Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Ch.17 Assault on Shinra
Once Zack and I stopped struggling and trying to make Angeal release us, he carried us to the Shinra Building and stopped in front of it. Sephiroth was there, mowing down and defeating Genesis clones with fluid ease. Once the last of them were dead Angeal lowered us to the ground, dropping Zack and I next to the silver-hair. Zack grinned, saying "Sorry to keep you waiting." "You're late," he replied crisply. I rolled my eyes. "Nice to see you too," I replied. Angeal grinned. "Sephiroth, have you lost weight?" he asked. Sephiroth merely grunted, and Angeal's smile faded. "On to business. It's safe to assume that Hollander ordered Genesis to eliminate Hojo," he informed us. At that I frowned. Oh, just great. "Hojo, of the Science Department?" Zack asked, and they both nodded.
"Yes. He believes Hojo robbed him of his rightful position," Angeal said. "Then they'll be targeting the Science Department itself, right?" I asked. Sephiroth scoffed, saying "Forget about Hojo." Angeal frowned and said "You're in your usual mood, I see. Sephiroth, take the floors below. Zack, Jace, you up. Hojo will be your responsibility. I'll handle things outside." All three of us nodded and split up, Zack and I running inside for the elevator. As we did I grimaced- so we were supposed to protect Hojo. While I knew of my required duty to Shinra, this one was a mixed bag. On one hand I hated Hojo with every fiber of my being and would like nothing more than to see him burn, and all of Shinra along with him.
At the same time though, I knew that if Zack and I failed to protect Hojo then we could be punished, me especially. They might even do something to the people I knew back in my home of Nibelheim. The thought of either Cloud or Tifa gunned down by squad of soldiers was enough to make me control myself. Zack was thinking about something else entirely, and turned to me as we ran. "Right now, I have no idea what Angeal is up to, or what he's thinking. Do you?" he asked. I shook my head. "Not a one. But we are fighting the same enemy right now, right?" I asked. Zack smiled and nodded, looking back ahead. "Yeah, we are. And that good enough for me. All right, the Science Department is this way," he told me. We boarded the elevator and pushed the button for the 67th floor, riding it up.
Once there the door opened to show that six Experiment No.97's were running around. The fiends stopped when they saw us though, and as one all barked and snarled before charging. I unsheathed Potentia and jumped forward, moving through them and kicking at one that tried to bite me. Zack pulled his sword off of his back and cast Gravity, causing all of the experiments to slam into the ground. With that done Zack charged and swung at one of the beasts' severing its head before he turned to the others. One leaped at me and managed to sink its fangs into my arm before hitting me with Shock Whip. I gritted my teeth in pain and channeled a Thunder spell through my arm, which hit the Experiment and flung it through the air.
I pursued the beast and jumped, shooting a Fira spell and blasting it from either side with fire. It fell to the ground, unconscious and burning, and I turned to kick a third one that had lunged at me in the face. Zack suddenly paused as he could feel a Limit Break activate, and held up his sword. "Here we go! Chain Slash!" he called. He leaped forward and two Experiments ran at him. Zack swung with blistering speed at total of six times, cutting apart the two monster with three hits apiece. Both of them feel to either side and weakly tried to get up before going limp. The last two monsters charged at me, and I put away my sword, drawing my revolvers and shooting both of them in the head. They feel to the ground and I put my guns away, saying "Let's go."
Zack nodded and we both kept going. We searched in each of the rooms but failed to find Hojo until we opened the last one. The egomaniac was standing there with a clipboard as calm as ever, as if there wasn't an invasion going on. Zack sighed. "Whew, you're safe," he said. "Unfortunately," I added, but I did so quietly enough that I wasn't heard. "Shh! Please, be more quiet..." Hojo said in that same nasal voice I had grown to despise. "This building is under attack. They might be after you, Professor Hojo," Zack revealed. Hojo looked up from his clipboard, appraising the two of us. "Ah, Jace Salutare. So you and your friend are my protection?" he asked. Hoping with all my might that looks could kill, I glared at him and said "It would seem so."
"In any case, we have to evacuate. Will you come with us?" Zack asked. Hojo chuckled. "Please. Degrading monsters are nothing to fear," he said. Zack tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Are you... talking about Genesis?" he asked. "Indeed. A memento from an unenlightened era, where man could deem any unclassified life form an Ancient," Hojo responded. "Unclassified life form?" Zack repeated. I paused in my glaring, saying "You're talking about Jenova, aren't you?" "I am. The calamity that fell from the sky," Hojo said. Zack had no clue what we were talking about, and said "Uh..." Hojo snorted. "Your ignorance is of no consequence. SOLDIER's duty is not to think- it is to protect men who think for them, like me. It appears you're not keeping very busy," he said. I glared at him. "We just finished fighting off a pack of your experiments that got loose, you four-eyed prick," I said venomously.
Zack jaw unhinged at the blatant disrespect I had for Hojo. Even if he didn't know or really like him, Zack still acknowledge Hojo as higher up in Shinra than him. But I wasn't Zack. Hojo took the insult without remark, saying "Did you not say I might have unwanted company? Are you prepared to defend this brilliant mind with your life?" That brought Zack out of his stump, and he pumped his chest out. "Of course I'm prepared. 'Come and get it' is what I say! I'll show them the power of a next-generation SOLDIER 1st Class!" he declared proudly. Under normal circumstances I would have chuckled, but right now I was too busy keeping myself from wringing Hojo's neck. Instead it was he who chuckled, saying "Most encouraging. I won't abide any losses to some second-rate scientist's creation."
Just as he said that though, I saw something float in the air above Hojo, slowly drifting to the ground. It was a single feather... that was colored black. I gasped and looked up, drawing my sword as I saw Genesis himself lower from the ceiling. Zack drew his sword as well, but Hojo merely smirked. "Well, look who's here! Hollander sent you, correct? You think that if you obey Hollander, he'll stop your body from degrading, is that it? Pitiful... just pitiful, I say," he said. "Genesis!" Zack said, charging. But the ex-1st merely sidestepped the blow, while Hojo laughed. "A second-rate like Hollander couldn't cure a cold!" he exclaimed. Genesis glared at Hojo and drew his rapier, but just then Angeal walked in. "Genesis, that's enough!" he called. Hojo raised an eyebrow, asking "Ah, what do we have here?"
Genesis lowered his blade. "'My friend, that fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess'," he quoted. "The entire cast of Hollander's freak show!" Hojo commented. I was about to snap at the bastard, but then Zack beat me to it by saying "Shut up, you!" "LOVELESS, Act IV," Genesis stated. Ignoring what Zack said, Hojo added "Where two friends challenge each other to a duel. An ancient epic. I thought reading it might aid my research, but... pure drivel." Angeal raised an eyebrow. "How does the duel end?" he asked. "Unknown. The last act is missing, yet to be discovered," Hojo told him. "There are various theories. The mysterious gift of the goddess... What is the meaning behind it? For us, at least," Genesis thought aloud.
There was no reply, as Zack, Angeal and I didn't know, and if he did Hojo didn't care to say. Genesis turned away from us, holding up his hand. Energy gathered around it before he shot a ball of fire forward, blasting a hole in the side of the building. He jumped through and flew upwards. "Hold it, Genesis!" Zack yelled. Angeal grabbed both of us and flew out of the hole after Genesis. We found him hovering over the roof, smiling. "'My soul, corrupted by vengeance hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey in my own salvation... and your eternal slumber'," he quoted, before flinging his arm to the side. A blinding light appeared, and I groaned. "The bastard's summoning again!" I called. "Zack, Jace, I leave this to you. You can do this, trust me," Angeal said. "Huh?" Zack said, but then Angeal dropped both of us.
I landed and bent my knees to absorb the impact, while Zack yelled and just barely managed to turn his fall into a roll. Angeal turned and began to flying away, and I called "Wait! Hold on!" "Don't leave us here! Stop! Come back, Angeal!" Zack said, but he was already gone. Zack's phone began ringing, and I wonder who of all people who be calling now. When Zack answered he said "Hey, Aerith." I rolled my eyes. Of course it was my sister. "Aerith? Listen, can I call you back? Jace and I have some company," Zack requested. Aerith said something back and he smiled, replying "Count on it. Bye." He hung up, and I sent him a questioning look. "What did she say?" I asked. "She said for us to not keep our guests waiting," Zack told me, drawing his sword. I smiled at that, and drew Potentia. "That we won't," I said.
We ran forward and Genesis finished the summon, flying away as Zack and I were enveloped in light. When it faded we saw that we were surrounded by a green dome, and hovering beyond the edge of the rooftop was the golden and stronger version of Bahamut, Bahamut Fury. Said beast roared at us and we stood our ground, looking at each other. Nodding, we charged. Bahamut cast Flare and the entire area turned red before the air turned to pure energy, exploding. We just barely managed to shield ourselves with an MBarrier spell, and attacked once the blasts was settled. Zack slashed at the beasts and struck sparks off of the golden plating on its skin, not managing to cut through. Bahamut Fury growled at his attempts and swung the back of its arm at us, creating a burst of wind that forced Zack to slide back several feet.
Seeing that swords were no good I put away mine, and drew my guns. I was about to aim for its head when the beast swung again, and instead I fired at its arms as I flew back. Three bullets made it through the created holes in the armor, and once I stopped sliding I followed it up with two more. "Okay Zack, try it now!" I said. He nodded and charged again, stabbing his sword at one of the bullets holes. It worked and his sword pierced through, and Zack pulled it sideways to tear an even larger hole in the armor. Bahamut Fury roared and used Hexafang, the six spikes on its wings shooting off and aiming at us. Four of them fired at Zack and he stopped, jumping back to avoid the first, then twisting and ducking to avoid the second and third. The last came at him and he saw able to knock it off course.
The fifth and sixth spikes flew at me and I rolled to avoid the fifth, vaulting myself forward and shooting while the sixth hit the ground where I had been. Now that Zack had widened the gap in the summons's armor I fired ten shots, all of them hitting its skin and dealing damage. The spikes rose back out of the ground and reattached themselves to Bahamut Fury, who used Cluster Sphere and sent out a trio of light orbs. One hit Zack in the chest and exploded, sending him flying and I jumped up and grabbed his arm. The other two came at us but I shot one out of the sky while Zack slashed the other in half. We landed back on the ground and Bahamut Fury roared, enraged over the fact we weren't dead yet. It now knew- time to use Exaflare.
It flapped its wings before flying up... up... and up until we could no longer see it. Beyond the atmosphere it roared and fired its six spikes again, having them fly forward and surround the moon. A trail of energy passed from each one to the ones next to them, creating a ring around the floating rock. Bahamut Fury gathered every last iota of strength it possessed into its mouth and fired, hitting the moon with all of the energy. Instead of destroying it, the ring around the moon caused the rock to absorb all of the power, glowing fissures beginning to appear on it. I saw it coming and called "Shit!" But just then I could feel a Limit Break on my own appear. No, it was a summon Limit Break- the regular Bahamut's. Raw blue power appeared around my blade and I drew it, seeing the energy draw itself in and storing the energy within Potentia. Looking over I could see flames begin to envelop Zack, and I realized that he had activated a summon Limit Break as well- Ifrit's.
From back on top of the Shinra Building, we could see the light all gathering at a single point on the moon above us, growing brighter and brighter until it finally exploded, firing down a colossal beam of power. At that same time the Megaflare attack of mine reached completion, and I yelled "Take this!" Before swinging my sword and firing a blue orb of energy the size three houses. The two attacks met and the beam stopped, pushing against orb while the orb did the same. Despite the power of my attack I was worried- there was a reason Bahamut Fury was stronger than the normal Bahamut. Slowly the blue orb began to be pushed back towards us, and I feared we would be hit with both attacks. But then Zack said "Okay, here we go! Hellfire!"
He literally leaped into the air and shot like a comet towards the Exaflare attack, hitting the Megaflare and surrounding himself with its power. The two attacks combined were holding off the Exaflare, and from only a little above us now Bahamut Fury watched in shock. No human could oppose it. But then Zack yelled and shot forward, breaking through Exaflare and destroying it while he flew at Bahamut Fury. The dragon managed a roar of surprise before it was hit and both the Megaflare and Hellfire attacks exploded, hitting it with a double-blast of untainted strength. Bahamut Fury roared before falling down to the ground, and Zack fell with it. Bahamut Fury hit the ground first and nearly caved in the roof with the force of the impact. Zack landed much more softly and put his sword away.
The dragon's body began to slowly become enveloped in light, and when it faded a pair of red materia were left in its place. Summon materia. We each picked one up and pocketed it, before the green dome around us faded and revealed that Genesis was gone. I grunted. "So he got away," I said.
The assault on the Shinra Building has been dealt with, but is to come next?
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