ribbons of light. It's almost like seeing the Planet put an image of it up for anyone up here to see…"
Ragnar was silent a moment, but then shrugged. "…Maybe that's why the Cetra moved up here. Maybe they wanted to live where they weren't far from this…"
Aerith paused after hearing this, and then smiled a bit more and looked back to Ragnar.
"You know…I think you might be right."
Ragnar smiled back. The two then turned and looked back to the lights. They silently watched them for a few moments longer. There was no cold wind that night…just the silence of the vast plains. Even the distant New Shinra Army had neither sign nor sound up here. It was easy to forget that they weren't alone here. As Ragnar slowly heard his breathing and Aerith's…he could almost swear that somewhere within it…he could hear a voice. Just like back in the garden…
Aerith slowly inhaled and exhaled after a while, seeming more tired now.
"…Won't be long now, will it?"
Ragnar hesitated, but then shook his head. "No."
Aerith was silent after this.
The youth looked down at her. "…Are you scared?"
The woman paused for a moment after hearing this. "You know…" She slowly answered. "I think I should be. Anyone would be scared going into this mission. And with him here… I should fear him more than anyone else. I don't know why…but I'm not scared."
The Cetra turned and looked back up Ragnar at this. "I'm never scared…not with you." She slowly continued. "Ever since that day you said you'd be my guardian…I never feel scared when I'm around you. It doesn't matter if its battles or Sephiroth or anything. I just…feel like everything will be alright when I'm with you. That I don't need to fear anything...so long as you're with me."
Ragnar stared back silently at her. Both were quiet for a while…but no longer focused on the outside. They were focused only on each other, and once more were absorbed with each other's features and faces. Ragnar felt a warmth rise up inside him when he saw her like this…once again reminded of how beautiful and fair she was…
After a moment, Aerith smiled again and looked a bit more playful.
"So don't let me down, guardian of mine." She joked.
Ragnar snickered and grinned as well. "I don't intend to." He answered jokingly enough…
Although, inside, he was never more serious about anything in his entire life.
Aerith looked at him a moment longer. But then…she suddenly leaned up on her tip toes and gave Ragnar a kiss on the cheek. The youth's own smile faded, and some surprise went through him instead. He hadn't expected her to suddenly do that. But before he could say anything else, Aerith gently broke away from him, turned, and began to walk back toward the tents. She kept her eyes on him, and smiled as she went away. Ragnar blinked and looked after her, but eventually she reached one of the tents and ducked inside. When that happened, he was left outside alone.
Ragnar blinked again for a moment, but then slowly exhaled and turned back to the northern lights. He shook his head slightly. Another unexpected kiss, and once more it had left him looking somewhat stupefied. He needed to be more aware of things like that. He actually would like to respond some time if Aerith was going to kiss him. Of course…that now made twice she had kissed him… And the thought made him feel a bit bashful and nervous as he used to be. He needed to get over this. He couldn't be like this on an important mission like this one. But then again…any time he spent with Aerith always left him feeling a bit more childish…
The youth continued to think about these things as he turned back, looking at the lights, down to the snowy ground, and then back up again. He did this a few times…before suddenly freezing.
During the brief interim in between when he had looked down and looked up…a new silhouette had formed on the nearest snow dune.
Immediately, Ragnar's sheepish and giddy look evaporated. It turned dark and serious instead, as he focused his full attention on what was in front of him. About a hundred feet away, standing perfectly still, was a man-sized figure. Other than that…he could see nothing. A wide cloak was wrapped around the form, and in the pale moonlight he couldn't see what it was made of. He couldn't even tell what color it was. It could have been black or white. All he could see was that there was a broad hood pulled down low over the head.
The youth hesitated only a moment. Then…thoughts of counter-intelligence, black-caped men, and the dark man himself that could be up here filled his mind. If this person had seemed to materialize in front of him…chances were 10 to 1 that this person was not friendly.
With that, Ragnar's brow creased and his jaw tightened. His mind immediately brought up who this person likely was…and the thought incited him to action rather than fear. In a snap, Ragnarok was drawn and wielded in front of him. In the dim moonlight, it flickered like a flame. And yet…something had changed here. The flame…seemed to be weaker than normal. Not only that, but the air seemed to have grown colder…staler around this figure. Something about the frozen tundra suddenly felt a lot more like…death.
Ragnar pushed this aside and called out to the figure. "Stop right there!"
That was a dumb phrase. The figure wasn't moving. Nor did it react to what he said.
Ragnar frowned a bit as he looked to the tents. No lights were going on…no one was coming out. So much for Cloud being a light sleeper… He turned back to the form after this.
"Who are you?"
The figure didn't answer. A light breeze brushed against the hood, but nothing else.
"Come here right now!" Ragnar ordered.
Here…the form finally reacted. As Ragnar watched…a long, slender object suddenly began to emerge from the fold of the cloak, and go to the side of the figure. Ragnar stared a moment…but then realized what it was. He could see little in the darkness and shadow of the dimly lit night…but it looked like a sword.
Ragnar felt himself tense up.
It has to be-
The youth had to cut off his thoughts a moment later…for the figure suddenly came to life. Moving with inhuman speed, it crouched and then took off at the young general. To Ragnar's shock, the hundred foot distance was cleared in a second. The folds of the cloak spread out, and the sword went behind the figure's head. To his shock, the shadowy warrior was bearing down on him. He was stunned, and barely managed to raise Ragnarok in time to intercept it.
The blow was bone-jarring. Ragnar cried out in pain from the sheer force that the weapon was brought down with. Not only that, but it didn't cut. That amount of force against his atom edge would have turned a tank hull into scrap. The weapon of the dark warrior held firm, and immediately it ripped the weapon off and attacked again, with relentless speed and ferocity.
Ragnar, to his surprise, was soon being backed up. The furious dark warrior in front of him, still concealed and moving too fast to see within the cloak, began to gracefully and skillfully spin, twist, and advance, striking at Ragnar at every vulnerable spot. The youth was overwhelmed. He had never thought anyone this fast or strong existed. He struggled just to keep his balance and keep fighting back. But the moves kept coming, and he barely guarded against each one as he was forced further and further away, barely able to keep his arms moving fast enough and enduring the pain.
Suddenly, the warrior brought its sword back and swung it down again, looking to be in a killing chop. Ragnar quickly crossed his blade over on top of him and guarded himself, and felt the weight of the person bearing down on him when they collided. Immediately, it pushed his knees so that they were buckling, and his face became strained and agonized as he struggled to hold back against the power. Yet the cold, emotionless figure continued to push. While Ragnar grunted and groaned, it silently continued to bear down on him, looking to overwhelm him and slice him in half…
Ragnar nearly panicked. Fear for his life nearly seized him, cutting off the last of his senses and making him easy prey. But then, as he was backed into a corner…his battle instincts finally took over. His thoughts cleared, and he snapped himself back into his days of training. At once, his face tightened harder, and an angry look was blazed at the hood.
"You want a fight?" He challenged. "I'll give you one!"
With that, Ragnar suddenly twisted a leg out and planted it in front of him. Using that as a fulcrum, he twisted his body forward into a shoulder charge while sweeping his arm out of the way. The result deflected the overhead blow off of him, while at the same time enabling him to get to his feet and charge head first into the dark warrior. The opponent seemed confused by this, and quickly backed off before Ragnar could hit it. However, the damage was done. Ragnar was back on his feet, and planted himself on the ground. The dark warrior swiped its blade at him two more times, struggling to hit him. However, this time, Ragnar was ready. Balanced and focused, he managed to deflect both hits, and then used his own incredible speed to counter with a slash to the middle of his enemy. The dark warrior didn't show surprise, but was forced to break off its charge to guard itself. That was costly…for Ragnar immediately used its own trick on it, and brought his blade up and around to swing down overhead. The dark warrior, despite being concealed, showed some surprise in its body language before managing to raise its sword and guard. It too buckled a moment before it had the strength to push Ragnar off. It tried to move in with a swiping slash next, but Ragnar quickly leapt back to avoid this, and came back with a slash of his own before the dark warrior could advance again.
Snow flew up around them as the two warriors battled. Yet despite the noise from their weapons clashing, Ragnar saw no one else waking up. It was like the rest of the world had stopped when this foe came. However…they were evenly matched now. They advanced and retreated, but neither of them had a clear advantage over the other. They continued to clash and swipe, each one getting an edge only to lose it a moment later. Yet neither could prevail against the other. Ragnar's abilities were truly taxed, and he began to pant and tire, but he was holding.
As time wore on, and Ragnar felt his limbs beginning to weaken as he clashed with a cross slash of the enemy…he began to rethink his strategy.
This isn't getting anywhere… I need to focus.
And so he did. As Ragnar held in a clash, he closed his eyes for the briefest moment. He thought back to his training…about how he used to summon his abilities. It took a moment longer, what with him stretched out and strained as he was. However…the power did come to him. After a few moments, it flowed through easily, and he quickly summoned it into his blade. With that…his eyes opened, and their icy blue now shone with blazing light. The dark warrior in front of him seemed surprised…but not nearly as surprised as it was as when Ragnar's sword suddenly erupted into flame. The warrior was shocked and distracted, looking down at Ragnar's burning weapon.
That was all the youth needed. Grunting and giving one last yell, he shoved forward against the dark warrior. His strength proved superior…and the enemy was shoved away. But that was only to give enough room. Still yelling, Ragnar brought his sword back, swung it around and under him, and then gave an upward slash to the enemy's weapon, still dangling out in front of it from the shock. An immense cutting sound went out as the flaming sword sliced right through the opposing weapon, and one of its severed halves went flying into the air and to the side, still smoldering and burning.
The dark warrior snapped its head to the weapon…shocked. In its surprise, it dropped the smoking other end of its weapon. It turned back to Ragnar, only to suddenly find the youth right in front of him, with his flaming blade pointed right at the throat of the dark warrior. His face blazed with fury as he held it at his mercy.
"If you're Sephiroth…you're about to pay for what you did to my men back in Midgar." The youth coldly sneered. "Take off your hood. Now."
The dark hood looked back at Ragnar without movement for a few moments more.
Then, to Ragnar's surprise…the world turned black.
Immediately, the youth snapped back in surprise. Ragnarok's flame was still going, luckily…but the light was barely reaching in front of Ragnar. The dark warrior vanished into the gloom. The youth gaped and looked around in shock. After a few second, he looked overhead to the sky. A small, dark, ominous cloud had suddenly passed in front of the moon, plunging the world below into darkness. But that didn't make any sense. Ragnar hadn't seen any clouds in the sky when he came out with Aerith. It wasn't there a moment ago… He suddenly realized he was at a disadvantage. Quickly, he turned back in front of him, and kept his flaming sword at the ready. He thought of sending out a flaming arc in that direction…
But before he could do anything else, the cloud passed by the moon again, and the world was once again bathed in a white glow. However…the dark figure had vanished. Ragnar blinked, and looked around in front of him. But there was nothing. There weren't even tracks in the snow. In fact…the only signs that there had been a battle at all were Ragnar's own tracks (for his foe had apparently left none) and the two severed halves of the weapon that it had wielded. The rest of the field was silent. Ragnar gaped. How could it have run away so fast? It was only a moment that the moon was blocked…
"Where is he?"
Ragnar snapped around in a flash, and nearly wildly sliced through the person who had sounded that. Luckily, however…his reflexes managed to make him freeze right before his fiery blade collided with Cloud's own Event Horizon. The ex-mercenary was holding it up, and had leapt back in shock as Ragnar had spun around to hit him. Not only him…but the others around him as well had recoiled. He turned and looked…and saw that his friends, the Wutai operatives, and the spies had all come out, most of them barefoot in the snow.
"Whoa!" Cloud emitted as he pulled back. "Turn it off!"
Ragnar blinked a moment, but then calmed down somewhat. Swallowing, he released his focus, and Ragnarok's fire disappeared, turning it back into a metal blade. The people from Wutai, however, remained frozen in shock at what they had seen for most of the following conversation. After this, however, Ragnar's face turned upset again as he replaced his sword at his side.
"About time you all showed up and decided to give me a hand." He grumpily spoke. "How long were you planning on listening to the fight?"
On saying this, however, the others all formed confused expressions. They turned and looked to one another, all seeming equally puzzled at what Ragnar had said. The youth noticed this, and in turn became confused as well.
"What? What are you doing?"
"What the hell are you talkin' about, Scrawny?" Barret responded as he turned back to him. "We ain't heard nuthin'."
"The first thing I heard was you yelling out." Cloud answered as he too turned back. "I heard you cut through something, and then you said something about how if some guy was Sephiroth, you were going to kill them. You told someone to take off a hood. I thought Sephiroth had shown up, so I grabbed Event Horizon and charged right out. It was dark, and when the moon was revealed I just saw you standing right here."
Ragnar's face turned to confusion and surprise. "That…that's impossible." He answered. "You all have to have been sleeping through it. I was fighting this guy for nearly three minutes."
"It's true, Ragnar." Aerith said from where she stood, causing the others to look to her. She appeared regretful, but shook her head. "I've been awake since I went back into the tent. I didn't hear anything until you yelled."
The youth was flabbergasted. He looked back over to them, and they innocently shrugged. He realized they were telling the truth. None of them had heard him fight. Somehow…this person had managed to deaden the sound when they went into a battle. He remembered that the dark warrior was truly surprised when his sword turned into fire… Perhaps that broke its concentration, allowing them to hear him yell. As if to double check this, the youth looked to the sky. The others, confused, looked up as well to see what he saw. However, he soon gained more credibility as a result.
"Cloud…" Tifa suddenly said. "Wasn't it dark right when we came out? Like the moon was blocked?"
Cloud anxiously looked at the sky. "Yeah…but…"
"There ain't a cloud in the sky…" Barret answered. "What the hell…?"
The others paused for a moment longer, staying silent as they did so. While they looked at the sky, and saw that it was perfectly clear, without any sign of any cloud for miles, a loud yawn was heard from one of the tents.
"Why are you guys all up?" A distant Yuffie called. "Don't tell me it's time to go already…"
Cloud and the others ignored her. They looked back down to Ragnar instead.
"Tell us from the top what happened." The ex-mercenary ordered.
Ragnar proceeded to relate the story of the encounter with the dark warrior. He mentioned all the details about its appearance, what he had said to it, the following battle, and how he had cleaved its weapon in two, no doubt causing it to run for it.
"Where is the weapon now?" Cloud asked once he had finished.
Ragnar turned and gestured to the ground. Cloud immediately made for that, returning Event Horizon into its sheath as he did. The others were silent for a moment. However, at long last, Vincent, who had been standing with them and yet not saying anything, spoke up.
"…I regret to tell you that this probably wasn't Sephiroth." He began. The others turned and looked to him here, seeing him finally saying something. "From the sound of it…this one was too weak."
"Weak!" Ragnar retorted in disbelief. "It felt like it was going to take my arms off with each strike!"
"Then perhaps you are the one who is weak." Vincent simply replied, making Ragnar frown and bristle a bit. "Agile and powerful as this one was…I haven't heard you say anything to make me believe that it was any stronger than one of Kadaj's gang."
Barret frowned and snorted. "That ain't much of an improvement. So we got another damn Sephiroth clone runnin' 'round?"
Ragnar sighed and bowed his own head. "Well, at any rate, they had a great weapon. It stood up to everything until I chopped it in half with my flaming sword."
At this point, Cloud began to return to the others. The severed halves of the weapon were in either hand as he approached. He began to hold them up, causing the others to turn and look to them. "…I don't know how to tell you this, kid…" Cloud slowly answered to Ragnar's statement. "…So just see for yourself."
As the man arrived and held the weapon out, Ragnar and the others turned and looked. Immediately…the youth's eyes widened.
"…A…broom handle?"
It was indeed a broom handle. It was metal, but that was the only durable thing about it. Other than that, it was a smooth, lightweight shaft with a hook on the end for hanging from walls. It was cut in half in the middle, but other than that showed no damage. Not a single scratch from any of Ragnar's strikes. Barret actually reached out to one of the handles while they stood there. He took it from Cloud, grabbed it in his two huge fists, and gave a twist. Immediately, it flexed and snapped under that small amount of power, for it was hollow.
Ragnar stared at it a moment, but then up to the others. His face turned indignant. "I'm telling you…this thing held up to Ragnarok! I couldn't chop it to save my life!"
"I didn't say I doubted you, kid." Cloud answered reassuringly. "Broom handle or not, we sure didn't bring one of these things with us for this mission. And even if we didn't, I know you aren't in the habit of telling lies to get a rise out of us. And that cloud didn't just disappear into thin air."
"What does this mean then?" Tifa asked. "We know Sephiroth had the power to cast illusions and alter the weather…but to be able to turn something mundane like a broom handle into a weapon…"
"And what if it wasn't Sephiroth at all?" Aerith asked. "It didn't sound like him. But if it wasn't…then who else would it be? And how else would they know we were here?"
No one had an answer. But now…they were filled with considerable more unease. Although Ragnar had repelled this attacker seemingly easy enough, that didn't explain who it was and why they had come for them. There was a chance it had nothing to do with Sephiroth at all. But if that was the case, then why did it attack them? Why did it conceal itself? How did it know where they were? There were no answers to any of these questions. There were only more things that left the group more confused and uneasy.
Ragnar looked around a moment, first to the confused group, but then to the even more confused surrounding spies and soldiers. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, and then looked to what time it was. He frowned slightly, and then turned to the others.
"…Well, there's nothing else we can do now except be on guard. It's getting late. We better change."
To be continued...