Another Chapter is here!
Quathis: Lol
Kameshuriken: True true!
Enjoy!
There were a handful of reasons why someone would bring armed soldiers to a relatively peaceful place like this—much less powered-armors like those Cloud had demolished in Costa del Sol. That meant one of two things:
The first was that they'd intended to lay siege to the town from the beginning, which he found unlikely. It was too small a town to necessitate that. The second was that they'd been expected, which was far more likely given that the spies in Nibelheim could have informed them of where the group was heading. In a worst case scenario, Hojo would probably be awake as well.
Cloud decided to file that away for later as the modified Mighty Grunts rolled through the town towards them, using a hail of gunfire to buffet the area they were in. The earlier Quake spell that Cloud had used upturned enough of the ground to make it impossible for them to get too close, while the group took cover where they could.
Barret returned fire with his gun-arm, opting for a barrage that hammered at the armor-plating until it hit something critical by chance. Vincent, on the other hand, used more precise shots with his gun to disable them. Or a Bolt spell from the Thunder Materia he had borrowed to short them out. Yuffie had been surprisingly less stingy than usual when it came to loaning some of her materia to him.
After enough damage had been done to the suits, their pilots would emerge on what looked to be rollerblades. Though they were far quicker, they didn't have that thick armor protecting them. They were much easier to deal with as a result.
"Bastards," Cloud heard the pilot mutter under his breath during a break in the exchange of gunfire. He was crouching down by a dead man, killed during the initial volley of gunfire from the two soldiers. The somber look on his face as he closed the man's eyes lasted until the sound of an engine reached their ears.
They turned to see a plane rolling out of the backyard. Crimson was at the helm, trying to press buttons on it with a troubled expression, while Aerith was yelling something else towards him. It took a second before Cloud's ears caught what was being said over the whirling of the propeller blades.
He turned to Cid and said, "They can't fly it."
"Of course they can't!" Cid rose to his feet. "I designed it so that only I could!"
The gunfire started again, only the plane was the target this time. Aerith reflexively ducked down as one of the shots pinged loudly off the exterior near her, revealing the other passengers. Cloud didn't recognize the woman next to Yuffie, but Cid did.
"Shera!" He moved to leave their cover, only for a spray of dirt to emerge near his feet and force him to pull back. It looked like they still had a few guns trained on them, just in case they left their cover to help the others. He went back to yelling impotently as they kept shooting. "WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?"
Cloud's grip on the sword tightened. If they kept concentrating fire on the plane, it was only a matter of time before they managed to break through the bullet-resistant glass. He was about to take his chances and charge out, drawing their fire from the plane, when the air tingled with electricity.
Nanaki made his presence known with a roar, entrapping one of the still active Mighty Grunts in the Trine spell at the same time. The discharge of electricity was enough to both destroy the unit utterly and shock the nearby gunmen with the bleed off, giving everyone a brief respite. The leonine warrior then landed behind them.
"We are splitting up," he said. "One group will take the plane and keep it away from Shinra. The other will hold the line here and then use the Buggy to flee. I will help buy time."
"I'll provide cover as well," Vincent said as he pulled the trigger twice on his gun. Both shots caught one of the soldiers in the center of mass, putting him down. "Escort the pilot to the plane before they compose themselves enough to fire at it again."
"Right." He turned to Cid, who spat to the side and then nodded. Then they both broke from cover, Cloud limiting his pace to match the man's with the Cover Materia aglow. His sword managed to block the shots that came their way as they ran towards the moving plane.
Crimson opened the cockpit up so that they could enter, keeping her head down with the others as Cid and Cloud climbed inside. The soldiers opened fire then and Cloud ended up feeling the brisk sting of several rounds slamming against his tempered skin. He shielded the others until the cockpit sealed itself again and then slumped down against the wall.
"Are you okay?" Crimson asked as the bullets continued to smash into the thick and thankfully reinforced glass. She crouched down and pulled his shirt up to see that small bruises were forming, but none broke the skin. "Aerith—"
"There's no time." Looking out the window, he spied one soldier in particular bringing out a shoulder-mounted rocket-launcher and felt slightly worried about what it would do if it hit the plane with them inside. "We need to get airborne now!"
Cid started pulling back on the controls, causing the plane to begin lifting off. The soldier took aim but, before he could pull the trigger, a large fireball from Nanaki smashed into him. The rocket prematurely detonated as a result, taking care of that particular issue.
The constant pinging of bullets hitting the exterior lessened as they rose higher into the air. It seemed like they would get out alright with every passing second… right up until a thunderous explosion detonated close to the plane, displacing the air with enough force that they felt the shockwave reverberate in their bones.
"Sons of bitches are trying to destroy my plane!" Cid swore as the Tiny Bronco turbulently trembled. He pivoted the plane towards the shoreline while climbing higher, but a rocket that exploded too close for comfort damaged the propellers. He gritted his teeth and tried to level it. "C'mon! Come on!"
Cloud grabbed the controls and pulled, using his mako-enhanced strength to help him even it out. The plane ended up skimming the surface of the water with the landing gear, leaving a wake that eclipsed the plane itself until they slowly came to a stop. Cloud huffed as he released the controls.
Cid's mouth curled into a frown as he exhaled thickly through his nose. Then he looked over his shoulder to his assistant. "Are you still breathing?"
Shera's hair had become somewhat disheveled from the constant rocking. Her glasses were missing from her face as well, knocked loose on landing. Even so, she nodded her head cautiously. "I believe I am."
"Then tell me what the Hell is goin' on!" he demanded.
"I'm not entirely sure how to explain it properly…" She trailed off as Aerith picked her glasses off the floor of the plane, only to show that they were broken. "Everything happened so fast."
Crimson spoke for her instead. "Rufus Shinra sent men inside to kidnap her and take the plane while you were out in front. We defended her until Palmer put a gun to her head and stole the keys to start it up. We scared him off, and then had to take it when Shinra decided to resort to military force."
Cid took a few seconds to digest that before going on a long-winded rant about how he was going to 'bleed the fat son of a bitch like a stuck pig and string up the arrogant bastard that he squealed to' as he climbed out to inspect the plane. Aerith then tended to the bruises on Cloud's back from the few bullets that connected, Yuffie huddled over and suffered from motion sickness, and Crimson talked on the phone.
"That was Lockhart," she said, after hanging up. "They got away, but Shinra is going to be after them while we're split apart. We need to regroup soon."
"My Bronco won't be able to fly like this!" Cid said, slamming his fist against the broken wing. "I need tools, spare parts—all of that to fix it. But goin' back to Rocket Town ain't an option."
"Can we use it as a boat?" Cloud asked.
"It can't cross more than shallow waters in this condition." Cid pulled out his box of cigarettes and fumbled with a lighter he had stashed inside of it. The nicotine would probably help calm his nerves. "Damn it, now I don't have space and I don't have the skies. What's the point anymore?"
"Ugh…I might…be able to help," Yuffie said after a moment. They all turned to her as she sat up. "I can get you everything you need to get it working again if you get us to Wutai. In exchange, let us use the plane to chase after those guys."
"And how's that gonna work?" he asked. "You got a fat pouch full of Gil in there, because I sure don't."
"I'm the daughter of the leader of Wutai, Godo Kisaragi." She turned to Crimson and gave her a challenging look. "If you don't believe me, ask your friend with the shades. He'll back me up on that, but it's true. That means I can get everything we need to get the plane fixed if we head there."
"… and he complains about me keeping secrets," Crimson mumbled before opening her phone and turning to Cid. "I need to call Kunsel to see if he can help the others while we can't, but if we get you what you need to fix it, will you loan us the plane?"
"Fine," he said. "If you get my Bronco fixed, I'll fly you wherever you want to go."
Yuffie pointed ahead. "Then take us to the shore that way. We'll have to walk a long way north, but we should be able to get a larger ship to carry the plane there once everything is settled."
[-oOo-]
Tifa pressed down on the gas pedal as the Buggy trembled, having narrowly avoided another rocket detonation. The bullet-proof hull gave them a respite from the constant need to worry over the gunfire, no doubt a safety precaution taken by the owner since the wealthy had many enemies after all. But rockets were another story entirely.
Shinra started calling in attack choppers sometime after dawn. Their options for ranged combat were severely hamstrung at this point, given they had exhausted their mental power and summonings over the course of the night spent on the run. Between the aerial assault and the units that chased after them, it would only be a matter of time before they were cornered.
That was when there was a flare in the distance and something rocketed towards them, parting the air as it crossed the distance. Upon getting closer, they could make out a vague shape and… a song. It was a melodious trill that played lightly on the ears as a bird of massive proportions circled in the air above them, scattering embers like falling snow.
The reddish, luminous motes drifted down from above harmlessly until they made contact with some of the helicopters that had been maneuvering to get ahead of the Buggy. Then the motes suddenly ruptured into a chain of explosions, until a curtain of fire obscured the cloudless sky above them.
As the helicopters dropped out of the sky and shattered upon the earth, the ground units turned their automatic gunfire upon the avian. It sharply dove to avoid, revealing a rider wearing a tanned cloak and a bag over his shoulder. The former Second-class SOLDIER clung to the crown of the creature, his mouth moving as he pointed towards the enemy. Tifa was too far away to hear it, but whatever it was caused the massive bird to abruptly combust.
Both its outer feathers, which were the color of molten gold and blazing red, as well as the inner feathers, which spanned the spectrum of the rainbow, suddenly swelled into a roaring, aureate blaze. Then the phoenix let loose a guttural cry as it pulled into a sharp, straight streak that passed over the ground forces. Everything caught within its golden flames, barring the rider, were reduced to embers and scattered by the hot wind left in its wake.
The phoenix returned to its normal state when nothing of Shinra's forces remained and landed in front of the Buggy. It lowered its body, allowing its rider to dismount. The hatch of the Buggy opened to follow suit, allowing the group to step out of it for the first time in hours without worrying about being shot at.
"Your timing was impeccable," Nanaki stated. "You have our gratitude."
"You're lucky Crimson called when she did," he said, scratching under the phoenix's beak. It actually trilled for a moment. "I was heading to Corel from Costa del Sol, so all Phoenix here had to do was carry me over the mountain range."
Tifa reached out to touch it. Phoenix leaned into it. "Is it a summoning?"
He nodded. "I was at Fort Condor not too long, helping the people there defend an endangered condor that was using the reactor as an incubator for its egg when Shinra started laying siege to it. When the egg hatched, the adult condor suddenly burst into flames and became the Summoning Materia."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why were they laying siege to it in the first place?"
"They've been looking into something called Huge Materia on Scarlet's orders, supposedly to make a powerful weapon. Given the circumstances, I felt it was best to take it out of their hands for the moment and have been tracking their movements to get to them first." He pulled off the bag slung over his shoulder, revealing a very large and rough materia inside of it. "So far I managed to get this one, but they've already claimed one as well. They're moving onto the next one in Corel."
Barret stepped forward at hearing that. He looked upset. "Say that again about Shinra and Corel?"
[-oOo-]
"Kunsel has gotten to the others," Crimson said as she hung up the phone. She and the others had relocated to Wutai over the course of the night, and Yuffie had allowed them to use her place freely while she went to talk to her father at his home. "They're safe."
"Thank goodness," Aerith said as she sat down at a table with Shera, who was in the process of sipping tea. "I had been worried about leaving them behind."
"That's one problem taken care of then," Cloud said, leaning against the wall and looking towards the ceiling. "That just leaves the plane. I wonder what's taking Yuffie so long. She's been gone for—"
The words died as the front door burst open and a pony-tailed young man entered the room. His chest was rising and falling beneath his white, frog-buttoned tang shirt as he panted, and sweat covered his face while his eyes spanned the room. Before anyone could say anything, he kneeled before them and touched his head to the ground, taking a pose of supplication.
"Please, help Yuffie!" he begged. "She's in trouble!"
The group shared a look of confusion before Crimson spoke up. "You're going to need to explain what you mean, starting with who you are."
"My name is Yuri," he said as he raised his head and looked towards her. "I am a friend of Yuffie's. When word that she had returned reached my ears, I went to her father's place to see her. They were having an argument like always, only this time it was more heated than usual. In the end, he dragged her off to the pagoda for the Five Gods to pass judgment on her."
"What were they arguing about?" Cloud asked.
"You've seen how our home has become, yes?" he asked. "All those gaudy signs and decorations—Wutai has become tourist trap now compared to how the village used to be since we lost the war, and many of our people have left because they can't stand seeing our culture being treaded upon. "
"That would explain the influx of people in Rocket Town a couple of years ago," Shera said. "What was the war about exactly?"
"There's a rich source of Mako running beneath the land, especially further to the south," Crimson said, looking to the last of the Cetra. "I guess that means the Lifestream flows closely to the surface there?"
"It does," Aerith confirmed. "I can feel it even from here. There's a lot of resentful spirits as well, but they aren't remotely as close to manifesting as they did in Cosmo Canyon."
"We'll keep that in mind." Crimson then turned back to Shera. "As I was saying, the President wanted to tap it and the people here vehemently resisted. They didn't want him to build a reactor under the belief that it would exploit the land until it was no different than how Midgar is. Even now, the village and land around it is a lot more fertile than most of the other places we've visited."
Yuri gave a tight nod at that. "That's why our people fought to defend our land under the belief that the great Leviathan watched over us, and that the village was protected by Da-chao, the Water God, and the Five Mighty Gods. But we lost, and our faith was shaken. That was when Yuffie developed an abnormally strong attachment to the idea of Materia, finding it more tangible than mere faith, and desired to travel the world and collect them to return us to our former glory."
I never pictured her having such a strong motivation for stealing, despite all the problems it causes, Crimson mused to herself. Then again, I'd be an even worse hypocrite given what I've done for my own beliefs.
"She asked me to come with her… but I couldn't," the boy continued, a noticeable hitch in his voice. "My mother is ill and I am the only one who can look after her. She told me that she understood and promised to bring back a materia that could heal her. Then she left on a small boat during the night, when no one was there."
"That was reckless," Crimson noted factually. "These seas are pretty rough to navigate and are filled with monsters. Considering that she apparently gets motion-sickness now, it's a miracle she even washed up on the shore of Junon at all if she went that far alone."
His fists balled tightly upon hearing that and he tilted his head downwards, so that they couldn't see his eyes. "It's not the first time that I abandoned her to whatever fate had in store, and it shames me deeply. Even now, after she's returned, I couldn't do anything to help her as her father dragged her to the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods."
He looked to them again with eyes that were nearly glistening with tears. "I lack the strength and courage to do anything, so I've come to ask for the help of her traveling companions. She spoke highly of your abilities in her argument with her father. The Five Mighty Gods respect strength. If you ask for them to pardon her, they may listen."
Crimson sighed to herself, before turning to Cid and Shera. "Can you two wait here while we sort this out?"
"Screw that," the pilot said pointedly. "I'm not about to leave getting my plane up and running to you alone. Not while I sit around on my ass and sip on tea."
"Suit yourself then." She turned to the boy again. "Take us to where she's being held."