A/N: And I'm back from a month of Nanowrimo and additional work on that story. It's not done, but this project needs to be finished. Thanks to everyone who's given me support on this story, it's always nice to see interest in this old story.
Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance
Chapter 16 – Lean on Me
"Come on, come on!" Cait Sith waved over towards the other two as they made their way over to the outer wall of Midgar.
He made for a rather odd sight. Cait Sith's bulky toy mog was hidden under a large trench coat that did little to conceal his true form. The lumpy and misshapen form hopped animatedly outside the large steel doors of Midgar. The imposing steel doors were sealed, a consequence of the rioting that was still ongoing in much of the slums. However, being the brainchild of a Shinra engineer had its perks. It was that particular connection that would get him and his friends into the currently sealed off city. As Cait Sith waited for his teammates, the robotic cat noticed Tifa had a rather sour look on her face as she stomped her way over. Further back, Vincent trailed seeming more subdued than usual. While Cait Sith often gave off a cheerful disposition, he was actually very knowledgeably in the field of psychology and human behavior.
At least, that is what he believed.
"What's wrong Tifa?" He chirped merrily. "Vincent flirting with some unknown girl?"
The glare the fighter gave him caused his internal servomotors to seize briefly. The cat was left staring blankly out into the grasslands surrounding Midgar as Tifa brushed past him. He blinked as Vincent approached.
"Oooh… you're in trouble…" he sang, shrugging off his brush with death in an instant. "What did you do to piss off Tifa?"
Vincent ignored the robot as well.
"Hey! Wait for me!" The cat called out as he waved to the disappearing figures.
Cait Sith sighed dramatically before bouncing after the two. He led them over to a small side door emblazoned with a number five.
"Now, if you recall, Midgar's slums is still somewhat… a mess," the cat began.
The look on Tifa's face worsened and as Vincent closed his eyes wearily.
"How bad is it?" Tifa asked stonily.
The robot shrugged.
"Things have calmed down a bit," he replied. "More people have started realizing that even if they do run, Meteor hitting the Planet means Game Over for everyone. Unfortunately, Shinra never bothered to release the locks on the outer gates so the only way to get out is to pass into Upper Midgar before making your way to the edge and climbing down with a rope."
He gestured with a paw and, sure enough, scattered here and there were a few ropes.
"Not too many people make it up to the surface because of the ridiculous military presence in the Slums locking off easy access, but a few people have managed the journey through other means," the cat finished before shaking his head slightly. "The MPs don't care enough to remove the ropes so they just dangle there now. Not sure where the people go after escaping Midgar, to be honest."
Vincent continued to stare at one of the dangling ropes as if gauging its strength and the difficulty of the climb.
"So, are we to climb up to the top?" The gunslinger asked. "It seems like a very difficult feat, especially for you and me."
Cait Sith shook his head, his tiny crown wobbling slightly.
"Nope! We're gonna go through Lower Midgar!" He replied brightly.
The cat received two exasperated stares at this. Impatiently, Tifa pushed the conversation along.
"So, you have a key or something to get in?" She asked gesturing at the small service door they were standing next to.
The cat nodded as he leapt down from his mog and started searching the ground. The small robot bounded around in the dirt, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Despite this, he was still able to reply to the young woman's question.
"Certain Shinra employees that used to engage in… less-than-legal trades would use these service doors in the Slums to meet people outside of Midgar. Reeve managed to swipe the key from one of them and dropped it somewhere around here with a small landscape-surveying robot he uses as a part of his original job for Shinra."
Vincent frowned.
"Won't they notice the key is missing?" He asked.
Cait Sith waved a hand casually.
"Nah," the cat responded. "That particular person met a rather unfortunate fate at the hands of rioters a few days ago.
With a small cheer of triumph, the cat held aloft a small silver keycard. It had been partially buried in the dirt and weather had made it nearly impossible to find. If it were not for the robot's enhanced vision, they would have never found it. He clambered back on top of his mog and readjusted his odd disguise. Once he was satisfied, he handed the keycard over to Vincent.
"Lead on!" The cat chirped happily. "We've got a ways to go before can get access to Upper Midgar."
Vincent gave the robot a look before doing as he was told. Tifa approached his side as he opened the door. The two were immediately hit with an awful stench of death and decay. Suppressing a gag, Tifa backed up a few steps as a pile of garbage tumbled out from the opened doorway. Grimacing in distaste, Vincent shoved some of it out of the way with a boot. He glared at the cat slightly. Cait Sith merely bounced back and forth without a care.
"Gross!" He commented brightly much to the annoyance of the other two. "Well, looks like we can squeeze inside. After you!"
Both humans gave him an ugly glare as they began gingerly picking their way through the garbage and detritus that had accumulated in this forgotten corner of the Slums. Tifa watched as the cat closed the door and it relocked itself.
"Why not just leave it open?" She asked with a bit of an edge in her voice. "People could escape like this."
The cat shook his head sadly.
"That was already tried," Cait Sith replied. "Lower Midgar has gotten pretty bad in terms of crime and the last door to the outside that was found was immediately commandeered by criminals and anyone who wanted to leave would be charged a ridiculous fee. A day later, a small battle broke out around that opening, leaving many innocents dead and the doorway caved in. Trust me. It's safer for everyone if we leave these side doors closed."
"I see…" Tifa said with a disgusted look on her face. "And Shinra isn't doing anything about it?"
Cait Sith hopped ahead of the two, causing them to follow the bouncing toy in the bulky trench coat.
"Shinra has very little power over Lower Midgar now," he explained. "They're barely holding Upper Midgar and their military together. The best thing we can do now for everyone is to stop Sephiroth and Meteor."
As they moved forward, they could see many ruined buildings come into view. Even when compared to the rundown state that Lower Midgar usually existed in, it was clear that the area had been torn apart by conflict. Buildings were covered with graffiti either lamenting the end of the world or claiming various territories. Windows on the ground floor were smashed or boarded up while apartments stood dark and silent. Eerily, there was not a soul in sight.
"If we stop Meteor, there will be a need for law and order in Lower Midgar," Vincent said firmly as he looked around.
The cat did not turn around as he continued to pick his way through the rubble of the sector they had entered.
"If we make it through this, Midgar will indeed need to change," Cait Sith replied in a surprisingly solemn tone. "Reeve knows this and has been making plans, but the damage from the rioting and lack of police presence will make it very difficult. He's even toyed with the idea of having all the civilians abandon Midgar in order to build a new city nearby. It all depends on how severe the damage to the infrastructure around the city is, but the best Reeve can do now is simply to come up with as many contingencies as possible."
The trio continued in silence for a little over an hour, navigating the debris and occasional collapsed building. The air in the ruined Slums was stale and there was that same disturbing lack of human presence wherever they turned. Tifa still seemed angry to the cat, but there was a sense of melancholy in that glare as well. Vincent was his usual moody self as his eyes darted around scanning the area for threats. As if on cue, a high pitched scream shattered the uneasy silence. Shortly thereafter, they started to hear the muffled sound of human voices. All three fighters tensed as they tried to locate the direction they were coming from.
"This way!" Cait Sith called out as he led the way.
Though the cat knew that this would slow them down, he was also reluctant to turn a blind eye towards the rampant crime that had festered in Lower Midgar since the appearance of Meteor. Sure Vincent may be annoyed at the detour, but the cat knew he could not live with himself if he ignored it. The three members of AVALANCHE turned off the main road they had been traveling on and dashed down a side path. Ahead was a large church, an aberration amongst the ruined buildings. It stood tall and comparatively undamaged in a small patch of light spilling in from Upper Midgar. As they neared, Tifa put on a sudden burst of speed.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Cait Sith called out as the fighter left him and the gunslinger behind.
The church's doors were open, forced by the looks of things. Standing amongst pews was a small group of people in tattered clothing. Each held a makeshift weapon ranging from planks of wood with nails in them to broken pipes to the occasional rusted sword. Before them huddled a small group of children and their parents. At a glance, it was clear that the families being harassed were here to pray and care for the building, if the cleaning supplies were anything to go by. Tifa was first to arrive, skidding to a halt right behind the group.
"What the hell is going on here?" She growled in a low voice.
Several people nearby jumped as they turned to face the newcomer.
"An' who tha 'ell are you, girlie?" One of them immediately sneered. "Come ta play tha 'ero?"
The man did not notice the young woman's shoulders tensing. Cait Sith did however, but before he could do anything, Vincent held him back. His eyes remained focused on Tifa.
"Check out those tits, boss," another thug leered hungrily. "Maybe she's from the Honey Bee Inn!"
They definitely did not notice as Tifa's fists clenched tightly. The first person to speak eyed the young woman again.
"Hot damn! Don' see anythin' like those around 'ere anymore…" he grinned.
Ignoring the apparent leader of the group, Tifa took a menacing step forward.
"What are you doing here?" She asked coldly.
That tone made several members of the gang flinch, but clearly their leader was either too cocky or too stupid to notice.
"Lookin' for a new base, o' course," the leader replied. "Tell ya what, you play wit' me for a little while, an' I'll let you stay 'ere wit' us. Come on, show us a good t – "
The man never finished his sentence as a plated glove slammed hard into his nose, causing a resounding crack to ring out in the church. Many of the people behind the gang whimpered upon witnessing the violence. The rest of the gang, however, was too stunned to react. Their boss hit the floor with a dull thud, his eyes rolled back with blood pouring profusely from his mouth and nose.
"Get… out…" Tifa hissed.
Her wine-colored eyes almost burned with a dull glow as she glared at the dozen or so men before her. Unfortunately, her warning fell on deaf ears.
"GET HER!" One man screamed as he rushed forward.
The fighter ducked under a very predictable swing and came up with a fierce uppercut. The man gagged painfully as several teeth were knocked out, causing him to cough up blood as he hit the floor. The next thug tried to swing a bat at the woman's head only to be rewarded with a swift boot in the stomach. He fell to his knees, bile dripping past his lips. The last thing he saw was Tifa's vengeful glare before he was knocked into unconsciousness. A third man barely got out a battle cry before he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and thrown bodily into the first man.
"Oh my…" Cait Sith said cheerfully as he watched the display of excessive violence. "She must have a lot of pent up stress, huh?"
Vincent did not react to the robot's baiting. He watched as Tifa attacked the small crowd in a flurry of punches and kicks. Improvised weapons were swiftly broken by her powerful legs and more solid weapons were smoothly deflected by her plated gloves. And while she was technically outnumbered, none of these thugs were remotely trained in combat and thus had no experience fighting in a group. The young woman used that to her advantage and several more fell to friendly fire. About a minute later and there was only three people left. They stared fearfully at the rampaging fighter, her gloves coated with the blood of their comrades. One of them made one last desperate attack only to be slammed heavily into the floor and lay unmoving. Seeing this, the other two ran out of the church screaming. Tifa watched them go with a look of disdain on her face.
"Feeling better?" The cat asked as he bounced over to the fighter.
Taking several deep breaths, Tifa nodded sullenly. However, in that moment of distraction, the leader of that small gang had taken the opportunity to attack. He had regained consciousness sometime during the brief scuffle and lay waiting for an opening. With a cry of triumph, he leapt up, swinging a wicked dagger towards Tifa's neck. Her eyes widened as she fell into a defensive position, readying herself to take the blow and counterattack. That stab never came. A loud gunshot echoed through the church, causing some of the bystanders nearby to yelp in surprise. Wordlessly, the leader collapsed with a single hole through his forehead. Tifa glanced over at the gunslinger.
"Thanks," she begrudgingly said.
Vincent nodded as he shouldered the Death Penalty and began dragging the unconscious bodies out of the church in a rather practiced manner. Tifa wiped off her gloves on some of the unconscious individuals and gave a small sigh, looking around the church. When her gaze wandered past the individuals cowering near the flower garden that took up a majority of the church floor, they shrank in fear. Shaking her head, she looked away.
"At least this place is still standing," she said to the robot as she looked around the old church. "Aerith would've been crushed if this place was destroyed…"
At the mention of the kind healer's name, one of the individuals huddling near the small garden of flowers perked up.
"D-Did you say Aerith?" He asked nervously. "As in… Aerith Gainsborough?"
Tifa's gaze snapped sharply to the poor man who had decided to speak up. He flinched under the intensity of her look.
"Yes, did you know her?" She asked.
The man looked incredibly nervous having been put on the spot.
"W-Well," he stammered. "I mean, not directly. We all knew of her even if we never spoke with her. A church with flowers is not exactly a common sight in the Slums, you know?"
Tifa nodded idly as the man's words dragged up painful memories of the caring girl. Swallowing hard, she turned away.
"Take care of this place for her, would you? We… we'll stop Meteor soon," she said to the man while trying to convince herself of their mission at the same time.
He hesitated for a moment before calling out.
"You… You're from AVALANCHE," he realized. "Is… Is Aerith with you guys?"
Tifa stopped and Cait could see her biting her lip from his place near the entrance of the church. For a moment, it looked like she was not going to respond. But after a few seconds, she summoned the will to reply.
"Aerith… died a few weeks ago trying to protect the Planet…" she said without turning back to face the man.
The robot could see the unnamed man's face as his eyes widened in shock. Behind him, several other adults looked saddened by the news. A young child started to cry. Instinctually, the cat started to move forward to comfort them, but distracted as Tifa pushed past him. He looked briefly between the crying child and the rapidly departing Tifa. He saw Vincent chasing after the young woman and figured he had better catch up as well. Quickly taking off the hat of his disguise, he gave the group a cheerful wave.
"Don't worry though! We're gonna stop Meteor and then work on rebuilding Midgar," he announced to the small group of Slums survivors. "After Meteor, that should be a cakewalk, right?"
The man gave him an odd look, but that look of hopelessness seemed to lighten somewhat.
"It's… good to know someone's still fighting," he said softly. "Don't let that girl's death be in vain."
Cait Sith nodded before hopping up and down several times. Then he turned and left the church as well. The trio from AVALANCHE did not have much time to linger in Lower Midgar, but the cat hoped that what he had done would at the very least keep the few survivors feeling hopeful. After exiting the church, it took him a few seconds to reach the place where Tifa and Vincent were standing. The young woman had her arms crossed and was looking a bit sad. The gunslinger was nearby, speaking with her in a low voice. Seeing such a somber mood, Cait Sith did what he thought he did best.
"Well that was unpleasant!" He said lightly. "Let's go fix Vincent's arm already!"
The two gave him a familiar, half-hearted glare before following him deeper into the Slums. Even though Cait Sith felt worried about the future, his two teammates were clearly worrying over something in addition to Meteor, so it fell on him to keep spirits high.
At the very least, he could do that much for them.
…
AVALANCHE was in luck that Shinra appeared to still be reeling from the group's recent actions. Before dropping Cait Sith, Tifa, and Vincent off at Midgar, the cat had mentioned Shinra's ongoing efforts to transport the massive canon from Junon's military base over to Midgar. While there had not been any real confirmation, it was easy to guess that they were trying to destroy Sephiroth's barrier with it. It seemed that after the company's string of failures due to the actions of Cloud and his team, they had decided to put all their efforts into ending the Sephiroth threat. This now allowed AVALANCHE to move relatively unhindered throughout the skies. As it so happened, the ragtag group was doing a lot of traveling because the moment they explained their situation to Elder Bugenhagen, he had requested to be taken to the City of the Ancients. He reasoned they may have additional records of the Black Materia because they were likely the ones that sealed it in the first place. Unfortunately, about thirty minutes after taking off from Cosmo Canyon, they were accosted by the hulking, black form of Ultima WEAPON. It had been floating in the air but upon seeing the approaching ship, attacked immediately.
"Dammit! Why is it here now?!" Cid cursed as the ship swayed violently. "There's nothing in North Corel!"
Thankfully, the Highwind was nimble and the beast had given them enough time to move out of the way of a charging attack. Bugenhagen stared out of the window as he observed the angry creature.
"Interesting," he mused. "I believe it's searching for Sephiroth, if what I've read about them is true. That barrier you said he created must be hiding him somehow."
"Now's not the time for a history lesson!" The pilot growled as he snatched his spear from its place leaning against one of the ship's command consoles.
Cloud was already on his way out of the main deck.
"Everyone to the outer deck!" He called out behind him. "Magic and ranged attacks only! We gotta drive it off!"
Nanaki was next to follow as he regained his balance from the sudden evasive maneuvering.
"Stay here Grandfather," the feline warrior instructed.
The whiskered old man barely looked perturbed by the turn of events. The orb he was floating on seemed to negate the violent movement of the Highwind and he looked almost peaceful as he watched the chaos around him.
"Oh, don't you worry about me, Nanaki," he said calmly. "You be careful out there."
As the rest of AVALANCHE rushed off to join Cloud, the Elder let out a soft chuckle.
"Oh, hoh… to be young again," he lamented idly. "I almost miss that excitement…"
The other Highwind pilots were too busy to pay him any attention, leaving him to his view of the attacking WEAPON. Even through the reinforced glass windows, the sounds of combat outside could be heard. Gunfire and bursts of magic occurred at regular intervals and from the helm, they could see the occasional flare of fire or streak of lightning as it either missed or glanced off the fearsome beast. Each pilot was intently watching their monitors, which were connected to a series of cameras that allowed them to monitor the state of the ship during aerial combat, something that Shinra had to deal with when the Highwind was used to transport goods.
"Incoming! Starboard!" One pilot shouted out suddenly.
"Hang on!" The head pilot commanded to both the crew and the fighters outside through an intercom.
Moments later, he spun the steering wheel hard causing the ship to swerve once again. The ground listed dangerously to the left and many of the pilots were forced to hold onto their stations to stop themselves from sliding. Bugenhagen watched calmly as he got a precarious view of the ground below before the ship shook as the WEAPON made another charging pass. Unnoticed by no one, he barely swayed as the ship's floor itself slanted. Soon the ship righted itself and the sounds of combat resumed. The Elder closed his eyes and seemed to fall into a meditative state even with all the noise around him. He stayed that way until a loud roar pierced the air.
"Tell me something, guys!" The pilot shouted as beads of sweat poured down his forehead. "What's it doing?"
"It looks like it's fleeing, sir!" One of the copilots responded with a hint of relief in his voice.
The crew let out a brief cheer as Ultima WEAPON's cries faded in the distance. Moments later, a battered but victorious AVALANCHE trudged back to the main deck.
"Please tell me that thing didn't head off in the same direction we need to go," Cloud pleaded wearily.
To his relief, the beast seemed to have fled east, while the Highwind was headed north towards the City of the Ancients. The team was able to gain a short rest as the airship made its way towards its destination. No one dared sleep though for fear they might accidentally run into the black WEAPON which, as far as anyone could tell, was flying about at random. About an hour later, the pilot announced that they were approaching the City of the Ancients and the team regrouped on the bridge.
"Amazing…" Elder Bugenhagen muttered as he stared out the window at the ruins up ahead. "I can't believe it survived the years…"
Cloud stepped next to the Elder and stared down at the old city as well.
"It's been a while since we were here," he muttered. "Last time we were here… we didn't stick around long…"
He trailed off, lost in memories. A small tug on the back of his shirt brought him back to reality though. He turned to see Yuffie staring up at him, eyes filled with concern. He gave her a brief smile.
"I hope you find what you need here," he said to the old man.
The Elder gave a soft chuckle.
"I believe I will," he said cryptically. "These things always seem to work one way or another."
"Let's get down there then," Cid grumbled.
But before he could give out orders, one of the engineers on deck swore loudly.
"Oh come on!" The man shouted angrily. "Is this thing following us or something?!"
Everyone looked towards the side the man was working on, in the distance, there was a familiar black mass flying slowly towards them.
"It doesn't look like it's seen us yet," Cloud noted. "Let's get the Elder down to the ruins and we can try to divert its attention from the airship."
With that sense of urgency, the pilot lowered the ship as rapidly as he dared. A small rope ladder was let down from the outer deck, though Bugenhagen simply floated down off the ship.
"I'll go with Grandfather," Nanaki announced before descending the ladder with a long-practiced dexterity.
The others glanced around briefly.
"I'd prefer to stay here," Cloud said with a hint of shame in his voice.
The others did not question his decision to stay.
"I'm staying here as well then," Yuffie said.
"I'm staying with my ship," Cid added.
They turned to stare at Barrett who shrugged.
"Fine, guess I'll follow the cat and the old man," he grumbled before making his way down the ladder.
As soon as the gunner reached the ground outside the forest surrounding the City of the Ancients, the Highwind shot back out into the sky to intercept the incoming beast.
"Hold on, Captain!" The pilot called out over the intercom.
The remaining members of AVALANCHE stood on the deck once again, steeling themselves for yet another encounter with the ferocious WEAPON.
"We'll get its attention. Then draw it away from the City!" Cid responded as he readied his spear.
He growled in annoyance.
"I hate fighting this thing in the air… Magic only my ass…" he spat.
A distorted roar rent the air as the distant WEAPON picked up speed.
"Here it comes!" The pilot announced as those on the deck began preparing to cast magic.
The beast drew close and the Highwind began moving in the same direction, forcing it to give chase as the three on the outer deck pelted it with magic whenever it got too close. Surprisingly, this battle was easier than the last because their goal was to evade rather than get to a specific destination. They continued to allow the beast to give chase, occasionally diving to avoid angry blasts of energy from its mouth. But eventually, the high-level magic it was constantly being bombarded with had its desired effect and it let out a frustrated scream before breaking off and flying away again.
"Tough bastard," Yuffie gasped as she caught her breath.
Cloud sat down hard on the deck.
"Hopefully we can get some rest before we have to do that again, fighting that thing is wearing me out," he added.
Cid slumped over to the intercom and told the pilots to make their way back to the City where they would disembark and join the others.
"Let's hope this trip was worth it," the older man grumbled as he stomped back inside the ship.
…
"I'm sorry."
Wine-colored eyes glared back at him in irritation. It was only moments after Tifa had beaten down the gang inside of Aerith's church. The young woman had stormed off after the fight, but Vincent had caught the look in her eyes. She was feeling guilty about taking her anger out on less trained individuals, even if they were attacking her with the intent to injure or kill. He guessed her excessive use of force was in conflict with whatever martial arts code she had learned while she was growing up in Nibelheim. But her anger was understandable. After all, she was seeing how Meteor had turned the areas she had known for the past few years into an utter wasteland. He hoped diverting her attention away from what she had done would calm her down and prayed she would not turn that frustration onto him.
"For what?" Tifa asked with an eyebrow raised.
"I'm sorry for running off on my own," he apologized carefully. "It was reckless and endangered our entire mission."
She stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she let out a sigh.
"Vincent, we're not heroes in some children's story, things won't magically end up okay because we're destined to fight Sephiroth or something. We're only fighting him because there's no one else left to oppose him. Any one of us could die from the smallest accident and the rest of the team would still have to try and fight him," she said sadly.
He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.
"Thank you for trying to keep me safe, but if the Planet and all these people can move forward to a better future, I'd be willing to lay down my life. I bet the others feel the same to some degree," she finished.
Vincent bit down on his lips, a frown on his face. He felt a twinge of denial as she told him his original goal to keep everyone safe was foolish, but he pushed it down. Foolish or not, he could understand what she was getting at. Their team was the only thing standing between Sephiroth and the Planet. He knew that if they were to have a chance, everyone needed to help out. But in the end, the years of watching those visions time and time again were hard to shake off, especially when every repetition ended with the young woman before him dying, her eyes filled with fear. Before he could continue his conversation, however, Cait Sith returned to the two.
"Well that was unpleasant!" The cat chirped in his usual cheer. "Let's go fix Vincent's arm already!"
The two humans gave the toy an annoyed look as he interrupted their conversation. Tifa gave Vincent a look that said they would continue this conversation later before falling in line with the bouncing mog. Figuring that was as good of a response as he was going to get given their current tension, Vincent gave a slight sigh. Shoulders slightly slumped he followed the two deeper into the Midgar Undercity.
"So where exactly are we going?" Tifa asked testily after several minutes of walking. "We can't exactly show our faces around Shinra troops."
The cat merely bounced a bit as his mog plodded forward at a steady pace. They were now passing through a residential area. Many of the apartments here showed signs of fire damage but most had their windows boarded up in a similar fashion to all the other buildings they had passed. Broken appliances were piled at the doorway of some, forming makeshift barriers to protect the people inside from those who might try to break into the building. The few people wandering the streets were dressed in tattered rags and glanced nervously at the trio. The mog stopped moving and turned around, the bulky disguised form of Cait Sith looking up to address them.
"We're going to sneak into a Shinra train car!" He announced with a bit of a heroic pose for effect.
The young woman snatched up the cat by the ear. His hat tumbled to the ground as the robotic mog tried to retrieve its passenger.
"Did you not hear a single word I said?" She growled in annoyance.
Cait Sith cried out in mock pain.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Not so rough!" He wailed. "We can sneak in! We'll be up and out before anyone notices!"
Vincent stepped forward looking concerned.
"The trains are still running in all of this?" He asked skeptically.
The cat looked a bit uncertain for a moment.
"Weeeeellll…" he drew out. "They've prevented people from overrunning Upper Midgar so far through fortified camps around the various train stations. Shinra sends down occasional supplies via those tracks…"
"So you want us to sneak into a Shinra camp? Are you insane?" Tifa demanded with a shake.
Cait Sith cried out again, but no one was buying his act.
"We just need to cause a little diversion…" he tried again before faltering under the woman's icy stare.
After a lengthy silence, Tifa dropped the cat back onto the mog's head.
"Explain," she ordered testily.
The small android quavered momentarily under her gaze.
"W-well… it's a pretty small outpost with limited supplies. I figured if we set fire to their supply building, they might panic and give us an opening. They might even think it was caused by rioting if we do it right?" He proposed looking up with nervous eyes.
Vincent shook his head in irritation.
"You're assuming there's even a train for us to take. And if there was, they would notice the train moving away, if not immediately," he reasoned.
The cat thought for a moment and the mostly empty street they were standing on became eerily quiet. The only noise they could hear was from a man about a block away as he rummaged through a pile of refuse and debris. Suddenly his ears perked up.
"Let's go this way!" He directed before grabbing his hat and beginning to bounce off down an alleyway.
He was immediately grabbed by the scruff of his neck by Tifa who once again held him at eye level.
"Wanna explain first before running off?" She asked in annoyance.
The cat glanced around again before leaning in.
"I hacked into the Shinra network. It seems like they sent a shipment to the Sector Four outpost last night. They're still unloading, but they'll be leaving soon! We gotta get there fast!"
The fighter pushed the cat back down into the mog's head hard.
"Lead the way then," she said with an expectant look in her eyes.
Cait Sith adjusted his disguise briefly. With that, the mog began to bounce off at a rapid pace. Vincent and Tifa jogged slightly as they kept up with him through a series of alleyways and abandoned streets. After about thirty minutes of travel, they wound up at a dilapidated-looking train station. Cait Sith scanned the area momentarily before motioning for the others to follow. He moved at a much slower speed now, trying to remain stealthy despite the bouncing motion of his movement. Tifa and Vincent had a much easier time as they crouched low and remained out of sight. Up ahead sat a small encampment fortified on all sides by a series of steel walls. While they looked hastily constructed, the multiple watchtowers further back made it clear that Shinra was determined to not let anyone from the Slums escape up to Upper Midgar. And in the middle of the clearing on a track slowly curving into the distance on a track that made its way up to the upper plate, a simple, two-car train was parked.
"So now what?" Tifa hissed as the trio hid behind a small building on the outskirts of the train station.
From their position, they could see several MPs moving about the makeshift encampment. It seemed the soldiers that escorted the supplies down were changing shifts with the ones stationed in the Slums and together they were moving supplies into a storage unit.
"Well, I was thinking we set fire to that building there," Cait Sith whispered back while pointing at the storage unit.
Turning a critical eye to the building in the distance, Vincent shook his head.
"That's a metal storage unit," he observed. "It won't be easy to set that ablaze, even with our stronger Materia."
The cat nodded unexpectedly and looked up with mischievous eyes.
"But there are a looot of explosives inside," he sang.
The other two were quiet at this thought. They glanced at each other briefly before turning back to the android.
"Let's do this," Tifa said firmly.
Vincent nodded.
"We'll need to get back here quickly after we do," he continued. "Their attention will only remain in that area for so long."
Cait Sith jumped excitedly.
"Let's do this then!" He exclaimed.
To that, Vincent shook his head.
"No, you're too noticeable," he protested.
He shot a sidelong look at Tifa before continuing.
"Tifa and I will cause a commotion and meet you back here. Then we'll get on the train," he suggested.
The cat looked noticeably disappointed at not being able to participate in the upcoming chaos. Tifa glanced his way, looking somewhat satisfied by his proposal. With a nod, she began making her way towards the storage unit, using the buildings of Sector Four as cover.
"Get ready to run," Vincent instructed before joining Tifa as well.
Behind him, the cat pouted but turned his attention back towards the small contingent of Shinra troops anyway. Moments later, the gunslinger caught up to his compatriot. They continued through the gloom, slowing down as they got closer to the boundary of the small camp.
"How do we do this then?" Tifa whispered as they surveyed the troops several yards away.
Vincent was silent as he stared at the small building. Its walls were made of a thin aluminum, allowing for portability. It also had several thin glass windows located high on the walls. These likely opened outwards and served to ventilate the building if necessary. The man pointed these out.
"I think I can break one of those windows," he explained. "If you prepare a strong fire spell, aim it through the opening."
Tifa nodded as she began to concentrate. Energy coalesced around her fist, swelling as she channeled her strongest Fire Spell. Seeing this, Vincent hoisted Death Penalty and peered down the iron sights. He inhaled for a moment before exhaling and pulling the trigger at the same time. A loud gunshot rang through the tense air of the Midgar Slums, shocking the soldiers further away. But even as their eyes began darting around to look for an attacker, the space inside the warehouse exploded into white-hot flames. One unfortunate soul still organizing boxes inside had a brief moment to scream in agony before his voice was drowned out by a thunderous explosion that rocked the nearby buildings. The flimsy storage unit was all but vaporized and the nearby soldiers were either heavily injured or knocked off their feet. Tifa panted momentarily before nodding in satisfaction and looking to Vincent.
"Let's go," he muttered before leading them back the way they came.
They ducked back behind a nearby building and put a row of houses between themselves and the train station. By now, they could hear a klaxon being sounded, the jarring noise bouncing off the nearby buildings. The two members of AVALANCHE merely ducked themselves lower and kept running. Two minutes later and they caught sight of the white mog of Cait Sith. The small black cat was jumping up and down with urgency. Vincent and Tifa did not stop as they kept running.
"Come on!" Tifa hissed as she passed.
"Okay!" The cat sang out as he too began running into the train yard.
On the other side of the camp, they could see a pillar of smoke and flames begin to rise. MPs were running back and forth trying to figure out how to put out the blaze. The three managed to make it up to the train unnoticed. As they leapt into the second cart, they came face to face with a single, befuddled soldier who looked to be the conductor of this supply train. Before he could even shout in surprise, Tifa punched him hard in the throat, causing him to double over with a horrible gagging noise. Wordlessly, Vincent followed up by bringing the butt of his rifle down hard on the man's head. He collapsed limply to the floor. Cait Sith continued through the second cart into the main engine room and began messing around with the controls. As he did, Vincent kicked the unconscious body of the conductor off the car. The ground jerked briefly and the train began to move.
"And we're off!" Cait Sith announced happily as he returned into the second car.
Tifa nodded grimly staring back out at the rising flames in the distance.
"They're going to notice the train is missing," she said as the train station disappeared into the distance.
The cat nodded with a grin on his face.
"Yup! That's why we're going to jump off just before we get to the surface! There are a few service passages we can take. It'll be a bit of a walk and we might need to climb a ladder or two, but I'm sure we'll manage!"
Vincent glanced down at the rotund mog before turning his gaze to his arm.
"Somehow, I doubt that," he said dryly.
The robot merely waved off his concerns.
"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"
Too weary to care, the other two simply sat down in the few seats bolted to the second train car and tried to rest for a moment, knowing that they would soon need to jump from a moving train.
…
"Red, I hate your grandfather."
The whispered voice of Cid was uncomfortably loud in the confined space of the stolen submarine.
"Cid, shut up!" Yuffie hissed back, her eyes glued to the small window set in the hull of the submersible.
"Quiet! Both of you!" Cloud scolded before a low moan echoed through the air.
They did not need the sonar to know what was out there. Drifting less than half a mile away from where their ship was hiding was the hulking form of Emerald WEAPON. The beast moved through the water at an agonizing pace, but even at this distance those looking out the windows could tell the protrusions coming out of its shoulders were generating a massive amount of force to keep something that big both afloat and moving. This new predicament was a direct result of Elder Bugenhagen's request that they find a particular artifact for him to use in the City of the Ancients. This artifact had, according to the old man's reading, sank below the city at some point in the past and was carried away by underground currents. Fortunately, he was able to get them a general idea of where the Key of the Ancients supposedly lay. Now AVALANCHE sat in a tiny alcove, praying that the gargantuan WEAPON wandering around outside would not notice their tiny, dull red ship. The murky green behemoth let out another low rumble as it began to turn back out into the deeper parts of the ocean.
"Get out of here, ya big bastard," Barret muttered under his breath.
"Get ready to ascend," Cloud commanded. "It looks like if we can get to the surface, we'll be safe."
"Got it, Spike," Cid replied tersely.
About ten minutes later, it had moved far enough away that they could leave their hiding spot. The little submarine sped up towards the surface, and up towards safety. Momentarily, they broke the surface of the water and light streamed into the cramped cabin.
"We made it!" Yuffie wailed as she slumped wearily against the wall.
"Let's get back to Grandfather," Nanaki added, looking just as upset at their encounter as the others but seemingly unwilling to complain about the Elder's request.
Cid contacted the Highwind to pick them up near where they emerged from the watery depths of the ocean, shortening their travel time by a bit. Upon delivering the Key to Bugenhagen, the group was treated to a shimmering display of the day Aerith was killed. Looking around, every member was shocked and disturbed by what they were seeing. And as they watched the strange device replay that fateful scene, Cloud bit his lip but did not look away. Next to him, Yuffie slipped a hand into his and simply held it as she too was mesmerized by the memory. Eventually, the scene faded as their fight against the piece of JENOVA began. Elder Bugenhagen let out a weary sigh.
"So… that's how it is…" he said more to himself than anyone else.
When he did not elaborate, Cloud stepped forward.
"What do you mean, Elder?" He asked in a slightly strained voice.
He shook his head before turning to the gathered group. There was a small, sad smile on his lips. At that moment, he looked every bit the old man he was.
"Your friend was immensely brave," he started. "She gave her life to complete the prayer that would summon Holy to protect the Planet."
Several members looked confused at this explanation.
"Then… why's there that giant-ass Meteor in the sky still," Cid asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.
The Elder sighed again as he floated down from the viewing platform to join the rest of the group.
"Sephiroth is actively preventing Holy from assisting," he said simply.
Barret cursed and walked away a few paces.
"It all comes back to that bastard doesn't it?" Cid snarled angrily.
Cloud did not speak, but his grip on Yuffie's hand tightened ever so slightly.
"We have time," he said calmly. "According to the last report before Cait Sith left for Midgar, Shinra is looking to implement the cannon from Junon as a weapon against Sephiroth's shield. It'll be a while before they get things set up, so now's the best time to train up a bit and try to find anything that will help us in the fight against Sephiroth."
Many of the other's simply nodded in agreement, but Cid was skeptical.
"So we're just gonna assume Shinra will get through that shield?" He asked.
Cloud shook his head.
"All we can do is act in the assumption that they will. Anything else will result in the death of everything on the Planet."
That grim statement left an uneasy silence in the small viewing chamber, so Cloud continued.
"But if anyone knows how to destroy something, it's Shinra," he said firmly. "So I'm willing to take that bet."
Cid ran a hand through his scruffy hair and let out a hard sigh.
"Fine… let's get back to hunting that flying WEAPON then. That's the only straightforward goal we have at the moment anyway," he grumbled.
…
"Get into position!"
A helmeted commander barked orders at the multitudes of soldiers scrambling around before him. Not twenty minutes ago, the operators in Upper Midgar had gotten word that a train station had been attacked and one of their supply trains stolen. The MPs had mobilized quickly, gearing up and surrounding the end of the line in record time. For while there was little for the military to do at this point due to an impenetrable barrier around the former General Sephiroth's lair, they did have one very crucial mission.
Prevent the violence from the Slums from spreading to Upper Midgar.
"Get those canons into position!" The same commander called out. "Turrets get ready! We don't know how many are coming but – "
His orders were interrupted by the panicked scream of a greenhorn.
"Sir! Something's through the tunnel!" The man screamed.
The commander was about to tear into the underling for the obviousness of his statement when he caught the sound as well. A dull rumble was coming out of the tunnel that led down to Sector Four. It was much too soon for the train to arrive and in that tense moment the commander realized, with growing dread, what was making the noise.
"CLEAR THE AREA!" He suddenly screamed. "GET TO COV – "
But before he could even finish that command, the tiny two car supply train they were waiting for came barreling out of the tunnels going much faster than any service vehicle had ever gone before. It was a miracle in itself that the train had not derailed yet, but the straight track leading into the service station kept it going. By the time anyone else registered the incoming battering ram, it was too late. The train slammed past the end of the line, shattering as it hit the reinforced posts. The majority of the momentum was diverted at an angle, sending the wreckage rocketing off to the right. It tumbled through several squads of MPs before melding with two tanks that had only just started positioning themselves. The mess of metal slid further by a couple hundred feet, bursting into flames as it did. Fuel caught fire, and the ammunition inside the tanks quickly ignited, causing a thunderous explosion to shake the train yard.
And as the scene descended into a cacophony of screams and klaxons, no one would notice that the only bodies that would be pulled out of that mess were Shinra soldiers.
…
After copious amounts of curative magic, the soreness had finally left Vincent and Tifa's bodies. Though the stiffness remained, they were at least able to walk and climb, albeit slowly. The trio was now navigating a series of maintenance walkways that led up to the surface streets of Upper Midgar. However, the walk was done in utter silence, both humans glaring a hole in the back of the cat's head as he led them towards their destination.
"Please stop staring at me like that," the cat held its face in both hands as he wiggled about. "I'm embarrassed."
This seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Tifa stomped forward and grabbed the toy by the neck.
"What the hell was that?" She growled. "Why did you send the train forward at top speed? We could've died if we jumped any later!"
Seeing the enraged woman, the cat's natural cheerfulness faded a bit.
"I… uh… I just…" he faltered under her stare. "They would've ambushed us at the rate we were going so… I just… I figured we'd get off and send them a surprise…"
Vincent stepped up to the young woman and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. She tensed briefly before relaxing.
"While your idea may have kept them off our backs for the time being, that was incredibly reckless," he added. "We need to exercise caution now more than ever."
The look Tifa gave him on the sly was that of incredulousness, but he shook his head briefly and pressed on anyway.
"We cannot afford to make rash decisions alone anymore. We… we're a team and we need to rely on each other if we're going to get through this ordeal in one piece."
He moved his hand to Tifa's to get her to stop choking the small robot.
"No one can do it alone. That's something I myself needed to be reminded of lately as well," he finished.
They stepped back and watched the conflicted little robot as he processed the gunslinger's words.
"I was just trying to help…" the cat uttered morosely with its head lowered.
The two humans glanced at each other and let out a sigh.
"Next time, let us know before you decide to do something insane," Vincent said.
Tifa still looked upset but shook her head. They all had the blood of Shinra soldiers on their hands so she was finding it hard to stay mad at the robot. The ensuing silence was uncomfortable and was only made worse by the emptiness of the train service tunnel they were in. The guilt emanating from the small robot was almost palpable. And while Vincent felt Tifa may have been a bit harsh, he did agree the cat's actions during their infiltration mission had been a bit too much in the last few hours. Finally, it was Vincent of all people that broke the silence.
"So… where to?" He asked.
Cait Sith did not look up as he replied.
"Reeve set us up with a safe house for the time being. We'll stay there and sneak into the Shinra Building at night when human presence is a bit more lax."
While the plan had been laid out, the three of them remained unmoving. Finally, Cait Sith spoke again.
"Tifa… I'm sorry," the cat said sadly.
The woman let out an exasperated huff but eventually could not maintain her anger.
"Let's… let's just go to that safe house for tonight, okay?" She relented. "I'm exhausted from all this…"
The cat nodded and began hopping away through the service tunnels. Eventually, they emerged into the comparatively cleaner streets of Upper Midgar. And while the area did not look as devastated as the Slums, there was still that eerie lack of human presence. It seemed like anyone who had not escaped Upper Midgar by this point were simply in hiding or spending their remaining time with loved ones. The robot led them past a few empty streets, the trio gradually drawing closer to Shinra's headquarters. Eventually, Cait Sith turned off the main road and went down a smaller street, ending up in front of an older-looking apartment complex.
The cat produced a small key from somewhere and opened the front doors. There was no doorman or any signs that there were still people residing in this building. They crossed a small entryway and made their way to a flight of stairs. After ascending to the fifth floor, they began to walk down a long hallway. Once or twice, Vincent thought he heard a door creak open behind them, but when he looked, there was no sign of movement. Luckily, no one still living in the building seemed remotely interested in their business, merely being curious at the newcomers. They found themselves inside a modest two room apartment. The inside had a minimalistic design, with plain black leather couches set before a moderately-sized television screen. The walls were bare and white, and a single small table sat next to a small, but functional kitchen. As they passed the doorway, Vincent noticed the locks that Cait Sith had undone when they entered were much heavier than one would expect of an apartment building, leading him to believe this room had been used by Reeve, or at least Shinra, in the past. The cat closed the door with a muffled sound and relocked the door, the heavy bolts clicking into place with a dull thud. He then shed his heavy trench coat disguise with a heavy sigh.
"Well… here we are," he said nervously.
"How safe is this place?" Vincent asked eyeing the currently curtained windows.
Seeing his look, the cat bounced further inside.
"The windows are bulletproof and the doorframe has been reinforced with steel," the robot explained. "Shinra initially purchased this building, outfitted several rooms as safe houses, and then sold it to a different management while retaining ownership of those rooms. Reeve says no one has used these in several weeks now because of the events with Sephiroth and Meteor. We should be fairly safe here throughout the night."
Tifa let her travel pack slide off her shoulders and into her hand as she moved towards a hallway attached to the living room and kitchen area.
"I'm going to crash for the night," she said plainly. "Is there running water?"
"There should be," Cait answered in an attempt to be helpful.
The young woman let out a small grunt of understanding before trudging off into one of the bedrooms. Moments later, they could hear the sound of the taps being turned on. Cait Sith glanced at Vincent.
"She's mad at me now…" he said a bit sadly.
Vincent sighed a bit before moving to sit down on the couch.
"She just needs a bit of space at the moment," he answered. "Don't worry too much about it."
The cat only pouted.
"Says the man who's still on her bad side," the cat grumbled.
The man only huffed in annoyance before closing his eyes and leaning back in the seat. In that moment, he felt himself relax a bit. The soft sound of the shower combined with the low hum of an air conditioner lulled the gunslinger slowly into a peaceful sleep.
…
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I ended up working on original fiction more. Hopefully the next chapter will come in a timelier fashion.
…
Omake 16:
Cait Sith quavered under Tifa's intense gaze once again.
"Uh… hey there, Missy…" the cat said slowly.
Her nose was scrunched in disgust and her eyes were narrowed.
"You smell," she said blandly.
The cat blinked.
"Er… sorry?" He tried.
In the blink of an eye, she had grabbed the cat by the head and the large mog by the arm.
"I'm giving you a soak," she said firmly.
Cait Sith's eyes widened in panic.
"H-Help!" He cried as he reached his hands out towards Vincent.
He stared back with very little pity in his eyes.
"She's right, you know…" he acquiesced. "You've been traveling all this time and your fur is starting to stink."
The cat gaped in shock.
"TRAITOR!" He accused as Tifa dragged him into the bathroom.
As she turned on the tap and began to fill the tub with water, the cat struggled to escape.
"No!" He protested with a squirm. "I… I'll short out!"
This only got him a deadpan look from Tifa.
"We've seen you fall into water plenty of times. You'll be fine," she said blankly.
His eyes darted about in panic. His mog seemed to have given up and was simply standing there.
"But… but…" he sputtered.
Suddenly, Tifa smiled brightly. This only made the cat fear for his life.
"Think of this as punishment for your recklessness," she said brightly.
The small robot's wails never made it past the reinforced walls of the safe house.