Breaking News: Catastrophic Monster Attack Devastates Midgar; Rufus Shinra Dead
MIDGAR – The city of Midgar is reeling in the aftermath of a devastating attack that has left entire sectors in ruin and Shinra Electric Power Company in disarray. The monster stampede, which struck without warning late Tuesday night, has claimed countless lives and displaced thousands of residents. Among the casualties, President Rufus Shinra is currently presumed dead after his whereabouts remain unknown following the destruction of his helicopter near the Shinra headquarters.
Shock Revelation: Cloud Strife Named Shinra Heir
In a stunning turn of events, it has been revealed that Shinra military specialist Cloud Strife is a member of the Shinra family and the presumptive heir to the company after the death of Rufus Shinra. Sources close to the matter have confirmed positive bloodline tests.
Following this revelation, Cloud Strife made a brief public appearance earlier today, announcing that he has granted full executive authority to Reeve Tuesti, director of Shinra's Urban Development Department. Strife: "Reeve Tuesti is the right person to lead Shinra's recovery efforts. He has the experience and passion needed to get us on the road to recovery."
Tuesti, a long-time advocate for the Midgar's well-being, is expected to spearhead rebuilding initiatives emphasizing humanitarian aid and infrastructure restoration. In his speech, Tuesti assured the public that the company would refocus Soldiers and Public Security toward recovery, rebuilding, and culling monster threats.
Meanwhile, speculation is mounting over the true nature of the attack and its potential connection to Shinra experiments under the previous administration. Reeve assured investigation into the cause, once life-saving operations are complete.
Residents are urged to remain in designated evacuation zones and follow updates from emergency services via the broadcast system.
XXXI. Unrelenting Pursuit
The sun dipped below the horizon just as the Tiny Bronco crossed over the rocky coast of the Northern Continent. Zack watched, fascinated, as the ground turned from green to frozen white before his eyes. He had never been this far north. It was the first time he had seen so much snow.
"We're over Modeoheim now," Sephiroth said from behind Zack, "It's an abandoned reactor town."
"Wow," Zack marveled, "I know reactor towns are remote, but this pushes the limits."
"It's where the mako is closest to the surface," Cloud said, looking over Zack's shoulder, "The crater is like a scab over a wound for the planet. Lifestream is constantly flowing out to try and repair that wound."
"Huh, what could be big enough to leave a crater like that?"
"The calamity from the skies. Jenova," Sephiroth said grimly.
"According to the most accepted hypothesis, Jenova traveled through the cosmos on an asteroid and slammed into the surface of the Planet two thousand years ago," Cloud said, "Then she infected the planet like a virus, wiping out the Ancients. The wound festered ever since."
"And Soldier…"
"Carries a piece of that virus inside each of us. Yes," Sephiroth said.
Zack shuddered and continued to look out the small window beside him.
"It's getting dark fast," Zack noted, "Storm on the horizon?"
Cid looked toward where he had been staring, just past the mountain ranges that broke through the haze. Something, like a dark cloud, hung there.
"Don't look like any storm I've seen. It's moving against the wind."
An ominous silence spread through the cabin as Cloud leaned over as well.
As they passed over the abandoned town, the aircraft creaked ominously. Outside, snowflakes landed against the glass and slowly built up along the edges.
"This is as far as we go," Cid said, flipping a few switches overhead. "The Bronco's no airship. She'll freeze if I push her much further. And if she freezes, we'll drop right out of the sky."
"We go on foot," Sephiroth said firmly. Zack sighed and pulled his outer coat tighter across his chest.
"Thanks, Cid," Cloud replied, "Keep her warm, yeah? We might need a fast getaway."
Cid gestured a casual salute, "You can count on me, little boss."
In the co-pilot seat, Vincent remained silent. The crater rim stretched toward the sky further and further as they descended.
"Well, it's not a clean bill of health by any means," Rayleigh said hesitantly as she scanned the latest machine readout.
With the materia lab destroyed, Rayleigh set up a small lab close to the infirmary instead. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the small desk someone set up for her was overflowing with paper and half-drunk coffee mugs. Rayleigh was still watching over Zalinka. Though he stabilized, his arms were not likely to recover. Meanwhile, he drove the medical staff up a wall the short times he was lucid.
"So…" Genesis let the question hang in the air. Rayleigh shrugged.
"No time like the present."
Genesis held a hand in front of him, his brows furrowed. His other grasped Angeal's.
Focus.
The mana inside him moved like molasses. It was like when he first began to learn magic. Sluggish and unresponsive. The thing about molasses, though - the more it flowed, the easier it came. Genesis felt his fingertips grow warmer.
Focus.
Genesis tightened his other hand. Angeal didn't hesitate to squeeze back. And then a spark appeared in Genesis's palm.
Cloud exhaled and watched his breath turn to mist in front of him. Snow crunched softly under his feet. The world was deathly silent around them.
This was the edge of the world. This was the gaping wound. And beyond it, the unknown.
The northern continent was previously lush, but the blow from Jenova festered since, unable to heal. The drain to the earth turned the lush forest the Ancients used to cultivate into a tundra that held an alien infestation at bay. The north crater at the continent's heart loomed large in the other Cloud's memories. Now that Cloud saw it with his own eyes, he began to understand the word. Cataclysm.
After leaving Tiny Bronco, they hiked up the old trail. Holzoff's cabin was where Cloud remembered, but a man called Yamskii greeted them instead and offered them shelter for the night. They took him up on it after a bit of deliberation. Any advantage of approaching under the cover of night was outweighed by the challenge of navigating the cliffs in total darkness to get there.
The following day, the weather was clear. They set off again just before the sun rose. Past the cabin, the gust picked up. The freezing air from higher on the crater blasted through Cloud's thick layers as if they weren't there.
Even with the Soldier enhancement, the trek into the cave was arduous. Fresh snow collapsed under their feet as they crossed Gaia's cliff, leaving them clumsily navigating the arduous terrain.
"Halt," Sephiroth raised a hand, speaking the command and making the Soldier gesture more for Vincent's benefit than anything else. Vincent, though, was the most silent of the group, at times almost becoming one the shadows of the bare trees.
Cloud was on high alert as the entire group grew more serious. Whatever Sephiroth sensed became apparent as they reached the bottom of the crater.
The people gathered there made no effort to hide their presence. The camp rivaled any field camp Shinra set up during the Wutai War. Hundreds of trampling feet packed the snow down around the worksite. A few helicopters were parked in a nearby clearing as men worked furiously to defrost them.
Sentry wandered around the camp, around the workers. Their uniforms were a mix of Deepground and Avalanche, though the two gave each other a wide berth. It was otherwise quiet.
They split up into twos to circle the camp, with Cait going by himself, able to slink around where the others couldn't fit.
"Still no Aerith," Cloud said to Sephiroth at the rendezvous point among a pile of stacked-up supplies.
Cloud examined the equipment around them. Generators hummed along, and the Shinra logo was stamped in bare metal on the sides of the generators. Thick cables ran from them further across the camp. Cloud traced them as they entered the cave that led under the crater. That waswhere Sephiroth ended up, frozen in mako. Cloud shook his head. Not now.
"The last time I was here, it was in pursuit of, well, you," Sephiroth said quietly as he stooped down next to Cloud. They waited for a few Deepground Soldiers to head back toward the helicopters.
"Same," Cloud said. He watched the Deepground Soldiers stop as they met a contingent of Avalanche guards. Two looked like normal men, while another appeared to be one of Fuhito's mutated experiments.
"This was where mako was the strongest, finally allowing them to cast it. Meteor," Sephiroth said. "It would be the last time I saw him. He died in the crater…and Meteor continued."
"They haven't done it yet. They won't," Cloud whispered back. Sephiroth nodded, his expression resolute. As they watched, the two groups of guards became agitated. A Deepground Soldier made a threatening gesture at an Avalanche trooper, who snapped back. Quickly, it devolved into a loud altercation.
Crack! Crack crack!
Gunfire halted the argument as a woman clad in deep crimson stepped between the two factions, uncaring of the precarious situation. She snapped at them. Her mako-lined bodice armor hinted at her position.
"This is our chance," Sephiroth said. The troops and their likely commander were distracted and off guard. He cocked his head. From behind another crate, two other dark heads popped up. Cloud nodded as they snuck past the guards and into the cave.
"...something stinks…" Cloud heard the woman say, but the voices grew distorted as the wind howled through the cave entrance, and they left the camp behind.
"She's trouble," Chaos growled in Vincent's mind. Unfortunately, Chaos was normally right, and Vincent learned the hard way to take heed.
The woman?
"Hmm. Broken mind, enhanced body. Fanatically loyal to Weiss."
Chaos told Vincent enough for him to fill in the gaps. If Rosso was here, Weiss probably was too. And with Weiss…
Not looking forward to the family reunion?
Chaos's snort echoed in Vincent's mind.
"Speak for yourself."
Vincent shook his head to himself but gripped the gun tighter. He didn't expect anything less than a fight. He only hoped the Firsts' skill was as good as their reputation, and Deepground's enhancements were less so without Genesis's cells.
Zack shivered as they made their way deeper into the crater. The crystalized mako and ice mix cast an eerie blue hue throughout the cave. Along the way, someone set up industrial mining lamps plugged into the cables running along the floor, powered by the generators outside. The hum echoed low and constant. And the lamps lit a path leading straight to Hojo, Fuhito, and Aerith. Hopefully.
He followed closely behind Cloud, who followed the strange Turk who had come along. The man, Vincent, had been almost silent for the entire trip. The guy who ripped a blast door to shred under Nibel mansion. Well, Cloud trusted him, and from the snippets Zack understood, grew up with him. Now, the man seemed to have a sixth sense as they navigated the poorly lit tunnels inside the crater. Zack didn't know what. As they descended deeper, the stinging scent of mako filled Zack's nose, making him want to sneeze. Sound bounced oddly. It's Junon all over-
Vincent held up his clawed hand, and Cloud stopped behind him. Zack almost tripped over himself to avoid running into Cloud.
Red eyes darted into the dark. Zack couldn't hear anything over his labored breath at first. But then, his ears picked up a sound. Sephiroth hissed.
"Is that…?"
They made their way around the bend cautiously. The narrow tunnel opened up to a large cave. There was a steep drop, and if they hadn't slowed down, they could have easily fallen into the writhing mako pool below. But it wasn't a mako pool like any Zack had seen. The color was a tinge of purple, and it roiled. Once in a while, a monster would pop up from under the surface. As Zack's eyes adjusted to the light, he began to understand what he was seeing—monsters in various stages of mutating packed onto the sides, jostling for position. The cables continued to run across the cavity, dangling precariously over the monster's resting spot.
"Those are…"
"Like the ones in Junon and Midgar," Sephiroth confirmed. Zack gulped. His hand raised to the sword grip over his shoulder. He was looking for a fight, but this would be rough. There were at least a thousand monsters in the cave. They were docile right now, but Zack personally saw their destructive power. It took less than half that number to overwhelm the entirety of Midgar. Vincent saw Zack move and shook his head.
"Stay quiet," he pointed to the entrance to a second cave across from them. Then, he walked to one side and began to walk across. For a moment, Zack thought the man was floating. All those vampire myths ran through Zack's thoughts. When Cloud followed suit, Zack shook his head.
Oh.
A narrow ledge jutted out, comprised of freshly broken shale. It was barely visible, and Zack was shocked Vincent could spot it so quickly. Zack looked at Sephiroth, who raised a brow. There was a slight smirk on his face as if he could tell exactly what Zack was thinking. With a silent groan, Zack followed Cloud across the mako pool.
On the other side, Vincent looked around wildly, his eyes glowing.
"What?" Cloud asked.
"She's here," he said. "Chaos senses it." Zack gasped. There was only one person- thing- he could mean.
"Here?" he hissed, waving at the monster-filled chamber around them. Vincent shook his head.
"I don't know. Chaos can't say." Sephiroth merely cocked his head toward where the tunnels continued.
"We must be on the trail. Keep going."
"How dare you use my research in this way? It's an abomination!"
It was a voice that rang in Cloud's nightmares. They drew closer to yet another open chamber, well-lit by lights and mako. Backlit by the floodlights, two scientists squabbled.
Circling them, a mix of Deepground and Avalanche men looked ill at ease and more than a little trigger-happy. At the front of the Deepground group was a white-haired man in an altered Soldier's uniform. The harness on his back layered with swords reminded Cloud of the other him, but the swords themselves made the man look more like a Sephiroth fanboy.
Meanwhile, both scientists had seen better days.
The last time Cloud had seen Fuhito, he was engulfed in smoke at the hideaway in Wutai. Though he survived, the burnt patch that rendered half his scalp bald and scared his forehead meant he did not escape unscathed.
Meanwhile, Hojo seemed uninjured until he opened his jaw at just the right angle, and strips of skin hung as though they had been melted. Materia damage. It was healing at a stunning rate, but the injury was too recent for Hojo to recover fully. The wounds the men bore mirrored each other, and Cloud couldn't help but feel that their grotesque appearance was a better reflection of their true selves.
Getting closer, they scattered and ducked behind more crates strewn about the cave. It looked as if the scientists were in the middle of setting up equipment when the argument broke out between Fuhito and Hojo.
"Hey," Cait whispered, "Look over there."
Behind a few thuggish men in Avalanche uniforms, Aerith sat bound on a rock. To Cloud's relief, she seemed unhurt, if a little rumpled. Whoever took her didn't want to hurt her. Over the sky-blue dress she still wore, someone gave her an ill-fitting winter coat.
"We need to figure out how to get her out of here," Cloud whispered back.
Cait looked around. "We'll need a distraction."
"Abomination?" Fuhito screeched, "I perfected it! Without me, would you have ever realized the full extent of Jenova's replication ability? I even brought the Ancient and their materia. What did you bring but some paltry lab rats?"
Cloud stilled at the words. Materia. There were only so many of mention. One was Holy, but that would be on Aerith. And no one would recognize its value until too late. The other…
As if on cue, Fuhito held out a familiar sight to Cloud.
The Black Materia. Its size and benign appearance in Fuhito's palm belied its destructive power in the wrong hands.
Cloud's eyes met Sephiroth's. His pupils were blown with shock.
So, was this what Avalanche planned? But how did they know? Why?
Hojo scoffed at Fuhito.
"A bauble. You don't even have a fraction of the power needed to use that."
"I can't," Fuhito said, "But she can. And with her help, we'll return all life to the planet and birth it anew."
Cloud bit his lip. He still didn't know what they were planning, but more pieces were falling into place like a puzzle. And they couldn't let that finished picture come true.
Movement brought Cloud's attention back to Sephiroth. The general made a few gestures with his hands silently. Cloud took a deep breath and observed the commands as a plan began to form silently.
New objective. Split. Us diversion. Your eyes are on the weapon. Him and the cat are on hostage rescue. Zack, watching closely from another crate, signed back an acknowledgment. Vincent, who ended up beside Sephiroth, exchanged words quieter than Cloud could pick up. Whatever they agreed to, Sephiroth decided with a nod.
Cloud looked down at Cait, who looked between them with his head tilted in confusion. Cloud whispered close to one stuffed ear, hiding one of several audio receivers. After a moment, Cait nodded. Cloud gestured back.
On three.
Cait bounded toward Zack on all fours before the first count finished. Together, they had the clearest path to where Aerith was held.
One.
Vincent was moving, too. Cloud watched him neatly disappear into the shadow. The crimson cloak broke up the edges of Vincent's silhouette until only a pair of faintly glowing eyes remained.
Two.
Cloud slinked around a crate and another humming generator, thankful that the Avalanche or Deepground forces (or maybe both) were sloppy enough or confident enough to block so much line of sight. He carefully checked the vantage points, ensuring he had eyes on Sephiroth still as he moved into position behind the Avalanche group.
Three.
When an enemy is about to make a mistake, it is best not to interrupt them. In this case, one side only needed a little encouragement.
On three, a gunshot rang out. It hit one of the Avalanche thugs squarely in the chest, and he went down with a beastial grunt. Avalanche immediately retaliated against those they thought responsible. The Deepground Soldiers in front of them. Zack watched the two sides clash with roars of anger. The white-haired Soldier was the only one not to engage, instead looking into the deep shadows with narrowed eyes.
"Damn it, you fools!" Hojo's enraged shriek rang out, but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of battle echoing in the cave. Enemy distracted, Zack turned to his mission. Aerith.
Cait took advantage of the confusion to run over to Aerith. He already had her feet unbound when Zack snuck over to them.
"Hey, beautiful," Zack greeted, the Buster Sword already out as he carefully sawed through the ropes around Aerith's wrists, "Want to go outside with me for some fresh air? You just took my breath away."
Aerith suppressed her laughter, but her shaking shoulders were all the positive reinforcement Zack needed. Cait made a silent sound, not unlike he was hacking up a fur ball, which seemed rather impossible for a stuffed toy.
Glancing around them, Zack's face turned serious.
"Time to go."
Zack helped Aerith stand. She wobbled a little but quickly regained her balance. She must have been bound for a while before they found her, and Zack rubbed at the reddened wrist in his grasp, trying to warm them and restore some circulation as he pulled her along. With Cait scouting the way, they quickly passed the distracted crowd.
"Going back the way we came is gonna be a doozy," Cait said, his paws wringing together. Zack had to hand it to Reeve. For a prototype, it was sometimes hard to tell Cait wasn't a living being.
Zack looked around. From the chamber, more darkened tunnels led out. He looked suspiciously at them. Materia caves like these were labyrinths. If they were lucky, there was another way out. If they weren't, they'd find themselves in another monster-infested chamber.
"Airflow's coming this way," Cait said, whiskers twitching. Zack nodded. It was as good an idea as any.
"Lead the way," Zack said, then made a heaving gesture. Aerith sighed but nodded. It was all the permission Zack needed to pick her up carefully. Her breath brushed against his ear, then a soft gasp as Zack took off at a sprint.
Cloud didn't immediately spring into action at the sound of the gunshot. Instead, he bid his time, observing his target.
Fuhito, like the other times before, watched from the sidelines as his creations clashed with Deepground. He stowed the ominous materia back into his heavy winter coat and bowed his head, glasses glinting and reflecting off the light as he backed away from the ensuing fight. Then he turned, his head swiveling to find someone who would not be there anymore. Aerith.
As Fuhito crouched to look at the cut rope where Aerith sat, Cloud saw his chance. With a wordless spell, he shot a blade of ice with unerring accuracy toward Fuhito. The magic found its target, spearing Fuhito through the stomach. The scientist let out a shuddering gasp. Cloud walked up to him, sword brandished.
Fuhito squirmed on the ice spear, each movement spewing more blood from his wound. Rivulets of red stained his white coat and ran down the crystalline ice surface.
At the sight of Cloud, Fuhito stilled and grinned nastily where he was pinned. Blood was seeping from his mouth, and when he bared his teeth, they were pink.
"The specimen," he said in a calmer tone than his situation warranted, "It was a pity you got away. We could have had a lot of fun."
Cloud frowned and ignored him, his fingers reaching for the coat pocket where he saw the materia disappear. Fuhito laughed again, and more blood seeped out.
"Uh uh uh. Taking what isn't yours. How very rude," his bloodied hand came up holding the black materia, "You already took something of mine."
Cloud sensed it before he saw it—an unsettling, greasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Fuhito began to glow. Cloud rapidly backed up as Fuhito's skin melted.
"What did you do?" Cloud asked as the scientist mutated before his eyes. When Fuhito opened his mouth again, what came out was not a sound human vocal cords could make. The hole where his stomach was knit closed as the materia disappeared behind a jumble of limbs.
"I ssshould ttthank you for freeing me of my human shell," his smirk split his face. "Letsss ssssseee your potential, ssssspecccimmmen."
Vincent dashed along the ledge, jutting out from the cave wall.
"Right."
He leaped just in time as a long blade struck where he was only moments ago. The man wielding it, resembling some cheap Sephiroth copy (Chaos chortled at that thought in his mind), raced after him. Since the shot that set off the fighting, the white-haired man (Weiss) homed in on him unerringly.
And Weiss was fast. Very fast.
Metal flashed in the dark.
Bang.
Cerberus responded in Vincent's hands as though they had never been apart.
The bullet glanced harmlessly off Weiss's blade. Weiss growled and launched himself again toward Vincent. But in an impressive twist midair, he blocked a blow from the Masamune instead, allowing Vincent to find purchase elsewhere, his pistol aimed at Weiss again.
Below him, Sephiroth engaged Weiss in a flurry of blows. Twin gunblades flashed against a single long sword. Sparks danced where sharp edges met.
Sephiroth had the upper hand, and though Weiss was giving as good as he got, he backed toward the cave wall. Then, a flash drew Vincent's attention. Their confrontation had not gone unnoticed. A few Deepground Soldiers not embroiled with Avalanche headed their way. Behind them, Hojo stood watching. Now, with his face illuminated from the front, Hojo appears further from humanity than Vincent ever saw him. If anything, his appearance now matched what had been inside all along.
Without a conscious thought, Cerberus's sights lined up on the man.
Hojo fired first. Vincent didn't see where the bullet landed, but the sound ricocheting off the rock wall told Vincent what he needed to know. The echo drowned out Vincent's own gun firing. One of Hojo's Deepground guards noticed a beat late. The masked man pushed Hojo out of the way. The bullet slammed into the Soldier's shoulder instead.
"He's up there!" One of them yelled. There was more yelling, but Vincent couldn't hear over the blanket of gunfire aimed at where he was perched moments ago.
Zack's run slowed to a stop as cold wind buffeted his face. The tunnel opened to a wide, expansive sky. The night was a clear navy color, fading to turquoise on the horizon with a faint lining of orange. Stars twinkled back at him.
Zack breathed hard, a little out of breath from running the entire way. Each inhale was like a cold blast to his lungs, but Zack welcomed it over the muggy smell of mako. His exhale condensed in front of him in misty vapor clouds, barely visible in the dark.
"I can get down," Aerith offered. Zack shook his head.
"You're as light as a feather," he assured. It wasn't false- the Buster Sword on Zack's back weighed more than Aerith in his arms. He hefted her up gently again and looked around.
In the time since they snuck past the outside camp to get in, the sun already set. Though the dim light made it hard to find his way down, it was enough for Zack to pick up an animal trail back toward the base of the crater rim.
As glad Zack was to be clear of the caves, the snow outside was as deep as his knees. He waded through it, and the entire endeavor was slower than Zack liked. He gritted his teeth.
I hope they are still doing okay back there.
"Keep a low profile," Cait warned as he bounded back to them across the field. The cat was light enough to run on top of the snow and thus ran out to scout ahead. This proved invaluable as they made their way in the dark.
Before Zack could ask what Cait meant, he heard commotion ahead. It was far enough to be just inside Zack's enhanced hearing range. Past the field was a thin copse of trees, scraggly branches stunted by the unrelenting code and the draining lifestream.
Past that, Zack could see floodlights stream through. They were back where they started, and the men seemed to realize something was wrong. The sound of a helicopter powering up was unmistakable. Zack bit off a curse.
"Over there. We need cover," Zack said. Aerith grabbed tightly to his shoulders as Zack picked up the pace through the field. He gasped as bittingly cold air filled his lungs, drying out his lips. His vision zeroed in on Cait running before them, leading them toward a rock outcropping. When they made it, Zack set Aerith down and caught his breath again.
"We need to move before they pick up the trail," Cait said nervously. "Unless a blizzard miraculously blows in, we left a pretty clear trail back there."
Zack bit his lip and looked from Cait to Aerith. It was the hardest decision he made since leaving Gongaga for Midgar. But each moment they hesitated, the sound of rotors grew louder. As if reading the indecision on his face, Aerith nodded. Zack sighed.
"Cait, you take care of Aerith. I'm going to draw them off. Once you're in a safe spot, have Reeve signal Cid to pick you up."
Cait nodded. The narrow eyes and smirking expression of his stuffed-toy body didn't change, but something about him made Zack believe he was serious. "Ya can trust me."
"Aerith-"
"I can handle myself, you know," Aerith smiled and gave Zack's arm a playful tap, "Don't think, just because of this one time, that I'm just a damsel in distress."
Zack grinned back.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said. "Hold on…"
He patted his pockets, and something crinkled. He pulled out the packets wrapped in foil that he had stuffed into them.
"It's not much, but you must be starving." He held the ration packs out. When Aerith took them, he also shrugged off his overcoat and wrapped them around her shoulders.
"Aren't you cold?"
Zack gave his best shit-eating grin. "Soldiers can deal with cold better than a flower girl from the slums." He gave them a thumbs up. "Get going!" Aerith puffed her cheeks (cute) but nodded.
"You be safe."
With those last parting words, he left them to dart toward the lit camp. The downdraft of the helicopter blew snow into his vision. Zack soon broke the treeline. This time, though, Zack wasn't trying for stealth. That was better left to the Turks anyway. And this mission, despite Vincent's late addition, wasn't one of those Turk gigs.
The Buster Sword was already out and swinging before the first Avalanche grunt shouted a warning. Overhead, the spotlight from a helicopter aimed at Zack's location.
Good, I was waiting for this. Zack thought viciously as his sword blocked an incoming hail of bullets. He darted across crates as the bullets ripped up the ground behind him.
Blizzara.
Zack was paying attention when Cid explained all his improvements to the Tiny Bronco. But he hadn't gotten around to the anti-freeze system on the craft. It was unlikely the stolen helicopters got anywhere near the upgrades, and extra ice aimed at the rotor box did just the trick.
The bullets stopped, and the helicopter overhead spun uncontrollably as its occupants dealt with their suddenly seizing transport. On the ground, Zack engaged with the Deepground Soldiers with a grin.
Too easy. Zack thought as the squad quickly went down. But there would be more in camp. And if Zack created a big enough ruckus, fewer enemies would be looking for Aerith or streaming into the crater. His pace picked up as he raced toward camp. He did not get more than a few steps when a lightly accented voice stopped him in his tracks.
"What's this?" Something about the tone made Zack's skin crawl. It was more frigid than the winter air, utterly uncaring about her fallen comrades. It was the woman they had seen when sneaking past the camp earlier. Despite the Soldier-like broach she wore at her throat, her attitude was the antithesis of everything Soldier stood for. Everything Angeal stood for.
Zack gripped the Buster Sword tighter. The woman let out an almost manic laugh as she swung a double-bladed sword. Then, in a flash of red, she was directly in front of Zack. Her sword met the Buster Sword with a harsh clang. Zack blocked on reflex as awareness caught up more slowly.
This was a threat. She was on par with a Soldier First.
Zack grasped the Buster Sword with two hands as he pushed against the blade, bearing down, but a flash in his peripheral vision forced him to abandon his position. He lept back just in time as her sword separated in two, and she stabbed toward him with the smaller blade.
"Showing your hand so soon," Zack egged, "Am I too much for you?" The grin he received was closer to a baring of teeth.
"You wish. Do you know why they call me Rosso the Crimson, dahling? Let me paint you red!"
Zack held his sword before him like a shield as a flurry of strikes rained. In the distance, he could hear more shouting, and he gritted his teeth in frustration. Looking for an opportunity, Zack pushed Rosso off. His swing was too slow, barely sliding past the edge of her cloak as she danced away.
His opponent was going to be faster than Zack.
"Trying to keep up just wastes energy," Angeal would say. "You need to keep your guard up and outlast them. Patience, puppy. I know it's hard for you."
Yeah, it is, Angeal. Especially when his friends were in the literal monsters' den. But Zack knew other ways to speed this up. These are things he learned in basic, not under Angeal's tutelage.
"Not sure a discount Soldier will show me anything," he mocked. "Can't even give you a proper sword?"
The woman bared her teeth as she put her swords back together. "You insolent-"
The air swished. Zack barely raised his sword to prevent his head from being taken off. Something red spun in the air as it flew away from Zack and back into Rosso's hands.
Her sword flies, too?!
It took another few seconds for him to feel the sting on his left cheek. A glance down. On the snow, a few red spots appeared on pristine white. As Rosso let out another deranged laugh, Zack let out a breath.
Hope this works, Angeal.
Cloud evaded the clawed tentacle that shot out from the monster Fuhito became.
He no longer resembled a human in any way. Even the experiments in Midgar preserved some of their humanoid shape if none of their humanity. Fuhito, on the other hand, looked more like the vestiges the other Cloud fought against while on Sephiroth's trail.
Cloud blocked an incoming swipe with his sword and responded with a powerful lightning spell. It glanced harmlessly off the monster, but the Avalanche soldiers around Fuhito were less fortunate. They screamed as the magic made contact. Tentacles shot out again, and Cloud rolled out of the way. This time, he cast earth. Almost eagerly, the magic lept to his command. A chunk of rock formed and hurled itself at the monster, hitting it squarely in the middle.
It let out a screech, enraged, and lashed out again, uncaring of the allied Soldiers around it.
Cloud bit out a curse.
Fuhito drew attention from the brawl, and more Deepground and Avalanche troops noticed. They were still confused about what was happening, but that wouldn't last.
And Cloud needed to get the black materia. He needed to act fast.
Cloud backed away as Fuhito forced its tentacles into the ground. He knew what was coming next. As the tentacles shot out from under Cloud's feet, Cloud unleashed the quake spell he had ready. The shaking knocked loose mako and rock stalactites overhead, and they came crashing down. Cloud held his sword overhead as he stumbled under a lower area of the cave, safe from the raining rock. When the shaking stopped, Fuhito was pinned.
Here's my chance. Cloud thought as he dashed forward, sword raised. He slashed down with all his might, severing one of its tentacle limbs and leaving a deep gash at its front. Glinting within its wound, Cloud could see the flicker of a crystal. Before he could do more, Fuhito shifted.
His monstrous form shuddered and twisted, pulling on its pinned tentacles. They pulled free with a harsh yank, shredding them on the jagged rocks. Finally free, he lashed out again even while his limbs were half healing. The thrashing left streaks of dark viscera across the cave. Something bubbled under the monster's tough skin.
Shit. Cloud crossed his sword before his front as half-formed tentacles shot out from its abdomen. His arms shook as he blocked the blow.
Then, shots rang out across the cave, echoing against the rock. Cloud didn't get a chance to look as he dodged the tentacles, slinging back spells whenever possible.
"Cloud!"
He rolled out of the way just as the white-haired man flew past, knocking into Fuhito. Both went down with a groan.
Cloud looked to see Sephiroth flying toward them, sword raised. Weiss rolled out of the way in time, but Fuhito wasn't as lucky. He shuddered as his limbs were severed, and finally, his regeneration slowed to a crawl.
Sephiroth's opponent was already back on his feet. His gaze flickered from Sephiroth to Cloud, and he licked his lips. Cloud tensed as the Deepground Soldier ran toward him. Behind him, Fuhito was slithering away.
Cloud deflected the incoming blow. His arms strained under the sheer force as the loud clang made his ears ring. His sword began to glow as he started to channel magic through it, but before Cloud could figure out his next step, Sephiroth was barreling toward the man again, a snarl on his face. Weiss smirked as though expecting it and disengaged from Cloud, leaping back and putting distance between them.
"Go," Sephiroth urged tersely, "He's getting away." Cloud nodded and dashed after Fuhito. It was the opening Weiss was looking for, and he followed Cloud again. Sephiroth intercepted him with an audible growl.
"I'm your opponent," he said. Weiss cackled.
Cloud didn't hear the reply over metal clanging against metal. He trusted Sephiroth to have his back. Instead, his sights were set on the trail of blood Fuhito left, lightly glowing purple in the dim cave.
Metal clanged against metal as the bitter sting of cold wind was salt on the wound that sliced across Zack's cheek. Rosso was more agile, and not for the first time, Zack wished he paid more attention to Angeal's constant reminders about his footwork.
But while Rosso was fast, she was thoughtlessly aggressive. As Zack defended, he began to read the pattern of her movements. And despite the threat she still posed, Zack was getting hit less and less. He was getting better, and she was wearing herself out. Zack took the opportunity to look around. There must be a way to restrict her movement somehow.
A short distance away, the forest gave way to a clearing, and beyond that, nothing.
The clearing backed up to the cliffs that surrounded the crater. Where Rosso was mobile, Zack didn't need to be. The closer they were to the cliffs, the more she had to pay attention to where she stepped. With a soft grunt, he fought back judiciously, parrying sword strikes and bullets as he slowly herded his opponent toward a more favorable matchup.
Vincent finished taking care of the Deepground Soldiers in time to see Sephiroth and Weiss engage again, sword to sword. Across the expansive mako chamber, Cloud was engaged in battle against one of-
"Jenova," Chaos writhed in Vincent's mind. Vincent pushed the other consciousness down again.
Not now.
Chaos told Vincent many things in those confusing months after waking up from his long slumber. A jumble of words, images, and emotions. But the strongest urge of all was Chaos's mission. In Nibelheim, in Wutai, under Midgar in Deepground. It took Vincent much longer to understand why.
Now that they were close, he was like a hound with a bone. Vincent could feel his skin stretch tight as if struggling to contain Chaos within.
Something flared bright, and the earth moved under Vincent's feet. He dodged easily out of the way of falling rock, and when he looked again, Jenova's spawn was pinned to the cave floor. The spell Cloud cast caught unwanted attention, too. Weiss, who distanced himself from Sephiroth's blade in the rock fall, turned toward Cloud. The few Avalanche fighters left, not killed or taken out by falling rocks, noticed the fighting, too.
Vincent squeezed his trigger, and the Avalanche men went down. But Weiss was too fast.
"Cloud!" Sephiroth shouted, following close behind. Cloud turned to the shout. Sephiroth already caught up. Weiss twisted awkwardly to block the swing to his side, but the combined weight of Sephiroth's attack and his running charge flung him past Cloud and into the Jenova spawn.
Instead of focusing back on Sephiroth, Weiss zeroed in on Cloud.
"Stop him."
Vincent ignored Chaos to take down a few more Deepground Soldiers. Sephiroth stopped Weiss's charge, and the two men clashed again.
"Stop him. He's getting away."
Vincent finally responded, " If we don't take out the rest, this will be even harder.
More Avalanche grunts dropped to the ground. Potential interlopers sufficiently thinned, Vincent leaped down from his rock ledge and joined the fighting at the mouth of the cave. Cloud disappeared out of sight, following what appeared to be a blood trail. Meanwhile, after Weiss's provocation, Sephiroth attacked more viciously than before. Yielding to Chaos with a sigh, Vincent holstered his gun. His claws sharpened. Vincent looked for an opening.
When Masamune pushed back against Weiss's blade again, locking the two in another deadlock, Vincent saw his chance. He zeroed in on Weiss, his vision blurring out all else as he flung himself forward, his clawed hand extended. Weiss grunted as Vincent made contact. Vincent could feel the initial resistance as he made contact with Weiss's skin, then as the points of his claws broke through delicate flesh to slice into the sinew and muscle of Weiss's left shoulder. Weiss danced back and dodged out of a coordinated swipe of the Masamune.
He grabbed his bleeding shoulder. His eyes were filled with rage as he stared back at them.
Then Vincent heard a familiar sound. It bounced off the cavern walls, echoing and twisting before finally filtering into the cave. It was so faint that Vincent almost missed it: the repetitive whirring of helicopter blades.
Weiss grinned triumphantly.
"He's finally here," he said.
"Who?" Sephiroth asked blankly. Weiss tilted his head. His dark eyes flickered, and he smiled something close to genuine.
"You'll know when all you see is darkness." Something pinged in Vincent's memory. Dark tendrils that enveloped Veld.
Anger overtook him, and it was the spark Chaos needed to come out. It grew impatient with another remnant Jenova so near its grasp.
Before Vincent consciously thought to move, he was already attacking Weiss. His other hand, still previously human in appearance, also sharpened into claws. He slashed down with more force than his human frame contained, and his claws were met with Weiss's blade. The force was so great Vincent could feel Weiss strain against his attack. His feet were dug into the cave floor, and he was pushed back enough to leave deep rents into the gravel ground. Weiss bared his teeth at Vincent as their eyes met. Chaos snarled back. Vincent couldn't see his own expression, but he felt his facial muscles pull back, likely too wide to be human and revealing too many teeth.
"Oh, you mean Nero. Unfortunately, he isn't coming," Chao's voice overlaid Vincent's, its feeling on Vincent's tongue heavy. It's tone deep and taunting, "I made sure of that."
Initially, Weiss's expression didn't register with what Chaos said. The shock showed up first in his widened eyes and frozen smirk. Then the smirk fell from his face, and his brows furrowed. Vincent's Turk training, honed to pick up microexpressions, logged it as disbelief. But that was short-lived, too.
"You- there's no way. He's strong-"
"Deepground is gone," Chaos continued to goad, "You are a dying species."
Disbelief finally turned to anger. Weiss's pale skin reddened, and Vincent could see the veins become visible on Weiss's neck.
"YOU-"
"He's never coming."
"YOU…" Weiss began to shake uncontrollably, "My brother…Brother…I'll kill you … I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
A/N Starting chaos is in Chaos's nature, for better or worse…
Separately, anticipate the next few chapter updates to take a little longer. They are written a while back and need more editing since they are longer. Probably 3-4 weeks between chapters and this story is close to done!
Thanks once again to all my readers. Your comments got me this far!