Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Thirty-One

Cloud gazed up in wonder at the vision on the screen. "…It's glowing," he breathed.

"Ho Ho Hooo!" Bugenhagen chuckled. "It's pale green!"

Cloud walked up to the edge of the altar. Reaching up, he placed his hand against the bottom of the screen. The image rippled at his touch. The White Materia was shrouded in an aura of pale green light, just as they had hoped it would be. The light it gave was gentle. It did not pulse or flash, nor did it emanate overwhelming power like its dark counterpart. It just shone, softly and gently. This was Aeris's final gift.

"…Aeris," said Cloud. "Aeris has already prayed for Holy." He let his hand fall back to his side, and the water fell smoothly once again. "…After I gave up the Black Materia to Sephiroth… Aeris's words came into my dreams… She said, she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth… And to do that, there was a secret here… That was Holy… That's why, she had the White Materia.

"Aeris knew about here…" Cloud continued, waving his hand to encompass the chamber and the rest of the city, "and what she had to do. Aeris has left us a great hope. But, it cost her her life… her future…" The swordsman looked up towards the roof of the chamber, where the water was still streaming in around the altar.

"I'm sorry… Aeris," he said. "I should have figures this out sooner. …You left without saying a word… It was all so sudden, so I couldn't think… That's why it took so long for me to find out… But, Aeris… I understand now. Aeris… I'll do the rest."

The only response Cloud got was the sound of the water as it splashed down from above onto the rocks below. He could only hope that, somewhere, Aeris had heard his words. Cloud felt a hand touch his shoulder, and he looked at Tifa, beside him.

"You mean, WE…" she corrected him, grinning widely.

"What Aeris left for us…" said Red XIII. "We can't let it go to waste."

Cloud looked around at his friends, all of whom concurred with the hound. Aeris's sacrifice had given them the hope they needed to stop Meteor from falling and save the planet. Cloud spread his arms wide and looked up at the sky.

"Thank you… Aeris."

One by one, everyone turned their own eyes to look up at the sky. Sunlight was streaming in through the hole in the ceiling, filling the altar with light. The light danced off the falling water and the surface of the crystal in the centre of the altar. The mood must have been getting to them, for they could almost feel Aeris smiling down at them, thankful that her prayer had finally reached them.

Cloud lowered his arms. "Aeris's voice has already reached the Planet," he told them. "Just look at the glow of the White Materia. But…" A troubling thought occurred to him and he paused. "How about Holy? How come Holy isn't moving?" The swordsman shook his head in puzzlement. "Why?"

"Something's getting in its way," replied Bugenhagen gravely.

A frown passed over Cloud's face. Something was getting in Holy's way. Or, rather, someone was getting in its way. There was only one person on the planet Cloud could think of who had the power to stop Holy from moving.

"…Him…" said Cloud in a low voice. "He's the only one that could do it…" The others reached the same conclusion, and they shifted about uncomfortably. Cloud looked up at the sky once more and clenched his fists. "Sephiroth. Where are you?"

The image of the White Materia faded, and the companions left the altar. The water continued to fall even after they left. They gathered on the upper tier, silent. They had their answer from the White Materia: Holy was ready to move. But as long as Sephiroth lived, it would not be able to move. Cloud was just about to ask his friends what they should do next, when a loud ring broke the silence and made them jump.

"What the?" asked Cloud, startled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the PHS. He answered it. There came a shuffling sound on the other end, and then Cait's voice came through. His voice was low, barely a whisper.

"Sorry, I was a little surprised."

"What happened?" Cloud asked, just as quietly.

"You remember when the Junon Cannon disappeared? Actually, Rufus moved it."

Cloud's brow creased in thought. What was Cait talking about? Then it came back to him. It had been when they passed through Junon on their way to the Underwater Reactor. On the docks, Cloud had felt that there had been something… different, about the town. Something had been missing. At the time Cloud could not put his finger on it, but now that Cait had pointed it out, it became obvious what was missing. It was the cannon. But what was this talk of Rufus moving it?

"Moved it?" he asked, shaking his head. "That big thing…? Where…? Why?"

"Rufus wants to destroy Sephiroth with it," the cat whispered back. The shuffling sound came again, and Cait fell silent. When it passed, he spoke again. "That cannon operates on Huge Materia. But the Huge Materia has already been used in the Rocket Plan. So since the cannon's useless right now, he's decided to move it. To a place where Materia…" The cat paused. "No, where Mako is gathered…" he corrected.

Something about the way the cat hesitated before answering gave Cloud a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "And where is that!" he demanded.

Midgar: known as the Mako City, or the floating city in the sky. It was the place where it all began. Time once knew it as the city of dreams. People came from all across the world to live and find work in the great, mako-powered city. The people above the plate had lived comfortable lives, provided by the mako energy that the Shinra Company supplied. And the citizens always knew that they would be safe, protected by the Shinra Company's army and its prized military: SOLDIER.

Now, the city was completely different. The Shinra Company's officials had declared a state of emergency, and the army had been dispatched into the city to control the growing unrest. A helicopter flew around the main headquarters at all times, keeping a constant vigil. The entrance to the building was heavily guarded, preventing anyone from entering the building.

It had taken the Shinra army a while to disperse the crowds of angry and terrified civilians that had gathered outside the main building. They had come in droves, demanding that President Rufus come out and face up to what he and his company had done to the planet.

The Junon Cannon had been placed on the northern side of the city, at the edge of Sector 8. Scaffold had been hastily erected to support the gigantic barrel, which was pointing to the north in the direction of the northern continent. Pipes had been secured to outlets on the mako reactors separating the city's eight sectors, leading to a power generator at the base of the cannon.

At the designated time, these pipes would draw mako energy straight from the reactors and feed it into the cannon. The cannon, when activated, would fire shells of mako with such power and strength that they would traverse the vast ocean to the northern continent.

Heidegger, Head of the Security Department, had ordered that a barrier of soldiers and machinery be placed around the perimeter of Shinra Headquarters. He also dispatched the Turks at various places inside and below the building. He did this, he had said, to protect Shinra employees still inside the building.

However, this was just a ruse, as many employees had now realised. Heidegger did not care one jot about the safety of the rest of the Shinra employees. All these 'precautions', as he had so eloquently put it, were there to protect the high-ranking officials, such as himself and Scarlet. And as they realised further, the soldiers and Turks had not been put in place just to prevent the civilians from breaking in; they were also there to prevent employees from getting out.

Someone once said that there was a high price to pay in order to leave Shinra. Many employees were now beginning to realise just how high that price was.

In the president's office on the upper levels of the Shinra Building, Rufus was holding what he hoped would not be his last meeting as president of the Shinra Company.

The situation had become grave. Their attempts to win back the support of the citizens by destroying Meteor had failed. His company was falling apart around his ears; employees were deserting left and right. The shadow of the Jenova Project hung as largely over them as Meteor did in the sky. But Rufus knew that there was no turning back now. All he could do was focus all of his attention on the one last chance that the Shinra Company had for survival. They had to focus all of the company's efforts and power and put an end to Sephiroth's shadow.

"…That's why, Reeve," the president said to the Head of the Urban Development Department. "It's your job to adjust the reactor's output."

Reeve Tuesti shifted uncomfortably. "I see…" he said, after a moment's thought. He looked down at the ground, torn. He did not like this plan.

Scarlet laughed loudly at Reeve's troubled face. "Don't worry about adjusting it, Reeve," she said to him, her voice mocking. Her lips twisted into a smile. "Once you open it up all the way, everything will go full speed!" Reeve looked at her. Even now, Scarlet was still sickeningly smug and cold.

Now it was Heidegger's turn to laugh. "The President's sure done it this time! If we can only defeat Sephiroth, the idea that Meteor will also disappear is based on different objectives!" He stroked his beard, equally smug.

"Please remember, Mr. President…" Scarlet added quickly with a look at Rufus. "It was my idea to fire Mako reactor powered shells."

Once again, Reeve shuffled about. Were these two still more concerned about petty things like scoring points and their own personal gain more than the safety of the people or the planet? Reeve turned slightly away from the two of them, hands clenching and unclenching, lost in thought.

Rufus, too, seemed more preoccupied with other things. "Will the shells really reach the northern border?" he asked Scarlet.

"Of course!" replied Scarlet confidently. She cackled to herself. She walked over to the window and began to inspect her nails. "But Mr. President, please do not call it a Mako cannon. This new weapon will be called… The Sister Ray!"

Reeve sighed heavily. The name of the cannon made little difference to the job it was being remodelled to do. Yet clearly it mattered to Scarlet, who wanted every bit of credit for the plan. If it wasn't for the fact that the cannon was being used as their last shot to destroy Sephiroth, Reeve would hope that it blew up in her pretty face.

He looked at the president. Rufus's brow was creased with concern, and his fingers drummed lightly against the edge of the table. Even Rufus had his doubts about this plan, Reeve realised. Scarlet's plan was a risky one and if it failed then Midgar would be completely defenceless against a Weapon attack. But it was the company's only remaining option, so Rufus would have no choice but to give it a try.

The meeting went on. As it continued, Reeve began to grow more and more uneasy. His fists tightened and he clenched his teeth. What should he do…?

After Cait's call, Cloud and the others hurried back through the Sleeping Forest towards Bone Village. They tried to move as quickly as possible, but Bugenhagen's older body was not able to keep up and so they were forced to slow down.

When they reached Bone Village, they came across a miner who was preparing to set sail for the western continent. He agreed to take Bugenhagen back with him. The old man gave his thanks and goodbyes and wished them luck in their endeavour. Cloud tried to persuade the old man to come with them, but Bugenhagen insisted that his presence would only serve as a distraction if they went into battle. He tried not to look at Red XIII as he said this but the hound, remembering his folly in their battle against Ruby Weapon, hung his head in shame.

They left Bugenhagen in Bone Village and hurried back to the Highwind. Cait Sith was waiting for them on the outer deck; he jumped and waved and called for them to hurry up. The companions picked up the pace and ran towards the airship.

As they neared it, Cloud suddenly stopped and looked around. There was something… different… about the air. It was strangely still and quiet, and had an almost ominous feeling. "…?" he muttered curiously.

Cid and the others reached the Highwind. They gathered around the foot of the ladder leading up to the outer deck where Cait was waiting for them. They did not seem to notice the strange lack of… anything… in the air. Cloud continued to look around. Tifa spotted him and called out to him. Her voice broke Cloud from his thoughts. It was probably nothing; just his mind playing tricks on him. He forced his worries out of his mind and ran to catch up with the others.

He had no sooner reached the airship than the ground began to shake. It came so suddenly and so violently that the swordsman was thrown onto his knees. The ground lurched up at him, throwing him off-balance. He heard the others also cry out, as they, too, were thrown aside by the quake.

Cloud raised his head. The Highwind was rocking from side to side as the quake shook it from its engine to its propellers. The airship groaned and the engines hummed loudly as the crew tried to lift the airship away from the ground and away from the quake. Behind him, Cloud heard a loud 'rip' as one of the trees from the nearby forest was ripped up by its roots and came crashing down. The quake raged on, showing no signs of stopping.

"Wh, what the…!" Cloud cried.

The earthquake's epicentre was a few miles away from where they were, at the entrance of a large inlet on the south-eastern side of the continent. The water began to heave from a point deep beneath the surface. It swelled and then burst upward as something tall and immeasurably large rose up from where it had been resting deep beneath the water. Something had awoken it, and now it had risen to the surface.

It was yet another Weapon. This one was known as Diamond Weapon. Its name did not come from its armour, which was dull, metallic silver but by the clearness of its eyes, which glinted like diamonds in the sunlight. It stood more than fifteen metres tall, and had a girth that was almost as long. It had gigantic legs the size of old oak trees and large, flat feet ending in five massive, sharp claws. Its arms were small in comparison, but its arms were not where its strength lay.

Diamond Weapon's main strength lay in the two giant, wing-like protrusions rising out of the back of its shoulder blades. These opened and closed at the front, hiding a set of small cannons inside its own body. A red light glowed at the centre of its torso and this pulsed madly as it rose out of the water.

As the last of the water slicked down its body, Diamond Weapon opened its jaws as wide as they could go and roared loudly. Its roar was piercing and made the water around it tremble. The beast looked around for a moment, before its gaze turned southwards. It flexed its hands, and its eyes flashed hungrily. Then Weapon began to move forward through the water, heading south.

Cloud and the others knew nothing of Weapon's appearance in the neighbouring inlet. When the quake ended they hurried onto the Highwind, preparing to head to Midgar to see if they could find out anything more about Shinra's new weapon. The information Cait had given them was limited, and they had to know if it was something they had to put a stop to before it was put into action.

The airship had just risen off the ground when the consoles in the bridge began to crackle with the piercing sound of static. Cid turned to a crewman on the nearest console. "What's wrong!" he demanded angrily.

"It's a strange signal!" the crewman reported.

Cid looked around the bridge. The static was affecting all of the consoles on the bridge. It was loud and buzzed in everyone's ears. Yuffie clamped her hands over ears. Red XIII, with his finer hearing, ducked his head low and shook his head, whimpering. Cid turned back to the crewman. "From where?" he asked.

The crewman nodded and turned to his scanner to locate the source of the static. When the report came up he frowned in puzzlement. He performed the scan again but the report came up with the same result. This couldn't be right. He did the scan a third time, in case the static had affected the scanner. He got the same result.

"It's coming from this… person?" he said, turning to look at Cait.

Everyone turned to Cait Sith. The cat looked back at them and tilted his head to one side, mystified as to why everybody was staring at him like that. The sound of the static came again, this time louder and more intense. Suddenly the cat's body stiffened, and then both he and his Mog jerked violently.

"Wow!" Cait exclaimed. His body relaxed, released from whatever strange force had suddenly gripped it. He shook his head. That was bizarre. For a moment, he had almost lost control of himself. Good thing it had passed…

The Mog then abruptly leaped forward, almost throwing the cat off its head. Cait tried to hold onto it, but his body shuddered again and he rolled onto his back, arms and legs twitching. "Hey!" he cried. The Mog hopped from foot to foot, and then began to spin slowly on the spot.

Cloud and the rest of the companions stared in astonishment as Cait and his Mog hopped about the bridge. It seemed as though the static was short-circuiting them both, causing them to move erratically. There was nothing they could do but watch as the cat struggled to bring both himself and his Mog back under his control.

Finally the static ceased, and the cat and Mog both came to a sudden stop. The cat flopped forward on the Mog's head and laid there, his body still. The others watched, unsure of what to do.

Cloud was just about to step forward to see if Cait was okay when the cat suddenly bolted upright, making everybody jump. The cat plonked himself down on the Mog's head and brushed himself down.

"That was a surprise," the cat commented, so casually he made it seem like nothing had happened. "The controls went crazy." He finished brushing himself down and began to adjust his crown. The Mog, too, made a show of cleaning itself up. Once the two of them were done, Cait led the Mog forward to the others. "This ain't good…" he told them. "Weapon came out of the sea and is heading straight for Midgar."

"The new weapon should stop him, right?" Cloud asked him.

Cait scratched his chin. "I don't know if it's ready or not…"

"Hey!" Barret pushed his way past Cloud and ran up to Cait. "What's gonna happen to Marlene!" he demanded of the cat, the muscles in his neck twitching in anger.

Cloud almost hit himself. Of course, Marlene was still in Midgar! With everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten about little Marlene. The girl had been taken prisoner by the Shinra along with Elmyra, Aeris's adoptive mother. Cait had used the situation to ensure that he continued to travel with Cloud and the others, with the proviso that if they let him travel with them, Marlene would stay safe. So far he had kept his word.

"Doncha worry none," said Cait with a grin. "Marlene's in a safe place. "She's with Aeris's mama."

Barret did not find this reassuring. All he could think of was that Marlene was still in the hands of the Shinra, and it angered him. It did not matter how many times Cait assured him that Marlene was safe—until he could hold her in his arms, he could not believe in Cait. His anger swelled. He walked away from Cait, scratching his head.

Cait Sith saw this and frowned crossly. "Barrett!" he snapped. He made the Mog leap forward to catch up with him, and stopped beside him. The cat stood up on the Mog and crossed his arms. "What was that scratching just now!" he demanded, his whiskers bristling. "As long as Marlene's safe, who cares what else happens, right?"

Barret did not reply. Cait Sith sighed heavily. As he had thought, Marlene's safety was the only thing Barret cared about. Never mind that there were thousands of other people living in Midgar at this very moment, all of them facing the very same danger. Cait Sith sat down on the Mog's head and sagged, his ears drooping low.

"I've been itchin' to say this to ya fer a while now!" said Cait. He looked up at Barret. "When ya blew the Midgar No. 1 up, how many folks d'ya think died?"

Barret shuffled uncomfortably. He refused to look at Cait. "…That was for the life of the planet," he mumbled in a low voice. "Ya gotta expect a few casualties."

"A few?" the cat repeated. He shook his head. "Whaddya mean 'a few'? What may be a few to y'all is everythin' to them who died… …Protect the planet. Hah!" This time the cat's anger was directed at everyone. He looked around at them all, from Cloud to Tifa, from Tifa to Cid and so on, sparing no one. "Y'all sure sound good! Ain't no one that'd go against ya. So ya think ya can do whatever y'all want?"

Now Barret turned and glared at the cat fiercely. "I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra," he said. He clenched his fist.

Cait sighed again and sagged down low on the Mog's head. "…Nuthin' I can do 'bout that…" he replied, with a touch of regret.

Tifa looked at Cloud desperately, silently pleading with him to stop this argument before it grew out of hand. It would be difficult to continue the journey if they started to fall out now, even if it was something that had been long coming.

Cloud, too, had had enough of this argument. When Barret raised his fist and started to walk toward the miserable-looking Cait, he snapped. "Stop it!" he ordered sharply.

Barret did as he was told and lowered his fists. He turned away from Cait Sith and stared out the window, refusing to look at him or anyone else.

Cait too, could not bring himself to look at anyone. He looked completely and utterly dejected, his ears drooping. Even the Mog looked sad, its feet shuffling on the floor.

An awkward silence fell. Nobody knew what to say that would break the icy tension. Eventually Tifa stepped forward to brave the storm. She walked over to Cait Sith and leaned down in front of him, looking up at his sad, furry face.

"Cait…" she said softly. "Barret, he knows what he did. What we did in Midgar can't be forgotten no matter what the reason. Right? We haven't forgotten, right?"

She looked at Cloud. The swordsman nodded. Yes, he remembered the things that they had done in Midgar. Barret could call it freedom-fighting if he wanted, but in reality it was just plain terrorism done in hate of the Shinra.

"I know you," Tifa continued, looking back at Cait. "I know you can't quit the company because you're worried about the people in Midgar, right?"

Cait turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze and nodded firmly. Slowly, the cat smiled. Perhaps he was right about this group, after all. Seeing his smile, Tifa stood up straight and turned to Cloud. "…Cloud?" she said.

Cloud nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "Okay!" he said in a loud voice, breaking the sombre silence. "Let's go! We'll beat Weapon ourselves!"

"Hey, Cloud…" Cid interrupted him, a little uneasy. "…You think we can win against that monster? We got a chance of winnin', right?"

"How would I know?" replied Cloud with a shrug. "But that's no reason for us to just let him go!" Cid scratched his head—the swordsman had a point. Cloud turned to the window. "We're goin' to Midgar and fight Weapon," he said. "Come on, let's move!"