Chapter 32: Deepground Strikes Back
Vincent, Lucrecia, Zack, and Yuffie stepped out of the Zack to find themselves in a boreal forest, full of tall trees and shrubs.
They also noticed three armed walkers.
Vincent and Lucrecia dispatched of two of them with their firearms, while Yuffie took care of the third one with a shuriken.
"I take it this isn't going to be a safe hike," Yuffie observed.
"Probably not," Zack replied.
"What about Rosso?" Lucrecia asked. "Is there any way she can escape?"
"Definitely not," Yuffie replied. "Only Zack and I can open any cell doors. And it's impossible to dig out."
"In that case," Lucrecia began, "I'll be back."
With that, she ran into the Zack, straight to Rosso's cell.
"We're going on a hike," she announced.
"Have fun," Rosso replied sarcastically.
"Is there anything we can pick up for you?" Lucrecia sarcastically asked.
"Chto-to, chto zhenshchiny lyubyat ispol'zovat', kogda oni odni," Rosso answered.
"We'll get you something nice," Lucrecia giggled.
She then returned to her friends outside.
"Well then," Vincent began. "Shall we?"
The four of them began the march through the forest. There was an attack by a giant, flightless bird, which was nothing Zack could not kill with his buster sword.
A mile down, they caught sight of a couple of domes that only one of them recognized.
"What is this place?" Yuffie inquired.
"Healen Lodge," Zack replied.
"You sure?" Lucrecia asked.
"I've been here before," Zack answered. "A year ago, though it feels like it was earlier this week."
"This place is irrelevant," Vincent reminded them. "We need to get to headquarters as soon as possible."
"And we need to get to the bottom of this," Zack added. "Reeve will know who's behind it."
"I think we need to find a rat," Yuffie suggested. "A rat named Rufus."
Soon, they arrived at a cave. As the entered, they could hear Deepground soldiers.
In the next chamber, the soldiers came into view; Vincent and Lucrecia killed them just as they were arming their weapons.
At the mouth of the cave, they could see a Deepground encampment in the valley below.
"I don't think this will be welcoming," Yuffie observed.
As if on cue, gunfire erupted from the encampment.
Vincent looked down to see Deepground soldiers firing.
Vincent and Lucrecia fired their weapons at the Deepground soldiers until they all lay dead. The four of them then descended the path until it reached the level of the encampment.
Two more Deepground soldiers came out of a tent, but Lucrecia got both of them with the Hanging Judge.
The four of them then made their way through a lush green passage. When they got to the other side, they could see three WRO soldiers.
"I think we're in friendly territory again," Yuffie announced.
Then, the WRO soldiers began firing.
"Not yet!" Zack said.
The WRO soldiers were standing on one end of an open field.
Four Deepground soldiers were standing on the other end.
To the right was a metal structure that led to the headquarters.
Vincent and Lucrecia charged the battlefield, taking out two Deepground soldiers each.
Meanwhile, a giant insect approached Yuffie, and Zack sliced it in two with his buster sword.
"Thanks, babe," she said with a giggle.
Vincent and Lucrecia joined them.
"I think this area is safe now," Vincent said.
Yuffie scanned the area. She then spotted a big rock, about four feet high.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "The perfect rock!"
"Why a rock?" Lucrecia inquired.
"I have to pee," Yuffie replied as she trotted behind the rock. "Nobody look!"
Lucrecia sighed and turned to Zack.
"How did you end up with her, anyway?" she asked.
"This one ran away with itself," Zack replied. "I knew her since she was nine, but we went on our first date for Cloud and Tifa's wedding."
"He was my date because he owed me a favor!" Yuffie called from behind the rock.
Everyone turned to face the rock.
"I said don't look!" Yuffie yelled.
"We can't see you and you can't see us," Vincent informed her.
"I feel you looking in my direction!" she shouted. "Turn around until I stop the music!"
Everyone turned around.
"And you've been together since I've returned," Lucrecia said. "Three years now."
"Even when you count the three times we broke up," Zack added.
"It's funny," Lucrecia laughed. "Every relationship here has been through a beating, often in some outlandish manner. Except for Cid and Shera; they had no drama at all."
Suddenly, the ground began rumbling.
"What the hell is that?" Zack exclaimed.
"Whatever it is," Lucrecia replied, "it doesn't sound good."
Vincent turned to see Yuffie running toward them from behind the rock, quickly pulling her shorts up with an embarrassed look on her face, though only the side of her butt had ever been visible to anyone.
Just then, three helicopters appeared over the horizon.
"Shit!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Eastern Continent choppers."
She then scanned the area. She quickly spotted four Vickers machine guns.
"The machine guns!" Yuffie commanded. "Let's go! They're our only chance!"
Vincent, Lucrecia, Zack, and Yuffie each took a machine gun.
Yuffie was the first to fire, causing one of the choppers to explode mid-air.
Zack destroyed the second.
Vincent destroyed the third.
"That was scary!" Yuffie sighed.
Just then, the ground began to rumble again. Three more helicopters appeared over the horizon.
"You jinxed it!" Zack exclaimed.
The four of them fired their machine guns like crazy; each helicopter exploded one by one.
"It looks pretty clear now," Lucrecia observed.
Just then, a chopper suddenly appeared from the left, and dropped a bomb.
A moment later, Zack disappeared in an explosion.
"Zack!" cried Yuffie frantically.
Vincent, meanwhile, aimed his machine gun and destroyed the chopper.
The smoke on the ground cleared, revealing Zack intact, but with a smoldering pit two feet away from him.
"Don't scare me like that, you bastard!" Yuffie exclaimed.
And then, another helicopter appeared from the right.
"Oh no, you don't!" Yuffie announced as she fired on the chopper.
The chopper exploded. Unfortunately, debris dropped near Zack, barely missing him.
"Don't scare me like that, you bastard!" Yuffie repeated.
"You shot it down over me!" shouted Zack. "You're the bastard!"
"Just watch your ass, you bastard!" Yuffie said playfully.
Just then, three more helicopters appeared over the horizon.
"Okay!" Zack complained. "One time is funny, two times is funny, three times is cute, but four times is old!"
Zack pulled the trigger on his machine gun.
His ears were greeted by the sound of a click.
He was out of bullets.
"Oh shit!" he muttered.
Vincent pulled the trigger, only to be greeted by a similar sound.
"Empty," he said.
Lucrecia and Yuffie fared no better.
The helicopters continued to close in.
"Great!" Yuffie muttered. "We're screwed!"
"Not yet," Vincent dismissed as he dismounted his machine gun.
He then pulled out Cerberus.
"That's not going to make it explode!" Zack shouted.
"It will if I hit the fuel tank," Vincent replied calmly.
He aimed and fired at the first approaching helicopter; it quickly exploded.
He aimed and fired at the second approaching helicopter; it quickly exploded.
He aimed and at the third approaching helicopter; it quickly exploded.
But he had not fired.
He turned to see Lucrecia, with the Hanging Judge aimed in the air.
"I couldn't let you have all the fun!" she quipped.
The four of them proceeded onward. They reached the concrete structure, and entered a doorway, descending down a stairwell and through a winding hall. They then ascended another stairwell, quickly finding themselves outside again.
This time, it seemed as if they were on top of a bridge. Deepground soldiers were firing at the four of them, with Vincent and Lucrecia taking them out one by one. One soldier was firing from the ledge; Yuffie killed him with a ninja star.
They reached a door and entered it, descending another staircase. There was a Deepground soldier standing in the concert hall, but Yuffie took care of him with a ninja star before he could open fire. They then found themselves outside once more, only now there were fires nearby, and searchlights could be seen in the distance.
They were getting close to headquarters.
The four pushed onward until they entered a wide tunnel, with concrete, square pillars, and waterfalls on the side. A few Deepground soldiers lurked in the tunnel, but Vincent and Lucrecia took care of them with the greatest of ease.
"This is headquarters!" a voice suddenly called over the intercom. "We need backup!"
Finally, they ascended the steps to the surface, where they all knew the entrance to the headquarters will be.
Yuffie felt her stomach tighten; she had a feeling something dreadful would be at the top. She elected not to voice it, as she feared she might jinx it.
The four of them reached the top, and the entrance.
Captain Mast was standing there.
I jinxed it anyway, Yuffie thought.
Everyone drew their weapons.
On closer inspection, Captain Mast was on her watch, in the middle of a video call with her boyfriend. His face was clearly visible, even to the four heroes.
"Maybe we can go out and do something tonight," Rufus suggested.
"Maybe we can stay in and do something tonight," Captain Mast replied naughtily, with a seductive smile.
"Tonight," Yuffie interjected, "you'll be in the morgue!"
Captain Mast spun around.
"You guys!" Rufus exclaimed from the watch.
"Yes!" Yuffie retorted. "Us guys. And girls! Your girlfriend is in so much trouble!"
"I don't think so," Captain Mast dismissed. "I'm a hard girl to kill."
"Come home," Rufus commanded.
"I will love," she replied as she made a kissing sound. "See you soon!"
With that. She ended the call.
"I guess that means you can't fight us!" Yuffie taunted.
"I don't have to," Captain Mast retorted. "The Black Widow will take care of that."
"We already destroyed the Black Widow," Vincent reminded her. "Back at the President's Mansion."
In response, Captain Mast produced what appeared to be a circuit board, only the size of an index card.
"This records everything I send to fight you," she informed them. "On command, it can recreate it."
"That's bullshit," Zack dismissed.
Captain Mast raised the device into the air.
"By the authorization vested in me by the President of the Eastern Continent, I hereby summon thee!" she shouted.
The device fired lasers.
The Black Widow suddenly materialized before them.
"We're in trouble," Zack lamented.
With that, he threw his buster sword into the machine, causing it to explode, just like the last time.
"Without me," he finished. "There, I finally got to do something!"
"It's not your fault most of this mission was gun-related," Vincent assured him. "But you could use a firearm."
"I suppose," Zack agreed.
And then, everyone noticed who was missing.
"Where's Captain Mast?" Vincent demanded.
"She's outta here!" Yuffie replied.
It was true; Captain Mast was long gone. She had summoned the Black Widow to distract them while she escaped.
"Of course," sighed Lucrecia.
Yuffie shook her head.
"That woman is beyond messed up," she observed.
"That's an understatement," Vincent said.
"How did she get like that?" Zack asked.
"Her husband and son died," Yuffie replied. "Stabbed on vacation by Sephiroth."
"Jesus H. Christ," muttered Zack.
"In any event" Vincent said as he turned to face headquarters, "we all know where we need to be."
THE STUFF THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED:
Zack mentions that it feels like he visited Healen Lodge earlier in the week. This is a reference to the fact that the respective chapter in Premonitions III was actually posted earlier in the week, several days before this one, as Premonitions III and Premonitions IV are being posted simultaneously.
Some of the things Rosso says are not translated due to the fact they are filthy.