Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Twelve
Cid and the others hurried back to the Highwind and set off for Mideel, leaving the people of Fort Condor to their celebrations. It was unlikely that Shinra would attack the fort again after this, especially now that the Huge Materia was gone.
Everything was just as they had left it when they arrived at Mideel. The townsfolk were still going about their business, almost without a care in the world. They continued to ignore the sight of Meteor in the sky, carrying on as though it was not there. Seeing the calm smiles on the people's faces made Cid and the others feel much calmer themselves, a nice feeling after all the fighting they had endured during the past twenty-four hours. Here, at least, things continued to be peaceful.
Meteor had almost doubled in size in the past few days. It was now clearly visible across the globe, even as far away as Cosmo Canyon. Its fiery red aura pierced even the thickest clouds, making it appear as though the sky was ablaze. At night swirling, burning clouds could be seen on its surface. Yet even as panic grew in the hearts of the rest of the world, the people of Mideel remained as they always had: tranquil.
Cid and the others headed straight for the hospital, eager to see how Tifa and Cloud were doing. As they entered the clinic they were met by the doctor. He could see the question burning in their eyes. He sighed regretfully and slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry……" he told them. "But your friend's condition remains unchanged…… You'll have to be patient and wait this out." He looked over at the door that led into the other room. "These things take time. Just like fine wine, time is of the essence."
The nurse put down the sterilised cloth that she was using to clean the counter and looked over at the group. "She's finally beginning to look a little tired… I hope she's all right." She followed the doctor's gaze and sighed, before turning her attention back to her cleaning. "No change in his condition, and still stays there doing her best. It must be tough on her. If she keeps this up, she'll probably get sick……"
Cid glanced at the door, and then at the doctor. The doctor smiled and nodded. Cid went over to the door and peered into the room.
There was Tifa, sitting in a chair by Cloud's side. She held his hand in hers, stroking it tenderly. Cid stood in the doorway watching her, and caught a glimpse of her face as she brushed aside a length of hair that fell over her eyes. The nurse was right: she did look tired. Caring for Cloud was a hard task, and it was starting to take its toll on her. She did not appear to have noticed him.
"……It's no use……" he heard her say. "I don't understand a thing, Cloud. What should I do……?" Cloud didn't answer. Tifa clenched her fist, squeezing his hand. "What if you never recover for the rest of your life?"
Sensing someone watching her, Tifa raised her head. She met Cid's gaze and smiled at him. She opened her mouth to speak.
Suddenly the room shook. The windows rattled loudly in their frames, and the glass beakers and vials in the office started to dance across the counter. The ground trembled and quavered violently, causing everyone inside the hospital to lose their balance and fall to the floor. Cid gripped the side of the doorframe and held on tight. Books tumbled from shelves, and there was a loud smash as a beaker finally reached the end of the counter and crashed onto the floor, spilling its contents.
"Eyaaah!?" screamed Tifa as she was thrown out of her chair. She pushed herself to her knees and clung to the side of Cloud's wheelchair, her eyes squeezed shut.
Only Cloud was unfazed by the sudden quake. As his body jostled about in the chair, he took in a sharp breath and raised his wide eyes to the ceiling. "……They're…… They're…… coming……!" he rasped.
Cid's head snapped up to look at Cloud. "What did you say, Cloud!?"
Whatever it was that had taken hold of Cloud had already gone. By the time Cid looked, Cloud's head had already dropped back to his chest, and his eyes had returned to their glazed, unseeing state. "Uh……aaa……?" he mumbled.
Cid cursed and looked upward. The overhead light swung back and forth. Another beaker smashed in the next room. "Damn!" Cid said. "What the hell's goin' on!?"
"No way……" Tifa breathed, still on the floor by the wheelchair. "Is this……!?"
Cid pushed himself away from the door and hurried back outside. Barret and the others were already there, spread out in front of the hospital, trying to see what was going on. The whole town was in a panic. The buildings creaked and heaved, slates tore themselves from rooftops, and the air became thick with dust that rose from the ground. The townspeople, terrified, ran for their homes. One woman was almost killed as she ran for the nearest store when a slate fell from a nearby roof and landed by her feet. She hurried inside the store and slammed the door shut.
A strong wind was beginning to blow through the town. It ripped through the surrounding forest, sending leaves and branches soaring through the air. It sent Cid's hair whipping bout his face, and he shielded his eyes with his arm as he looked around the town. They were the only people left outside.
Amongst all the rattling and the shaking Cid heard a roaring sound like gushing water. The roar became louder as the ground gave an especially violent shake, causing it to almost jump upwards. Cid looked down. The roar was coming from deep beneath the surface of the planet. Somewhere below the planet's crust something had burst, and whatever lay beneath it was now fighting its way towards the surface.
"What's this…?" gasped Cid, his voice drowned out by the roar of the earth. "The Lifestream is gushing up from below the surface of the earth."
A low wail began to drift through the air, and upon hearing it everyone froze in place. The sound sifted through the trees, rustling the leaves and touching the hearts of all who could hear it. It was a familiar sound, one they had heard before. It was the cry of the planet. The Lifestream gushing so close beneath the surface made it possible for them to hear its cries. Something was causing the planet to scream in pain.
"Damn, that's……!" Cid turned one way, and then another. The planet's cry was all sounding all around him, even inside him. He could hear it inside his mind, and it was as though he could hear the thoughts of the planet. Danger was coming. Cid looked all around him. "This is bad……!!"
"Cid……!? What's wrong?"
Cid turned back to the hospital. Tifa was standing in the doorway. The wind blew around her, whipping her long hair about her face. Bracing herself against the blustering wind, she stepped out of the door and headed toward Cid and the others.
"N, nothing!!" the pilot answered quickly. "You and Cloud get inside quick!!" The ground gave another stomach-churning lurch and Tifa stopped.
"But I……!" she began.
Cid stopped her with a look. Then he smiled and said, "Hey, don't worry about a thing. I ain't about to die that easily." He gave her a self-assured smile.
Tifa stared back at him, her gaze level and steady. Finally, she nodded. "Be careful…!" she warned him, and then ran back into the hospital.
Once Tifa was safely inside the hospital, Cid reached behind him and unhooked his spear. He turned and slammed the butt defiantly into the ground. "Okay," he announced loudly, facing the others, "here I go! Watch this!!"
Suddenly, Yuffie cried out. She clutched her Razor Ring close to her chest and pointed up towards the sky. Everyone followed her gaze and looked to the sky. There, flying over the forest surrounding Mideel, was Weapon.
It was a different Weapon to the one they saw fighting the Shinra at Junon. This Weapon resembled a dragon. They had seen this Weapon back at the North Crater, when it and all the other Weapons first emerged from their long sleep inside the Planet. When it came out of the crater it had hovered alongside the Shinra airship. It had turned its draconic-like head and looked at the people standing on the deck. Its gaze had been chilling.
The dragon-like Weapon beat its two monstrous wings. The resulting windstorm they created sent more slates flying from the rooftops. Those on the ground tried to stay standing as the breeze whipped around them and threatened to blow them off balance. Weapon roared and soared over Mideel.
The others standing behind Cid all drew their guns and other artillery and turned to face Weapon. It was up to them alone to fend off Weapon and protect this peaceful place. They could expect no help from the townsfolk, who were in their homes hiding from the still shaking earth.
"Damn!" Cid swore. "That &%$^%$ Weapon!! Of all the times to show up……!" He readied his spear, gripped it in his hands. "Okay then, come on!! You &$^%$!"
Ultimate Weapon, as this particular Weapon was known, suddenly turned in the air and faced Mideel. It arched its small head down and looked at Cid and the rest of his crew, weapons in hand, ready to fight. Its eyes glinted red as it recognised potential victims of its might. It gave an ear-piercing roar and then tilted its wings, swooping down upon the humans below.
Cid and the others stood firm as Weapon descended. They refused to budge an inch, even as the wind pushed and pulled at them and tried to throw them off their feet. Ultimate Weapon lifted its wings at the last moment and came level once again. It landed in the centre of town, slamming its four large feet into the ground. It pulled its wings behind his back as it turned to face the humans that challenged it.
Cid struck first, before Weapon could have a chance to attack. He lifted his spear and threw it at the monster. The spear hit Weapon on the shoulder and bounced right off, leaving nothing more than a tiny nick on its thick, leathery hide. Weapon glanced down at the trivial mark and then glared at Cid, who ran to retrieve his spear.
Weapon raised a large clawed hand to smash the pilot into the ground, but was stopped when a bombardment of bullets began to rain around it. Weapon watched as the bullets clanged and pinged off its torso, never doing any real harm. It then looked over at Vincent and Barret, who stood together to launch a double attack against Weapon. Unfortunately many of their bullets missed their targets, as the shaking ground made it impossible for them to keep their guns level.
Weapon lunged forward and brought its hand down once more. Vincent and Barret lowered their guns and jumped back out of harm's reach. Vincent landed and charged forward, raising his gun and opening fire. He leaped onto Weapon's hand and ran up the beast's long arm. Weapon roared in irritation and tried to bat the gunman off, but it missed and Vincent kept on coming.
The ground heaved violently once again. Weapon, still in mid-lunge, was caught off balance and lurched forward, steadying itself with one hand. Vincent reached Weapon's shoulder and jumped straight off. He twisted his body round and fired three shots at Weapon's head. Weapon roared in anger as the bullets hit, but the skin of its face was as tough as that of its torso, and they pinged off leaving barely anything more than a scratch on its face.
Regaining its balance, Weapon stood and turned, its tail lashing behind it. The tail slammed into the ground, narrowly missing one of the houses nearby. The tail then swept across the dirt-covered ground, towards Yuffie and Red XIII. Hurriedly Red XIII darted out of the way, while Yuffie jumped and flipped backwards.
Returning to an upright position out of the way of the lashing tail, the ninja readied her Razor Ring and ran swiftly to the left. She flung the Razor Ring away from her. The ring spun through the air, becoming a blur of movement, and arched towards Weapon. The ring zipped across Weapon's back and sliced a deep gash in the thick hide. Yuffie skidded to a stop and ran the other way, ducking down as Weapon's tail soared over her head. The Razor Ring came down in a declining arc. Yuffie caught it in her hand as it came by her, and kept on running.
Weapon spread its giant wings – wings that were so long that they covered almost half the whole town. The monster lowered its head and opened its jaws wide. Sparks of pure light energy began to form in the air around its open mouth. The energy was drawn towards its mouth and into its throat, glowing brighter and more intense. Weapon clenched its fists and drew back its head, preparing to fire.
Suddenly and without warning, the light vanished, and Weapon closed its jaws. It raised its head to the sky and looked towards the north, listening. On the ground, Cid and the others warily lowered their weapons and watched the beast, unsure of what they should do next.
As they watched Weapon lowered its head and spread its wings out once more. It gave them a powerful beat, and those on the ground quickly fell to their knees, shielding themselves from the wind and dust that blew around them. Weapon beat them once more, and its body began to rise up off the ground. It rose above the town and above the forest, until it hovered in the air. Then it turned and began to fly away from the town, heading north.
Cid stared up in astonishment as Weapon flew away. He clenched his fists around the spear's pole. "You %^$#!" he shouted after the dragon. "You tryin' to escape?"
Weapon could not hear him over the wind, or he perhaps was ignoring him, but whichever it was, Weapon carried on flying until it disappeared over the rustling treetops. Cid started to walk forward, but suddenly stopped as the ground suddenly stopped shaking and became perfectly still.
Cid looked down. The ground was completely still, almost eerily so. Cautiously, Cid took a step forward, testing the ground. It did not move. Then he realised that the bustling wind had also died, leaving the air still and motionless, like the calm before the storm. There was barely a sound. Beside the pilot, Red XIII took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He looked up at Cid and smiled. Yuffie, still staring at the sky, clutched her Razor Ring tightly in her hands.
"I swear, next time, that guy's dead meat!" she announced fervently. To illustrate her point, she shook her fists furiously at the sky.
Ignoring the ninja, Barret turned to Cid and said, "Looks like the Lifestream's settled down now, too."
Just as he finished speaking, the ground began to shake again.
"You gotta be kiddin'…" Cid muttered, feeling his stomach churn again. He dug the point of his spear into the earth and used it to steady himself. In retaliation, the earthquake suddenly increased in strength. "…!!"
The quake was now much stronger than it was before; in fact the first one seemed almost mild by comparison. The ground lurched and heaved, and a loud cracking sound could be heard from beneath their feet. The roaring sound returned, much louder and much closer, as the Lifestream below began to swell and rise to the surface. The trees in the surrounding forest, torn from their roots, tumbled over.
Cid clung onto his spear. "Th, this's bad……!" he said. "The main stream is kickin' up!! Somethin' way bigger than that last one is on its way!!" The pilot let go of the spear and fell to his knees, struggling to remain standing. "No good!!" He took a firm hold of the spear and fought against the tremor. He pushed himself shakily to his feet, then turned to face the others and shouted: "Get outta here……!" His voice could barely be heard over the growing roar.
"But what about Tifa and Cloud……!?" protested Yuffie.
"Goddammit!! You don't have time to worry about anyone other than yourself!" Cid said to the ninja crossly. "You don't know when that stream'll blow….."
As if to prove his point, the ground at the northern end of town suddenly burst open. The rocky land split apart and a long crack formed. Clouds of steam billowed out from the widening crevice. The crack grew and spread into the forest. It forked into two and spread out in two directions that started to slowly circle the town.
They watched in awe and horror as land dipped, tilting down into the crack. It was obvious what was happening. The Lifestream was exerting so much pressure that it was forcing the land to break apart, creating an opening through which to escape, like a volcanic eruption. When the two cracks that circled the town met on the other side the ground would crumble and the entire town would fall into the Lifestream.
One tree on the edge of town tilted and fell into the rising steam, vanishing from view. Cait Sith's Mog jumped about in a panic, its arms flailing. This made it difficult for Cait to keep his balance and so he flopped down on his belly, clinging to the Mog. Cid's eyes opened wide. "Whoa!!" he exclaimed. "There's no time, hurry!!"
Obeying his command, Barret and the others turned and ran from the village. There came a loud popping sound as the land to the west of the village burst open, and more steam rose from the gap. Cid started to run after the others. Then he stopped and turned back to the hospital.
"Tifa!! Cloud!! Get outta here!!"
Tifa was still inside the hospital, standing by Cloud's side. She somehow knew that Weapon had shown up, and listened to the battle raging outside. Hearing the battle cease and the earthquake stop, she had thought for a brief moment that the danger had passed. Then the earthquake had started again in force, and this time she knew that nothing would stop it until the Lifestream reached its goal: the surface.
Tifa lowered her eyes to the ground and shook her head. Her dark eyes were wide, and her brow creased in worry. "This is bad…… The tremors are getting worse." She turned to Cloud. "Wait a minute, Cloud," she said, before running over to the door. She clung to the frame as another strong tremor shook the building. "Doctor! Shouldn't we move him somewhere rather than stay here…?"
The doctor and his head nurse were in the main office, trying to salvage what texts and medicines they could from the medical cabinets. Upon hearing Tifa's voice, the doctor put down his books and turned to her, his face grave. "Hmm… It might be an idea to take refuge in a wide open space," he agreed.
He looked at the nurse, who nodded in agreement. The two turned back to the cabinets and began to stuff what medicines they could into their pockets. Tifa hurried back to the ward and knelt by Cloud's side, looking up at him. Somewhere outside she heard the sound of Weapon's roar.
"Don't you worry about a thing, Cloud…… I'll see to it that you get somewhere safe," she told him.
Once more the tremors increased in strength. The hospital creaked and heaved, shaking from its very foundations. A long crack split along the concrete wall, rising up from the floor and across the ceiling. The swinging light bulb overhead finally burst, unable to take the vast pressure coming from below. Tifa looked up as she heard the doctor's voice calling out to her from outside.
"No! The structure can't take it!! Hurry!"
"Yes!" Tifa called back. She stood and hurried to stand behind Cloud. She took a firm hold of the handlebars and tilted the wheelchair back gently. Cloud's head tilted to one side. Tifa looked down at him. "Ready, Cloud? We're leaving now!"
She gave the wheelchair a push and led Cloud out of the building. Cid and the others were gone, and the doctor and nurse were nowhere to be seen; they had already fled to safety outside of the village. Tifa took a quick moment to look around before turning the wheelchair and beginning to make a hurried dash for the town exit.
Tifa had just reached the bottom of the slope when the ground gave a thunderous roar and the path behind her cracked open. The ground pitched upwards and then dipped sideways, lifting the hospital into the air. Unable to hold onto its foundations any longer, the building broke free and slid across the ground. The Lifestream surged up from below and the hospital tumbled into it, the ground sinking swiftly behind it. Tifa didn't dare look behind her and kept on running.
A second crack spread across the town: the fighter felt it zip beneath her boots. The ground tilted once more and another large chunk of the town fell into the Lifestream, this time taking a house with it. Dust rose into the air, thick and heavy, tickling Tifa's throat and making her want to cough. She fought against it and continued to push the chair. The exit was just ahead.
A third and final crack appeared. This time it was in front of her, blocking her exit. It moved across the ground at high speed, curving and twisting and encompassing the rest of the town. The ground shuddered as it came loose and tilted sideways. Tifa skidded to a stop as a wall of dust rose to block the other side from view. She looked around, and her eyes widened in horror as she realised that there was no escape.
Cloud remained fixed in his chair. His eyes were focused intently on the Lifestream the surged up from below, as though he was being drawn towards it.
Another strong shudder caused the ground to dip and the abruptness of the movement caused Tifa to lose her grip on the wheelchair. She cried out as the wheelchair rolled across the ground, pulling Cloud away from her. She tried to reach for him but failed. The ground tilted further and Tifa found herself sliding across the ground after him, heading for the edge.
Cloud reached the rim first. The wheelchair toppled over the edge of the crevice. Cloud was thrown from the wheelchair and fell down towards the Lifestream, with Tifa following close behind. The two fell, tumbling and rolling, before landing with a splash into the glowing Lifestream.
[END OF PART ELEVEN]
[PART TWELVE: MEMORIA]