A/N: And now I'm editing the chapters that were written at the end of college, beginning of grad school. Wow, this story is old.
Edits Completed: May 30, 2017
Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance
Chapter 9 – Fault
It was the beginning of the end. The world had descended into a full-blown panic as the harbinger of death hovered overhead. Visible from Mideel to Icicle Inn, that bright crimson mass of rock and ice slowly descended onto the Planet, reminding everyone that their time was at an end.
Meteor was coming.
The brightest minds in Midgar had already predicted its trajectory. Accounting for the Planet's rotation and the speed of Meteor's descent, it would fall directly on Midgar. Everything within the roughly eight hundred square miles of the City would be immediately obliterated. The resulting shockwaves would cause earthquakes and tidal waves around the world. Costa del Sol and Junon would be washed away. North Corel and Nibelheim would be buried in earth and rocks. Dust and ash would spread from the point of impact, blocking out the light and quickly dropping the temperature. Anyone who survived the impact would be doomed to a horrible death via gradual starvation as all sources of food died off. The Planet would be reduced to nothing more than a desolate rock hurtling through the cosmos.
Humanity's end would be coming soon. Some saw it as inevitable and simply sat with friends and family, enjoying what little time they had left. Others took the news very badly. Riots in the streets were not uncommon. People ran around burning everything they could get their hands on. Shops and stores lay in ruins from the rampant looting. Children were seen wandering the streets, crying, starving, and dying. It seemed that some parents had either left their children in their desperate attempts to flee the city or had simply succumbed to the violence that was now a part of everyday life. Many simply didn't care anymore as selfishness took hold of their hearts in the struggle to survive.
The streets of Upper Midgar were in complete disarray. In a half-hearted attempt to retain some semblance of order, Rufus Shinra enacted martial law throughout the City and then disappeared to Junon. The military police, or MPs, ran rampant through the streets. They abused their newfound power with little remorse, often using it to bully citizens and claim foodstuffs for themselves. Fights frequently broke out between civilians and the MPs, usually resulting in injuries or deaths. A few mobs actually managed to kill the armed police and, in their victory, used the hard won weapons to turn around and do exactly what the MPs had been doing.
Many of those who weren't looting were trying to get into Lower Midgar, thinking that there was some kind of safety to be gained by being under millions of tons of steel. MPs met these civilians with brute force, warning them that Lower Midgar was in complete chaos. Armed guards were stationed at every possible point where people might attempt to enter the lower city. They would give only one warning before attacking. Angry people accused them of taking twisted pleasure in keeping people out of Lower Midgar. Little did they know that as corrupt as the MPs were there was a modicum of truth in their actions.
Lower Midgar was a complete warzone.
Thugs, convicts, SOLDIERs, ex-military, and even peace-loving residents clashed every which way, some for entertainment, some out of fear, and most in that desperate attempt to survive. The few that tried to escape the fray found that both the doors to Upper Midgar and those leading outside had been sealed shut and were completely impassable. This only heightened the panic as those residents dug uselessly around the doors trying to get out through any means. A small group of people had barricaded themselves in the old church in Sector 5, but they knew it was only a matter of time before the violence reached even the confines of their isolated sanctuary.
Midgar was falling apart from the inside out. The few people who heard news from Lower Midgar knew the truth. Midgar would never be the same again.
Junon fared marginally better than other major cities near the impact site. Being Shinra's new military base, the presence of the President seemed to quell most of the fighting. People actually tried to go about their regular daily routine, but there was a sense of unease in the air as they waited for President Shinra to find a solution to the mess. This sense of forced calm was arguable more uncomfortable than outright rioting. Everyone was distracted as they waited to see what would come next.
Then the news finally came. A week after Meteor had appeared and the Planet's death sentence had been given, President Rufus Shinra had announced to the world that they had captured the terrorists responsible for the end of the world. The remaining members of the terrorist group AVALANCHE would be publically executed the next day on the charges of high treason and conspiracy to overthrow the government. While this announcement seemed to calm some residents in Junon, many more around the globe wondered just what good a public execution would do against the impending Armageddon. Regardless, the civilians in Junon who took comfort in the empty gesture gathered outside, watching the outside monitors in anticipation, their fear and anger largely forgotten.
…
Tifa turned away from the window in disgust. She couldn't stand looking at the upturned faces any longer.
"Unbelievable," she muttered quietly. "They continue to hunt the only people who have a chance at stopping Sephiroth and Meteor."
Barret turned towards her from his own seat by the window.
"Seems like it," he grunted. "At least the others managed to get away."
Tifa sighed as she stretched, her muscles still stiff from the injuries she received while escaping North Crater. She rubbed her arms, her mind partly preoccupied with that valuable notebook that lay within her confiscated gear. From the few words she exchanged with Vincent before Shinra had arrested them, a lot of what happened in North Crater was expected. She just needed to wait for the rescue party to come for her and Barret. It was the waiting that was most unbearable. Her long-time friend spoke up again, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey, Tifa… what happened in the Crater?" Barret asked tentatively. "You… you didn't seem all that surprised when Hojo revealed all those things about Cloud…"
Tifa sighed as she remembered the vile description the scientist had given.
"I'll tell you when we get out of here," she said cautiously. "This isn't the best place to have that sort of conversation. I'd prefer to clear things up for the others as well."
The man stared at Tifa incredulously. She gave him a weak shrug.
"Don't worry, it won't end like this," she said clenching her fist. "The other's will come, you'll see."
Barret shook his head in amazement at the girl's confidence. Whatever plans and hopes she had, he sure wasn't seeing any of it. He couldn't even figure out how they were supposed to get out of the room. The doors were locked and the windows were reinforced. His ammunition had been confiscated, making his prosthetic merely a heavy decoration. The best they could probably do was fight their way out, but Tifa was the close-quarters combat expert, he could only make a passable attempt at hand-to-hand fighting. The burly man was jolted out of his thoughts as the door opened. Into the room strode an annoyingly familiar face followed by armed soldiers. Electric blue eyes glinted with anticipation under a mess of orange hair.
"Shinra…" the gunman growled.
The President merely smiled mirthlessly.
"You know, Hojo nearly had me convinced that our Hero would show up to save everyone," he drawled. "I guess that's just too much to expect of a corpse."
Tifa tensed at the snide comment as memories of the events at North Crater rushed back.
She remembered how they found Sephiroth, embedded within the ice like some kind of parasite.
She remembered Cloud handing the Black Materia over to Sephiroth.
She remembered watching Cloud break.
She remembered the noise.
At that time, Rufus had ordered everyone within the cave to evacuate, even the remaining members of AVALANCHE. With Tifa and Yuffie suffering the worst of the injuries, they could only follow, not wanting to die as whatever energy the Black Materia held was released. Through a haze of pain, she had watched as those terrifying creatures had crawled out of North Crater. The airship they were on nearly capsized when one of the monsters flew past at a blinding speed. Soon after, however, she was forced into a bed due to the severity of her injuries. The next time she woke she would be locked in the same room she now resided in. Barret had apparently been confined to the same room to recover from his own injuries. From what he told her, Shinra had kept them detained for questioning and refused to let them leave. Barret also mentioned that, based on the commotion earlier in the day, the others seemed to have found a way to escape, leaving the two most injured in the heavily guarded medical facility.
"We'll come for you," Vincent had said before she passed out on the airship.
And now all she could do was wait and trust that the man would follow through on his promise.
"What do you want?" Tifa spat impatiently.
Rufus looked amused but said nothing. The door soon opened again revealing the portly figure of Heidegger, the head of 'Public Safety'. Tifa guessed he was the one to suggest martial law, the incompetent lout. The man waddled up to Shinra and gave a sloppy salute.
"Preparations for the public execution are complete, sir!" He said with a sneer towards the two prisoners.
Tifa's insides turned to ice.
"What the f – " Barret pushed away from the wall in anger. "Execution?! Th' hell ya get from doin' that?"
Seeing the soldiers in the room, Barret could only clench his fist angrily and wait for an explanation.
"People are stupid, Mr. Wallace," he said casually with a shrug. "Stupid and ignorant of the grand scheme of things."
He walked over to the window, staring down at the masses with a look of disdain on his face.
"Look at them out there. Without this execution, do you know what most of them would be doing?" He asked. "They'd be fighting over the stupidest and most inconsequential things. In their panic they're doing brainless, senseless things that they will come to regret should they survive this ordeal."
"You think you can stop Meteor on your own? You're more foolish than your father," Tifa scoffed.
Shinra continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"They want – no – they need someone to blame," Rufus said while turning back to the two. "And since you two have nothing particularly useful to contribute to this mission, I'm simply making the most of what I've got."
"Quit joking around!" Barret snarled as he slammed his fist against the wall.
In his anger, he stormed forward.
"You think you can just do whatever you want with people's lives?! You cocky little – "
He stopped as the clatter of rifled reminded him that Rufus had guards in the room as well. They aimed their weapons at Barret, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Rufus merely sighed, hardly fazed by the black man's inconsequential threats
"It's nothing personal, I assure you," Rufus shrugged again. "Either way, it's time to get this formality over with."
Heidegger, who had been watching the exchange with glee, laughed heartily.
"Gya ha ha! No struggling now, time's a wastin'!"
Barret and Tifa could do nothing more than obey as their hands were bound. Flanked by the soldiers, the two captives were led out of the room, down the steel corridors of the Junon military base, and towards the execution room. As they entered, Tifa noted that the antechamber had been turned into some kind of makeshift meeting room. Rickety chairs were lined up haphazardly to either side of a central aisle. At the front sat a long plastic table with a few microphones placed. Clearly Rufus didn't care for the production value and, judging by the few reporters seated very few cared enough about their jobs to cover this story. Tifa wondered if Rufus wasn't simply covering his bases for when people regained their sanity and began questioning why Shinra didn't do more to protect the people. The rundown location didn't seem to bother the few reporters that showed up though, something that angered Barret greatly.
"Th' hell you lookin' at?!" He snarled at one nondescript reporter that was staring at the prisoners and taking notes.
This outburst only made the man write faster as a story began to form in the reporters head. No doubt he'd use that opportunity alongside the execution to paint AVALANCHE in the worst possible light. Tifa bit her lip and tried not to react to the probing stares. A piercing laugh turned her misery into loathing as she saw who was in charge of the execution.
"Kya ha ha! Everyone tuning in will get to see your miserable deaths live!"
The curvy figure of Scarlet, the head of the Weapons Development Department, sashayed into view. Tifa sneered at the over-dressed, over-painted woman. A deep red lipstick caused her smirk to take on an almost diabolical look.
"At least people will have something nice to watch while their world falls to pieces, right?" She asked with a smirk.
"You people are wrong in the head!" Barret growled, unable to do much else being bound as he was.
One hunchbacked reporter at the front of the makeshift meeting room stood and shoved a microphone into Scarlet's face.
"Scarlet, why a public execution in this day and age? Don't you worry that the people of Midgar will take the wrong message about your company from this?" He asked.
Scarlet gave the clearly disfigured man a look of utter derision.
"If they have a problem, we'll simply remind them who stopped Meteor and arrested the perpetrators," she said confidently. "Once people know the truth, there would be few to criticize our decision."
"So you're confident you can destroy Meteor?" The reporter pressed. "Can you tell us how you plan on stopping something that big?"
The blonde scoffed.
"Easy. You blow it up," she answered casually before turning away.
"Brainless bitch," Tifa muttered.
"You really think no one will object to a broadcasted execution?" The reporter asked dubiously.
"Of course people will object, you simpleton," Scarlet snapped. "But whether they thank us or hate us, they will realize we were the only ones capable of fixing the mess caused by these terrorists."
The woman half turned, a malicious grin on her face.
"And besides, who doesn't like a good execution?"
The remaining reporters in the room seemed disturbed by this revelation, but remained silent as they took notes on the impromptu Q & A session. Scarlet turned to Tifa, smiling with anticipation.
"Now…" she began.
"What exactly does this execution have to do with blowing up Meteor then?" The hunchbacked reporter interrupted again.
A scowl formed on Scarlet's face as she addressed the chatty man again.
"They need to pay for their crimes, now don't they?" She spat.
"But…" the man tried again.
"Enough!" Scarlet cut him off, apparently fed up with the interview. "We'll start with the girl."
Barret attempted to rush forward at this, immediately being knocked down and held in place by two soldiers.
"Ya wanna kill someone, kill me first!" The man screamed thrashing helplessly.
This only seemed to further amuse the blonde Weapons Development director. She addressed a nearby cameraman as she pretended the prisoners didn't exist.
"Camera, sweetie, make sure you get this tender goodbye," she simpered. "It would be such a shame if we missed such prime material."
Tifa tensed as two more soldiers moved forward and frog-marched her into the execution chamber. The steel door swung open and the girl was led inside. Tifa caught one last glimpse of a panicked look on Barret's face before she was shoved out of sight.
…
It was eerily quiet outside. Save for the low rumble of indistinct voices, there was nothing louder than stray dogs barking. No cars, no screams, no violence. By this time, five hours before the scheduled public execution, every person who dared to leave their homes had heard about the event and had gathered in the streets outside. It was a strange setting that such a horrific showing could calm the rioting crowds. Unfortunately for them, their envisioned execution would not happen according to plan.
Five individuals sat in a small rented room in Lower Junon. Due to the rescue of a certain young girl several weeks back, the people living in Lower Junon were much more willing to overlook their affiliation with the supposed terrorist group AVALANCHE. These five had shown up about a week ago looking disheveled and tired. When the innkeeper had asked them what had happened, the tallest man had simply stared back with sad, crimson eyes. A small shake of the head was all that was needed to stave off future inquiries. The little girl that had been rescued asked where Cloud was, but this only stirred up painful memories of the last forty-eight hours, especially with the youngest of the group. They had spent a day recovering from the constant fighting and running, but those who recovered fastest had immediately set out to do reconnaissance on the situation in Upper Junon. They had created a rough plan to rescue the prisoners from the planned execution, and given the limited time they were working with, it would have to be enough.
"Let's go over this one last time for good measure," the mog and cat duo known as Cait Sith said.
There were no objections. The tension in the air was almost unbearable.
"Cid and Red will be in charge of taking over the airship. We're gonna need the Highwind if we want to have any chance of stopping Sephiroth. There just isn't any time left to be traveling on foot."
Cid, former Shinra pilot and engineer, and Nanaki, resident protector of Cosmo Canyon, both nodded. Cid would have been too easily recognized by the troops who had spent much of their time travelling between Junon and Rocket Town. Nanaki simply stood out too much, being a large red feline with a flaming tail. Therefore, their task would be to capture Shinra's fastest airship and ensure the team's safe extraction.
"Vincent, you'll be disguised as a guard. Reeve managed to shuffle the security assignments without drawing attention to himself. It should be simple to blend in, Junon has tripled its security in the last few days. It's almost guaranteed that guards won't know the person they're working with," the mog relayed the information he had gotten from his creator. "If you have a chance, free Barret and Tifa."
The former ace of the Turks, Vincent Valentine, nodded silently. The mog turned to the final person in the room.
"Yuffie…"
The others turned to look at the young Wutain princess. She looked the same as she did when they had arrived in Junon. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, her skin pale and sickly. She was an empty shell of her former self, barely alive. At the sound of her name being called, her head lifted slightly. Cait Sith's ears drooped at the expression she wore. However, they had a rescue mission to carry out so he pressed on.
"Yuffie you will provide backup for Barret and Tifa as they escape. Station yourself on the path towards the airship, pretend to be a reporter so they'll let you into the base. Once they arrive, you will all head towards the Highwind."
The girl gave a barely discernible nod. The cat frowned but continued his speech.
"As for me, I'll take care of creating a disturbance in the newsroom. I'll try to stall the execution by making a fuss or something."
No more words were exchanged after that. Everyone knew their roles and, one by one, people exited the room to prepare for the operation. Only one petite figure remained seated, motionless in a single chair by the wall. Vincent paused by the door, looking back on the miserable girl.
"Yuffie," he called out gently.
She looked over at him. Vincent's jaw clenched at her apparent fatigue. He noticed her bloodshot eyes and had heard her crying in her room the last couple days. The mental fatigue and restless nights were having a severe effect on her outward health. She had deep bags under her eyes and her lips were paler than normal. She looked as if she could vanish at any moment. Vincent strode over and kneeled in front of her. He looked up into her tear-filled eyes. Raising a hand, he wiped at her eyes gently before speaking in a firm voice.
"Chin up. We need you in this. This operation has to succeed for us to be able to look for Cloud. He's still alive, I'm sure of it."
Upon hearing the name of their former leader, tears began welling up in her eyes again. The girl sniffled, trying to hold back tears but it was ultimately futile as she broke down into sobs. Yuffie clutched feebly at the cloaked gunman's shirt in a desperate attempt to keep herself from falling into madness. Vincent simply let her cry, patting her back and reassuring her that they would find Cloud. He knew she was still blaming herself for the entire incident. She was attempting to shoulder the lives of millions of people even after everyone had told her it wasn't her fault.
Vincent could have easily revealed that Cloud had fallen into Lifestream and would ultimately be okay, but he knew that the information wouldn't cure her anguish and might make things worse. If her guilt was something so shallow as to be soothed by such fantastical revelations like precognition, he may have even though her shallow and thoughtless. He might have even hated her for it. But she wept bitter tears because she knew she had failed. She wept because she was losing hope. Like some cursed artifact of legend, the Black Materia had brought the group nothing but misery since it landed in their hands. And Vincent knew that no matter what he said, she would never forgive herself for Cloud's absence.
…
"I don't like the idea of you holding onto that thing while we face Sephiroth," Tifa said as the man picked up the fallen orb.
They had just beaten off Jenova-DEATH after a precarious battle atop an incredibly windy platform. Every misstep sent them sliding towards the edge, something the monster had tried to take advantage of. However, they had managed to beat it off and, upon its death, the Black Materia had clattered noisily to the ground. They had realized that the creature they fought was the 'Sephiroth' that had originally stolen the Black Materia from Cloud and murdered Aerith. Because of that, it was doubly satisfying to watch the being dissolve into a pile of goo. But even with one of their goals completed, Cloud was the only one who dared to walk up and pick up the evil orb. Now that he once again held it in his hands, they could see it pulsing with some kind of internal energy. It was as if the Materia was merely sleeping, the faint brightening and dimming of its energy resembling some kind of napping beast.
"Maybe you should let someone hold onto it?" Nanaki suggested. "Sephiroth or Jenova might try to get inside your head again."
Vincent frowned at this. While he had an idea what would come next, it was still the most sensible suggestion. By keeping the Black Materia close and out of Sephiroth's reach, they might be able to prevent the madman from summoning Meteor altogether. He was just about to offer to safeguard the accursed thing when Chaos suddenly spoke up from within the confines of his mind.
'Don't do it… I don't have a clue what would happen to all of us if you take that thing, but I don't like the energy it's putting off. It could very well corrupt us all."
By 'us', Chaos referred to the beasts that resided within Vincent's soul. Thus, Vincent remained silent. However, no one seemed to want to take the materia. Whether it was by inherent instinct or simply some uneasy gut feeling, they all knew that safekeeping the orb would be a harrowing experience. A couple seconds of silence passed as the group considered. Then, a small voice piped up.
"I'll take it."
Yuffie's voice trembled slightly as she tried to mask her fear of the small black orb. Cloud watched her eyes, hesitant. She stared back, a defiant look in her eyes. Cloud stared down at the Materia for a moment longer before looking back at the girl.
"Alright," he said. "Take care of it. Don't give it to anyone. I'm counting on you."
The girl gave a resolute nod as she pocketed the Black Materia. With that, the assault team consisting of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret moved out. The others stayed behind to guard Yuffie in case Sephiroth made another attempt at retrieving the Black Materia. Vincent positioned himself near the girl, his body tense as he scanned the surroundings for any sign of an attack. The girl had given him a questioning look, but upon seeing his wariness, had turned her attention to the surroundings as well. Try a he might, Vincent couldn't quite recall what had happened during his 'first' visit to North Crater. He recalled briefly seeing Tifa coming back towards the group before being overpowered by a Sleep spell. Only later did he learn that Sephiroth had disguised himself to obtain the Black Materia. This time, he would take every precaution to keep people alert.
"Yuffie," he said quietly.
The girl jumped as his voice broke the tense silence.
"Dammit, Vinnie! Don't scare me like that!" She hissed back in annoyance.
Vincent grimaced before continuing.
"Sephiroth is a master at deception and illusions. He may very well try to disguise himself as one of us to get to the Black Materia. Whatever you do, do not hand it over, even if Cloud himself is asking for it. Cloud trusted you with this task because he knows his own mental limitations prevent him from opposing Sephiroth and Jenova with all his strength."
The girl frowned at this.
"I know!" She protested. "I t-told him I'd do it, so I'm doing it!"
Then she squinted suspiciously at Vincent.
"And besides, how do I know you're not Sephiroth?"
Vincent allowed himself a small smirk.
"That's more like – "
"Mother says you're interfering, Vincent Valentine…"
Vincent's eyes widened as the voice registered. He barely had enough time to move before he felt cold steel enter his body. Though the Masamune only pierced his side, he could still feel a disgusting cold emanating from the famous blade. He gritted his teeth as he positioned his weapon and fired at the man behind him. The blade was torn out as Sephiroth leapt out of the way.
"Hmph. Aren't you a sharp one?" He sneered. "I'll deal with you in due time. For now, I think it's about time for me to wake up, don't you think?"
Vincent collapsed to his knees, clutching at his bleeding wound. The others whirled, hearing him fall. They found nothing but Vincent on the floor, blood seeping from his side.
"Vincent!" Nanaki growled as the metallic scent hit his nostrils.
The gunman could feel the demons bound within him straining at their bonds, trying to help their host as much as they could. As his consciousness faded, he uttered one last warning.
"Yuffie… look out…"
The girl took one step forward before she was suddenly surrounded by a thick green fog. She drew her shuriken and crouched low, ready for anything.
"What the…" she muttered.
She couldn't move, not knowing where the edge of the path was due to her obscured vision. All around her, she could only see endless green. It undulated in a disturbing manner, making her feel violated as the fog coiled around her body.
Then there was a hand on her shoulder.
Yuffie spun, weapon raised, only to face Tifa.
"Teef? What…?"
The woman looked worried.
"I've been calling you for a good ten minutes! I think Sephiroth put some kind of stasis spell on you, you weren't even moving!"
Vincent's warning rang in her head as she took a step back.
"What's going on?" Yuffie asked warily. "Where are the others?"
Tifa huffed and put her hands on her hips like she normally did when she was frustrated.
"We managed to heal Vincent while you were stunned. He wasn't too badly hurt it seems. The others went ahead to help Cloud. I stayed behind when I realized you weren't moving."
"Oh…" the girl said, not quite understanding what was going on.
She paused. Something about that explanation didn't add up, but she couldn't pinpoint the faults in the story.
"Come on! Let's go!"
Tifa ran off without another word. Yuffie hesitated for a moment before running after the fighter. Behind her, Cid shouted her name in vain as Nanaki and Cait Sith worked on healing Vincent, who was currently unconscious from the effects of the Masamune. Yuffie continued along the path until they reached a large chamber in the heart of North Crater. In the distance, some kind of large creature lay frozen within the ice. As the young girl entered, she noticed that President Shinra and his lackeys were standing around, staring at her with curious looks on their faces. She came to an abrupt halt as she spotted another Tifa further back, a worried look on her face. Yuffie immediately leapt back and brandished her weapon.
"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded.
As she watched, the Tifa she had been chasing vanished. Through the disappearing illusion, a figure strode towards her. With his messy blonde hair, he really did have the appearance of a chocobo. Cloud, the leader of their rag-tag group, smiled as he approached.
"You did well, Yuffie. I'll take it from here. I think I've finally understood what's going on."
The girl did not relax. She held her weapon out in front of her, giving no openings. Cloud looked hurt and confused at the hostility she was showing. He held his arms out imploringly.
"Yuffie, I need the Black Materia back, it's the only way for this to end."
Yuffie narrowed her eyes as his words finally clicked.
"How is this ending, Cloud?" She asked. "By you killing Sephiroth or you helping him?"
Cloud smiled sadly.
"Give me the Black Materia, Yuffie," he repeated holding out his hand.
"Snap out of it, Cloud!" Yuffie snarled. "He's controlling you again!"
She watched as Cloud seemed to flicker for a moment. She recognized the other figure.
"Sephiroth!" She growled. "Leave him alone!"
Cloud's face had become emotionless at this point. He slowly drew his own weapon. The massive slab of steel glinted dully in the crystalline chamber.
"I see…" he said in a quiet voice. "He's managed to confuse you as well."
Yuffie froze, unsure of what to do, her eyes locked on Cloud's weapon. Then he advanced. She barely had enough time to raise her weapon as Cloud's sword came crashing down. She was sent to her knees by the force of the blow. The next moment, pain exploded in her stomach as Cloud's boot slammed into her, lifting her off the cold floor. Yuffie cried out in pain as she rolled away. Through sheer willpower, she staggered to her feet and threw her weapon at Cloud. The projectile soared towards the AVALANCHE leader, its blades whining through the air. Cloud swung the Buster Sword again and her weapon was cleaved in half, jagged fragments clattering uselessly to the side. Yuffie was so shocked by the destruction of her weapon that she didn't react when Cloud charged forward again. His fist struck her across the face, sending her into a nearby wall. The girl hit the ice with a grunt and slid to the floor. She didn't move again. As if it had a mind of its own, the Black Materia rolled out of her pocket. Cloud strode over, dropping his blade. As he picked up the small orb, it seemed to glint in malevolent joy.
"See," he said lightly. "That wasn't so hard. Thank you, Yuffie, for bringing this to me."
However, Yuffie only heard bits and pieces of this. She slipped in and out of consciousness as the pain of her injuries threatened to overtake her. Through blurring vision, she watched as the man she admired spoke to the others. Of what, she couldn't tell. Her hearing didn't seem to be working properly anymore. She saw Tifa and Barret attempt to stop Cloud, only to be blown back by some kind of force. Cloud then rose towards the top of the chamber, towards a shadowy figure of a man frozen in the ice. As she realized who it was, she had one final thought as she faded into blackness.
She had failed.
…
A/N: Less writing, more tweaking.
…
Omake 9:
"I've got it!"
Rufus let out a sigh as he turned to face the squat balding man that had interrupted his meeting.
"You've got… what, Mr. Palmer?" The Shinra president asked in a forced calm.
The man looked excitedly at the screen projecting Meteor and its point of impact.
"We send out two shuttles, both of them carrying all the explosives we can find! Then, we drill a deep hole, dump the explosives into the hole and blow up Meteor! It'll split in two and completely miss the Planet!"
The conference room was dead silent. Rufus pinched his nose, wondering why his father had hired so many incompetent people. Reeve had his face in his hands, wondering if stopping Meteor was even possible anymore. Scarlet rolled her eyes as she continued to work on her laptop.
"That's brilliant!" Heidegger shouted jumping up as well. "We'll be labeled as heroes!"
"Except we've never been to space," Rufus said blandly.
He received two equally dumbfounded looks in response. Rufus fought the urge to scream.