Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Nine
Only one soldier remained in the front car when Cid, Yuffie, Cait and Barret finally reached it. He had remained at his post while his comrades went forth to bring down the rebels. The sound of the wind and the train kept him from hearing what was going on. He heard the Eagle Gun roar into life, and its screech nearly burst his eardrums. As he heard the gunfire, he relaxed. The rebels would not be able to stand up to firepower like that, he was sure.
So he was surprised when he felt a hard tap on his shoulder and turned to see Barret standing over him. Around him were the other rebels, staring at the soldier with a quiet malice.
"What the!" the soldier gasped, startled. "You… you guys!" The soldier was horrified. These guys should have been dead by now!
Barret took a step forward. The soldier stepped back warily. The former AVALANCHE leader loomed over him, grinning malevolently. He touched a button on his gun-arm, and the chainsaw atop it whirred noisily. The soldier paled beneath his helmet.
Cid came forward to stand beside Barret. "All right—" he said, his tone sharp, "—Just hand over the Huge Materia!"
The soldier took another step back. The chainsaw on Barret's gun-arm spoke volumes. Desperate, he reached for his rifle.
He only managed to fire one shot before he was struck a powerful blow to the stomach. His rifle clattered to the floor as he keeled over, cursing and groaning in pain. Strong hands then lifted him up into the air and he was thrown over the side of the train. The soldier's cry was cut short as he hit the ground and rolled out of sight.
The bullet, thrown off-course due to the soldier's terror, widely missed Barret's head.
Cid cracked his knuckles and kicked the fallen rifle to the side of the train. He ran a hand through his blond hair. "You got guts comin' after me!" said the pilot, with an air of satisfaction. "I'll never forget you."
"Got no time for that now!" snapped Barret.
Yuffie was leaning over the side of the train. Her face, already pale from probable motion-sickness, was ghost-white. "Forget about the Huge Materia," she said. It was a statement that, under normal circumstances, would have made everyone faint with shock. The ninja pulled away from the edge. "WE'RE in deep trouble!"
Cid arched an eyebrow and turned to look down the tracks. The train was hurtling through the mountains at an alarming rate. The tracks at this stage were still straight, so there was little danger of them derailing. What was the problem then? Cid raised his eyes and looked further ahead.
Up ahead was North Corel. The train was heading straight for the town, and there was nobody left on board who could stop the train. They had just thrown the driver overboard.
Ah. So that was the problem.
Vincent, back from his battle with the Eagle Gun, knelt down at the edge of the car. The wind was whipping his hair around his face. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the roaring wind.
"Hit the breaks, chief."
Angered, Cid spun around. "I know, already! Just shut up and keep quiet!" He turned back to the controls. "If we keep this up, we'll crash right into North Corel! Let's see…" He inspected the control box. They were more complex than the other train, but they had the same two levers, currently in line with one another. Cid scratched his stubbled chin, thoughtful.
"If we alternately use the levers to accelerate…" he mused, ignoring the impatient muttering coming from Barret. "It should break if we move the levers up or down simultaneously." He took hold of the two levers, grasped them firmly, and then pulled them back.
There was a chug and the train sped up. The increase was so sudden that Cid and the others almost fell over and were forced to hold onto the side of the car to keep from falling over. Vincent and Red XIII, on top of the next car, had to cling onto the tarpaulin.
"Hey, it's not working!" Barret shouted to Cid.
"We're gaining speed!" Red XIII howled from the next car.
Cait Sith was clinging to the ears of his Mog, which had secured itself in the corner of the car. He, however, was having a harder time holding on. "Hey---------WAIT!" he screamed. "…Other way, other way, other way!"
The train lurched as it bumped its way over a cluster of rocks littering the track. Yuffie began to retch and sank to her knees. Cid, clinging to the controls, looked up and saw North Corel zooming in fast.
"^%#!" he swore through gritted teeth. "The other way! Just watch, this time I'll…" He gripped the levers again and pushed them both to their upward positions.
Once again the train's speed increased, and this time they all DID fall over. Vincent lost his grip on the tarpaulin and slid back across the tarpaulin. He managed to regain his hold at the edge of the car, and there he held on with all the strength that he could muster.
"WHOOOOOO----A!!" Red XIII cried. His claws were dug deep into the tarpaulin, and were aching with the strain.
Yuffie flashed Cid a furious, wild-eyed gaze. She was still on the floor of the car, her hands holding onto the edge with a death-like grip. Her anger and fear, it seemed, were the only things stopping her from throwing up in the car.
"Get serious, you OLD MAN!"
Cid was feeling mighty flustered himself. "Shi---------!!" His eyes hurriedly scanned the controls, looking for something—ANYTHING—that would stop this blasted train before it smashed into the town (and thereby smashing them up along with it). His fist smashed over the first thing he laid his eyes on: a small, nondescript grey button next to the levers.
The horn sounded. Smoke poured out of the funnel, choking the valley with a covering of thick, black clouds. The train began to decrease in speed and all had to cover their ears as the wheels scraped across the tracks. The train slowed and slowed until, finally, it came to a stop before the town of North Corel. The front of the train bumped into the back of a rusty old pickup truck, knocking a spanner off its back. But it could have been much worse.
Now stopped, the valves on the side of the train opened, releasing the pent up steam. Almost like a sigh of relief.
Cautiously Cid opened his eyes. In the last moments before the train came to a stop, he had clung to the controls and squeezed his eyes shut. Realising that he wasn't about to be smashed to pieces, he quickly stood up and brushed himself off. Of course the train would stop. There was no need to worry.
The others were still rising to their feet. Yuffie managed to make it halfway up before she finally succumbed to her motion-sickness and began to throw up over the edge of the train. Cait lumbered over to her and had the Mog pat her gently on the back.
Red XIII jumped into the control car and padded over to a small metal box in the corner. The box was being held in place through the use of Gravity materia, so when the train was chugging along, the box and its contents remained secure. The materia gave the box a purple-black aura, which faded once the materia was removed, making it and its contents accessible. A key had been left in the lock. Red XIII gripped the key between his teeth and turned his head, and there was a click as the box unlocked. Then, with his nose, he pushed the lid open, and everyone gathered around to look. Even Yuffie, still pale and shaky, turned her head.
Inside the box was the Huge Materia, and it was easy to see how it got its name. Most materia, like the ones they used, had been fashioned into the shape of small orbs, easily inserted into things like weapons and armour to give them power. This materia was much larger, more than twice the size of the orbs, and had no definitive shape at all. It was jagged and rough, with multiple sides, as though it had been dug out of the rock. Its colour was thick and green, totally opaque, though its sides had a faint shimmer to them. It was reminiscent of the way a gemstone appears when it is first cut from the rocks, and only after careful crafting and polishing does it appear as the beautiful gemstone.
No one uttered a word. There were no words that could describe their awe as they looked upon the Huge Materia. It was no wonder Shinra were so eager to get their hands on it. The power they felt pulsing within it was incredible; a completely different class to the regular materia they used.
Cid pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. Carefully he scooped up the Huge Materia. It was surprisingly cold to touch, and also surprisingly light. He put it back in the box and locked it again, placing the key in his jacket pocket. Then, carrying his precious cargo under his arm, descended from the train.
All the townsfolk had left their shops and homes and were watching with great interest. As Cid and his friends came near, those on the higher levels began to climb down towards the town centre. Barret appeared edgy as they approached the town.
"You guys are really something!" one man said as they passed. They stopped in the town centre, and two men from the midlevel came down to meet them. Barret became more anxious as they approached but he stood firm, refusing to let the memory of his past actions get the better of him. The two men stopped before the group and looked them over.
"Aren't you the ones that stopped the Shinra Train?" asked one of the men, a rotund man who had once been a coalminer. "The Shinra was just about to destroy our lives again…"
The second man, who had a sharp face and features, narrowed his eyes at Barret. "It might be full of junk, but this is the only home we got, Barret!!"
Barret was startled as this was directed at him. "Of… of course!" he agreed. He met the man's gaze. "We're all born and raised in the coal mines!! No matter how hard it gets, our hearts burn bright red like coal!"
He waited to see how his words were taken. The two men shared a glance with each other. The bigger man was smiling broadly. The eyes of the second man softened. He turned back to Barret and nodded his head. That was enough for them.
He waited to see how his words were taken. The two men shared a glance with each other. The bigger man was smiling broadly, and the eyes of the second man softened and he slowly nodded his head.
"To hell with Meteor!" shouted one of the townsmen. "We're Coal Miners, ain't we? We'll dig a deep tunnel and hide from the Meteor!
"That's it!" said the rotund man. He turned his gaze to a brown-haired boy who was stood watching on the midlevel. "Hey, kid! How about givin' somethin' to these guys fightin' the Shinra?"
The lad nodded and walked down to the lower level. His young face was beaming, filled with excitement. He had never seen anything so thrilling. Fishing about in his pockets, he pulled out a small orb of materia. "I got it out of the well. Isn't it an amazing rock!!"
Cid took the materia from the child. The materia was Ultima. He was quite relieved the child had chosen to give them this materia, for who knows what damage he could have done had he figured out how to use it. He smiled at the kid, who beamed further and stepped back to join the adults. The sharp-faced man stepped forward.
"Must've been a horrific battle. You have scars all over your body." He jerked his thumb to the stone building on the midlevel. "I already talked to the Inn's owner, today you can rest for free."
It was a welcome offer. The battles on the train had indeed worn them out, and their bodies were scratched and bruised from clambering over the cars. Yuffie flashed Cid a challenging glance, daring him to refuse. Red XIII's stomach growled; he was eager for a meal. Of course it was nearly impossible to tell what Cait and Vincent were thinking, but Cid guessed even they would be glad of a rest before they returned to the Highwind.
So they remained in North Corel for the rest of that day, until the sun began to make its downward dip into the eastern ocean. They rested up in the inn and ate with the townsfolk, who offered thanks and congratulations at every opportunity.
The one who was moved most by it all was Barret. For long years he had berated and punished himself for what had happened to the people of Corel: the burning of the town, the death of his wife… and that of Dyne.
He had tried to mask that guilt by attacking the Shinra, vowing to make them pay for what they had done. He still held that vow, but now he knew that to blame himself was fruitless. He could not change the past, but he had changed North Corel's future. The town was saved this time.
It was then, as he and the others left North Corel behind and made their way back to the Highwind, that Barret Wallace made another vow. Once Sephiroth was defeated and Shinra had fallen, he would return to North Corel. He would return to that spot where he and Dyne had stood overlooking the town as it burned to the ground, where memories and loves went up in flames.
And there, in that spot, he would place a bouquet of flowers. In memory of Myrna, of Dyne and Eleanor, the town… and in hope for Marlene's future.
Back on the Highwind, Cid stood and tapped his head in thought.
"What's next?" he wondered. "Shall we head for Fort Condor?"
The others nodded. Barret watched North Corel as it slipped out of view, and the Highwind turned to the ocean.
Of course, he'd be damned if he ever told the others.
A Note from the Authoress
See, I still exist. This chapter took longer to finish because I needed the FMV for North Corel Succeed to use as a reference, and I kept forgetting to look it up. All hail Blue Laguna for its easy accessibility. *bows in reverence*
Now THIS is where the trouble begins. Fort Condor… The bane of my life, and probably my least favourite part of the game, which is another reason work slowed. Once Cloud's back in the party I'll probably start whizzing through it again. Anyone else noticed that? Once Cloud left my writing kind of slowed down? So I'm of the theory that once Cloud's back I should speed up again. 8D
I'm still determined to keep my promise. I shall not let this fic die! *RAWR*
How many years have I been working on this now…? I first started the original version when I was about 17… I'm now 24… oh boy. *raises flag of SHAME* Must work harder.