Note: Here are some good news: only two more chapters left!; one of them is already written; and I'll want to get them up pretty close to each other, so next time I update, we'll be super close to the end!
Published on: 04/16/2017
Chapter 19
Sunrise found the camp quiet and still. Hundreds of tents littered the plain, but only the wind whistled softly between the tarps and flapped open pieces of fabric. The blankets, the food, everything easy to pack had disappeared.
First Class was long gone, a vast array of mismatched vehicles tracing their way north in a cloud of dust.
Sephiroth sat atop the partially open roof of a jeep, watching the field ahead and the troops behind. The driver kept his eyes straight ahead; he had quickly learned not to worry about his commander's precarious position. Sephiroth's feet were propped on the passenger seat, bracketing Genesis' shoulders. Radio in hand, his friend peered through the windshield and distributed orders as necessary. Zack rode in another car and led their second column. The Highwind lumbered along above their heads.
A bike with two passengers surged before the jeep, crossing their path left to right. Cloud glanced back at them from behind his shades. Valentine clung to his waist, a pair of binoculars in his flesh hand.
"Everyone slow down," Genesis said in his radio, nodding to their driver. "Get to 30 mph."
As the troops braked, one lone vehicle detached from the mass. Sephiroth heard the roar of Cloud's engine as he shot forward in the stretch of desolate wildlands still separating them from the city walls. Dawn drew long shadows and pit traps behind each rock, each outcrop and ledge, but Cloud navigated the terrain with enviable grace.
They stopped about a mile out. A few moments later, Valentine's clawed hand rose to the sky, reflecting golden rays of light in every direction. The tune of the Highwind's rumble changed as the massive airship moved forward and turned to present its flank to Midgar. The machine gun they had loaded on board barely fit on the open lower deck, but it whined and rained its deadly seeds in front of the bike.
The ground blew up.
As the Highwind followed the city line, it triggered the ring of buried explosives that would have decimated their ranks, opening the way in a continuous geyser of dirt and rocks. The troops cheered.
The noise was deafening enough that Sephiroth didn't hear the first gunshots until he realized Cloud was racing back to them, Valentine awkwardly turned on the saddle to aim his rifle behind them.
"Snipers!" he snapped at Genesis.
"First line artillery, prepare to return fire," he relayed dutifully.
Hidden Deepground troops had shed their camouflage behind the mines and aimed at their two scouts. Troopers led cover fire until Cloud crossed paths with Sephiroth and Genesis' jeep.
As soon as he cleared their back bumper, Cloud braked, planted a foot on the ground and executed a tight turn, Valentine's coat highlighting the dramatic effect of the manoeuvre. As the bike drew parallel with them, the ex-Turk jumped next to Sephiroth. He stood tall on the car roof and proceeded to decimate the shooters.
They were coming up to the enemy line. An impact slammed into the bulletproof windshield, then another. In one smooth motion, Sephiroth stood up on the back of Genesis' seat, slid a foot to the top of the windscreen, drew Masamune and intercepted the bullet that would have taken one of their front tires off. To the driver's credit, the car barely swerved.
Genesis glared when his coat's hemline nearly hit him in the face, but otherwise made no motion to stop him as he bounded down to meet the fight head on. One of them had to stay and direct the troops. It was selfish of Sephiroth to saddle him with the duty, no doubt, but his frustration of the past few days demanded an outlet.
The Deepground soldiers had hoped to take advantage of the mines' damages. Deprived of this leverage, they were quickly overrun. Still they didn't flee, staying in formation and attacking with single-minded determination. Sephiroth demolished one group after another, moving nearly too fast for the eye to see.
Per Genesis' orders, their column was moving straight through the battlefield; they didn't have much time to lose with the small fry. As a result, Sephiroth found himself jumping on and off vehicles, ducking to attack and then moving back too late for his opponents to avoid an incoming bumper.
In his peripheral vision, he was aware of Cloud's bike weaving through the chaos, never straying far from him. He drove one-handed, one of his swords parrying gunshots and cutting through enemies with the ease of long habit.
A Deepground grunt managed to latch onto the door of a truck's cab. He shot the driver in the head before he could reach for his weapon and hauled himself through the window. The co-driver threw himself at him to prevent him from taking control of the vehicle. In their struggle, the truck veered and teetered like a drunken chocobo. The cars following behind tried to get out of the way, but they didn't have much room to manoeuvre in the heart of the column. If it toppled, the pileup would be catastrophic.
Sephiroth saw all this from the top of a transport further west. He eyed the hundred feet separating him from the scene, calculating, then searched around. He turned Masamune to catch the early morning sun, shining its rays straight through a pair of shades. Cloud looked up, frowning. One gesture of the chin and, though Sephiroth saw his lips thin, he came closer. Sephiroth stepped off the roof, catching himself with one hand to the transport's side. Cloud sidled up to him so neatly he only had to let himself drop in the backseat.
They jetted through the spaces in the vehicle lines and made it to the truck just as the Deepground soldier raised a grenade. Sephiroth leaped to the door and snatched it out of his grip.
It was already unpinned.
The thought had barely crossed his mind before it was plucked from his hand too. Cloud reared back and managed an impressive throw. It soared in the sky where it exploded harmlessly. Sephiroth only caught it from the corner of his eye, as the trooper left in the cabin had finally managed to jam a knife in his opponent's throat and he had to help him stabilize the truck during his death throes.
Sephiroth opened the cabin door and threw the corpse out. Cloud avoided it with grace, already moving off. The soldier awkwardly moved around his colleague's body to claim the driver seat. Only when he addressed him a grateful smile and a shaky salute did Sephiroth nod, close the door and hoist himself on the truck's roof.
By now, they had cleared the first line of defence and neared Midgar's walls. The Highwind was off to the east, opening the way for Angeal's men. Sephiroth jumped from vehicle to vehicle to return to the head of the column. He reached it just as their scouts blew the massive doors wide open.
There was no more resistance as they streaked through into the city proper. They stopped there, their rearguard disembarking and fanning out. They would seize control of the area and set up a safe outpost.
Sephiroth slid to the ground. He heard Cloud's bike come to a purring stop by his side. They stared up, at the places where they should have been able to see the railway and highway leading above Plate. Curtains of grey sunlight peeked through the two gaping holes. The rails and the road had collapsed on the houses underneath. Cut wires and melted beams still swung slowly hundreds of feet above the wreckage.
Cloud sighed.
"It's nothing unexpected," Sephiroth said, although the amount of destruction was sobering.
"It's déjà vu all over again," Cloud muttered.
He threw him a curious look.
"Did you fail to mention your involvement in another invasion of the city?"
"Well… it can't be called an invasion when you're heading an army of, like. Six."
He shrugged. Sephiroth shook his head in bemusement.
He turned to Genesis and Valentine who had come up behind them.
"We'll be going," he said to his friend.
Genesis nodded. Then, in an uncharacteristic bout of affection, he stepped forward to hug him. It only lasted a split second, barely long enough for Sephiroth to tense in surprise.
"Take care," he said, and the weight behind the words made them more than the throwaway farewell they could have been.
Sephiroth inclined his head, genuinely moved.
Turning to Cloud, Genesis added:
"You'll have his back like you had mine. We are all a little broken inside, and certainly I've got my share. But if your personal madness costs Sephiroth his life today, I will see to it that you join him to the grave."
Sephiroth raised incredulous eyebrows, but Cloud's sole reaction was a sombre nod.
"I wouldn't fight you."
Genesis nodded back and returned to his car.
"What was that about?" Sephiroth frowned.
Cloud shrugged without answering. As he was about to press, Vincent butted in softly:
"It is a heavy burden to keep on living when your weakness has cost others their lives."
He and Cloud shared a look of perfect understanding.
It churned Sephiroth's stomach. He couldn't fathom willingly wilting away under such a weight. Guilt for having made a mistake, he could grasp. But guilt for failing to achieve something? Sephiroth knew and fully accepted his limits. He was a warrior, not a saviour. He took lives, he didn't preserve them. When Genesis had lost his mind, he had measured his responsibilities and refused to shoulder the blame. The accidental injury he had caused Genesis may have been the trigger to his degeneration, but something else would have taken that role sooner or later.
He snatched Cloud's arm, startling him into looking back at him. His seething green eyes met his and held them captive.
"If I die today, it will be by my own weakness. Do not cheapen my existence by summing it up to those of your acts you aim or fail to aim at me. You once told me my future was my own, Cloud Strife. I am writing it. You do not even get to touch the pen."
Both men were staring at him. Whatever voice Vincent heard behind his words, he kept to himself, but he turned abruptly away. Cloud looked down, clearing his throat.
"Yeah… I… um… yeah…"
He set a timid hand on his wrist.
"How about you just… don't die?" he suggested meekly.
Satisfied with his embarrassment, Sephiroth scoffed and strode past him.
A soldier rushed to take Rain's bike out of his hands. He let go and followed after Sephiroth on autopilot.
He felt numb. At the same time, his heart beat far too loudly in his ears.
Whatever Sephiroth said, guilt wouldn't be extinguished so easily. It was a foe too personal, too raw and intimate to be brushed away by someone else's convictions; otherwise, his friends' love and kindness would maybe have long ago soothed his heart.
And yet, Sephiroth's words had ignited something inside him. Once again this man had effortlessly touched him, and though he didn't understand the gentle warmth burning in his chest, he revelled in it all the same, unable not to marvel at it.
By the time he caught up to Sephiroth, he had already settled himself on the passenger seat of the transport waiting for them. He didn't look at Rain when he took the wheel, but it didn't prevent the warmth from kicking up a notch at the notion that he was deliberately letting him drive. The vehicle lurched when Vincent embarked in the back, taking his seat next to a row of SOLDIERs. Sephiroth unhooked the car radio.
"Silver Elite unit," he said in the device, "prepare for departure."
Rain's lips twitched.
The name of the units had been Cloud's idea. He had claimed that they would be easy to remember for most members of First Class and Genesis had been predictably quick to laud the proposition. Zack, flustered, had tried to argue against it, but Sephiroth had accepted the logic of it with perfect indifference. A desperate Zack had tried to argue that Rain should have a vote too, despite not being a unit leader. But the puppy dog eyes had had little effect this time: Rain had struggled to maintain his poker face as he shrugged and claimed the idea seemed reasonable to him. It had then been followed by a call to Angeal to inform him of the decision taken in his absence. As the master had proceeded to react in a way very similar to his student, Rain had accepted a hidden fist bump from Cloud.
As a result, their column split into two units: Sephiroth's Silver Elite and Genesis' Study Group. Zack's men, who had entered through the next nearby gate, were Red Leather and Fair. The Study Group and Red Leather units were to junction together under Genesis' orders, crushing the enemies on their way. From there, they would spread east through the slums to meet with Angeal and Lazard's Keepers of Honour and retake the entire below Plate Midgar.
The Silver Elite and Fair units, however, were to meet directly at the Shinra tower.
Rain started the car and led the way forward. The rest of the unit was quick to form around them. They headed out, driving further into the shadows under the Plate.
For a moment, all was eerily calm. There wasn't a single soul in the streets. The only sound they could hear was the echo of the engines reverberated to them from the grim building fronts.
Suddenly, around a corner, a barricade stood in their way. The cars managed to stop in good order, but before anything could be done, a hail of gunfire rained on them from above.
Deepground airborne troops soared overhead, covered by more snipers in the nearby buildings. However they had expected a similar tactic, and only the sturdiest vehicles had been picked to come this far into the city. Despite the racket and the cobwebs forming on the windshields and windows, they stayed safe.
Two men in protective gear jumped out of transports, shouldered rocket launchers and blew the barricade to smithereens. The cars started on their way again, charging through the flaming debris. Taken aback, the jet packs veered to try and head them off, only to be plucked from the sky by their return fire. Rain huffed in annoyance at the cracks in the glass now hindering his field of vision.
An hour and a few more ambushes later, they reached the behemoth-like foot of the tower. The Fair unit was already there.
Zack saluted them with a jaunty wave when Rain, Sephiroth and Vincent joined him.
"Glad you three could make it!"
"Everything alright?" Sephiroth asked.
"Yeah. It's even been strangely quiet since we got here, to be honest. Like they think we're going for a dead end, so it's not worth it anymore to worry about us?"
"Or they want us to think precisely this. Remember, they have no reason to suspect we know their base of operations is Reactor Zero."
"Well yeah, that's true… but still. You sure about that hidden door, buddy?"
Rain shrugged in answer.
"Even if I'm wrong, a rocket should make a nice new entrance."
"Hah!" Zack laughed. "Top-grade architectural feat there. Let's go, then."
He waved at someone. Rain followed his gaze and saw a medic unit huddled inside a truck. Aerith waved back. She was pale but her smile didn't waver. Rain looked around and spotted Cloud, Tifa and Nanaki standing with troopers around the vehicle. Cloud's eyes were already on him. Rain hoped his look expressed everything he had not known how to say. He suspected it fell short, but Cloud's watery smile told him it was more than enough. He nodded, his heart in his throat.
Turning, he led the way in.
In another life, Meteor's Fall had collapsed a good part of Shinra HQ on itself. Deepground had been stuck underneath, unable to get out, prisoners for three years in their own private hell. It had hardened them, fed their hate of the surfacers to the point where they became little more than rabid dogs. Very few had survived their uprising. They hadn't been able to afford to let many live.
But Rain still remembered how it had started. People had been investigating the ruins of the tower, trying to piece together all the parts of the huge machinery that had held the world under its heel for so long. There had been a TV report, something about a sealed door located deep at the foot of the building. The investigation team had opened it, then disappeared in Shinra's bowels. No one had heard from them again. A few weeks later, Deepground had begun their attack on the world.
Rain had meant to look into the disappearances, wary of anything that had Shinra's mark all over it, but by the time he was back on the continent from a delivery, it was already coming to a head. It did mean, however, that he was well informed.
Huge pillars dotted the landscape around the foot of the tower, meant more to intimidate than to support the structure. They also served to obscure anything behind them, and with the city lights all turned off, it was very dark under there. Zack had a few cars turn around to shine their headlights in. It awoke a few monsters which he and Sephiroth made short work of.
Meanwhile, Rain was doggedly picking his way through rubble and garbage. Shinra had gone far to ensure the area looked devoid of interest. Even scavengers would find nothing of worth here.
He stopped at the top of a boulder and grunted in satisfaction. A barely noticeable dirt road led between the pillars and straight to the wall.
He jumped to the ground and hurried down the path, absentmindedly cleaving an aggressive Cripshay in two. The rest had the good sense to scatter away. A heavy stone slab rested against the wall. Rain pushed it out of the way. The door was of regular size, its scuffed metal blending well with the concrete.
Zack whistled.
"Wow, okay. Not doubting you anymore, man."
"Most of their supplies come from the tower," he said. "But the 'subjects' that aren't from the army have to enter somewhere."
Somewhere out of the way, where no one would notice or care that these people weren't here of their own free will. Sephiroth's hand landed on his shoulder. It squeezed carefully. He realized then that his grip was too tight around Remus' hilt. He forced himself to unclench, released a weary sigh and nodded.
The cars circled around and parked along the dirt road while they pried the door open. Sephiroth, Rain and Vincent entered first, Zack following after with multiple SOLDIER squads.
It didn't take long for their intrusion to be noticed. The grey, too clean corridors soon echoed with gunshots, shouted orders and the clang of blades.
"Spread out, First Class!" Zack yelled in the radio. "Let's clean out this level!"
Rain had lost Sephiroth in the fray. He caught sight of the hem of a black coat swishing by in a nearby corridor and started running after him, but slid to a stop in front of a closed door.
"Hm."
He made short work of the locking mechanism. The door swished open and he was immediately greeted by gunfire. He ducked to the side, but not before spotting a vast silo-like space. The floor dropped away and a thin catwalk crossed the void to a cylindrical structure in the centre.
"Sephiroth," he called.
Bless the man's hearing. He appeared out of nowhere a few seconds later, Vincent in his wake. Rain tilted his head to the empty room. Sephiroth sneaked a look, gracefully swivelling out of the way of more bullets.
"An elevator?" he guessed.
"Going down. That's our clue."
"The shooters?"
Rain poked his head through the door for a moment.
"Airborne."
He shared a look with Vincent and let him take his place near the door. A few gunshots later, the way was clear. They crossed the catwalk to a huge circular platform.
"We've found the way down, Zack," Rain said in his radio.
"You got it," came the crackling answer. "See you on the other side, guys!"
Vincent pushed a button, starting the platform's descent.
"This is hardly the most discreet way of making an entrance," Sephiroth said, eyeing the elevator shaft as it passed around them. It was a good forty meters across.
Rain rolled his eyes.
"That's Shinra for you. What do they hope to get down with this thing, a truck? It wouldn't pass through the door."
Sephiroth snorted in agreement.
"If this is the only way in, they'll be expecting us. We'd better be prepared."
If the door at the top of the elevator was man-sized, it was not so for the entrance to Deepground's realm.
Its peek appeared without warning at the edge of the platform and rose above their heads as they continued their way down… and down… and down…
"… Wow," was all Cloud said when they finally lurched to a stop in front of a ridiculously tall gate. Plumes of steam billowed from the heavy locking mechanism as it began its ponderous swivel.
"Feeling smaller than usual, Cloud?" Sephiroth couldn't resist teasing.
The man threw a baleful glare his way.
"Feeling like I'm the last person who can be accused of overcompensating, for once," he retorted.
Sephiroth chuckled. The lock retreated inside its housing and the door slowly slid aside, revealing… another door. Cloud's shoulders sagged under the strength of his sigh and Sephiroth had to hold back a laugh. When that panel started moving, finally, harsh electrical light filtered through to them. They trekked forward, weapons in hand.
Their footsteps echoed on the metal platform. It was all Sephiroth could see of Deepground's den: metal. A dim, cold artificial light bathed it, in more places than not glowing a sickly green. They were far above the ground, as the entire complex appeared to be a gigantic cavern. Catwalks, stairwells, huge pillars and the occasional partition had been set up to create a veritable maze. But the confusing mess parted in front of the elevator, granting them a stunning view of the central masterpiece of the place: the Mako Reactor Zero.
Right in front of the panorama, their welcoming committee awaited.
Despite his white hair, Weiss the Immaculate couldn't have been older than Zack, seventeen years old at most. Yet Sephiroth remembered his own destructive potential at that age, and it was as much a warning not to underestimate the young man as the merciless, cold eyes that dissected them from afar, already searching for any trace of a weakness. There was rage in him, Sephiroth could tell, made more dangerous by how tightly leashed it was.
He wasn't alone, either. Dozens of Deepground troops stood motionless on catwalks all around them, guns trained on them.
For a moment, all stayed silent. Weiss didn't bother with pleasantries or threats. In fact, he didn't say a word.
Sephiroth exchanged a glance with Cloud.
Without warning, the room exploded into action. The echoing clicks of multiple safeties being released; Masamune whistling through the air, its strikes leaving luminous afterimages as it cut through metal like butter; the shriek of steel and men alike as entire platforms toppled into the void below; Weiss flying straight at Sephiroth only to be intercepted by Cloud in a clang of warring blades.
There was no turning back now.
Unseen and unheeded, Vincent slid from one shadow to the next. The chaos around the gate worked in his favour as he hooked his clawed hand on a railing, swung around it and dropped soundlessly on the catwalk below.
"Leave us to deal with whatever awaits," Sephiroth had said. "Your goal is to find President Shinra. If you get an opportunity to take him hostage, do so. Otherwise, if he is too well guarded, come back to guide us."
For the son of Lucrecia, Vincent would obey. The President was a vicious parasite whose greed had poisoned his entire company, a man who had indiscriminately supported even the most heinous experiments in the hope that it would grant him just a little more power than he already had. As the hand and the funds behind Hojo, he was nearly as responsible as the good doctor himself for everything that had transpired in Nibelheim. For Lucrecia's death.
But if her son said he must live, he would. At the very least until he reached the end of his usefulness.
For the most part Deepground was quiet. The occasional squad would run toward the gate, no doubt to offer help against Cloud and Sephiroth, but the majority of the troops were on the surface. Despite the confusing layout of the place and the lack of good hiding spots on the suspended walkways, Vincent could avoid enemies without trouble, and even managed to pick off a few stragglers without their comrades being none the wiser.
It didn't take him long to figure out that the men he crossed paths with all came from the same direction. Nodding in satisfaction, he followed the trail.
He knew instantaneously when he got in earshot.
"What is that whelp doing?" Shinra was blustering, his already grating voice made all the more insufferable by how whiny it was becoming. "You assured me your precious first Tsviet was more than enough to take care of even Sephiroth!"
Vincent had to get closer to hear the answer, pronounced in the genderless monotone of what could only be a Restrictor.
"… but to fight alone against two…" they were saying.
"That's why we're sending away all those soldiers that should be guarding me, aren't we?" Shinra interrupted.
Vincent sidled around a pillar. The President and the last Restrictor stood behind a few squads of blank-faced Deepground troops. About a dozen men and women in white coats huddled in the back of the scene, at least until Shinra whirled and barked at them to "make yourself useful and find a solution, you damn fools!" Then they jumped to their feet and scattered around monitors like so many sparrows.
Vincent circled the spot, trying to find a route that would allow him to get close to Shinra. He only needed to drop on the man and point his gun at him. Then, if Rain's intel stayed as reliable as it had been until now, the Restrictor would back off to preserve their master's life, and with them, it would be all of Deepground on the verge of laying down their arms.
But he could see no way to accomplish this without having to fight his way through. He would have to go back for Sephiroth and Rain, after all.
"There! Did you see that?" Shinra squeaked suddenly, and Vincent froze.
A low murmur of the Restrictor trying to reassure him.
"I know what I saw!" Shinra exploded. "A shadow! Moving! Someone got through your useless protection! This place is driving me crazy. Enough! Get me out of here right now!"
Swearing in his head, Vincent backed away as fast as he could go. Whether the man had actually seen him or his paranoia was acting up, the result was the same.
It didn't matter, he told himself. Sephiroth and Rain were blocking the only way out.
Then there was the purr of an engine from behind him.
His luck was not holding out today.
Rain and Sephiroth had switched places a few times by now, alternating fighting Weiss and keeping the reinforcements at bay.
It was as always slightly distressing to Rain to note how well they worked together, but there was little time to muse on it. Sephiroth counted on him to have his back and he was not going to let him take a bullet because he was distracted.
Because he was the furthest from the gate, he was the first to hear it. Then he saw it: a strange flying contraption, jetpack-like, but bigger. It held up two people, he realised as it came closer; and the burnt red suit of one of them was unfortunately familiar.
He made to back off, not liking where this was going, but his opponents chose that moment to surge forward and he had to push back or risk letting them break through. President Shinra and his black-robed protector passed overhead, the despicable man cackling his delight.
"Kill them, Weiss!" he yelled at the Tsviet. "Do not disappoint me like your brother. I want them dead! Don't let them come after me!"
Rain couldn't turn to watch Weiss' reaction as a fresh batch of enemies ran down the stairs toward him, no doubt the last of Shinra's guard detail relieved from their function. The song of blades meeting and Sephiroth's grunt at least told him he was obeying, preventing Sephiroth from intervening himself.
Rain was desperately searching for a way to turn the situation around before the fool disappeared when a gunshot rang.
Heart giving a hopeful twinge, he glanced over his shoulder just long enough to see the jetpack sputter and fail. Shinra let out a shriek, but they had already passed the gate and been on their way down. They landed on the platform without damage and the Restrictor lost no time activating the elevator.
Vincent surged out of nowhere and bolted after them, but it was already too late.
He returned a few moments later, grim-faced, to help him against the troops who, more than ever, fought without any regard for their own lives, throwing themselves with single-minded determination at the intruders. It made Rain sick.
"Cloud!" he heard, and the tone of voice was enough to make him duck away, alarmed.
At first he saw nothing to justify the call. Sephiroth appeared to hold his own well enough against Weiss, although neither of them had managed to draw first blood yet. But then the duellists changed positions, and he saw Weiss' face.
His blood ran cold.
"Weiss!" he yelled. He had to stop and grunt as he blocked the downward strike of a swordsman and tripped him away. "I'm the one who killed your brother!"
It was a lie. Genesis had been the one to deliver Nero's finishing blow, but they were well past the point of bothering with semantics.
Weiss froze. For a moment he stood immobile, pale eyes riveted on Rain, nostrils flaring with more than adrenaline.
"I killed Nero!" Rain said again.
"No," he finally growled, the very first words he pronounced. "You didn't. He did."
He twirled his dual pistol swords. His body began to glow. With a great cry, he unleashed a shockwave that toppled everyone around to the ground. Sephiroth, who had been standing the closest to him, was sent flying off the platform.
"Sephiroth!"
By the time Rain fought back an unwelcome and unexpected burst of panic by remembering that there was little chance of the man dying so easily, Weiss was gone. He struggled to his feet and fended off the soldiers doing the same around him.
Vincent and him were finally getting rid of their last opponents when Sephiroth hoisted himself back to their level, thin-lipped in something that looked a lot like offense. It was easy for Rain to ignore the knot that unwound in his chest, because at that moment, an unholy racket reached them from the elevator shaft.
They ran to the gate. Sephiroth reached it first and slid to a stop, forcing Rain to collide with his extended arm. A huge slab of steel struck down in a cloud of dust in front of them, shaking the ground. Heart sinking, Rain recognized it as a fragment of the elevator platform. Its borders had been neatly cut off by very sharp blades.
"He's out of control," he whispered.
"Going after the President?"
"Definitely."
"Then let's get to him first."
Bounding up the shaft took them much more time than Rain would have liked.
"My apologies," Vincent grunted, jumping off an outcropping beam. "I should have stopped Shinra from fleeing."
"I know you did your best, Vincent," Rain panted, catching him and swinging him higher. He dislodged Remulus from the wall and launched himself after him, slapping his hand into Sephiroth's for a boost. "He's insane, anyway. Launching himself straight at the war he started."
"My guess is he's aiming for the top floor," Sephiroth said, pushing himself off with so much strength he looked like he was flying more than jumping. Rain found himself staring at his powerful thighs and blinked, taken aback.
"And the helicopter pad," he groaned in realisation.
Sephiroth grunted in agreement.
They found the platform blocking their way at the top, but the triangular hole cut in it was just as good as an invitation. They jumped through, startling a First Class squad that had been peering down with wary faces.
"Sir!" the men said in unison, snapping a salute as soon as they recognized Sephiroth.
"Which way?"
They pointed west without a word. They bolted through the passageways.
"Zack?" Sephiroth said in his radio.
A burst of static, then their friend's voice:
"Hey, you're back in range! What's up? You already—"
He cut himself off with a yelp. More static exploded on the link.
"Was that… President Shinra?" he said in complete bewilderment.
"Where are you?"
"Upper floors, moving toward Plate level. Ask anyone to show you the elevators."
"Noted. If you see a white-haired teenager running through, intercept."
"Shhhit," was Zack's heartfelt answer. "You hear that, First Class? Anyone see our last Tsviet, stop him at all costs! I'm going after the President!"
They came out in one of the largest rooms on the floor. Rain remembered passing through here earlier. The entire floor must have been secured, because people were already bustling around a makeshift hospital, setting up beds and bandaging the first injured. He caught a glimpse of Aerith amidst the bustle, looking at them with wide eyes.
"Rain!"
Whirling around, he spotted Cloud signalling him down a branching corridor. He flew by with a nod of thanks.
Way too many corridors, elevators and stairwells followed. The place was a confusing mess that made no architectural sense. At the third elevator they found, Sephiroth heard Cloud give a groan of despair. Still they forged on.
They found two SOLDIER squads crumpled along the way, presumably mowed down in their attempt to obey Zack. At least they would have slowed Weiss down. All they could do was radio in the men's positions to the medics and hope they would find more than dead bodies on arrival.
When they finally crossed above Plate and made it to the official company's lobby floor, a trooper saluted them.
"Sirs!" he said over the sounds of battle in the background. "This is the floor we are currently securing. You won't find any backup above, except for First Class Fair. His current position is unknown."
"Noted, sergeant," Sephiroth acknowledged.
"Also, the elevators are down."
"The gods exist," Cloud sighed in relief.
"You prefer the stairs?" Vincent asked, doubtful.
"I know these stairs. I have no reason to doubt their value. These stairs and I have had a long and fruitful relationship."
"And they give no one motion sickness," Sephiroth prodded, smirking, as he led the way to the stairwell.
Cloud blinked. To Sephiroth's delight, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. He cut his eyes away and didn't answer.
All banter aside, from the smoke exiting the closed elevator doors, Sephiroth assumed they had been sabotaged by Deepground in order to slow down their progress. This was mixed good news, as it had to have happened before the President made it here. He would be taking the stairs too, which would slow him down, but also give Weiss a chance to catch up.
Whether they were now aware that their last Tsviet was hot on their trail, the Restrictor had obviously given orders to cover Shinra's retreat. They discovered Deepground bodies flung along the walls of the staircase like so many rag dolls. Sephiroth noticed with interest that there was less blood than when they had found the SOLDIERs below. Most were probably only unconscious.
They had to stop on Floor 34. The stairs above had collapsed to their level in one massive landslide. There was not even any jumping over it, and cutting a passage open would have risked the structural integrity of the entire shaft.
"Looks like the stairs have betrayed you," Vincent commented.
Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Shut up. The stairs are awesome."
As proof, he pushed open the outer door. More Deepground troops lay in a heap on the landing, weapons knocked out of their hands.
They crept into the level proper, hoping to find their target close. It was a bureaucratic space, filled with printing machines and meeting rooms. All was strangely quiet.
"What are you doing?" a voice yelled suddenly. "You must obey me! Don't you dare…!"
They rushed in that direction, bursting in a large office room filled with empty cubicles. Sephiroth caught a glimpse of unruly white hair and flew forward, nearly tripping over a… cat? Brushing it off, he intercepted the strike that would have taken off—he dared a glance over his shoulder—Rufus Shinra's head.
The son of the President looked shaken, but as usual, he was quick to recover.
"Sephiroth. Thank you for your assistance. I did hope to meet you…"
He was cut off by Vincent's shooting, then Cloud running in to provide backup. Weiss evaded or blocked all attacks. He jumped backward, still coiled for action, seething.
"Out of my way," he growled. "Shinra took away my family. It's only fair I annihilate his."
"If you think President Shinra cares about anyone but himself, you are sorely mistaken," Sephiroth shot back. "Did he give his son any influence over Deepground at all?"
Weiss paused to mull over this.
"Of course not," Rufus scoffed. "Deepground is his precious toy. I wasn't even aware of its existence before his dramatic unveiling."
Weiss gritted his teeth. Sephiroth recognized the signs, but as before, was too close to avoid it. The shockwave washed over him and it was all he could do to brace himself and not let himself be swept away.
There was a cut-off curse as Cloud wasn't so lucky, caught mid-stride and sent flying with various partition screens. Other voices merged with his in cries of alarm, betraying the presence of employees hiding behind their desks. Sephiroth only glanced away for a split second, but when he turned back a big chunk of ceiling was collapsing to the floor and Weiss was nowhere to be seen.
Sighing, he made to follow.
"Wait, Sephiroth," Rufus said, pushing himself off the floor and brushing various office paraphernalia from his white jacket. "I need to talk to you. When my father is gone, I'll be your best chance to recover control of the company. You have the military with you, of course, so I'm willing to strike a bargain—"
Typical Shinra. At least Lazard had managed to become someone halfway decent despite that rotten DNA.
"I need protection!" Rufus insisted when he ignored him and kept moving toward the hole in the ceiling. "Deepground are all over the tower, they'll be coming to investigate this racket—"
"Reeve?"
Sephiroth stopped. That had been Cloud's voice, although tinted with disbelief. He looked around, but though Vincent had already joined him, he couldn't see the time traveller anywhere.
"Cloud?"
A blond head popped comically from a mound of privacy screens. Cloud stood up, brushing away the dividers. He was helping another man to his feet.
About thirty, black-haired, clad in a sharp dark-blue suit, the man looked rather alarmed to be the recipient of Cloud's earnest attention. Sephiroth recognized him as Reeve Tuesti, the head of the Urban Development department. Rather incongruously, he was clutching a limp cat toy to his chest. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. Didn't he last see that cat launching itself at Weiss?
Cloud turned to him, grave.
"This is Reeve Tuesti. We'll need him. He can't die."
Well.
Reeve was gaping. Rufus had arched a single, sceptical eyebrow. Other employees poked their heads around their hiding spots in curiosity.
"What do you propose?" Sephiroth questioned, so unruffled by the request that Rufus' contempt changed to astonishment.
"Sephiroth," he sputtered. "Tuesti is just a desk jockey. I should be—"
"I'll stay here. You keep after Weiss—"
"No," Vincent protested, which was just as well because it prevented Sephiroth from doing so himself. "I stay. You go."
Cloud blinked.
"You sure?"
"Yes." He cocked his rifle. "Go. We'll be fine."
Cloud's lips curled up.
"Thanks. I'll be counting on you then."
Sephiroth launched himself to the next level, hearing Cloud's footsteps and Rufus' last protests follow after him.
Zack huffed, tired and frustrated.
Damn these stairs, seriously.
He bent over his knees to catch his breath. He had lost sight of the President and the Restrictor half a dozen floors ago. He wasn't even sure anymore that he was on their trail. For all he knew, they had stopped way before and he was chasing shadows. What level was he even at? He had lost count. He squinted at the letters on the wall. Floor 49.
Floor 49?
Hey! The SOLDIER Floor!
He perked up. Maybe it was foolish… but he didn't even know where he was going anymore. He could just check the place for clues. Yeah, clues! It would only take a few minutes.
He cautiously pushed the door open. When no gunshots greeted him, he sidled inside, sword in hand.
The lounge area was deserted. In the dim emergency lights, the familiar room looked cold and forbidding.
Maybe this was a mistake. What was he hoping to find here, anyway? There was no sign of the President passing through. Shoulders heaving in a sigh, he was turning back to the stairwell when the door slammed closed.
He jumped back, sword raised, before he even saw the silhouette standing between him and the exit. Then he blinked, hardly daring to believe his eyes.
"Kunsel…?"
His face split in a wide grin.
"Kunsel! Man, I was looking for you! I'm so happy to see you!"
He made to step up to him, arms already open for a hug.
The tip of a sword appeared in front on him. He stopped cold.
It was Kunsel alright. He was wearing a full uniform, including the helmet, but that was per Kunsel's habit and Zack had known the man too long not to recognize him on sight. There was something, though… Beneath the visor, his Mako eyes glowed too strongly in the half-light. Kunsel's had never been so bright.
And that uniform was a Deepground one.
Zack's arms sunk with his stomach.
"Oh no, man," he whispered, heartbroken. "Don't tell me they got you."
Kunsel didn't answer. His face remained blank, as expressionless as any Deepground grunt. He swung his sword and attacked.