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Chapter XIV – One Flew Over the Condor's Nest
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Wind roared against her ears, a relentless onslaught of noise that was almost as great as the fear that swelled in her chest; fit to burst. The gale whipped and tossed her hair wildly while the cold acted as a fierce assailant that chilled her skin to absolute numbness. Marlene fought for air amid the mighty torrents, the wind catching the back of her throat and silencing her screams. She could vaguely make out Cait Sith clinging to her foot with all of his strength, flailing mid-air against the grand windstorm.
As quickly as the wind had robbed her of voice, the great talon loosened around her waist and she dropped like a stone, her heart leaping into her throat with fright. A second of free fall later and she collided with something soft and downy, yet despite this the unexpected impact knocked the wind straight out of her. She was vaguely aware of Cait Sith landing beside her over the stinging of her elbows and knees, the cat having lost his grip at her sudden descent.
"Yeouch!" The puppet quickly untangled himself from his red cape, jumping to his feet and hopping over to the girl. "Marlene, are ye alright?" She nodded despite the pain, slowly raising to a sitting position while rubbing the tears from her eyes.
"Y-yeah..." She ignored Cait Sith as he continued to stare at her and instead shakily turned to look around at wherever they were. High above the ground and just as high as the mountain range that lay against the horizon, (at least, it seemed to be to Marlene,) she found herself to be sitting in a rather large nest. Straw, brittle yet thick, stuck out in odd angles that poked uncomfortably into her skin. Small tufts of golden down were littered around her, and she blinked when the pale yellow strands and shimmering feathers turned into green moss and rusted metal. She quickly stood up, panic gripping her once more as she finally realised where she was.
She was on top of the Mako reactor.
A huge shadow passed over them, not unlike the one that assailed them before, and Cait Sith jumped up towards the condor as it passed overhead as if he could reach it by doing so.
"Hey! Yer could 'ave bin more careful in droppin' me, ya lousy bird!" The cat shook his fist towards the grand creature, his words only now making Marlene realise that Cait Sith had landed outside of the nest and on to the oxidised metal. The bird took no heed to the puppet's words, instead circling around the reactor in preparation to land. Marlene rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms as a chilling wind blew, a shiver racking her body. She was cold, scared, and feeling lost. Not only in how she was meant to get down from where she found herself, but also in regards to her father... the thought brought a fresh set of tears to fill her soft brown eyes.
Cait Sith moved to stand in front of her as the condor began to descend, its great talons reaching out as it beat its wings to skillfully slow its momentum. The pose struck Marlene as being oddly familiar... and the feeling of its importance wouldn't leave her, even through her fear. She tried to calm her rapidly beating heart, focusing on the way the huge bird was coming towards them.
"Dinnae worry, Marlene," Cait Sith pulled out his megaphone as he addressed the girl. "I won't let no condur get ya. A'mae not look like much, but I'll protect ye with me life!" The cat moved the megaphone closer to his mouth while changing his stance, inhaling deeply and puffing out his furry white chest.
"W-wait..." Her hesitation caused the puppet to look back at her in question, his chest deflating as he let out all of his built up air, the condor speedily approaching by the second.
"It cannae wait! That thing's getting closer, fast!"
"I know, Cait Sith, but I don't think it's coming after us." The cat blinked at her and lowered his megaphone, looking quickly between Marlene and the condor, remaining alert. Despite her shaky voice, the puppet listened carefully to the young girl. "It looks like its going to land." True to her words and no sooner than spoken, the golden feathered bird flapped its mighty wings before gracefully touching down on the reactor, its talons gripping firmly onto a thick railing that was welded near the edge. Cait Sith almost dropped Marvelous Cheer, but held fast onto the golden megaphone.
"How did ya know it weren't attackin'?" The dazed expression on the puppet's face caused the corner of Marlene's lips to tilt up a margin, yet her fear lingered.
"W-well... I... read it in one of my books," she paused, watching the huge bird as it surveyed them carefully; a shiver passed over her as it ruffled its feathers restlessly. "I... l-like to read about animals." Cait Sith crossed his arms, an impressed look passing over his face.
'Thair sure is a lot more tae Marlene than I thought,' he curled his whiskers as he considered that this may be a side to Marlene that not even her father saw. 'Mebbe this is whit she was talkin' aboot earlier?' His thoughts were broken when the girl in question suddenly stumbled back, her mouth moving but no words coming out. Cait Sith froze, about to spin around to see what had spooked her but just a second too late. He was abruptly lifted off his feet, his cape gripped firmly in the condor's beak. Marlene watched in horror as Cait Sith flailed around helplessly, protesting the manner of his treatment.
"Cait Sith!" she choked out, watching in terror as the condor began to lift its thick neck. With or without her books, Marlene had an idea what the golden bird was about to do. The sudden image of the condor throwing Cait Sith in the air and snapping him up caused her to suddenly regain the ability to move her legs. She jumped to her feet, stumbling on her knee-length white skirt as she scrambled to his aid. The cat puppet reached for her as she made a great leap towards him, taking hold of his outstretched hands with her own. Despite her added weight, the golden bird wasn't fazed in the slightest; lifting the small girl up with ease alongside the cat.
"Marlene, it ain't gonnae let go!" Cait Sith struggled in the bird's beak, but it was a wasted effort. The condor was far too strong for either of them. "Ye gotta let go, quick! Ah'll be fine!" The cat puppet began to panic as they were lifted further from the ground; further from a safe distance for the child to drop. Yet Marlene simply shook her head, holding fast onto Cait Sith's hands as she dangled helplessly, screwing her eyes shut.
She was terrified... but she wouldn't let Cait Sith go.
Swallowing hard, she desperately wished for someone to help. As the condor raised them towards the purple star-scattered dusk, Marlene gathered all the courage she had and pushed through her fear, screaming from the top of her lungs to the first person that came to mind.
"DADDY!"
"""
~ o0o ~
"""
As Tifa carefully clipped the PHS back into Nanaki's mane, the fire-dog's ears suddenly stood upright at the same time Vincent sprang to his feet; his back ramrod straight as he looked up intently towards the rope ladder. Tifa almost fell back from her crouch in surprise, just managing to catch herself by the heels of her boots. Her eyes shot towards Vincent in alarm while Nanaki quickly stood up, his tassels jingling wildly as he listened to something she could neither see nor hear.
"Vincent?!" she hesitated, watching him with great concern at his strange behaviour. "Is something wrong?" As soon as the words left her lips, Vincent bolted towards the ladder and, (to the astonishment of everyone in the room,) leapt clean up to the top while kicking off the dirt wall halfway. Tifa jumped to her feet, about to shout after him when Vincent's voice drifted down from the hole.
"Marlene is in danger!" Tifa blinked in shock, immediately glancing to where she last saw the girl to indeed find her, and Cait Sith, missing. Panic swelled in her breast and not even a second passed before Barret was charging after Vincent, his boots thundering heavily as he rushed after the gunslinger, cursing heavily about being a bad father. Tifa made to run after them just as Red XIII did when Denzel raced past her to follow, but she quickly grabbed the boy by his dark green hoodie.
"H-hey?!" The boy sputtered out as she pulled him back by his hood, the fighter fixing him with a unwavering stare that demanded full attention.
"Denzel, you have to stay here." Her voice left no room for negotiation, yet the boy's expression was a challenging one.
"Why?! I want to help! I need to help Marlene!" Tifa gently took hold of his shoulders, and was slightly taken aback by Denzel's angry stare.
"Denzel," her tone was firm. "You'll be helping by staying here. I won't let you get into danger as well. Do you understand?" The orphan angrily threw her arms away, fixing her with a defiant look that simmered with rage. He quickly dashed past her, too quick for Tifa to catch, however the boy didn't get very far. Tifa blinked in surprise to find that Red XIII blocked the orphan's path, having waited at the bottom of the ladder for her.
"Tifa, go quickly, I will speak with Denzel." Tifa furrowed her brow, torn between leaving the boy in the agitated state that he was in, but also in leaving Marlene. She clenched her fists, their leather coverings crunching while indecision clouded her features. However, it did not take long for her to decide.
"... Look after him, Red." She jogged towards the ladder and past the fire-dog, jumping onto the third rung and quickly beginning to climb. As she did, she shouted back down, "I'll talk to you later, Denzel!" The boy could be heard protesting in response, while Nanaki's soothing tone was intermittent throughout. She regretted leaving him, but some things were simply more important right now. On reaching the top, her eyes darted around for any sign of the others, but it was almost as if they had vanished into thin air. Suddenly, Barret's voice could be heard booming down from the ladder that lead to the upper level, and Tifa quickly followed the noise. Her mind was ineluctably drawn once more to Cloud as she realised where this ladder lead; to the small wooden shack where the ex-SOLDIER had issued orders in the past to the resistance fighters. She shook the memory away with grim determination.
'Now is not the time, Lockhart!' With that thought she grabbed onto the rough ropes of the ladder and once more began to climb, Marlene now in the forefront of her mind as Barret's boom echoed loudly down the tunnel enclosed with soil.
Close to the top, she leapt the rest of the distance from the ladder and caught the edge of the hole, swiftly pulling herself up with strong muscles as her eyes fixed on what appeared to be Barret and Vincent squaring off.
"What the hell d'ya mean ya saw her leave?!" The dark-skinned man bore down on Vincent threateningly, his booming voice almost shaking the very foundations of the shack.
"There is no time for this," Vincent curtly replied as he turned and strode to the door of the wooden structure. Tifa walked over to them in annoyance at their bickering, yet also confused as to why they hadn't made it outside yet. It was then that she noticed the thick wooden planks that boarded up the door.
"Ya damn RIGHT there ain't time for this-!" Before Barret could continue, Tifa cut him off.
"Barret, stop it! What is wrong with you?! Marlene needs our help!" The gun-armed man turned to look over his huge shoulder at Tifa, before shaking his head and fixing Vincent with an impressive glare.
Barret growled out between grit teeth, "I'm sick of your shit, Vincent! Now, move your f***in' ass!" before he stormed up to the cloaked man and shoved him aside, his strength knocking Vincent into the wall. Tifa shouted at Barret, but her voice was lost in the noise of his gatling gun. His arm having now transformed, the gun sparked off red embers as it charged a huge fiery ball at its end. No sooner had Tifa recognised it as Barret's Big Shot ability, he fired the charge into the door, a fiery blast encompassing the wooden frame and burning it to cinders. He charged outside through the receding flames as Tifa quickly moved to Vincent's side, the gunslinger just pushing himself away from the shack wall.
"Vincent, are you-"
"We have no time for this, nor does Marlene." He ran straight past her without a second glance, following Barret's trail of destruction. Tifa moved to sprint after him, but the shattered planks of wood caught her eye; the pieces had broken into themselves where Vincent had been thrown, their splinters jutting out in all directions. Anger boiled to the surface at Barret's rash action, and also concern that the gunslinger may be injured. She sprinted after them both, deciding to confront them later; her worry for Marlene taking precedence over all. As she made it outside, she could finally make out the young girl's screams. Looking up, Tifa was stunned at the sight of the huge golden condor sitting atop the reactor above them, lifting both Marlene and Cait Sith into the air.
"MARLENE! YER DADDY'S COMIN'!" The sound of Barret's arm charging once more as he shouted up caused Tifa to look over in alarm. This time his gun-arm, or Myrna as it was named, began to emit bright blue sparks. Before he could fire his Mindblow, Tifa ran over and quickly thrust the barrel down towards the ground. Barret gave her a very angry and very incredulous look. "TIF'?! What tha HELL ya doin'?!"
"You'll hurt Marlene and Cait Sith, not to mention the condor!" At Tifa's words, a complex looked passed over Barret's face as he grit his teeth, slamming his boot into the dirt.
"GODDAMMIT! Now you're pissin' me off!" Tifa was about to reassure her old friend when a flash of red caught the corner of her eye. She turned to find that Vincent had begun to scale the rugged crag, slowly making his way up the rock face by leaping between crevices. She took a moment to watch him in awe, before Marlene's screams snapped her back to attention.
"Come on, we'll find another way around!" She began to sprint around the side of the reactor, looking for another way up while shouting reassurances to the girl. Barret quickly followed, his huge boots thundering down as he charged after the young fighter; he didn't need to be told twice.
"""
~ o0o ~
"""
Marlene was beginning to lose her grip, her arms aching from the effort of holding onto Cait Sith's hands. The cat didn't seem to be faring much better, judging by the look of strain on his face. The mighty bellow of her father suddenly met her ears and relief washed over her like warm rays of the sun. She shouted back at the top of her voice, and was equally relieved to find that this time Tifa answered, yet all legibility was lost with the wind. Without warning, both herself and Cait Sith began to descend, and the two looked at each other in confusion before Marlene could feel her feet touch the ground once more. She quickly pulled Cait Sith into her arms as the condor let go, the bird clicking its beak and making a series of chirrups.
"It's aboot time," Cait Sith breathed out, "me arms are killin' me!" The puppet quickly jumped down from Marlene's hold, whipping out his megaphone as he spun around to face the condor. "Yer dun it noo, ya lousy bird! We got friends in high places, an they'll be e'en higher when they get up 'ere to teach ye a lesson!" The bird simply clicked its beak once more, ruffling its feathers as if in indignation.
"H-hold on Cait Sith..." Marlene stared carefully at the golden condor, only now beginning to notice how it shifted about restlessly. "I think it looks worried about something." Cait Sith turned and shot her a look of disbelief.
"Aye, probably aboot how it's gonnae snap us up!" The puppet was about to continue, but the hurt look that passed across the girl's features stopped him. He turned back and on closer inspection he could see what Marlene was referring to. The huge condor shifted its weight restlessly on its perch, its eyes darting to something at their right. "So it does..." The cat scratched the back of his neck before addressing the small girl. "Ah'm sorry I didn't believe ya, Marlene. If it wanted tae eat us, it would 'ave dun it by noo." Marlene smiled and nodded at the cat, pleased that he was listening to her. A shrill chirp snapped their attention back to the condor as it moved to the right, towards what appeared to be a giant pile of collected twigs, hay and foliage. The duo watched with great interest as it began to rearrange clumps of straw in its beak, pulling away a particularly large cluster to reveal the bird's well-kept secret.
Another nest lay cautiously tucked away behind a rusted structure, (which the condor had lifted both Cait Sith and Marlene over,) that was more carefully rearranged than the last. What made this nest so special however, and explained why it was so carefully hidden, were the three glittering, speckled eggs that lay inside. Marlene and Cait Sith looked in awe as their shells held a golden sheen, accentuated by the small light of the waking moon. Movement caught their eyes and it was then that they realised one of the eggs had been broken, hidden behind its possible brothers or sisters.
Cait Sith blurted out, "So yer a mother bird? Ye could'a fooled me, whit with yer manners an' all!" The mother in question ruffled her feathers and squawked loudly at the small puppet. The robot simply twirled his whiskers in response, a small grin on his face. "Aw, dinnae be like that!"
Marlene moved carefully towards the rocking shell, pausing to look up at the huge condor, silently asking for its permission. The bird seemed to understand this and twittered in response, a noise that held a great sense of impatience. Cait Sith seemed to notice this too and joined Marlene in approaching the shell. As she cautiously rounded the corner of the nest and past the two remaining eggs, the sight caused her to gasp in delight. A tremendously fluffy condor chick sat inside the base of a shattered egg shell, moving its head back and forth while flapping its small wings. As cute as it looked, the baby bird seemed to be struggling with something, and Marlene and Cait Sith quickly moved over to investigate. As they approached the fluffy chick, it raised itself up as best it could, giving itself a princely look that was completely ruined by its suffering expression.
"Oh no... I think it's sick!" Marlene carefully ran her hand over the chick's yellow down as she voiced her concern. She looked up to the mother condor that watched from above. "... Is this why you brought us up here?" The bird seemed to nod, tucking its beak into its chest feathers while uttering worried chirrups. Her hand suddenly ran over a bump as she stroked down the chick's throat, causing the baby bird to make a strange and pitiful tweet that made Marlene jump.
"Noo it didn't like that!" Cait Sith looked at the chick in puzzlement, before realisation dawned on him. "Marlene, why dinnae ye check its throat?" Marlene blinked at the cat's suggestion, but the baby bird seemed to understand what Cait Sith was saying and opened its beak for her. After her initial surprise, she leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees as she peered inside the bird's mouth. Cait Sith moved over to have a look for himself, jumping up to get a better view. What they saw shocked them.
"Is that... metal?" Worry swelled in Marlene's chest as she watched the small chick struggle with the object lodged in its throat. Cait Sith looked equally worried, turning to look up at the mother condor who anxiously danced on her perch.
"Ah'm sorry aboot callin' ya names earlier," Cait Sith called up, "any mother who cares aboot her bairns is a good mother." He took the corner of his little red cape and swept it in front of him, bowing to the grand golden bird. The mother bird chirped in response, clicking her beak as she turned her gaze once more to her youngling. Cait Sith did the same, looking back at the chick with contemplation as to how it had swallowed such a thing to begin with. "Ye know, I think it may be debris from tha' old reactor. Poor thing probably swallowed it while it was eatin'."
"Y-yeah..." Marlene paused in hesitation, turning to Cait Sith while stroking the young bird in reassurance. "Could you pull it out?" The cat puppet blinked before shaking his head.
"Me arms are too short tae reach tha' far. Ah'm sure ye can manage though, Marlene." The girl in question didn't look too convinced, grimacing slightly at the idea of putting her arm down the throat of a condor. Regardless, she pulled at the ends of her white turtle-neck jumper, preparing herself before raising her hand up to the chick's mouth. The princely little condor opened its mouth wider, and she hesitated for a moment before she began to reach inside.
Her face turned to one of slight disgust as she cried out, "Y-yuck! It's all warm and slimy!"
"Well, whit doo ye expect? Ye got yer arm doon tha' throat of a bird!" Cait Sith grinned as he said this, clearly enjoying Marlene's reactions as he watched, twirling his whiskers. The grin slowly fell from his face as he was left to his thoughts, before eventually saying, "Dinnae feel ignored, Marlene." The girl looked to him in surprise, knowing he spoke about her feelings towards her father. The cat continued, "This condur wouldn't 'ave bin able tae get any help if you weren't 'ere. Ye an' me, we can get overlooked 'cause of our size. But it means we can doo things others cannae, an don't I know it!" The small girl pondered this, before smiling and nodding at Cait Sith. The cat nodded back, grinning once more. Returning to the job at hand, Marlene took a steadying breath before quickly reaching all of the way down the little bird's throat. The fluffy chick flapped its wings in discomfort, and Marlene swiftly moved her hand around to find the obstruction. She finally grasped at something sharp and hard.
"I got it!" she called out excitedly, carefully manoeuvring her hand so that the shard of metal wouldn't cause any damage to the bird. Finally, she dislodged and pulled out the reactor debris, causing the condor chick to make a sound similar to that of a cough. The youngling made a few more odd spluttering-like noises, before giving out a bright and jovial cheep.
"Noo that sounds betta! Ye did it, Marlene!" Cait Sith hopped up and down, mimicking the fluffy yellow chick as it danced about in joy while making loud peeps of gratitude. The mother condor was equally thrilled, spreading her huge wings and joining in with her chick's rejoicing. Marlene smiled while wiping her right arm of saliva, before inspecting the metal shard she had pulled out. The piece had indeed come from the reactor, judging by the corrosion. The metal was warped, like it had taken the brunt of a blast and could actually be shrapnel. Regardless of what it could be, Marlene decided it was best to get rid of it. She turned and walked over towards the reactor edge, gripping the piece tightly in her hand. Using all of her strength, she threw the piece away from the nest, watching as it was eventually consumed by the encroaching night.
As she moved back towards the condor, her heel caught on some moss that grew innocently on the side. Her sharp turn caused her to lose balance, and as she slipped and fell backwards, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Cait Sith bolted towards her while shouting her name, arms outstretched. The mother condor looked up in alarm, while her chick shrilly cried out. Marlene reached out and grabbed the cat's arms in panic, but this only served to drag the puppet with her. In seconds, they were both sent over the edge; tumbling madly in descent. Despite Marlene's best efforts, the sheer force of the wind pulled Cait Sith from her reach, and she watched helplessly as he fell further and further away from her. Using what little breath she could catch, she screamed loudly for him.
"MARLENE!" She blinked as her voice was lost in three others shouting simultaneously, and she tried to look past her tears caused by the biting wind to locate the makers. Suddenly, her fall came to an abrupt end as a strong arm materialised underneath her. It took the girl a moment to realise that it belonged to Vincent, the man having leapt from halfway up his climb of the reactor to catch her. She clung to the buckles of his cloak as they now fell together, his tattered cape flapping wildly in free fall. Panic swelled in her chest at the thought of them colliding with the ground, and she closed her eyes in terror. However, the imagery in her head never came to be. Vincent landed expertly despite the harsh thud that met her ears, falling into a crouch with one knee meeting the ground. He looked down as he released the girl from his right arm, watching as she still grasped at his cape for dear life, her eyes screwed tightly shut.
"... You can let go now, Marlene."
Unbeknownst to the girl blinking up at him, a deranged voice swiftly took hold of Vincent's rational mind and buried it deep in psychotic screaming. Eyes burning with lunacy seared his brain as they convulsed in their sockets. Reality unhinged from his mind like a door coming off its hinges.
'Don't let her go never let her go! She wants to learn horror terror the macabre the INSANE- Oh can you see it in her eyes?! Perhaps we should start with the eyes without them she will SEE ME! THEN I CAN SEE MYSELF!'
Vincent buckled, his other knee now meeting the ground with the first as he snapped his own neck to the side; Hellmasker mirroring the image in his head with a sickening crack while giving a voice to mania. He grit his teeth and blinked hard, shaking from the effort of ridding the entity from his head. Marlene stumbled back from the gunslinger, looking on in fear that maybe she had somehow hurt him; completely unaware of his internal struggle.
"MARLENE!" She recognised her father's boom instantly and turned to run to him, finding Barret already waiting with outstretched arms. He scooped her up effortlessly, burying his face into her neck as he sighed in utter relief. "I'm so glad... I'm so glad yer alright!" Marlene could feel something wet trickle down her collarbone as she hugged him back.
"D-don't cry, daddy," she comforted while tears ran down her own cheeks. "Your w-whiskers hurt!"
"YAAAAAAA-HA-HAAA!" Everyone looked up to find Cait Sith tumbling towards them but Tifa was quickest to act, jumping up and skillfully catching the little cat puppet. "Ooompf!" Cait Sith looked up into the relieved face of Tifa Lockhart. "Oh, helloo, Tif'. See ye next fall?" The woman simply shook her head in amusement, holding the cat closer to her as she expressed her relief towards his safety. A melodious piping met everyone's ears and they all looked high to find the mother condor circling above them, Marlene only now realising that it had took flight to try and catch herself and Cait Sith. She waved up to the golden bird as it sang above them, shouting her thanks, much to the confusion of everyone else. The condor dropped something in response that glittered in the dim light, and Marlene was startled when it landed soundly in her lap.
"What's tha?" Barret questioned, looking over his daughter at the small object. The girl carefully picked up the red orb, turning it over in her hands. Despite the dim light, it still somehow managed to shimmer a marvellous ruby. Barret blinked in astonishment before blurting out, "Materia?!" Captivated by the red marble, Marlene didn't even notice when Tifa and Vincent walked over to inspect it for themselves.
"Thank goodness you're alright... It looks like the condor left something else for you as well." Marlene could hear the smile in Tifa's voice before she saw it on her face, blinking when the fighter held out a long golden feather. "I suppose it's thanking you back for... whatever you thanked it for. This drifted down after it dropped the Materia."
"Did the condor really leave this for me?" Tifa simply smiled to her in answer before carefully tucking the girl's hair behind her left ear, sliding the glittering plumage in to hold it in place.
"... It suits you." Vincent's sudden baritone surprised them all, and Marlene positively glowed at the gunslinger, who tucked his chin into his cowl in response.
"Aye, tha' it does!" Cait Sith piped up, having worked his way up to sit on Tifa's shoulder. "Noo if ya don't mind, av'e had enough near-death experiences foor one night. That, and ah'm starvin'!" The others stared blankly at the cat puppet, before bursting into laughter. Barret and Tifa mainly out of relief that they were safe, while Marlene simply in joy. Vincent remained quiet, staring in contemplation at his gauntlet before looking up to the sky as it began to turn a deep shade of blue. He remained for a few moments more as the group began to enter the fort, his mind lingering on an entity that no sane man should know, before finally turning to follow; the condor returning to her baby chick whilst calling jovially at his retreating back.
