Premonitions IV: Dirge of Cerberus
Chapter 7: Showdown in the Wastes
After showering, Vincent dressed and made his way to the kitchen.
Lucrecia was making breakfast, topless and in skinny jeans. Her hair was up, flaunting a generous view of her bare back.
"Sun's out, boobs out!" she announced with a smile as she noticed her lover enter.
She then straddled the standing Vincent and pressed her lips against hers.
"Isn't this every boy's dream?" she asked in a flirty tone of voice.
She made them breakfast, and they ate, with her remaining topless. They had just finished washing the dishes when a knock sounded the door.
"Who's here at nine in the morning?" Lucrecia inquired.
"One way to find out," Vincent replied as he made his way over to the door.
Lucrecia watched her man look through the peep hole in the door:
"It's Reeve," Vincent announced. "You may want to put a shirt on."
"Just let him in," Lucrecia insisted.
"You're okay with another man seeing your tits?" he asked, somewhat bewildered.
"He's gay," Lucrecia reminded him. "He wouldn't care whether I was wearing anything at all."
"Good point," Vincent admitted.
He then opened the door.
"Vincent," Reeve greeted. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we need to get to Midgar."
"Understood," Vincent replied.
"Hi, Reeve!" Lucretia greeted as she waved to him.
Needless to say, he immediately noticed she was topless.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked as he waved back.
"Nope," Lucrecia dismissed as she walked over to him. "Just finished breakfast."
"We'll take the Shadowfox," Reeve continued. "But we have to go through the wasteland to get to Midgar."
"Of course," Lucrecia agreed. "Those Mako reactors sucked the life from the teet of the Planet. No worries. We'll bring some jugs of water. I'll also cut up some melons so we can have fluid in our bodies. It's what I did when we climbed the Twin Peaks of the Nibelheim Alps last year. We'll also keep vigil for man-killers and booby-traps."
"Right," Reeve said, unphased, as he stepped out the apartment.
"We'll get ready now," Vincent said.
"And I suggest a shirt," Reeve said before closing the door.
LATER…
Vincent and the now-top-covered Lucrecia were sitting on the Shadowfox across from Reeve, who had largely forgotten the morning.
"Reeve," Vincent began, "Who were those men from last night?"
"Deepground soldiers," Reeve answered.
"Who's Deepground?" Lucrecia inquired.
"The shadow of the Shinra Company," Reeve answered, "constructed by the president and completely hidden from the rest of the world."
"What do you mean 'constructed?'" she asked.
"His goal was to create an army of superhuman warriors," Reeve informed her. "Not once letting morality interfere."
"How typical," Lucrecia observed. "Not really any different than SOLDIER. Or worse."
"The man you two met earlier, Azul, is also a member of Deepground," Reeve continued. "But, he belongs to an elite unit known as the Tsviets."
"This is all news to me," Lucrecia said.
"And me," Vincent added.
"The whole organization was kept a secret," Reeve explained. "That is why there is so little information on them. However, it's nothing like I expected."
"Not even a person in your position was informed?" Vincent inquired.
"No," Reeve dismissed. "Other than the president himself, the only people who knew of Deepground's existence were most likely Heidegger, Scarlet, and the head of biochemical research, Hojo."
"All dead, nonetheless," Lucrecia observed.
"After the president's death," Reeve continued, "the transfer of power to his son was carried out so quickly, I doubt Rufus was ever briefed on the project."
"But you knew?" asked Lucrecia.
"As for me," Reeve replied, "I was told the information was on a need to know basis. And as an official in charge of urban development, I guess I wasn't on their list. All the intel we currently have on Deepground was only discovered recently when we came across some of Scarlet's old files."
"So the dead speak," Lucrecia noted.
"What did the corpse tell you?" Vincent inquired.
"Have you heard of the mass disappearance that occurred recently in New Junon?" Reeve asked.
"I remember the report saying that twenty or thirty people suddenly vanished," Vincent replied.
"That's what the report would like you to believe," Reeve said.
"I'm not surprised," Lucrecia muttered.
"It was determined internally that if the truth was leaked, they wouldn't be able to contain the inevitable panic," Reeve explained.
"Excuses are for when you fart," Lucrecia sighed.
"The actual number of people that went missing that day was twelve hundred," Reeve continued, ignoring the quip. "Twelve hundred people simply vanished without a single trace. The WRO conducted a private investigation but we came up empty-handed. Except for the rumors. Since the New Junon disappearances, people in Midgar have been on edge. They say that night after night you can hear screams coming from the direction of Midgar. Could it be the wind? Let me ask you, does the wind sound like a thousand wailing souls?"
Everyone was silent.
And then, the noise of the voices began.
Lucrecia began to tremble; she found it freaky.
"Listen," Reeve commanded. "Can you hear them? The cries?"
"Commissioner!" called a voice. "A rogue transmission is being broadcast on all wavelengths!"
Reeve quickly activated a screen on the side wall.
The scene was distorted and blue. A figure could be seen sitting.
"At last," the figure said. "The time has come to cleanse this world. The pure will be 'spared' for the cause, while the tainted will be hunted down and exterminated. They shall be slashed, strangled, and slaughtered. Beaten, stabbed, and crushed. Garroted and impaled. Shot and executed without mercy. The time has come to cleanse this world."
He cackled hysterically.
Then, the screen cut out.
"Where could that signal have...?" Reeve began, but he was suddenly cut off by the truck rumbling. "What was that?"
He got up and opened the rear door, only to see a vicious quadruped charging at him.
Vincent quickly shot it dead.
"Guard hounds!" Reeve exclaimed.
"I'll take care of your pet problem," Vincent assured him. "Just keep driving."
"Vincent!" called Reeve as he hit a switch. "Use this!"
A machine gun turret slid up from the truck's floor. A seat inviting Vincent to make us of it presented itself.
Vincent sat at the turret, pressing the triggers and causing it to fire like mad. The guard hounds began to fall, but they seemed to be in endless supply.
Lucrecia, meanwhile, climbed to the roof of the Shadowfox and drew out the Hanging Judge.
She could see the blue beasts charging after them.
She began to aim and fire.
Beast after beast fell.
At first, they seemed to replenish, but, soon, they diminished.
The , they stopped appearing.
"All clear on my end," Lucrecia called.
And then, she looked behind her to see an old wooden bridge in a state of disrepair that they obviously could not cross.
The Shadowfox began to accelerate.
"Reeve, you're crazy!" Lucrecia muttered.
A moment later, the Shadowfox was airborne, practically flying over the chasm.
There was a bar on the Shadowfox's roof, which Lucrecia held onto for dear life.
The Shadowfox continued to soar through the air. It flew over the broken, ancient bridge. Then, it hit the ground hard.
Lucrecia's arms were sore, and she felt nearly yanked off the roof. Once she realized the Shadowfox was on the ground again, she sighed in relief, and climbed back inside. She immediately threw her arms around Vincent and kissed him.
"You know," Reeve began, "for someone who likes to go topless, you shoot good from the top."
"Thanks," Lucrecia replied.
"Are you alright?" Vincent asked.
"I'll be fine," Reeve assured them. "But that's more than I can say for the engine."
Lucrecia glanced at the dashboard and noticed that the check engine light was on.
"Well," she said. "No shit!"
"Vincent," Reeve continued. If possible, I want you to continue on to Midgar. That transmission we just saw troubles me."
"And you?" Lucrecia asked.
"Once I have repaired the Shadowfox, I'll need to return to headquarters," Reeve replied. "A WRO squad has already been dispatched to Midgar. Join them and help liberate the city."
"I guess I have no choice," Vincent agreed.
With nothing further ado, Vincent and Lucrecia stepped onto the barren wasteland, and proceeded down the path.
The Shadowfox drew further away as they continued. It was dusk out now, and the sky was changing from red to black. The moon was full, and would provide their guiding light. By morning, they would reach Midgar.
It was actually quite peaceful, though it was quite a maze. There was a canyon with a river at the bottom that flowed like a snake. Initially, the hardest part of the journey was finding a way through the wasteland.
And then, they first spotted the red creature standing on top of a cliff.
It looked very similar to Red XIII.
But it was not.
It was soon joined by smaller blue versions of itself.
"Crimson hounds," Lucrecia muttered. "They don't look very friendly."
"They're not," Vincent replied as he pulled out his gun.
Growling, more blue crimson hounds spread from behind the canyon walls.
They began to charge.
Vincent and Lucrecia fired their weapons, resulting in the crimson hounds falling one by one. They were all coming from the same direction, and were easy to dispatch.
Soon, only the red one remained. But it took more damage.
"Is this thing invincible?!" Lucrecia exclaimed.
"The red crimson hounds have thicker skin," Vincent replied.
It drew closer and closer.
And then, its tail hit Vincent on the arm.
The sting was worse than a scorpion's as Lucrecia aimed the Hanging Judge right between the eyes and fired, causing it to fall to the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a panic as she examined his arm.
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "It's not poisonous. The burn should last an our, and…"
The red crimson hound suddenly recovered, but lacked any will to continue the fight. It turned and ran, leaping over the canyon.
Vincent fired.
The bullet struck it mid-air, causing it to disappear into the abyss below.
The two continued on their way. A half an hour later, they spotted a familiar sight.
"Look," Lucrecia pointed out. "I can see Midgar from here!"
The two of them continued.
"Hold it right there!" called an unpleasant voice.
Vincent and Lucrecia turned around to see a familiar, unpleasant face.
"Captain Mast," Lucrecia greeted. "It's been way too long!"
"I hope your Nanaki friend didn't see that back there," the redhead taunted.
"You sent those creatures," Vincent realized.
"Surprised?" Captain Mast replied as she pulled her gun on them. "I can't let you run around Midgar like this. I'll give you one last chance to go back to where you came."
"Forget it," Vincent dismissed.
"Are you going to shoot us?" Lucrecia demanded. "Or aren't you?"
"That would be too quick," Captain Mast informed them. "I want you to suffer."
With that, she put her fingers to her mouth and let out a loud whistle.
Suddenly, several hover vehicles came from above. A helicopter also approached, and dropped a ladder over the redhead.
"Pegasus riders," Vincent grumbled
The Pegasus riders began to circle the three of them.
"Happy dying!" Captain Mast taunted before climbing up the ladder and disappearing into the chopper, which promptly flew away.
Both Vincent and Lucrecia shot like mad, hitting rider after rider, and knocking them of their hover bikes. Bike after bike hit the rock walls, exploding on impact.
Soon, they were alone once again.
"Only a jackass would try to circle someone with firearms," Lucrecia pointed out.
"Captain Mast doesn't pick the smartest minions," Vincent said.
"That bitch is gone," Lucrecia muttered.
"She'll be back," Vincent replied.
"I hope for her sake, she's not," Lucrecia sighed.
They then made the rest of their way toward Midgar.
MEANWHILE…
Sage sat alone at Cosmo Candle. She had a lot in her mind. She had received two texts in the last hour. One was from Parker, her father.
The other was from Reeve, her other, biological father. This one explained the perilous situation on the Eastern Continent.
Then, she head someone approach her.
It was Red XIII.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I got a text from my dad," she began. "His Shadowfox is busted. Vincent and Lucrecia are on their way to Midgar. They got attacked by some wild creatures. And Captain Mast is probably in the area."
"And there's something else on your mind," the quadruped continued. "I can tell."
"Zack," she replied honestly. "I really can't stop thinking about him."
"Still?" Red XIII asked. "It's been a year."
"And I miss living with him," she lamented. "I had a dream a couple of nights ago that we were dating. I hated waking up from it."
"You had a twelve-year age gap," Red XIII pointed out.
"I'm fourteen," Sage replied. "I'll be eighteen in four years."
"You'll go through high school," Red XIII pointed out. "I'm sure you'll find someone your own age
"I suppose," Sage admitted sadly. "But enough about me. What have you been thinking about?"
"The Southern Continent," Red XIII answered. "It was three years ago, but I still remember it vividly. A safe, welcoming village surrounded by woods and a cave."
"My dad told me about it," Sage said. "Much of that continent remains unexplored."
"I want to go back there," Red XIII said honestly. "I've been waiting to do so for three years now."
"I wonder what's south of the teleporter," Sage said. "Though I'm well aware curiosity killed the cat."
She immediately realized what she had said.
"Sorry!"
"Understandable," Red XIII acknowledged. "And yet, I still sense something else on your mind."
"Personally," she answered, "I don't trust Jessie."
"Why not?" Red XIII asked.
"I think…she might have been the one who freed Sephiroth."
"Why do you think that?"
"It's a new timeline," Sage began. "She originally died. Now she's alive. She would most likely be the one to make a change."
"Sephiroth died in the original timeline, too," Red XIII pointed out. "There's a lot that's going to happen. Some we can expect. Some we can't."
"And the morning after Sephiroth was freed, she was found in a ditch," Sage continued. "Doesn't that sound a little suspicious?"
"A lot of things were different in the old timeline," Red XIII pointed out. "In the old timeline, Midgar was destroyed. A city called Edge was built on its ruins." He paused. "But it does sound suspicious."
"Unless it's Lucrecia," Sage suggested. "She is his mother."
"Zero chance it's Lucrecia," Red XIII dismissed. "Nor Vincent. Neither of them had access to the prisons. Only Barret, Jessie, myself, your dad, Cid, and Shera. It has to be one of those six." He paused again. "And only one of them is alive because of the changed timeline."
"Are you sure it has to be one of those six?" Sage asked.
"Cissnei is doing an investigation as we speak," Red XIII answered. "Whether someone's key card or code was used. Once it's proven it was someone from our group, she'll go from there."
"How sure are you it was Jessie?" Sage inquired.
"I don't like to put numbers on things," Red XIII replied. "But I would be really surprised if it wasn't her."
"And she just had a son," Sage pointed out. "It would be a shame to rob him of his mother. What a shame."
THE STUFF THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED….
Here, Cissnei is confirmed to have survived the events of Premonitions III, though it should be obvious, as she is narrating it. The jury remains out on Cloud, Tifa, Zack, Yuffie, and Tobin.