Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Twenty

Controlling the submarine was not as difficult as it first seemed. They got off to a shaky start as Cloud got used to the controls, manoeuvring the submarine towards the hatch. Once they were out of the dock and into the ocean travel became much easier, and they headed on their way.

The water was quite smooth this far down, with little disturbance from the tide above. The mako-powered engines propelled the submarine through the water at a steady speed and it wasn't long before they left the Underwater Reactor behind. Once they were sure that they were not going to be followed, they began their search for the red sub.

Tifa went to the control column at Cloud's left side and sat down. Laid out before her were the controls for operating the sonar. She examined them closely. The sonar was already active, set currently at a mere 20 KHz for a quick scan of the immediate area around the sub. The sonar blipped as it picked up a few small fish swimming a small distance above the sub. The data came up on the screen beside her, showing the species' name, how far it was from the sub, and if it posed a threat.

Cid stood behind her and watched as Tifa looked over the controls, trying to figure out how to adjust the sonar's settings to scan a wider area. Though he was an airplane pilot, Cid had at least some idea of how the sub worked. The controls were not that dissimilar from those of a plane, albeit one a little more advanced than his beloved Tiny Bronco. Still, they were not as advanced on those of the Highwind, and he already knew those controls inside and out. Reaching over Tifa's shoulder, he turned one of the dials and adjusted the sonar settings from 20 KHz to 50 KHz.

The sonar blipped again. Cid and Tifa leaned forward to see what it had picked up. They were disappointed; all it had picked up was more fish.

Then… there it was. The red sub suddenly appeared: a large, white blip on the sonar. Cid and Tifa leaned forward again and looked at the readout. There was no doubt about it: it was the enemy submarine. There was the name, model number, its port of origin… even a list of its commanding officers.

Until then the sub had been invisible to the sonar. It had been hidden behind a rising column of rock jutting up out of the ocean floor, caused by the plates that moved deep below the crust of the planet. The sub was only detectable now because it had come out from behind the column and was moving slowly across the seabed. It appeared to be going west, and was heading into a valley of similar rocky rises.

"Got it," said Tifa, analyzing the figures. "It's right ahead, about a quarter of a mile away. If you keep on this course, you should see it before it heads into the valley."

Cloud nodded silently and moved the ship in the direction of the valley.

It wasn't long before the sub came into view. Cloud spotted it as it drifted across the ocean floor, using the shadows created by the rising rock as camouflage. It became visible only when it came out of the shadow and into the faded sunlight. He watched as the sub turned and headed deeper into the valley.

Cloud also moved their submarine into the valley. It was a tight fit in some places, for the rugged columns of rock were cramped tightly together. Many looked like they had been blown apart, for chunks of rock had been broken off in places, gathering on the seabed as piles of rubble.

Looking at them, Cloud couldn't help but wonder what caused them. Mines, maybe? He wouldn't have put it past Shinra to litter the seabed with mines, blowing up the ocean floor in their search for an area abundant in mako. There was another option, which he didn't want to consider, and that was Weapon.

As the shadows of the columns fell over the sub, Cloud looked over his shoulder and gestured to the console to his right. Vincent nodded and calmly went over to it, leaving the guarding of the three Shinra soldiers to Barret. The soldiers eyed the big man and his metallic arm warily, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

The right-hand console monitored the sub's weaponry, as well as the status of the engines. It was possible to control the weapons from Cloud's console, but with the swordsman too busy trying to keep the submarine from crashing into the rising walls of rock, it was necessary for someone else to handle the weapons.

Vincent took a moment to look over the controls. He was able to figure out which buttons loaded the torpedoes into the loading bay, and which ones fired them. The gunman then began to fiddle with the dials, targeting the red sub.

"Ready," he said gruffly.

Cait Sith stood behind Cloud and looked up at the screen nervously. "Be careful, Cloud," the cat said with a tremor in his voice. "They know that we're here; watch out for their torpedoes."

"I know that," said Cloud shortly, too busy concentrating on manoeuvring the sub between the rising columns. It was difficult; the columns were so tightly crammed together that they risked scraping the sub against the rocky walls and damaging the exterior. When they were going through this cramped space, it was difficult to get a clean shot at the other sub. Without a clear shot they risked hitting the columns and burying the sub and the Huge Materia forever at the bottom of the ocean.

The red sub was also having difficulty moving through the rocky landscape. It had slowed down greatly and was moving at a steady pace across the seabed. It was headed towards another of the rising columns, hoping to use its shadow to hide itself from their sight. Cloud followed, keeping the sub at a safe distance above them.

The Shinra sub went around the rocky pillar and out of sight. Tifa leaned over the sonar. As long as the sub was behind the pillar it was invisible to the sonar, but she kept her attention fixed on every blip, ready to detect it the moment it reappeared. She waited as Cloud moved the sub in the same direction, towards the rocky pillar.

Suddenly there was a blip on the sonar. Before Tifa could even raise her head to call out a warning, the Shinra sub reappeared from where it had disappeared behind the pillar and fired a torpedo at them.

Acting quickly, Cloud punched the controls and forced the submarine into a steep dive. The nose dipped rapidly as the sub began to descend. All those without seats tumbled forward, and clutched at the nearest available handhold to keep from falling onto the floor. Yuffie swore obscenities under her breath and clutched at her queasy stomach, vowing never to ride in another boat as long as she lived.

The submarine dived just in time. The torpedo whizzed by overhead and struck the column of rock behind them. The resulting explosion was so loud it could be heard and felt inside the sub. The submarine shook violently, thrown by the shockwaves caused by the blast.

The loose rock fell over the sub and hammered into the hull. The noise was loud and deafening, resounding throughout the sub. More than one person in the bridge looked up in alarm, fearful of the sub's hull being damaged by the falling rock. Many small chunks of rock fell onto the display screen and stuck there, making it difficult to see anything that was ahead.

Cloud did not hang around to see if any larger chunks of rock would fall onto the sub. He punched the accelerator and the sub ploughed forward.

When the rocky pillar had been destroyed, a few chunks of rock had crashed into the bow of the sub. They hit the electromagnetic transducers that emitted the sonar's audio frequency, temporarily knocking it out. It finally came back online as the ship surged forward, and as soon as it did Tifa spun around in her chair and shouted out to Cloud: "Quick! Turn to the left!"

Cloud did not wait to ask questions and immediately pulled the submarine into a tight left turn. Once again everyone without a seat was thrown to the floor as the sub swerved sideways, and Yuffie swore fervently. The sudden movement dislodged the rocks that were blocking the display screen, allowing them to see what had caused Tifa to give the order to turn: another rocky column directly ahead.

The sub swerved out of the way of the column just in time. It passed by so close that the screen was filled with nothing but rock. Once clear, Cloud pulled the controls back to the right, and the submarine groaned in protest as it turned to the right, bring them around the opposite side of the column.

He had no sooner done this when Tifa cried out again: "Look out ahead!"

Another torpedo was heading towards them. The Shinra sub had anticipated their actions and had moved into position on the other side of the pillar, waiting for them to appear. As soon as their sub came into view they fired, catching them off-guard.

Learning from his mistake last time, Cloud pulled the submarine into a rise. The submarine rose up, and though the torpedo swerved up to reach them, it was not agile enough to keep up with them. The torpedo scraped past the pillar and exploded, breaking the column into pieces. The shockwave shook the submarine and propelled it forward at speed, whizzing over the pillars and over the Shinra sub.

Cloud used this sudden burst of speed to his advantage. He waited until their sub sailed over that of the enemy's and then pulled on the wheel with all his strength. The engines gave a strained roar as they struggled to bring the submarine into a turn at such a speed. They fought back against the wheel, but Cloud held firm, forcing the sub to turn in a 180 degree angle so that it was now facing the Shinra sub—and in firing range.

The Shinra submarine seemed at a loss for what to do. Once they fired their torpedo they had immediately put their engines into reverse, planning to slink back into the shadows and prepare for another surprise assault.

So it came as a complete surprise when the rebels had used the shockwave caused by the blast to propel their own submarine forward, whooshing overhead and then swerving into an attacking position at their rear. The rebels could just picture the Shinra crew inside the vessel: running around in a panic, with the commander barking orders on deaf ears. The submarine slowed to a stop.

Cloud's head snapped round. "Fire!" he ordered Vincent sharply.

Vincent nodded and calmly flicked the switch that armed the torpedoes. He had already readied a torpedo in the loading bay in preparation for a quick assault. At Cloud's command Vincent brought the enemy sub into his sights and fired.

The torpedo was unleashed and zipped through the water towards the Shinra vessel. The other sub thrust its engines into forward gear and began to move forward just as the torpedo struck.

Vincent's aim was perfect. The torpedo ripped through the Shinra sub's armoured exterior and blew right through its primary engines. A stream of bubbles and watery flame erupted around the submarine, shielding it from view. The flames were quickly put out by the water, but the bubbles rose thick and fast as the air inside the enemy sub escaped. Inside the rebel sub Cloud and the others watched nervously.

The Shinra submarine then emerged from the shroud of bubbles. Using its secondary engines it left the maze of rocky columns and headed upward as fast as it could go. The damage caused by the torpedo was clearly visible. There was a large hole in the rear of the submarine where the torpedo had hit, and the area around it was charred black. Air was still escaping, and now the submarine was racing towards the surface.

Cloud pulled on the controls and brought the submarine around. He followed the Shinra sub as it sped towards the ocean surface. With its main engine out of commission the enemy vessel was considerably slower. Cloud very much doubted it would even reach the surface before the water seeping inside it became too much and dragged it back down to the seabed.

Just to make sure that did not happen, Vincent fired a second torpedo at the fleeing sub. The torpedo hit its mark perfectly, and the submarine's secondary engines exploded. More bubbles rose thick and fast from the point of impact. The submarine faltered and came to a stop, unmoving in the water.

A number of pods began to fire out from the sides of the sub. Realising that their vessel was doomed and their mission failed, the crew had decided to evacuate. For a moment Cloud wondered if he should order Vincent to take out the pods and prevent the crew from returning to Shinra, but he decided against it. They had abandoned their vessel; there was no point in killing them unnecessarily.

As the last of the pods left the submarine and raced off through the waters away from them, the abandoned submarine finally lost the last of its power and began to sink back down towards the ocean floor. It left a column of bubbles in its way as the last of the precious air escaped.

It was unlikely that anyone onboard the sub had had the presence of mind to collect the Huge Materia before running to the escape pods. Cloud doubted even Reno, whose mission was to collect the Huge Materia, would have done so. He knew enough about the Turk to know that, although dedicated to completing his assigned mission, he would have willingly given up the Huge Materia once the situation became impossible. Reno would have seen no sense in staying onboard and risking his life just to fetch the Huge Materia. Let the rebels have it, or let it sink to a watery grave. It would all be the same to Reno, and he would live to fight another day.

Cloud let go of the steering wheel and leaned back in his chair. His fingers ached as he uncurled them from clutching the wheel. "Phew--!" he said, sighing with relief. "We did it!!" Flexing his fingers to reduce the tension, he turned to the others. "The Huge Materia should be at the bottom of the sea by now. Let's continue the search…"

He turned back to the console. Just as he was about to lower the sub back towards the seabed the intercom crackled and a voice spoke.

"…All Shinra Submarine units, do you read…? …All Shinra Submarine Units, do you read…?"

Cloud stared at the console. "Hmm…? …Must be from Shinra," he said.

"…Report, No. 2…"

Tifa turned around in her chair. "No. 2…" she whispered. "I saw that written at the dock! They must mean this sub."

Probably trying to see if we have taken over one of their subs, Cloud thought. "All right, I'll do it," he said.

Everyone, including the three captured Shinra soldiers, fell silent as Cloud opened the communications channel.

"This is Shinra No. 2… Everything's normal."

There was a length pause, and everyone inside the submarine felt their hearts dance wildly within their chests. The tension of waiting for a response amplified every sound: the beeping of the consoles, the low creaking of the sub, and the faint roar of the engines, making them seem twice as loud as before. Did they recognise Cloud's voice? If they did, Shinra would not hesitate to sending a whole fleet of submarines to bring them down.

Their attention was so fixed on the silence that when the response finally came they almost jumped out of their skins.

"…Roger… …Your next mission is… …Return to Junon Dock… …We will transport the Huge Materia from the airport… …Those without other assignments will report for guard duty… That is all. Over and out…"

Cloud closed the communications channel. Around him, the others sighed in relief. It seemed that their infiltration of the Underwater Reactor and theft of the sub hadn't been discovered yet, despite the ruckus they had made.

This worked to their advantage. The person on the intercom had said that the Huge Materia was being transported from Junon Airport. That meant that the Huge Materia now in Junon was the one they had collected from the Nibelheim Reactor.

"Junon Airport…" said Cloud thoughtfully. "We should make it if we hurry."

Though he hated the idea of leaving the Huge Materia they had worked so hard to obtain at the bottom of the ocean, it was a risk they were going to have to take. It was possible that the Shinra Company wouldn't even try to retrieve it, and they could go back and collect it later when things quietened down.

Making up his mind, Cloud looked back at the others. "Forget about the Huge Materia for now," he said. "We're climbing!"

He pulled on the lever that ejected the water from the tanks. There was a deep groan as the water was pushed out of the tanks and replaced by air. The submarine creaked as it became lighter and began to head back towards the surface (helped by the engines). As they rose higher, everyone groaned as their ears popped.

Yuffie clamped her hands firmly over her ears and hopped miserably from foot to foot. "Climbing… arrrgh… my ears…!" she cried shrilly. She hopped in a circle and stamped her feet on the floor. "LET ME OUT--- I HATE THIS---"

As soon as they reached the surface, Cloud directed the submarine to a small alcove close to the lower part of Junon. It was a suitable hiding place: it was private, close to the town, and practically invisible to the upper levels. They could hide the sub from Shinra and return at a later time when everything else was finished.

The three captive soldiers were released once the sub was safely docked. They were warned—once, calmly, by Cloud and once, not so calmly, by Barret—that if they returned to warn Shinra or reclaim the sub, then they would not be so lenient if they ever caught up with them. The soldiers took these threats to heart and immediately fled into the Condor Plains.

Once that was done Cloud and the others hurried into town. They did not waste time bargaining with the soldier guarding the lift. Instead they just shoved him aside and forced their way in. They stood about anxiously as the lift made its way slowly up to the upper levels. They counted the seconds until the lift finally stopped and they piled out, not stopping as they ran to the airport.

They were too late. The airship Gelnika—one of Shinra's military transport units—was already beginning to turn down the runway. Its wingtips lowered and clicked into place, while its propellers gained in speed until the blades were nothing more than a blur. The airship then rolled forward towards the end of the runway.

There was a moment when everybody held their breath as the Gelnika rode off the edge of the runway and dripped low out of sight. Then the wings caught the wind and the ship rose back up into the air. Cloud and the others watched powerlessly as the airship headed away from the airport and out into the setting sun.

Cloud stepped forward away from the others, watching as the airship flew away into the reddening clouds. "Oh no! The Huge Materia…" he said in dismay.

"Let's go after it!" Barret shouted.

"Where's that thing headed?" asked Cid.

Cloud turned to look at him, amazed that Cid had not worked that out yet. Shinra planned to use the Huge Materia to destroy Meteor before it could hit the planet. There was only one place in the world where Shinra could possibly go in order to launch such an assault on an entity that was not on the planet.

"Rocket Town, of course," he said.