Chapter XX

Skydiving Lessons
"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you." - Steven Wright, comedian

Tifa had John propped against a metal strut on the lower deck when the boy opened his eyes. The open air deck felt as exhilarating as ever, even when the Highwind merely hovered as it did now. Tifa stood with Aeris looking down at the kid while Yuffie leaned over the nearby railing retching up her last meal.

"I can see why you call this the Highwind," John said in his foreign voice, blowing the hair out of his face.

"I love it. It makes me feel so alive," Aeris said.

Yuffie moaned and continued to retch.

"Poor girl. Can't you do something for her?" John said.

"I don't think it's motion sickness. The notion of leaping out of a perfectly good airplane has her nerves in knots."

"Doesn't thrill me either," Tifa said. "Barret is psyched though. And Cid is jealous. John, that's not how you attach that parachute. Let me help. You'll appreciate it on the way down."

"Your plan involves me skydiving for the first time?" He looked more awake now. "I only know one thing about it."

"Which is?"

"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."

"Ha ha," Yuffie said, turning even greener.

"We've faced worse," Tifa said. "Sephiroth for instance."

The door opened and the rest of the crew filed out, each decked out in a makeshift flight suit and a pair of wings poking up behind each person like a pair of bunny ears.

"How come I don't get the blue pajamas?" John struggled with the gear Tifa had handed him. "You aren't going to let your vampire shoot me again, are you?"

Vincent merely shrugged.

Barret said, "I didn't think you'd be awake yet."

"What, and miss being a real Crisis from the Sky? When I hit the ground, roll with it, right?"

"Pull your rip cord first," Barret said. "Here, you need to tighten this up." He spun John around. John broke into peals of laughter.

"Care to share?" Tifa could tell Barret had to force his patience. "We're only trying to save Cosmo Canyon from destruction, so no need to be serious."

"It's Nanaki," John's other voice said. "John says he reminds him of a poodle wearing a knitted sweater."

"Does he now? Well, Barret thinks John reminds him of a layabout who needs a good paddlin', and you're going to get one unless you shape up and fly straight."

"Yes mother."

"Leave him alone Barret," Tifa said. "We each deal with stress in our own way."

"Doesn't anyone take our mission seriously?"

Aeris said, "You have to admit, Nanaki does look, creepy."

Barret snorted. "Just stop laughin'. I put up with Yuffie all week, and now this."

"Attention all hands," came Cid's voice on the speaker. Hard to hear over the rush of wind. "We are now underway. In five minutes, we make our final approach. Be careful; descent to low altitude may be sudden."

Yuffie moaned.

Tifa felt the Highwind turn toward the northeast. The setting sun glowed orange behind them until they dipped in front of the row of peg tooth mountains.

The teams of jumpers broke into their groups of three, clipping themselves to the Highwind's lower railing. Yuffie moved to the point, still clutching her stomach. Tifa sidled next to Cloud, who touched her shoulder and sent a shiver down her back. With it came a feeling of confidence. They could actually pull this off, crazy as the scheme may seem.

Aeris stood in the center within reach of all three teams. Larry and his brothers each held what looked like an over-sized ice bucket. A profane steam wafted off the poorly sealed tops, giving Tifa the chill of death. Aeris kept her distance from the payloads. The Planet only knew how the three full Cetra could hold them.

The Highwind began a gentle dive. While the ground did not come screaming up to meet them, it developed an aura of growing closeness that boiled the butterflies in Tifa's stomach. The group shifted. As the ride roughened, everyone clenched the railings, except for Aeris who strapped herself to the central pillar. John crept along the railing to Barret and whispered something in his ear. Tifa frowned.

"Don't worry, kid," Barret said. "We all get cold feet on our first jump."

Tifa checked her backup chute for the tenth time. "My first jump too." If those flimsy looking wings failed to extend properly, the chute served as her last chance not to face-plant into the side of the nearest building. No time for skydiving lessons while tending bar in Sector Seven.

"Nothing to it," Larry said. "If you find yourself too close to the land, pull your rip cord."

"Yea kid," Barret said. "And if you lose your nerve, I'll give you a nudge."

The intercom squawked. "Approaching first drop point. Everyone else hold on."

"I'm losing my nerve already," John said, moving to the rail anyway. "This thing doesn't feel like it's on very snug." He reached up to play with a strap. "See, this - "

The Highwind lurched almost onto its side. The ground slanted upward from their vantage point, closer now, as Tifa could see green in the countryside instead of faded gray.

"Sorry about that," Cid said on the comm. "Had to duck the radar. First drop point in three, two, one."

"Here you go buddy!" Barret snatched John by his jacket and belt loops and heaved him over the side. The boy went with a surprised yelp. His jacket and pack suddenly pulled loose, snagged on Barret's gun arm. Loops of cord began to unravel, layers of canvas pouring forth to pool at Barret's feet like multicolored Hollandaise sauce.

"Barret!" Tifa's heart froze in her throat. Aeris stared open mouthed, white faced.

"Oh, what the holy hell! Didn't somebody strap that on him? How the hell? Damn it!" He slammed his gun arm on the railing hard enough to dent both and fired off a burst into space. "Damn it all to hell!"

"I did strap him in!" Tears streamed down Tifa's face. "I swear I did! Or you did!" Tifa thought furiously. She had strapped him in but had Barret redone her work? Yea. Then John had cracked that stupid Nanaki poodle joke. Had Barret finished the job? Why hadn't she been able to do it right in the first place? Oh, God. John had complained that his gear felt loose, and -

"Oh Barret!" She flung herself into his arms. "What have I done?"

Vincent tapped her on the shoulder. "Something to consider."

"What!"

"Remember, it's hard to kill a Jenova."

Tifa sniffed back a sob. "But it's my fault!"

"You didn't throw him over."

Barret howled, kicking at the railing, firing another burst into space.

"Vincent?" Cloud said. "You were this close."

"I only wish to point out - "

"Dammit vampire, crawl back into your coffin." Though Barret stopped firing and appeared to regain his composure.

"I am not a vampire." Shrugging, he floated away.

Cid's voice barked again over the comm.

"What the hell's going on down there, Barret?"

"Mission's FUBAR!" Barret spoke before anyone else could recover from shock. "And now, oh, damn it all. She's here."

The white mist pouring from the upper deck snapped everyone to attention. Cloud unhooked himself and drew his sword.

"Here comes trouble," Cloud said. "Try not to kill her, but if it comes to it, there's precious little of my mother left in her."

The mist thickened. Tifa tensed for battle when Raine's form emerged. Aeris chanted something and Tifa felt the blue-gold steel of protection shielding her, along with the euphoric invulnerability that always went along with Planet Protector.

Raine stood for half a second, regarding the group with sad eyes. Nobody moved, deferring to Cloud to make the first move. Raine didn't let them. With fairy steps, she flitted to the edge and leaped over.

"What the hell?" Barret's relief looked obvious. "Does no one use parachutes anymore?"

Nanaki smiled. "Fascinating. They may have a midair reunion."

"Damn," Barret said. "They'd better be quick about it."

"Approaching second drop point," Cid said.

Yuffie said, "Stay away from me, Barret!"

The Highwind lurched again, bringing the twisted triple towers into view. They looked even uglier up close. Three black, mutated fire hydrants wrapped in barbed wire. Blue suits swarmed the catwalks like maggots on a steak. They planned to bring those down?

"Ready Yuffie? Here comes your big chance," Cid said. The Highwind passed behind the towers and plunged again, Cid doing something to slow the rotors. The bottom of Tifa's stomach dropped out.

"I'll get you for that!" Yuffie screamed, though she looked primed to go. Tifa saw her do one last gear check - and did the same with her own.

"Now, Yuffie."

With one step, the girl hopped onto the railing, spread her glider wings and leaped, graceful as a dove. All that ninja training came in handy after all.

"Yuffie away? Great. On schedule. Hang on guys, 'cause it's going to get rough down there."

"You mean it's been smooth so far?" Tifa re-clipped and grasped the railing, setting her jaw. The Highwind climbed and banked hard to starboard, sending Tifa's stomach out through her ear. Looking straight ahead, she saw the ground slant toward her like a rising wall. Beside her, Cloud moaned.

"Yuffie won't have to get Cid," he said. "I'll get him for her myself."

Below, two black planes taxied to the front of the runway, preparing for takeoff.

"And there are the two coming in to land."

Sure enough, the first plane began coasting in, almost directly below them. Cid banked yet again. The runway swiveled before the Highwind leveled out and held, preparing for another dive.

"Now," Cid said. "It's up to Yuffie."

The first plane touched down. Immediately its mate ducked to follow.

"I see the brat lost no time trying out her new summon."

Tifa saw a leathery shape emerge in the sky.

"Good thing we're not fighting that," she murmured.

Three sets of wings unfolded. The dragon drew closer, opening its mouth and breathing a stream of energy ripping across the runway, slicing the left wings off the two waiting planes before streaking to the newly landed plane where it neatly sheered off the cockpit. The remaining plane tried to nose up from the runway but got pulverized under a flaming boulder the size of a moving van.

"Direct hit," Nanaki said as plane parts spun in fiery pinwheels.

"This is for Shera!" Cid announced, starting his dive.