I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
Chapter Three
Silent Edge
It was raining when they arrived in Edge. And empty. Not a soul was to be seen; not even a WRO member. Claire wanted to run off to see if her house was okay but she restrained herself to worry about the people before it was her house. Pulling her wet hair off of the back of her neck, Claire kept a hand on her sword as they gazed around to corner, looking for any sign of movement.
"You don't think…they're all dead, do you?" She asked.
Vincent shook his head. "I don't know, but I think that-" He cut himself off and whipped around. His gun was pointed into the face of a woman while she had her own gun pointed right back at him.
The woman was wearing a white lab coat over a pink and blue skirt and tank top and blue heels. She had reddish hair and glasses with a closed left eye and a limp, robotic left arm. Claire saw the name tag on the woman's coat and placed a hand on the barrel of Vincent's gun. He lowered it.
"You work for WRO" She stated.
"Who's asking?" The woman asked, still pointing her gun. She then gave Claire better look. "I've seen you before. You and a couple of others are in a photo on Reeve's desk." She lowered her gun. "Did Reeve send you?"
"Yes." Claire answered. "He did. I'm Claire Strife and this is Vincent Valentine." She held her hand out with a smile.
The woman returned it and took her hand after putting her gun away. "My apologies. Shalua Rui, of the WRO. The commissioner has told me much about both of you."
"What happened here?" Vincent asked.
"That's what I would like to know. I'm here on other business but something's not right."
"Of course not." Claire growled. "I live here. It's way too quiet and I don't care if it dark and raining; there's always someone running around."
Shalua nodded in agreement as she walked around the two of them. "There's been no trace of Deepground or the squads that were sent to fight them. And the 500 people that are supposed to live here seem to have vanished." She paused. "Well this is getting us nowhere. Like I said, I have business to attend to. I'll see you around." She turned to walk away.
"Business?" Vincent wondered.
Shalua looked back at them. "The Commissioner keeps telling me I'm wasting my time searching."
"Searching for what?"
"My reason to live." She answered before walking away again.
"No, there's absolutely nothing creepy about that," Claire sighed, turning back to their mission.
Only two Deepground Beasts attacked them as they began to travel through the streets and alleys. Claire lived her so she knew the streets like the back of her hand so they quickly came across a wounded WRO member in an alley close to the house she shared with her brother and Jeanne. He was badly wounded and bleeding but it was too late to save him. Even Materia wouldn't…
"Ambushed…by…soldier…in red…" The man struggled to tell them. "Squad…wiped out…" Claire bit her tongue. It pained her to see anyone in such a state. "Warehouse…on the…edge of town…They…were gathering…civilians…"
Claire let out a cry as the man's line suddenly broke and covered her face with her hands as Vincent closed the man's eyes. It took her back to Nibelheim all those years ago, watching as her town was destroyed by Sephiroth and Sienna. It was like a repeat all over again!
~Soldier in red~ Rang through her head as she pushed herself off her knees. ~That soldier is mine!~
When they arrived to that city square, Vincent shot all the snipers down from the roofs and Claire slashed the Deepground members that were chasing down a young boy. It brought both Claire and Vincent flashbacks about the events from a year ago. What was really funny was that the boy the men were chasing, was one of the Geostigma infested that Kadaj had gotten his hands on. Almost like a repeat of itself, huh?"
"Barry!" Claire recognized the child. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
The boy stopped quivering and looked up at her. "Claire!" He sounded relieved before hugging her. Claire and Jeanne took care of the Geostigma children when they had them so of course they knew eachother. "You're here to fight those badguys, right?" Vincent nodded. "They took my family. They're through that gate. Do you have a card key?"
"No," Claire answered. "We don't. Jeanne has the only one that my house has.
"Come on," Barry walked past them. "I know someone who does. Follow me."
Claire looked at Vincent He only shrugged and followed the boy. Claire was a bit nervous for the boy's safety but followed as well. Of course more of the Deepground soldiers tried to kill them but they were no match for Vincent's aim and speed.
"Don't worry, Vince," Claire smiled as the followed Barry up the stairs of a house and back out into the rain and bridge like structure,. "When I get more bullets, I'll be able to help you some more."
2 Deepground Hounds jumped out of the window and tried to carry the boy off, but Claire's sword beat them quickly.
"Your sword is good enough help for me.." Vincent told her. "Just like before."
Claire gave him a little push as they reached a door. She remembered when Jeanne gave her this sword and then taught her how to use it. Some of the best memories ever, next to -"But who was it that told me and taught me to use a gun, huh?"
Vincent closed his eyes at her comment and shot another Deepground soldier. Barry picked up the keycard he dropped. "I did."
"Right. You did."
The young boy handed the women the keycard. "There," He said. "That should let your through."
Vincent gave him a small smile. "Right. Thanks, kid."
Barry lowered his head and the both watched. "Avenge…" He sobbed. "I couldn't do…" Vincent took a step forward to do something as the boy cried but he changed his mind. "Mom and dad…right there but I couldn't move…I was too scared…but…" Vincent couldn't take it. The young boy sounded so much like him on that horrible day. He kneeled down in front of him. "Please! Help me avenge their death!"
Claire watched as Vincent reached out to grab Barry's shoulder but he dropped his hand and just stood up and walked away. Barry watched him. Claire rolled her eyes and knelt in front of the child this time.
"You remember where my house is, right?" Claire asked him.
"Y-yeah," Barry wiped his eyes. "
"I want you to go there and wait for me, all right? Here," She pulled two phones out of her pocket. Her black one and then a blue one. She dialed a number in the blue one and then held it out to the boy. "If you get into trouble, or you get to the house before you run into any, I want you to call me." The boy reached out to take the phone. "I'll talk to you, come get you, understand? No matter what."
Barry looked like he was about to cry some more. "Promise?"
Claire smiled and hugged the child. "Promise. And if anyone but me answers it, ask for me and they'll find me."
Barry jumped into her arms. She hugged him back. She had a very special bond with the children that had gone through the Geostigma like she had. She didn't want to see them suffer anymore.
"I'll call you when I get there." Barry told her.
"Good. I'm sure that there's some food still in the kitchen and you can sleep in the first room on the second floor, okay?"
"Thank you, Claire. I don't know how to thank you. For all that you've done since Midgar fell…"
"Don't worry about it. We have to look out for eachother, right?" She ruffled his hair. "Now be careful and go get some rest, all right? I'll be by soon."
"You know," Vincent began as they watched Barry run off before continuing themselves. "Not many people carry two cellphones."
"Three." She corrected him.
"What?" He asked in surprise.
"I had three. I was bringing them back for Marlene and Denzel, but now there's only one so they'll have to share." S
She then sighed. "I hope Denzel likes pink."
Vincent let out a snort that sounded like a laugh he was trying to cover as they continued to walk.
When they made it to the steel stairs, they peered around the corner. They were lined with tons of Deepground soldiers and cans of gas. Claire got an idea.
"Vince, let me see your gun for a second." Vincent raised an eyebrow in suspicion. The last time that he had let her hold his gun things did not bode well for Ole' Cerberus. Claire blushed, knowing what he was thinking about. "I'm not going to run off with it and throw it off Cosmo Canyon again, I swear!"
"What are you going to do?" He asked, still in suspicion.
"Just trust me!"
Vincent sighed and handed her Cerberus. He watched cautiously as she aimed and fired. The cans of gas exploded, obliterating any signs of Deepground soldiers. Claire gave a happy squeal and laugh before handing back his gun.
"See, I told you to trust me. Now there's no one here to attack us."
Vincent shook his head. "True, but you also just gave off our position to all the other soldiers."
Claire's smile turned into a frown. "Have to ruin my fun, don't you?" She grumbled as she began walking up the stairs.
Vincent waited a moment before smiling, following her up. He admitted that he had missed her and if Lucretia wasn't in the line-wait! What was he saying? If he had never met Lucrecia, then he never would have had Hojo perform that sinful experiment on him and he never would have met Claire to begin with. And if he ever did then he would have been old and wrinkled. That was have been awkward. Can you say pedophile?
No, everything was-
Vincent's thoughts were cut off by more shooting. He put them on hold, fired back, and glanced around the fenced area they were now in. There was only one way out besides the way they had just come and it was a door. Vincent reached forward and pulled it open.
"Ladies first," He gestured with his free hand, Claire giggled and walked in.
He place was full of cargo boxes and seemed to be empty of all forms of life until Claire and Vincent walked further in. It was an ambush!
A large man from Deepground jumped down with two large guns on his back and attacked them while more soldiers fired from the rafters. Vincent took care of the shooters, leaving Claire with the big man.
"All right, seriously?" She placed her hand on her hips. As he pulled his gun off his back. "Do you really need a gun that big? Are you compensating for something?" There was no reply, but a fired bullet. Claire narrowly dodged it before drawing her sword. "All right, you don't like games. Let's just get this over with this." She waited patiently for him to fire again before running past it and behind him. Her sword easily slid through his side and he fell to the ground when she pulled it back out. "Where to now?" She asked Vincent. He said nothing, but mounted the stairs and headed for the exit door. She smirked and followed him. "Up is out." She quietly called to no one in particular.
It was still raining outside, and a woman, clearly with Deepground due to her clothes, with long red hair and a red, cape-like thing hanging from the back of her hips. Stood out in it, staring at the sky.
"You know," she said in an accent. "This is the first time I've ever felt rain on my skin. But then again, I haven't even seen the sky until a few days ago." She lowered her head and looked at her right hand after glancing at Vincent and Claire. "So you are Vincent Valentine, one of the Keepers of the Protomateria. And that means you are Claire Strife, the one Weiss wants.
Claire's face turned to shock. "What? Me? Why does he want me?"
"Protomateria?" Vincent asked. That sounded familiar…
"Yes," The woman decided to ignore Claire's questions and began to walk towards the two of them. "The key to controlling Omega. We know you have it." She held her hand out. "Hand it over and I'll kill you quickly." Vincent only stared at her and blinked once. She laughed. "Not one to bargain, are we? Then I'll make sure you suffer." She quickly, like a cheetah or something, ran behind Vincent and Claire, pulling out that strange weapon of hers. "Time to die."
Vincent pushed Claire out of the way and dodged the woman's attacks. He was even able to dodge the bullets that she fired at him but with that speed of her's, she ended up surprising him and punching him into a wall.
"Vincent!" Claire cried. She rushed forward, drawing her sword now. The woman in red laughed and attacked her next. It was then that she remembered what that WRO member had said. This had to be the Deepground soldier he had been talking about. That only made Claire angrier and she lost herself, allowing to have herself thrown into another wall herself, a thin, yet deep, cut from the woman's blades running across her chest.
"Ha!" The woman walked towards her. "That was easy. I don't see why Weiss would want you. You're so weak." She grabbed Claire by her hair and lifted her up. Claire grit her teeth and slowly reached behind her for the knife that she had in her back pocket. It was small but it got the job done when she stabbed it into the woman's arm. She let out a scream and dropped Claire back to the ground. Claire tried to stand up but was kicked in the face. "You are feisty, though. I give you that. And before I take you to Weiss, I shall teach you a few manners."
Claire tried to strike back, but he woman was strong and fast. Blow after blow came until, as she readied herself for the next one, they stopped. She watched as the woman in red backed away from her, holding her weapon up in defense as a pair of arms cradled Claire gently before lifting her from the ground.
It was Vincent holding the bloody and beaten woman, though he had transformed again. He looked more like a human this time, but he had large red wings and glowing eyes as a scar traveled down the side of his face.
Chaos.
"Vince?" Claire asked but she had to cover a fit of coughs.
As if enraged, the being holding her let out a large roar. An orb of red and white domed over the two of them. Claire closed her eyes, covering them with her hands as a fierce wind blew around them. When it settled down, she glanced around and saw that their attacker was gone and Vincent was once again his normal self, though breathing hard. She went to speak his name again but her chest began to throb in pain. She clutched it, all remembrance of the blood seeping from her body making its way back to her mind. Claire tried to say his name but her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fell limp.
Vincent knew she was in trouble and that he had to do something but he felt himself slipping away as well. He tried to take a step forward but he fell backwards instead. The last thing he saw was a pair of blue heels.
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