CHAPTER NINETEEN

The Nibelheim Incident

'Sure is raining hard…' Zack muttered to himself, peering at the muddy road as it emerged from the rear of the truck, disappearing amidst the silhouettes of the Velamyu Forest's armies of evergreen.

The sky had been overcast for the duration of their journey across the Western Continent, showering the countryside in spurts of heavy downpour as their vehicle sped through fields and woodland alike. It seemed like an eternity since the squad had left Midgar only a few days previous, and Zack was yet to fully recover from the weariness of their long flight across the ocean aboard one of the Junon Air Force's Gelnika airships. Now, lost in a haze of his own thoughts as he listened to the soothing patter of water on the tarpaulin roof of the truck, he turned suddenly as the young Shinra soldier beside him groaned.

'I hate motion sickness.' grumbled Cloud, his head buried between his knees.

'I wouldn't know.' replied Zack, laughing at his friend. 'I've never had it.'

'Then, you're lucky.'

'If you're feeling bad,' said Zack, 'why don't you take your helmet off?'

'I'll be alright.' he said, breathing hard as the wagon bounced once more on a pothole, the thick tyres of the vehicle careering over the rough trail.

Zack stood, stretching his legs for the first time in hours. Around him, the hold shook, rattling under the weak suspension. At the head of the truck, the driving soldier could be seen beyond the glass partition of the cab, his concentration focused on the weaving road before him. A third soldier rested on the floor below the panel, partially concealed in the shadows of the thin fluttering walls. Taking his gaze from the man, Zack glanced down, quietly admiring the dark sleeveless poloneck and combat trousers of his uniform, feeling only pride as he had each time he donned the outfit in the months since being promoted from Second Class. I despised that stupid purple colour…

He began to pace back and forth across the short length of the compartment, unable to mask his excitement as he thought about his mission to Nibelheim. Although he had been informed by the Company that the location of their mission was Mount Nibel, his superiors had been reluctant to disclose much more. As his mind raced with possible explanations to the disturbance, each as absurd as the last, Zack looked up to see the pale green Mako eyes of Sephiroth watching him.

'Settle down.' he said coolly, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the weapons crate, his tone one of authority. 'You're acting like an anxious kid.'

'Sorry…I'm just…'

'Restless, huh?'

'Yeah.' nodded Zack. 'So, are you gonna brief us on the assignment?'

'You haven't been properly briefed yet?' asked Sephiroth.

'I only know what you've told me.' said Zack.

'I thought as much.' he sighed. 'But, you should at least know that this isn't a typical mission.'

'What do you mean?'

'The distress call from the workers inside the Nibel Reactor mentioned irregular malfunctions,' explained Sephiroth, 'so the Executive's immediate assumption was that AVALANCHE had breached the security at the facility. However, they had only been shown the first part of the message.'

'Some of the transmission was kept from the Executive?' gasped Zack. 'But…why?'

'The President felt it would be best not to alarm anyone of the situation; the latter part of the message contained an incomplete communication about the Reactor itself producing brutal creatures.'

'Brutal creatures?'

'Sounds familiar, don't you think?' said Sephiroth sullenly, reading Zack's reaction. 'And on top of that, there have been reported sightings from the townspeople of strange dragons in the area, apparently inhabiting the caverns within the mountain. Our task is to locate the source of the problem and neutralize it, but all this is very unusual.'

'What do you think it means?'

'I'm not sure.' said Sephiroth, frowning. 'Heidegger has classified this assignment as top secret given what's happened with Lazard and the SOLDIERs sent after him. That's why I was brought in. It suggests that the circumstances are quite serious.'

'What about our contact?' said Zack. 'Did they confirm any of this?'

'The Turks were sent to scout ahead, but they were unable to find anything new.'

'And the workers?'

'That's just it…' said Sephiroth in a low voice, 'we lost contact with them a number of days ago. It seems every last one of the Reactor's employees is missing…'

'But…'

With a tremendous surge of power, the truck lurched unexpectedly sideways, throwing Zack to the floor. His head smashed hard against the plated steel, taking him a few seconds to regain his bearings. The grinding whir of tyres rang out as the vehicle spun from the road, screeching to a halt against a cluster of thick elm trees. Sephiroth rose slowly to his feet, unflinching as the truck quaked violently a second time, his cold stare burning through the torn tarpaulin.

'Sir!' cried the driver, scrambling for the steering wheel. 'Something big just crashed into us!'

'It would appear,' he said grimly as he grasped the blue handle of the Masamune, drawing the sword from its sheath, 'that we have found one of our dragons.'

Stepping casually over the fallen boxes that had been strewn across the trailer, Sephiroth leapt from the rear of the truck, landing with ease on the worn trail as his boots sank into the damp earth. Zack pulled himself up and, snatching the Buster sword from over his shoulder, darted to join his Captain.

He felt his clothes become instantly heavier as he braved the torrent of rain, mopping the matted spikes of hair his from his eyes as he waded through the troughs of sludge. Sephiroth had already circled the truck, luring the magnificent beast from the damaged vehicle. The dragon was almost twenty feet in size, its enormous clawed arms causing the ground to tremble beneath them as it lumbered after him. Its scales were emerald green in colour, fading into a pallid shade of purple on its underbelly. A rigid spine of dark grey lined the beast's bulky form, separating its spanning wings, thinning to become two curling horns at the tip of its jagged snout.

As it approached Sephiroth, the creature bellowed, its thunderous roar reverberating across the forest. He waited without motion for it to close on him, the Masamune clutched before his elegant figure in an offensive stance, his jaw firm as he tracked the monster with his fierce glare. Its nostrils smoking, the dragon reared back on its hind legs and, with a mighty surge, breathed a wave of powerful flames over its foe.

Zack gasped as the intense blaze engulfed Sephiroth, submerging him within the inferno. Tongues of fire bounced harmlessly against the glowing spherical barrier around him, his arm held aloft as the Shield Materia created a solid wall of impenetrable magic. For a few seconds the beast continued its futile onslaught, the flames retreating at last to its gaping mouth. Sephiroth lowered his hand, the faint shine of the Materia in his forearm diminishing, completely unscathed by the blast.

The parted fringe of his silver hair clung to his cheeks as the downpour became ever-harder, his darkened gaze lowered to the muddy trail. With a flash of movement, he was upon the startled animal, his sword slicing effortlessly through its stomach, spilling its intestines across the ground. The beast howled in agony, flailing wildly in an attempt to protect itself. Leaping high into the air, he lunged at its neck, dragging his blade across its throat. The dragon gargled as blood caught in its gullet and, as it fell to its knees, Sephiroth showed no compassion for the dying creature, the tails of his black coat fluttering ferociously in the gale as he returned without expression to the truck.

* * *

The remainder of the journey through the rough terrain of the Velamyu Forest was without further interruption, bringing them at last to the outskirts of the rural town late in the afternoon. It was a short distance from the gateway to Nibelheim that their ride rumbled to a halt under Sephiroth's command, the Captain conscientious in his approach into a settlement riddled with uncertainty. As soon as the vehicle stopped, he unlatched the rear barrier, dropping gracefully onto the grass. Cloud and the accompanying soldier followed immediately, leaving Zack alone in the trailer for a moment, gathering his thoughts as he slotted his weapon onto his back.

Grinning eagerly to himself as he pondered his chance to once again prove his worth as a First Class to Sephiroth on the mission, he dashed forward and launched himself in a summersault from the truck. Gazing up triumphantly as he landed on the soft ground with perfection, he let out a disappointed groan, realizing the others were already striding towards Nibelheim, oblivious to his antics. In frustration, he slammed the door of the van, waiting a few seconds for it to pull away before jogging to catch his companions.

Sephiroth stopped beneath the frail overhanging gateway at the entrance of the town, surveying the settings beyond as he absorbed the location. A silent path of paved granite ventured deeper into the boundaries of Nibelheim from where they stood, lined on both sides by broad houses of pale sandstone. An ancient pickup motortricycle lay rusting in a small garden at the edge of the road, its decrepit exterior sheltered from the world by a white fence of painted wood. The shadow of Mount Nibel began to shape as the cool sun of late summer appeared in the dissipating overcast sky, cautiously slithering over the redbrick rooftops towards the party. At last, Sephiroth nodded to himself and again faced the soldiers, his attention trained on Cloud.

'How does it feel?'

'How does what feel?' Cloud said, finding no understanding to the question.

'It's your first time back here since you joined the Army, right?' said Sephiroth.

'Yeah.' he muttered.

'So, how does it feel?' Sephiroth said again, turning away from them. 'I wouldn't know…I don't have a hometown…'

'But…what about your parents?' asked Cloud.

'I was told very little about them.' he replied, his voice cold. 'My mother's name was Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me.'

'And your father?'

'He…' Sephiroth sighed, chuckling callously to himself as he clenched his fists. 'What does it matter…?'

He started along the pathway, not once looking back. The three followed without sound, sharing brief glances of unease as they pondered what memories had caused such a reaction in their superior. Jenova? Did Sephiroth just say his mother's name was Jenova? The narrow street guided them north through the town, the ground gradually inclining as they walked. The old oak shutters of windows and doors had been bolted closed on many of the homes, their hinges clattering in the whispering wind, the resonance broken only by the eerie chimes of swaying bells.

They were brought after a while to the wide clearing of the town square, wispy mists of dust swirling nonchalantly at their feet as it was blown to and fro in the mild draught. The water tower at the centre of the square was as he envisaged it from the town's profile; the wooden frame that encased the well's pump holding solid despite decades of rot, the small turbine at its height rotating hesitantly. General stores and traditional shops marked the circumference of the area, their signage grimy and tattered as if they had remained unkempt for a great length of time. To their immediate left, there stood the grand building of Gramps' Inn. It had become a local legend in previous years for the magnificence of the three-bedroom annex that extended out over the main doorway, somewhat spectacular amongst the duplication of the surrounding structures.

'The place is oddly quiet.' said Zack, surveying the deserted square.

'Too quiet.' agreed Sephiroth.

'Everyone must be staying in their houses, afraid to come out because of the monsters.'

'Maybe it's us they're afraid of.' muttered Sephiroth, his nose twitching. 'The stench of Mako is pretty bad here.'

Crossing the short distance to the inn, they came suddenly to a halt as the twin mahogany doors of the tavern swung open, both SOLDIERs hastily drawing their weapons. A female Turk strode from the entrance, her straight brown hair flowing behind her as she approached the party. She was small in stature, the black suit jacket of her uniform taut around her petite figure. With a smile and flicker of her sparkling hazel eyes, she holstered the automatic shotgun she carried, and quickly saluted Sephiroth.

'Samantha?' Zack laughed in surprise.

'Hey, Zack.' beamed the girl. 'How are you?'

'I'm good.' he said. 'And you? It's been a while.'

'A long while.' added the young soldier, his voice tinny through his mask.

'Huh?' stammered Zack, gazing confusedly between his friend and the Turk. 'You two know each other, too?'

'We've worked together once before.' said Samantha. 'Right, Cloud?'

'Enough of this.' snapped Sephiroth. 'Have you anything new to report?'

'No, sir.' answered Samantha, unfazed by his impatience. 'Nothing has changed in the last three days. Everything has been arranged as planned.'

'Good.' said Sephiroth. 'Then, we leave for the Reactor at dawn. We'll be spending a lot of time on foot tomorrow, so make sure you get to sleep early.'

'What do you want us to do until then?' asked Cloud.

'We only need one lookout for the moment so Zack, you come with me just now.' he said.

'And me?' said Cloud.

'You may visit your friends and family.' replied Sephiroth, turning as he made his way towards the doorway of Gramps' Inn. 'The other is on guard duty for the next four hours.'

Zack scurried after him, glancing back briefly as he heard Samantha ask Cloud about his hometown, but scolded himself for eavesdropping on his friends as he entered the inn.