The Plot Thickens…Again
"AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH!"
"Tifa! Can you shut that baby up, please?!" Cloud called.
"Not really! He's on my back and I'd probably drop him if I moved him! Just ignore it!"
"AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH!"
The crowded group was midway through their flight from Edge and the high speeds or the wind or something had stirred the child on Tifa's back. He was now screaming in short, rapid bursts with eyes the size of dinner plates.
"AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH!"
Cloud groaned and gunned the engine to drown out the baby, swerving to dodge civilians and attackers alike while Denzel stuck to Cloud's back like glue. Marlene and Zelda remained silently hunkered down in the sidecar.
"AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH! AAH!"
"Cloud, watch out!" Tifa cried as a beast larger than most of the others saw and ran in front of the bike.
"I know!" Cloud swerved sharply as the monster reached and took a swipe at the bike, but Fenrir had too much forward momentum and the beast hit the sidecar, detaching it and sending everyone on the bike flying.
Tifa's heart nearly stopped when she flew. Zell!
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! UHAAAAAAAAA!"
Tifa twisted in the air and tried to land on her feet, but slipped and was forced to land on her front. She let out a yelp as her hands and legs skidded across the pavement, leaving burning, dirty abrasions where the skin was nearly wiped away. She got shakily to her feet and looked around for Cloud, Marlene, Denzel, and Zelda. Cloud was a few feet from the heavily damaged bike with a wound to the head. He blinked irritably and wiped blood out of his eye before looking down at Denzel next to him, who was scared nearly to death but none the worse for wear other than a few minor injuries. The sidecar was about 20 feet from the bike with Marlene hiding beside it and looking frantically for Cloud or Tifa. Zelda was out of sight.
"AAAAAAAAAH! AHAAAAAAAKACH!" Zell coughed and continued crying. He buried his face into Tifa's back and pushed against the wrap around him.
Tifa took off at a sprint, "Marlene!"
Marlene turned when she heard her name, "Tifa! Tifa!"
A soldier in one of those suits saw and sprinted towards Marlene. Tifa body slammed him before he got less than 10 feet from Marlene.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Zell continued to scream.
Marlene rushed toward Tifa as Cloud came by again on the bike, "Get on! We have to go!"
"Zelda was taken by those men in the suits, Cloud!" Marlene cried, "She's-! She's-!"
Cloud paused, "…Tifa, can you drive this?"
"Cloud, you don't honestly think that-"
"Tifa! You're more hurt than me and you have Zell on your back!" Cloud unhatched his swords from the bike and dispatched a soldier that had advanced toward their group, "Go! I'll be fine!"
"That's not what I was asking, dummy! Do you think she's still alive?"
"UWUUUUUUHHHUH!" Zell hollered.
Cloud hesitated for a beat, "I don't know. But I have to look around at least," he looked at Zell, "She's the only family he has."
Tifa weighed her options, whatever she thought there were, at least, "…Fine. But don't you dare get yourself killed, or I'll bring you back and kill you again."
"Of course," Cloud smirked, then set his face serious again, "Marlene, sit in front of Tifa. Denzel, hold onto Tifa's back and try not to go deaf."
"A-A-AAah!" Zell was beginning to scream himself hoarse.
Once situated on Fenrir, Tifa got a feel for the controls and took off.
Cloud watched his family recede quickly on his bike for a moment and wished that Tifa was able to drive faster, then turned toward the fray of predator and prey. He noticed that large boxes were being set down by the airships in the area and that people still alive were being filed into them. If Zelda was still alive, then she would be filed in with whoever else was left.
Cloud took off at a sprint, dispatching any soldiers that advanced with the intent of stopping him as he made his way to the closest large crate. The cut on Cloud's head began bleeding a bit more profusely as his heartbeat picked up, and the blond had to repeatedly wipe blood out of his eye.
"Zelda!" Cloud called. He glanced over the face of any person who caught his eye, "Zelda!"
"Grab him! But be careful, this guy's got a rep!" a soldier called.
"Tch," Cloud scowled as no less than 15 men attempted to surround him. Not wasting any time, he summoned Ifrit and Shiva to take care of the soldiers while he continued his search. Shaking himself awake after the mental drain of calling two summons, Cloud cured the cut on his head and got out of range of the ice and fire that had been only a few feet from him. Once in a more clear area, Cloud scanned the thinning crowd once again for the old homeless woman who had become his friend.
"Zelda!" Cloud hollered. He growled in irritation and decided upon a new course of action: smash the crates; get people out. One of the people he would free was probably who he was looking for and he would save others while at it. Plus, he was feeling irate, and destroying big metal boxes seemed like a good stress reliever. Three birds with one stone.
Cloud sprinted toward the closest box and slashed the top of it open. Inside, he heard several people shriek and he imagined them ducking from their new assailant. Oops. Cloud jumped onto the ledge he had made and peered inside. No Zelda. He left to dismember the other crates in a slightly more gentle fashion.
Don't kill the people you're saving by giving them heart attacks, Cloud.
While Cloud was busy destroying several crates, more of them were being lifted into the air, a combination of cacophony and silence making them difficult to notice among the street-level battle.
Cloud noticed one of said boxes and leaped towards it, attempting to sever the cables connecting the box to its helicopter before it got too high and the fall would injure those inside.
During his run, a streak of red flashed in the corner of Cloud's eye and he had to pivot and block several blows lest he be rend in two. The blows knocked him back several feet and, once back on the ground, Cloud looked at his assailant.
"Hmph. Not bad," the woman said with a smile. She had deep crimson hair, crimson eyes, wine red lipstick, and typical female armor: covering only what needed to be covered for the sake of decency. This was made of metal and crimson cloth, "I thought you looked stronger than the others," her accent was strange, yet somehow regal.
Cloud glanced at where the crate was disappearing into the distance; headed to Midgar.
"Ah, ah," Cloud blocked another heavy blow from the woman as she moved to take his attention from the crate, "You should know better than to let your guard down."
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? I am Rosso the Crimson. You would do well to remember my name."
"Who are you with? Who is doing all of this?"
"Hm. I don't think you need to know that quite yet. Besides, we are not here for you. You would not happen to know a Vincent Valentine, would you?"
"Never heard of him."
Rosso scowled deeply and leaned more heavily against her weapon, "Do not lie to me."
Cloud pushed back against the crimson woman and glared, "If you don't need me, then I have something very important to attend to, and you're getting in my way. Move."
"I don't think so," Rosso unleashed a flurry of attacks that Cloud blocked and returned in kind, then she jumped back and started firing arrows out of her weapon. Shocked at the melee gone ranged, Cloud dove to the side and shot a Fire 3 her way. Rosso dodged and was preparing to lose another barrage of arrows when a man who positively dwarfed Barret walked into view.
"Rosso. This isn't what we were sent to do. It's time to go," he said in a deep baritone.
"Hmph. I was just beginning to have some fun. We will have to finish this later…schedule permitting," she joked condescendingly.
"Where are you taking those people?" now that the fight was more or less declared over, worry that he had not rescued Zelda began creeping against the edges of Cloud's mind.
The gargantuan man scowled, "If you were supposed to find out, we would tell you, pipsqueak."
Cloud's nose twitched, "What are you doing with them? I'll be damned if I let you go without answers."
"Well," Rosso said with a laugh, "I suppose I will see you in Hell."
Cloud covered his face to shield his eyes from dust as a helicopter descended.
"Goodbye. It is a shame we were not able to finish what was started," Rosso sneered over the beat of helicopter blades.
Cloud rushed the helicopter, nearly blind and blade at the ready, when a sharp pain struck his shoulder. Ignoring this, he jumped out of the dust cloud and hit the helicopter with a Thunder 3, bringing it down.
Rosso and the massive other man, plus a crewmember from the chopper jumped out of the aircraft before it became too damaged or hit the ground.
"Argh! You pest! Why did you not quit when you were going to live? Do you want to die?!" Rosso exclaimed after she landed.
"Do you want to take care of him, or shall I?" the big blue man asked nonchalantly.
"I will do it. He needs to be taught not to meddle in the affairs of those stronger than him," Rosso snarled.
Cloud readied his sword and ignored the gaping wound in his shoulder.