Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Nineteen
The battle started quickly as the Carry Armour raised its crane-like shoulders above its 'head' and then thrust out its pincer-like grabbers. Despite being so large and clunky it moved surprisingly fast, and the others were forced to jump back out of reach to avoid being skewered by the massive grabbers. All except Cloud, who dodged the grabbers as they slammed into the ground and darted forwards.
With the Buster Sword ready in his hands, the swordsman leaped into the air. He raised the sword above his head and brought it down hard on the Carry Armour's right shoulder. The blade cut deep into the metal, but did not go deep enough to cause any severe damage. The Carry Armour's metal plating was thick and strong, and because the initial attack had forced him to dodge and run, Cloud had not been able to build up enough momentum that would have allowed him to cleave the robot in two.
Standing on the robot's shoulder, Cloud wrenched his blade free. He was about to launch another downward strike when he felt the robot shudder, and its 'head' turned to face him. The laser barrel glowed hotly. Hurriedly Cloud leaped backward, just as the laser fired a single, thin beam of hot energy where he had been standing. The beam carried on and hit the ceiling at the other end of the dock.
Cloud landed behind the Carry Armour. Lowering his blade, he looked up at the ceiling where the beam had hit. A large hole about a metre wide had been burned into the metal, revealing the numerous pipes that were channelling mako and electricity throughout the complex. Cloud dreaded to think what would happen if that laser managed to pierce the reactor's outer wall.
Still, he had other things to worry about. Behind him, the submarine's engines began to hum. Any moment the submarine would submerge into the water, taking Reno and the Huge Materia with it. If that happened, they were… well, sunk. They needed to finish the Carry Armour off or disable it long enough so that he and the others could prevent the submarine from leaving.
He turned his attention back to the battle at hand. The Carry Armour had managed to lift its arms from the floor and was now engaged in a heated battle with the others, who had attacked while its attention was focused on Cloud. He saw smoke and flames rise up from where Barret had launched a fireball from his gun-arm. He heard Vincent firing from someplace out of sight, and saw Tifa zipping in and out of the robot's range, trying to launch devastating blows with her fists whenever she could find an opening.
The Carry Armour swung its shoulders and slammed one of its grabbers into the ground. It connected with so much force that it dented the metal floor. The blow almost crushed Cid, who dodged it by falling back and rolling quickly out of the way. In that moment when the Carry Armour tried to raise its arm and regain its balance, Red XIII darted past and padded over to stand by Cloud.
"What should we do?" he asked breathlessly. There was a bloody graze on the hound's left shoulder where one of the swinging grabbers had sliced him.
Cloud raised the Buster Sword and looked at the robot down the flat side of the blade. The Carry Armour did not seem to notice the two standing behind it. Its attention was fixed on the others, who were attacking from the front, and so it ignored him and the hound completely.
Cloud closed his eyes and placed his hand against the blade of his sword. He focused his will on the Lightning materia that was still equipped into the blade, and the second materia that allowed him to channel the other's energy into the weapon itself. It was a combination he had used ever since this journey had begun, and it had never failed yet. The materia began to glow faintly, and sparks of electrical energy began to crackle around them.
"Keep it occupied."
Red XIII tilted his head, confused. Then, seeing the crackling materia, he nodded in understanding. "I see. A diversion… Very well. Good luck, Cloud." The hound broke into a run and leaped over the robot's arm to rejoin the others.
Cloud stayed where he was, continuing to focus his mind and will on the materia. The glowing light grew brighter and Cloud could feel the energy burn through the Buster Sword's blade, but it was not strong enough yet. The Carry Armour's defences were strong—it would take an enormous amount of power to break through them. So he continued to focus his will, driving every last ounce he could into the materia.
Red XIII must have managed to inform the others of Cloud's plan, for the assault on the Carry Armour swiftly stepped up. The others attacked quickly, striking quick blows and then retreating to let the next person strike from another position, giving it little time to recover and counterattack.
Red XIII darted between its grabbers as it tried to snatch the hound from the ground, while Cid and Cait used their equipped Gravity materia to halt the robot in place (the materia not being strong enough to crush the metal). When the robot's attention was elsewhere Tifa swept in to land a crushing blow to its legs, before darting out again to safety. Vincent and Barret teamed up to fire at the robot's laser head, attempting to disable it before it thought to fire at them again.
The robot swung one of its elongated arms just as Yuffie leaped in to attack. The metal grabber knocked the ninja aside, making her lose her grip on her Razor Ring and sending her spinning through the air. She landed in the water with a loud splash, followed by her weapon, which sank out of sight.
The arm carried on swinging and struck Tifa as she ran in from the left to strike one of its legs while its balance was shifted. It came so fast she did not realise it was heading for her until it smashed into her and knocked her aside. The fighter hit the ground hard and lay winded, clutching her aching torso.
The materia in Cloud's sword glowed brighter, until both balls glowed hot-white. They flashed, and the blade became engulfed in pulsing waves of electric white light. The light that danced across the blade also flickered across Cloud's hand, but the energy could not harm the one who had summoned it. The hair on his arms and neck stood on end, charged by the static energy. Tearing his hand away from the blade, Cloud held the sword ready and charged forward.
The Carry Armour, unaware of the assault that was coming from behind, reached out with its left arm. Tifa, still winded from the blow that had sent her flying, could not do anything as the pincers closed tightly around her torso and lifted her off the ground. The fighter struggled and kicked, but to no avail.
Seeing Tifa caught through the corner of his eye, Cloud quickly thrust his sword high above his head, unleashing the electric energy before it could hit the Carry Armour. The electricity swept of the blade and dispersed into the air.
Cloud carried on moving, and with a swift movement of his arm altered the attack angle of the blade. He had been aiming for the back of the robot's head, but instead struck the joints that connected its left shoulder to its body. The residual lightning-energy left in the blade was enough to break through the metal and tear straight through the joints, dismembering the arm from the rest of the body. That arm fell straight to the ground, taking Tifa with it. Quickly, Barret ran to help her.
Without its left arm to balance it, the three thin poles that supported the Carry Armour's weight were unable to keep it upright. The robot staggered and tottered until the weight of the remaining right arm pulled it sideways. Two of the legs came off the ground and flailed helplessly in the air. The robot continued to tilt over, until its right arm got caught on the ground, acting as a balance and keeping it from falling over completely.
Although it could no longer use its arms to attack, the Carry Armour still had its Lapis Laser. Unfortunately falling off-balance meant it could not aim properly, and when it fired at Cait it missed by a good metre and hit the wall behind him, burning another large hole.
Vincent raised his gun and fired a single, precise shot into the laser barrel. The bullet tore through the laser's mechanics, and smoke began to pour from the inside. Seconds later the laser exploded, and more smoke billowed into the air.
The robot was now defenceless, unable to do anything other than wave its two legs pointlessly in the air. Cloud came to stand behind it. Focusing his will, he called upon the power of the Lightning materia once more. The materia glowed brightly, and electricity swept across the full length of the blade. The lightning hissed and crackled as its bolts flickered across the metal. Cloud raised the sword above his head, and then brought it down on the robot's unguarded head.
The sword cut right through the head. The blade severed the pipes that supplied mako to the laser and to the rest of the body, and light green liquid spilled out and onto the floor. The electricity surged through the robot's interior, and the Carry Armour shuddered as though having a fit. Its right arm slipped and the robot fell to the floor. It shuddered a few seconds more before lying still. It was over.
Cloud sheathed his sword and turned to face the submarine. Or rather, he turned to face the space where the submarine had once been. The red submarine had escaped during the fight, submerging into the water and heading out into the ocean.
Cloud cursed loudly. "Damn! The submarine!? The Huge Materia!"
Tifa, now free of the grabber, came to stand beside him. She had a large red mark on both her arms where the grabber had nipped her, but otherwise she seemed to be unhurt. "We have to go after it!" she said to him.
"But it's already in the water!" pointed out Red XIII.
Cloud looked around, trying to find some way by which they could go after the submarine. He refused to believe that after coming this far they could lose the Huge Materia now. No matter what, they had to catch that sub.
His eyes settled on the second submarine still stationed at the other end of the dock. The sub was guarded by a number of Shinra soldiers, who were standing around and watching them with interest. Cloud signalled to the others, and they nodded back in understanding. They ran towards the sub.
Seeing the rebels heading their way, the soldiers' interest turned to fear. They scattered and hurried towards the sub, hoping to escape before the rebels could reach them. A number of soldiers disappeared down the hatch into the sub itself, while four remained outside to guard the hatch and prevent the rebels from entering. These soldiers stood on the ramp leading up to the sub, their machine guns ready.
"Y, you…!" one of the soldiers managed to sputter.
"You're not taking over this ship!" shouted another soldier. Despite his brave words, the machine gun in his hands shook almost violently. The two soldiers behind him nodded in agreement and raised their sights to their eyes, preparing to fire.
The rebels did not stop or slow down, but continued to charge at the soldiers. Seeing this, the soldiers hesitated and looked briefly at one another. Then they made up their minds and opened fire.
Cloud drew his Buster Sword as the soldiers opened fire. The bullets were poorly aimed, and they bounced harmlessly off the blade. A ball of crystallised ice flew past him and hit one of the soldiers standing on the upper half of the ramp. The soldier was thrust back towards the railing. He grabbed hold of his comrade for support, but only ended up dragging the other soldier with him. Both soldiers fell over the railing, landing in the water with a loud splash.
The two remaining soldiers ceased firing and charged forward to meet the rebels head-on. Cloud spun and slashed his blade in a powerful downward arc, and the first soldier fell instantly. The second soldier could not stop in time and met Cloud's sword on its second arc. The blade ripped the machine gun from his hands and sent it skidding across the ground, with a deep gash cut into the barrel.
Before Cloud could raise his sword for a killing strike, Cait Sith jumped onto his back and then leaped at the soldier. He smashed his megaphone into the helmet's glass visor, breaking it into pieces. The soldier cried out and clutched at his face as blood dripped down his hands from his wounded face. Cait dropped down behind him and hit the back of his knees. The soldier fell to his knees and then onto the floor.
Cait brushed the remains of the glass off his paws. Turning to the soldier, he smirked in satisfaction. He then looked up as the others began running past him and up the ramp that connected to the submarine. The cat started to call out in protest when the Mog scooped him up with one large fist and then hopped after the others, leaving the wounded and floundering soldiers to their misery.
The sub's hatch was left open, forgotten by the soldiers in their hurry to escape. Cloud was the first to reach the hatch and knelt beside it, peering inside. He caught a glimpse of movement in the corridor below, as well as the sound of hushed whispers.
Cloud looked up at Barret, kneeling across from him and also looking down into the sub. The former resistance leader nodded. Cloud returned the nod and flexed his wrist, readjusting the sword hilt. He took a breath and then dropped down through the hatch.
He landed in the corridor between the main control room and the engine room. Three soldiers were stood waiting here, as Cloud had suspected. As he dropped into the corridor the lead soldier drew a baton from his side and swung it at him. Cloud swiftly raised the Buster Sword and blocked the blow with the flat side of his blade. The two stood together, locked in an impasse.
The soldier pushed his baton against the blade. "You want the sub?" he said through gritted teeth. "Just try an' take it!"
Cloud frowned. Seeing the dark look on the swordsman's face, one of the other two soldiers turned to their commander. "Um… sir!" he said cautiously, keeping his eyes on Cloud. "Maybe we shouldn't piss them off…"
The commander didn't listen and continued to push his baton against the sword. He shuffled forward, trying to force Cloud off-balance and give him the opportunity to strike. Behind the visor, Cloud could see the soldier sneering at him. Scowling back, Cloud pushed back, fighting to keep his balance. It was difficult, for the corridor was tight and cramped, and the floor beneath him vibrated with the roar of the engine, making him feel nauseous.
Behind him came a loud thud as Barret finally dropped down into the corridor to lend a hand. The sudden impact of his bulk made the floor shake, and the two soldiers stepped back in alarm. Then they recovered, drew their batons, and charged at him.
Barret ran to meet them. He drew back both of his great arms and then thrust them out. He slammed his fist hard into the gut of one oncoming soldier and his gun-arm just as hard into the gut of the other.
The two soldiers choked at the impact, and the sound of cracking could be heard as more than one rib was broken by the crushing blow. Barret kept on pushing and hurled the two soldiers away from him. They flew back and smashed into the far wall on either side of the door leading to the control room. They sagged onto the floor. Only one of them tried to get up, but instantly passed out from the pain.
The commander turned his head and stared in open-mouthed astonishment. Cloud took advantage of the distraction to pull back his sword, and the soldier keeled forward. Before he could recover, Cloud brought up his knee and caught the soldier firmly beneath his diaphragm. The commander coughed and dropped his baton. He staggered backwards and walked right into Barret, who gave him a quick blow to the back of his head. The commander fell to the floor.
Cloud twirled the Buster Sword behind him and sheathed it. While Barret dragged the unconscious soldiers to the middle of the corridor, Cloud went back to the hatch and signalled up at Vincent to say it was safe for them to come down.
Barret finished dragging the last soldier and dumped him brusquely on top of his comrades. The commander, at the bottom of the pile, groaned beneath the weight. Leaning over, Barret gave him another bash on the head—more gentle this time—and the commander fell silent once again.
"Come on, Cloud!" said Barret, standing upright. "Follow me!" He turned his back on Cloud and the soldiers and stomped off towards the control room. Abruptly he stopped and scratched his chin, remembering something. "Damn man!! ……What the…?" Behind him Cloud rested his hand on his hip and waited for him to continue.
Barret scratched his chin a moment longer and then turned to face Cloud, a large grin on his face. "Hey yo! Remember I was the leader first, man! Yo! We come a long ways since we got on that train! Lotsa things changed! This and that." Turning away, he stomped off towards the control room.
Cloud watched him go, confused, wondering what had brought that on. He felt a light tap on his arm and turned to Tifa, who was standing beside him. She smiled and gave him a wink. Cloud smiled and shrugged, shaking his head. Let Barret have his moment of reminiscence if he wanted to. But Barret was right about one thing: things had definitely changed since the day they met. Stepping over the soldiers, Cloud and the others followed Barret into the control room.
There were yet another three soldiers waiting for them in the control room. One of them Cloud recognised as the officer from when they had first arrived in Junon, and he posed as a Shinra soldier in order to sneak onboard the boat to Costa del Sol. Though he could not see their faces, Cloud guessed that the soldiers standing with the officer were the same ones he had trained with for Rufus's inauguration parade.
The Shinra officer's eyes widened as he saw the rebels and the weapons they carried with them. "NO, NO!! This is terrible!" he cried, and ran back to his comrades.
"We don't have much time left!" said one of the soldiers. His trembling hands squeezed the butt of his rifle tightly. "I don't want to die!"
The other soldier did the same. "There's still so much I want to do! I never even got to do my special victory dance in battle!"
"All right!!" said the officer. "Then make this your first victory!! Go on, show 'em!!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Remember your last training. Begin!!"
"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers raised their rifles and twirled them over their heads.
The officer, encouraged by the new confidence he had inspired in his subordinates, turned back to Cloud and the others. "I'm back!" he announced. "An' now I got no regrets!!" Lifting his training whistle to his lips, he blew on it sharply. "ATT----ACK!!"
"Hmmmm……" Cloud crossed his arms. Though the order to attack had been given, and though the three soldiers appeared to be awash in new confidence, none of them actually moved. They just stood there, waiting for Cloud and the rest to attack.
Cloud looked back over his shoulder to judge the state of his friends. They had been forced to fight many battles to reach this point, and were beginning to tire. They could probably handle these three soldiers, but it seemed foolish to fight them unnecessarily, especially when the enemy themselves didn't have the heart for it. He released his grip on the sword hilt and looked back at Vincent.
"Capture them," he said.
The gunman nodded and walked forward silently, loading three bullets into the barrel of his gun before pointing it at the soldiers. Barret looked like he was about to protest, but was silenced by a dark look from Cloud.
Seeing the gun barrel pointing their way, the three soldiers quickly lost any and all of the confidence they had managed to muster for the fight. The two soldiers at the rear lowered their guns and followed their commander to the side of the control room, out of the way of Cloud and the others. Vincent stood nearby, keeping guard.
Cloud walked to the centre of the control room. Suddenly he stopped and looked around at the walls and consoles, the beeping lights and scrolling screens. His throat became dry and tight. When he tried to swallow it was almost painful. He turned away from the console and back to the others. They watched, confused, as the swordsman began to dance from foot to foot.
"Someone… please," said Cloud, his face paling. "I'm sorry, I can't take it anymore. The lack of space, the shaking, the roar of the engine…" There came a loud hum from the engine room, and the sub floor vibrated once again. The movement sent shockwaves of nausea right up to Cloud's stomach. His face went sheet white and he dropped to his knees. He was not the only one. Yuffie was also suffering from the unsettling motion, hopping on the spot with her hands clamped over her mouth.
Barret glared down at Cloud angrily. "Stop your blubberin'!!" he snapped without sympathy. "How we gonna move this without you?"
"What are we going to do…" said Tifa. "We stole a submarine and can't pilot it." She would not admit it to anyone else, but she was slightly relieved to see Cloud like he was. This was more like the Cloud she remembered.
Cid pushed his way past Cloud and Barret and walked right up to the control panel. Leaning over, he examined it closely. The controls were, naturally, very different to those he was used to seeing in his old airplane, the Tiny Bronco, or those found in the rusted old Shinra No. 26. Still, he mused, it wasn't completely indecipherable.
"Hunka junk…!" the pilot muttered disdainfully. "Just gotta do this!" He punched a button on the control panel, and the submarine sprang into life. The whole sub shuddered, and there was a deep roar from below as the engines powered up and began to move the sub slowly away from the dock. A red light flashed in the control room. Satisfied, Cid turned to Cloud. "SEE! Now you take over!"
Startled by the unwelcome motion, Yuffie clutched at her stomach and keeled over. "HEY---! It's movin'!" The sub jolted as it scraped past the edge of the dock. The ninja jumped in fright and turned slowly in a circle, trying to stay the waves of nausea that threatened to overcome her. "Man, this sucks!! Cloud, do something!"
Cloud opened his eyes. Steadily, he rose to his feet. "Hey, you're right…" he said. "I DO feel a little better driving." He nodded his head, and clenched his fist. "No sweat. Just leave everything to me."
Tifa clapped her hands. "You can do it, Cloud!"
Cloud climbed into the pilot's seat. The seat was made of leather and was well-worn; he almost sank into it. Shifting to the edge of the seat, he pulled on the seatbelt and clipped himself in. He then scanned the console before him. "Well, now what?"
Laid out on the console were numerous dials and buttons, switches, and screens that rolled with information that was almost impossible to understand. Directly in front of him was a steering wheel, obviously used to manoeuvre the sub through the water. To his left were knobs used to control the internal tanks that took in and discharged saltwater, controlling the sub's ability to dive or ascend.
By those was a gearstick with a red button inlaid at the top. Beside it were three buttons, labelled 'LOAD', 'CANCEL' and 'ERROR'. The purpose of this gearstick was clear: it controlled the sub's military arsenal.
"Everything seems set…" said Cloud to himself.
His attention was then drawn to a single button close to the steering wheel, labelled 'ONSCREEN DISPLAY'.
"This switch…?" asked Cloud to himself, pushing the button. It beeped and a computerised voice spoke from the console.
"MAIN SCREEN: ON."
The display screen went dark. It then lit up again, but instead of showing data it showed the view outside of the sub. He could see the dock as the sub moved steadily away from it, heading out into the water. The soldiers they had fought there were gathered on the edge of the walkways, watching silently. One shook his rifle angrily.
Cloud took hold of the steering wheel and manoeuvred the sub away from the dock. It swerved right, and he could see the crackling remains of the Carry Armour still lying on the pathway.
Once clear of the dock, Cloud pulled on one of the knobs that operated the internal tanks. The external grids in the side of the sub opened up, allowing saltwater to flood the tanks. The submarine began to slowly submerge beneath the water. They watched as the water level rose around them, filling the display screen. The moment the sub was underwater the depth sensors activated and the camera changed to a mode more suited to underwater viewing.
When completely submerged in the water, Cloud turned the submarine around and began to search for the hatch that would lead the sub out into the ocean. He found it quickly enough—it was still open from when the red sub had escaped during their battle with the Carry Armour.
Cloud headed for that hatch. It was now a case of finding the escaped red submarine and reclaiming the Huge Materia.
And, as Cait had so helpfully reminded them early, hope they didn't run into Weapon in the process.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
Sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of weeks. I was on leave from work and decided to have a break from writing in the process. That and I had difficulty coming up with a strategy for defeating the Carry Armour.
I also had to do a bit of research with the latter end of this chapter. I know nothing about submarines, so I had to use my researching skills to find out the basics so I can make a rough estimate of how a Shinra sub might operate. XD I even had one of my friends ask her dad, who's worked on submarines, to give me a basic lesson on how sonar works (you'll see why in the next chapter).
He even offered me the chance to go on a ten-day perisher's course—the kind they use to train potential captains of nuclear submarines.
……I respectfully declined. Research is one thing, but that's too much. XD