Chapter 36: The Highwind

July 9, 0011

Yuffie sat on the couch in her pajamas, eating a bowl of cereal and clicking through the channels. So far, they were all commercials advertising lawyers.

"Have you been injured in an auto accident?" one of them asked in a voiceover. "Was it not your fault? Have you suffered anguish, humiliation, and a basic loss of life's pleasures? Then you need attorney T. Harris Lang."

Then, the lawyer himself appeared on the screen.

"I'll fight for every dollar you deserve!" Lang said. "Don't hang, call Lang!"

"No I won't!" replied Yuffie as she changed the channel.

"Have you been injured at the supermarket?" another commercial began to ask.

"Nope," Yuffie dismissed as she changed the channel.

Zack sat down next to her.

"Have you been injured in a slip-and fall?" another ad inquired.

"Hell, no!" Yuffie sighed before changing the channel again.

"Have you or a loved one been a victim of nursing home neglect?"

"My dad can still kick your ass," Yuffie said before changing the channel.

"Have you or your baby suffered from birth defects because of Mako poisoning? Call Wiseman and Wiseman today!"

"That does it!" sighed Yuffie as she picked up her phone and dialed.

"Who are you calling?" Zack asked.

"Wiseman and Wiseman," Yuffie replied with a sly look on her face.

"Hello?" greeted a male voice over the phone.

"Um….hi," Yuffie greeted. "I've suffered birth defects because of Mako poisoning."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the voice said. "What is the nature of your birth defects?"

"I was born without a penis," Yuffie replied.

The phone clicked.

Zack and Yuffie burst out laughing.

THAT AFTERNOON….

Cid arrived with the Highwind that afternoon. It caused the ground to rumble, affecting everyone inside.

Yuffie was the first to run outside.

"Cid!" she exclaimed. "Hey! Over here!"

Vincent, Lucrecia, and Reeve soon followed.

"What the hell we waiting for?" Cid called over the intercom. "It's time to get up 'n go! Come on get on board!"

LATER….

An hour later, everyone had boarded the Highwind. The prisoner was moved to a cell in that ship.

They had also moved the still-unconscious Shalua there; she was in a small room where soft music was always playing.

Meanwhile, Vincent and Lucrecia greeted the ship's namesake and his fiancée on the bridge.

"Hey!" Cid greeted as he let go of the wheel. "Vincent! Lucrecia! Long time."

"Cid!" exclaimed Shera. "We can't get married if we're dead!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Cid apologized as he grabbed the wheel again. "As much as I'd like to sit down and reminisce 'bout old times, you'll have to take a rain check. Why don't you have a look around my bird until the meeting?"

"I'm about to kick his ass," Shera added. "That you don't want to see!"

Vincent and Lucrecia left the bridge. The first place they went was the small room where Shalua was being kept.

There, Shelke was seemingly keeping vigil, but working at a computer at the same time.

"How's Shalua?" Lucrecia asked.

"Not so good," Shelke replied. "Her vitals are getting weaker. But I have to focus on other things. After the assault begins, the headquarters' facilities will no longer be available. And to think, just a few days ago, I was the one who was in there." She sighed. "No, forget I said anything."

"What are you working on?" Vincent asked.

"I'm in the process of modifying this equipment so I can perform an SND; a synaptic net dive," Shelke replied.

"Synaptic net dive?" Vincent inquired.

"My specialty within the Tsviets," Shelke clarified. "While retaining consciousness, I project an image of myself into a virtual reality called a network. I can also use this ability to negotiate with data on the subconscious planes of sentient life forms. However, this often involves a great risk to my own sanity. For Shinra, the success of the SND project was crucial for their next step in…"

She paused.

Vincent and Lucrecia were left in suspense.

"I'm sorry," Shelke apologized. "I seem to have gotten off-track. Simply put, I'm creating a personal network terminal within the airship's main control console."

Vincent and Lucrecia took a couple of steps back.

"What?" asked Shelke.

"Nothing," Vincent replied. "You just remind me of your sister."

MEANWHILE….

Cid had placed the Highwind on auto-pilot, and was now standing with his fiancée in the prison below.

"Who's she?" Shera asked.

"Rosso the Crimson," Cid replied. "Or should I say the ex-Crimson."

"I barely recognize her," Shera observed. "The red hair was sprayed on. And I heard what Lucrecia said. I don't think she's really a Tsviet."

"I don't care what she is," Cid said. "When we're done here, we're hauling her ass to Corel Prison. Nice place to spend the rest of her life."

Rosso, meanwhile, gave Shera a nasty look.

Shera felt shivers down her spine.

"I think I'd like to go up," she said. "She's giving me the creeps, and I don't get creeped out too often."

She pressed her lips against his, and went up the stairs, leaving Cid alone with the prisoner.

"On tseluyet doch' v guby," Rosso laughed to herself.

"She's not my daughter," Cid replied. "She's my fiancée."

Rosso's mouth dropped open.

"Yeah," Cid continued. "I understand you."

Rosso stared at Cid as if he had twenty heads for a few moments. Then she asked.

"Kak vy vyuchili russkiy yazyk?"

"High school," Cid replied. "I took it as an elective."

Rosso scratched her head. She realized that, suddenly, she had someone to talk to.

"Skol'ko yey let?" she asked.

"She's twenty one," Cid replied. "I'm thirty-five."

"Vas vsegda privlekayut molodyye zhenshchiny?" Rosso asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Cid replied. "I don't really look at a woman's age. Shera and I….we kind of just happened."

"Kogda ty zhenish'sya?" she asked.

"August thirteenth," Cid answered.

"Po moyemu mneniyu, Shera slishkom moloda, chtoby dazhe dumat' o zamuzhestve," Rosso honesty told him.

"Well," Cid sighed, "opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one."

Rosso broke out laughing.

"Ty zabavnyy!" she giggled.

"I'm not trying to be," Cid sighed.

LATER…

Vincent, Lucrecia, Reeve, Parker, Sage, Cid, and Shera stood on the bridge of the Highwind.

"Alright," Cid announced. "Our old buddies and the remaining WRO squads will lead the ground assault."

"Ground assault?" Shera inquired.

MEANWHILE….

As they spoke, a tractor trailer sped through the wasteland surrounding Midgar.

None other than Barret Wallace was behind the wheel; in the passenger's seat sat a red quadruped.

"There it is!" Red XIII announced.

The back of the trailer slowly opened up.

Out came Jessie on a motorcycle.

She put her goggles on.

"One last hurrah before spending the rest of my life in the big house," she announced.

She passed the truck and rode first.

"Awright!" Barret exclaimed. "That's my wife, y'all!"

"Here we go!" Red XIII announced.

And then, an entire convoy of trucks followed.

MEANWHILE….

"So Barret, Red XIII, and Jessie are leading that big-assed convoy to Midgar while we launch our attack from the air," Shera said.

"Right," Cid replied. "So Reeve, you ready?"

"Yes," Reeve answered.

MEANWHILE…..

"Alright," Cait Sith announced. "Take it away, Shelke!"

"Very well," Shelke complied as she put the helmet on. "Data fragment link successful. Commencing synaptic net dive in 3, 2, 1."

MEANWHILE….

On the bridge, the lights began to dim, and the central orb began to glow. Suddenly, everyone was surrounded by stars and celestial bodies.

"What the?" Cid exclaimed. "Are we in...?"

"Just as we return to the planet when our lifelight has faded, the planet returns to the cosmos when her time has come," Shelke's voice began. "Anything that has definite shape will one day cease to exist. The same is true for this world."

Three meteors struck the Planet, suddenly turning it into a ball of fire.

Shera gasped, and squeezed Cid's arm.

Then, the Lifestream did something unexpected; it fired off into space.

"Before she takes her final breath," Shelke continued, "the pure Lifestreams that flow freely beneath her crust will be brought together into one by Omega, the ultimate lifeform. His purpose: to gather all life, sentient and non, and lead it into the sea of stars, where it will embark on a fabulous journey along a road untraveled. However, when Omega has lifted the life from this planet, all that will remain will be an empty shell destined to die silently in the limitless void of space."

The dead Planet broke away.

Cid could see a tear forming in Shera's eye, and quickly consoled her.

Suddenly, the lights came on.

"Omega is the same type of life form as the Weapons we encountered three years ago," Shelke explained. "The planet gave birth to these creatures to protect itself just as the planet will ultimately give birth to the final Weapon, Omega, when the end of the world is imminent."

"Here we go," whispered Lucrecia.

"In essence, Omega is an elaborate safety mechanism designed solely to maintain and protect the flow of life," Shelley continued. "Normally, Omega poses no threat to us. It only manifests when the planet has detected something that may cause her danger."

"However," added Reeve, "Deepground is attempting to awaken the beast early. Thus the kidnappings. By slaughtering thousands of innocent souls, they are creating a pure Lifestream in order to trick the planet into thinking the 'end' is near."

"That's clever, but horrible," Shera observed.

"I don't know what this Weiss character is trying," Cid added, "but he's crazy if he thinks we're gonna let him get away with it."

"Right," Reeve agreed.

"I'm not dying before my wedding day," Shera insisted.

"Omega is being revived deep beneath Midgar in Mako Reactor Zero," Reeve said. "To increase the output of Reactor Zero, all the other reactors have been tied into its mainframe. Our objective is to destroy One through Eight and slow the reanimation process."

"Sounds like old times," Shera said.

"Mission details for each squad will be relayed separately," Reeve informed everyone.

"Alright," Cid said. "We've still got some time before the big show. You got anything needs tending to, do it."

LATER…

Vincent and Lucrecia roamed the Highwind until they spotted Reeve again.

"So, no costume today?" Vincent inquired.

"Headquarters was pretty much destroyed by the Deepground forces," Reeve laughed. "But I was able to salvage a few things."

Vincent then turned to see a familiar-looking avatar approach him.

"Number Six, ready for action!" Cait Sith announced.

Vincent turned back to Reeve.

"Tell me, Reeve. Who's backing your operation?"

"Oh, that," Cait Sith replied.

"Actually, I'm not sure," Reeve said. "I have only met with a representative. However, the WRO is crucial for this planet's survival. I'm not concerned with the reasons this person has for helping us, as long as he continues writing the checks. Though, I have a feeling it is probably someone who believes he is in debt to the planet."

Just then, Sage walked in the room.

"I see Number Six is ready!" she announced.

"Your dad keeps you in the loop?" Lucrecia asked.

"I actually designed these," Sage replied. "The first one when I was ten. Impressive?"

"I'm a dog person," Lucrecia replied.

"Sage," Reeve began, "go get Zack and Yuffie. I need them to drop soon."

"Will do, daddy," Sage replied.

She then turned to Lucrecia.

"I'm showing you a kitten after this," she insisted. "You will change your mind, I promise."

MEANWHILE….

The room was pitch black when Sage entered. Once the door behind her slid shut, there was nothing she could see.

"Hello?" she called.

There was no response. Her voice echoed in the pitch-black room.

"Zack?" she called. "Yuffie?"

There was no answer.

Where could they be? she thought.

Then, she suddenly heard a muffled couple of voices that only belonged to Zack and Yuffie.

"Touch that box gently," Yuffie said softly.

They had to have heard me, Sage thought.

"Fingers inside gently, it's fragile," Yuffie continued.

"Got it," Zack said.

"There you go," Yuffie said. "Get it out like that."

Sage's eyes widened.

Not more adult stuff, she groaned inside.

"Okay, now," Yuffie continued. "Put it in. Nice and slow. Not too hard, not too soft."

Good Lord! Sage thought. And they have to know I'm in here!

"Babe," Zack said, "it won't go in any further."

"That's because it's the wrong hole!" Yuffie sighed. "Come on! You know better!"

"Sorry!" Zack apologized. "Okay, is this the right hole?"

"Yeah," Yuffie replied. "That's the right hole."

"It's tight!" Zack groaned.

"Good," Yuffie replied. "Now it won't slip out. Come on. Screw, baby. Screw like you've never screwed before!"

"Oh yeah!" Zack replied. "I'm screwing and I'm screwing deep!"

I can't believe this!

"Mōsugu raito ga tentō shimasu!" Yuffie called out.

I'm going to throw up! Sage thought as she felt bile in her throat.

And then, the lights came on.

The fully-clothed Zack was standing atop a step ladder; he had just changed a light bulb.

The fully-clothed Yuffie was standing on the floor with her hands on the small of her back, looking on.

"You were changing a light bulb this whole time?!" Sage exclaimed.

Zack and Yuffie turned to stare at Sage in unison.

"What did you think we were doing?" Zack asked with a smirk.

"Nothing," Sage replied sheepishly.

"You thought we were having sex, didn't you," Yuffie said with a wide smirk.

The deception was obviously intentional.

"Whatever," Sage sighed. "Cid says it's time."

"On our way," Yuffie agreed.

Just then, Yuffie felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out of her pocket.

"Wutai's been attacked," she said. "My dad fought them off, but he's getting old. I'm worried his heart will give out. Which would make mine give out."

Just then, the speaker sounded.

"Okay dogs, it's time!" Cid announced. "All hands to battle stations! Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! If any more of you are killed by those punks, I'll drag you back from hell and kill you again! You really want to piss off those SOBs, then why not try stayin' alive! That's what this war's all about! If you live, everybody behind you lives. If you die, they die! You got that? Now go kick some Deepground ass!"

"Woot!" Yuffie cried as she jumped into Zack's arms, wrapped her legs around him, and kissed him on the mouth.

"Butt! Butt!" Yuffie demanded.

Zack put his hands on Yuffie's butt through her shorts.

"That does it," Sage grounded as she turned around. "I'm outta here."

MEANWHILE….

Azul and Nero gazed at the fleet appeared out of the setting sun as they stood outside of Midgar.

"A simultaneous attack from land and air," Azul observed. "I think they may be serious this time. They've already captured Rosso."

"His awakening is near," Nero said. "Let tonight be the final chapter."

MEANWHILE….

"Vincent Valentine," Shelke announced as she handed him a familiar device.

"What's this?" Vincent asked.

"Your phone," She replied. "I retrieved it in Kalm. I've modified it slightly. Just dial #VIN to contact my personal terminal directly. From this workstation, I can perform a synaptic net dive into almost any network system in Midgar. I may also be able to help guide you into Deepground."

Vincent looked at Reeve skeptically.

"It's not what you think," Shelke assured him. "By monitoring your movement, Dr. Crescent's data fragments are restored within me. I'm simply providing this service for my own benefit."

"Figures," sighed Lucrecia as she folded her arms. "You know, I'll be right there. My memory isn't that bad, you know.

"I...anyway...my resources here are limited. Do not expect too much."

"I have a brain," Lucrecia announced sarcastically. "It's gray and in my skull. It works pretty well."

"Sorry," sighed Shelke.

"I trust you," Reeve assured her. "To keep an eye on the airship while we're gone."

Shelke gasped, and put her hands over her mouth.

"I have already witnessed your strength and skill once," Reeve explained. "This is war, and we have to be ready for anything. Your assistance would be of great help."

"My assistance?"

Shelke asked.

"Exactly," Reeve said.

"Commissioner!" called a WRO soldier.

"Excuse me," Reeve said. "Vincent, I will see you again before deployment. And, Shelke, remember, I'm counting on you."

Reeve walked out of the room. Shelke did the same a few moments later.

"I really don't like Shelke," sighed Lucrecia.

"Why not?" Vincent asked.

"Because she's a little bitch, that's why!" she snapped.

Suddenly, the speaker sounded again.

"This is it!" Cid shouted. "Go!"

MEANWHILE…..

A whole fleet of airships breached Midgar's perimeter.

Almost immediately, a legion of helicopters and Black Woods emerged from the city. Missiles began to fire. Explosions began to occur on both sides of the conflict.

MEANWHILE…

Yuffie, Zack, and several WRO soldiers stood on the trap doors in the hull.

"Hatch open," announced the computer. "Prepare for drop."

"See you boys later!" Yuffie called. "Going down!"

Everyone descended on their hoverboards.

"Advance squad away," Shelley announced. "Secondary squad, prepare for drop."

MEANWHILE….

Fire came on the ground as well, taking out several trucks in the convoy.

One of them nearly struck a familiar truck.

"Watch out!" Red XIII shouted.

"Yo!" Barret replied.

Jessie, meanwhile, rode on without a flinch.

"Hell, my life is over anyway," she muttered.

MEANWHILE…

And then, Azul made his move.

He fired his bazooka into the air, striking a random airship.

It lost control and side-swiped the Highwind.

"What the fuck?!" Cid exclaimed as a fire broke out on the bridge.

He turned around to see Vincent, Lucrecia, and the rest of the WRO soldiers disappear below on their hoverboards.

He and Shera stood alone on the bridge.

"Fine!" he shouted. "Just fucking leave us!"

"Transmission with bay nine lost," Shelke announced. "Damage to the Highwind minimal."

"Damn!" shouted Cid. "They're gonna pay for that!"

MEANWHILE…

Vincent and Lucrecia glided down, dodging the gunfire as they did so.

Soon, they landed in Midgar, right outside the Shinra Building.

At this point, it was now dusk.

Suddenly, Vincent's cell phone rang. He pulled it out.

"You're seriously answering that now?!" Lucrecia sighed.

"Yes," Vincent replied as he pressed the answer button.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shelke inquired. "You have landed several klicks off your target destination. However, considering the location of the enemy, this could work to your advantage. Head for the central complex and locate a means of reaching the top level. You will only be able to enter Deepground from the upper platform."

"I can manage," Vincent assured her.

"I'll contact you again," Shelke said. "Shelke out."

MEANWHILE…

"What's wrong?" Barret inquired.

"I'm getting a distress beacon," Red XIII replied as his bracelet began to flicker. "Half a mile due north of Midgar."

"We can't investigate now!" Barret protested.

"Orders from the President," Red XIII replied. "If we receive a distress beacon, it must be investigated."

Barret sighed.

"They need us."

"There's a whole convoy headed to Midgar," Red XIII informed him. "They shouldn't be affected if we delay a few minutes. Besides, what if whoever sent it has vital information about Omega?"

"Doubt it," Barret groaned.

Then, he sighed.

"But there's only one way to find out."

THE OUTER VILLA, 0011

The truck stopped outside the location of the signal, and Barret and Red XIII disembarked.

Jessie stopped her motorcycle and pulled up her goggles.

All three of them stared at what beheld them.

The charred remains of the Outer Villa stood before them.

"Do I even want to know what happened here?" Jessie inquired out loud.

Red XIII scanned the area. There was no vegetation, and the land was waste.

"The distress beacon must be coming from inside," he said.

They did not have to pick any locks; there was a gaping hole blasted through the wall.

They entered to find themselves in a huge parlor. They explored the kitchen, the den, the dining room, and, most hauntingly, the playroom. All walls were charred on the inside as much as the outside, and the remains of a toy robot could be seen in the playroom; Jessie felt compelled to look away from it.

Then, they went upstairs, and, in the charred remains of the master bedroom, the three of them had found what they had been looking for.

"There's the distress beacon," Red XIII observed.

"Looks like it's been going on for a long time," Jessie said. "I think your bracelet might have been the first to pick it up."

"How long could it have been going on?" Barret inquired.

"God only knows," Jessie replied. "This place looks like it was ruined years ago.

"Was it a fire? A bombing? Or something worse?" Red XIII asked aloud.

Then, Jessie spotted a photo on the night table; it was one of the few objects that was not burnt.

It depicted a man, woman, and young boy.

"It's the Gorskis!" she exclaimed as she covered her mouth.

"The who?" Barret inquired.

"They lived in this villa for generations," Red XIII explained. "But the Mako reactors started draining the Lifestream. Their grass started to die. So did their trees. Jack Gorski complained. Nobody listened. Then, two weeks before we raided Reactor One, Heidegger and Scarlett showed up at their door to condemn the place. They wouldn't leave. They were never heard from again after that."

"Such a beautiful family," Jessie sighed. "They must have been dead for years."

Barret, meanwhile, peeled out the bedroom window.

"That's one big empty hole," he said.

"It looks like there was an artificial lake here," Red XIII said. "But it's completely drained."

Jessie scanned the ruined bedroom one more time.

"I wonder what life was like in this villa," she sighed. "Before…."

THE STUFF THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED...

During Zack and Yuffie's light bulb prank, "Mōsugu raito ga tentō shimasu!" simply means "The light is about to come on!"

In the game, Cid shows up in the Shera, not the Highwind. But in this timeline, Cid never had to pull the emergency switch, the Highwind never lost half of its parts, and, thus, the Shera was never built.