Monster Attacks Spread After Midgar Catastrophe

Following the devastating attack on Midgar, monster incursions have rapidly spread across the continent, plunging settlements into chaos. Kalm, a once-peaceful town known for its centuries-old charm, has come under siege.

Meanwhile, Fort Condor has taken extreme precautions, sealing itself from the outside world. The fortress, known for its defensive capabilities and most famous occupant, has barred entry to all. Reports show the condors have been aiding in its defenses.

In response to the crisis, Junon has deployed its garrison to combat the growing threat, reinforcing those from Midgar. Troops have been dispatched westward to reinforce less-defended settlements, including Costa del Sol, a popular coastal tourist town now vulnerable to attack. With the military stretched thin and the attacks increasing in frequency, concerns mount over whether Shinra, under new leadership, can effectively stem the tide.

Eyewitness accounts from affected regions describe monstrous beings of various sizes and capabilities, some resembling mutated versions of previously known creatures, while others appear to be entirely new horrors. Experts speculate that the initial attack on Midgar may have triggered a chain reaction.

XXXII. Under the Skin

"YOU…" Weiss began to shake uncontrollably, "My brother…I'll kill you … I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

As he said this, more veins protruded from his skin, radiating from his eyes. Chaos backed up as Weiss's Soldier uniform bulged. Then, Weiss radiated light like a materia being activated.

Get back!

Chaos chaffed, but he listened.

Deepground soldiers, alive and dead, were drawn into the center, a macabre facsimile of a sun drawing in planets—those still alive moaned in pain. The light grew larger, blinding Chaos before he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, Weiss's form was transformed. His mechanical skin towered over them. The vast cavern was emptied of all signs of Deepground except for their weapons, still lying uselessly on the cavern floor. Weiss stood at the center of the mechanical weapon, looking equal parts like its heart and its prisoner. His eyes glowed white.

Then, Omega, for that was what Weiss summoned, shuddered.

Chaos gazed at the being he once called a brother. It was now but a hollow shell grafted onto a hollow human. Its mechanical arms detached, and countless magical missiles fired aimlessly from its back, setting off explosions throughout the cave. The entire space shuddered and groaned, finally at risk of collapse.

"He's trying to bring the crater down on us all," Sephiroth said, "Come on!"

Chaos followed him back into the tunnel, putting distance between them and the not-Weapon Weiss became.

It was a corruption of everything a Weapon was. Merged with one of Hojo's worthless creations manufactured from Jenova's cells. An abomination. In the process, they corrupted Chaos's counterpart into something else. Something unrecognizable.

Sephiroth paused as they reached the other side of the tunnels. The mako pool appeared before them, along with Cloud, mid-cast, and the sight of yet another abomination. Chaos pulled out his weapon, but Weiss-Omega crashed through the cave wall before he could aim.

Cloud quickly realized where Fuhito was headed. It was the cavern they passed, swarming with monsters and filled with mako.

The tunnel opened again, and Cloud saw Fuhito's otherworldly shape near the edge of the mako pool. Below, the mutated monsters became agitated in his presence. The mako itself looked like it was boiling over.

In a last-ditch attempt to stop whatever Fuhito was planning, Cloud began to cast Freeze. The temperature in the already cold cave dropped precipitously. However, before the spell could complete, something burst through the cave wall, spewing rock into the pool. Splashing mako obscured Cloud's vision. In that instant, Fuhito vanished over the edge.

Cloud raised his head to see what burst through, then gasped. The white-haired man who had been fighting Sephiroth before became a cross between man and machine. In one clawed arm, Cloud spotted the familiar figure of Sephiroth. He still had the Masamune, but from his angle, the sword bounced uselessly off the armor plating.

"Get to the east wall!" Kunsel called. The Thirds he waved at changed their trajectory, leaping an overturned barricade as they ran up cobbled streets. Kunsel bit his lip as he looked around.

The Soldiers arrived in Kalm not a moment too soon. The town benefited from the old defensive walls, but even stone crumbled. Most of the lower town was evacuated, leaving only a rag-tag group of defenders consisting of able-bodied townsfolk and the Watch. They had done a valiant job.

Taking stock of the square, Kunsel sprinted to a man leaning against a splintered sign, coughing. The cure materia on his bangle was already glowing.

"Hey, man. Hold still." Kunsel watched color return to a mildly familiar face. The grocer's son. He grew up when Kunsel was away in Midgar.

"Thanks," the young man said, "Took ya'll long enough, though." The blank look on his face told Kunsel he wasn't recognized through his helmet.

"Ha," Kunsel changed the topic. "You organized here? Where's the command?" The man pointed at a steepled building further up the hill. Good vantage point of the walls. Sensical. "Broden's in charge here. You can find him at the arms shop."

The name sounded vaguely familiar. Kunsel simply nodded and followed the road.

The weapons shop looked the same as it did in Kunsel's youth, other than the crates and tents set up out front and the people coming in and out. A few curious townfolks glanced at Kunsel but stayed out of his way as he opened the doors. The weapon shop owner looked at the uniform, grunted, and gestured up. Voices traveled from the stairs. It was as good permission as any to join.

As Kunsel climbed, he could hear the voices peter off. They heard him coming. He opened his mouth to introduce himself at the top of the stairs, only to meet familiar faces he didn't expect. One man, sickly looking, with sleeves rolled up, was seated in the armchair. One arm was on a small round table covered in rolled-out maps of the town and a pile of radios. The others…

An older man stood tall, his broad shoulders straight, hinting at his previous military experience. Next to him was a more slender man of Wutaian descent. His narrowed eyes met his. Loose hair framed his face, making it look narrower and hiding an unfamiliar gauntness.

"Dad and…Tseng?"

Cait Sith was not a living being, so he didn't need to gasp for breath or catch it. Sometimes, though, Reeve wished he had built that function. A note for v2.0, if he ever had so much time again.

Ahead, Aerith stumbled in the snow. She righted herself with a heavy branch she picked up somewhere along the way and kept running ahead.

They needed to keep going. Despite their best efforts, they picked up a tail.

Cait's cameras tilted, looking behind them. A pair of bestial-looking men in Avalanche uniforms followed, barely hindered by knee-deep snow.

Reeve made another note in the back of his mind. More defensive capabilities in v2.0. Yes. Definitely a priority.

Cait's mic picked up an audible gasp. Aerith slowed before him as a strong gust ruffled her long hair and blew Cait Sith almost clear off his legs.

"What's the matter, lass?" Cait asked. But the answer was apparent when he caught up. Reeve cursed, and the modulated words that came out of Cait were decidedly more colorful. Though the trail leading down the cliffs could be seen, it was iced over. The sides were steep along the switchback that meandered up the mountain. One wrong step would send them over the edge and into the ravine. And Aerith was dressed as she was - a Midgarian flower girl. She was already making a valiant effort in the snow in thin boots more suited for the slums than the crater.

They turned, Aerith holding her walking stick in front of them as their pursuers approached. The two thugs slowed as their forms became clearer in the swirling snow.

"I can cover for you," Aerith said as she raised her stick like a staff. Cait shook his head.

"Nuh-uh, lass," he said, "Yer the reason we came. Can't just leave ya to fend fer yerself." He looked around. There wasn't much Reeve equipped for what amounted to a stuffed animal, but one thing he did was install top-of-the-line recon and audio systems. It was more for locating Cait even in the most hostile environments, but… "Better cover yer ears now."

The next thing out of Cait's speakers was a high-frequency scream. Reeve muted his side as he let it reverberate. The Avalanche pursuers stumbled in the snow.

"Now's our chance," Cait said. Aerith nodded and stabbed her stick into the snow as they slid down the first stretch of the switchback.

"Sir," someone said. Cait ignored it as his paws slid on black ice.

"Watch yer feet on this patch," he warned.

"Sir," the voice called more urgently. They paused on the landing that formed as the switchback made a hairpin turn-

"Sir!" a hand on Reeve's shoulder startled him from the screen. He looked up to see Brook looking back down, urgency written like bold ink in her eyes.

"Yes," Reeve prompted impatiently. Cait, on autopilot, was still transmitting from Gaia's cliff. The temporary confusion rendered by the high-frequency blast was precisely that- temporary. And now, who knew the effect it had?

"We need the coordinates," Brook said—the reason why dawned on Reeve.

"Oh," he said and turned away from Cait's screen.

A metal clang rang in the snowy landscape. It wasn't the first of such a beat, but the tempo slowed. Zack pulled the Buster Sword away from where it guarded his face. He was winded but not out.

Wounds on his leg and side ached, reminding him that his defenses were still far from perfect. But his limbs were functional, and his head was still attached to his shoulders. He counted that a victory. He shifted his grip, pumping blood into frost-nipped fingertips. Before him, his opponent.

A sword stabbed into ice-covered ground, and crimson and blue mako marred pure white snow. Rosso gripped to the other end as she propped herself up with her long sword. She held the shorter blade like a gun, aimed squarely at Zack as she backed further into the cliffside.

Zack didn't drop his guard as he advanced.

She breathed hard, each breath an almost insurmountable effort. Her flaming hair covered her face. Her chest heaved, and each compression brought forth a fresh stream of blood and mako.

Patience won out.

Zack allowed himself a moment to wipe blood from his cheek. Some of it had already frozen into pink crystal. As the fight wore on, Rosso ran out of bullets first, then out of stamina. The Buster Sword was heavier and slower, but it had a more extended reach and worked like a shield against her onslaught. And in one lucky break, Zack saw an opening. Buster Sword slashed a line across Rosso's chest, severing the mako tubes that laced her bodice and spraying blood across the battlefield.

Now, it was a matter of time before she bled out if no cure was cast.

"Can we stop this now?" Zack asked, almost pleading. He didn't savor the execution of a fellow Soldier, even if it was a branch he'd never heard of before.

Rosso's chest heaved again, and she spat at Zack. It didn't reach, but the action fanned pink across the snow before her. She straightened, pulling her sword from the ground, and let out another high-pitched laugh.

"Uh…so-someone stronger…than-an-an…absurd. I will not grant you the pleasure." She brought down her sword. Zack's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to do.

"Hey, wait!"

But it was too late. Her sword crashed into the ground below, shattering the ice. The entire ledge lurched as it broke from the crater side. Zack ran forward as she slid with the ice into the dark forest. Only her laugh could be heard until that, too, stopped.

Zack sighed as he slid the Buster Sword back onto his back. The healing materia warmed his wrist as his wounds sluggishly stitched back together. But his cheek continued to sting.

That's gonna leave a scar.

Now, find Aerith or get back to the others?

The sound of deep explosions made that decision for him. He ran.

In front of the entrance, the camp looked like the aftermath of a violent brawl. Rosso appeared to have taken her anger out on Avalanche before Zack arrived, which explained the eerie silence or lack of investigation when he fought. Bloodied footprints spread across the camp, out into the woods, and the crater.

Zack didn't spare much thought before plunging back toward the caves.

He could sense something was different when he stepped back into the tunnels. Before, the crater was still cold but warmed by lingering mako. Now, it was so frigid Zack's teeth clattered. Echoing throughout the tunnels were sounds of shattering rock and gunfire. Zack sped up. The ground shook under Zack's feet as he approached the source of the commotion.

The mako-filled chamber was a ruin. In the center, a mechanical monster larger than a house pounded against the cave walls. Its wild swings crashed into other monsters, who let out pained squeals yet made no effort to attack the thing that was killing them. Zack looked closer to see the familiar silhouettes of his friends dodging the wild attacks and falling rocks.

He gasped as the solid ground cracked beneath his feet. Rock began to sink. He wound himself up and then made a desperate leap just in time as a chasm opened where he stood. It revealed a bottomless pit of mako boiling beneath.

Zack landed on the other side, and his foot slipped. For a moment, his stomach dropped as his brain was still catching up with the sensation of falling when sharp claws grasped his shoulder and pulled him from the brink. Crimson eyes peered back at him.

"Watch your feet," Vincent said. Zack let a loud sigh, half resigned, half relieved. He turned to the rampaging machine.

"What is that?" A mechanical arm shot out. To Zack's horror, it was aimed at a familiar figure. "Cloud!"

The blond brought his sword up to block, and the glow surrounding him indicated he was mid-cast. A blur of black and silver intercepted the claw just in time. With a flick of the Masamune, the flying attack was defected into a stalactite, causing shards of mako to rain down. A maniacal laughter ranged out in response.

As Sephiroth passed, Zack saw an almost wild look on his face. Sephiroth was usually a calm fighter. Zack had never seen him so unmoored and angry.

"Omega Weiss," Vincent answered, shaking Zack from his stupor. Meanwhile, Cloud completed his cast, and a bright white spell hit the monster's main body. "We must draw it out before we are buried here."

Omega Weiss slammed into the cave wall with another resounding crash. The earth shook as it propagated up the crystal wall.

Cloud looked down. The ground beneath his feet also began to split. Then, silver hair tinted blue by the cave's mako glow filled his vision.

A white pauldron obscured his view of what was happening as Sephiroth wrapped an arm tightly against Cloud and leaped out of the way of a falling boulder before slashing another one in half with his sword. They landed back on stable ground. If Sephiroth held on for a little longer, neither remarked on it. Cloud could feel Sephiroth's lingering warmth on his skin as they parted, ready to face Weiss again.

Omega Weiss pulled himself slowly out of the hole his armor made. As he did, the crack that split the cave widened and propagated all the way to the strange mako pool, causing monsters in its path to fall in. There was a loud splash, and the smell of mako intensified, making Cloud's nose itch.

He looked towards the pool as it rapidly drained. Instead of attacking them or fleeing, the monsters seemed to approach the center of the mako pool, crowding around it almost sluggishly.

Just like…

Give me a number

Before Cloud could finish the thought, he was being pulled out of the way. A chunk of crystalline mako pierced the ground where he stood. A hand turned him around. Wide green eyes met his. Their pupils were so narrow they were thin lines. Sephiroth shook him a little as he spoke.

"Mind on the fight!"

Cloud let out a stuttering breath and nodded. Right.

Bursts of light from a three-barreled gun gave away Vincent's position as he dashed along the cave walls. The bullets bounced harmlessly off Omega Weiss's armor, but it was enough to draw his attention.

"YOU!" he screamed, enraged. His voice was metallic, as though he was already part machine. A claw swiped at the red blur, turning away from Cloud and Sephiroth. Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth sighed. That was the only communication they needed as they sprung apart. Finding a safer area, Cloud began to channel magic into his sword. Omega Weiss swiped again at Vincent. This time, metal claws clashed with dark, oily tendrils. Something laughed in the shadow. Chaos seemed to set Weiss off even more as the man screamed unintelligible obscenities. Meanwhile, Sephiroth launched himself at Weiss from behind, sword held high overhead.

Now!

Cloud swung, and blades of wind flew out. It sliced through the air and hit Omega Weiss, knocking him off balance. Claws flailed as the main body listed. It was the opening Sephiroth needed as he plunged the Masamune down, slicing through the vulnerable connectors on one side. Weiss screamed in pain and anger as a pauldron and armor plate protecting his clawed arm slough off into the mako, making a greasy splash. Another claw grabbed for Sephiroth, but Cloud was ready, too. A weak gust deflected Sephiroth's arc through the air, and the man landed gracefully out of the way of Weiss's rampage.

But something wasn't right.

Cloud looked down at the pool and the armor that fell there. It bobbed once in the pool, then something wrapped around it, pulling it down.

Shit.

Cloud licked his dry lips and then shouted a warning.

"Get him away from-"

But his voice was drowned out by crashing rock.

Red flashed across Omega Weiss. And Weiss, the man, was knocked out onto the ground. Without its pilot, rather than settling, the Armor flailed violently. It flew at them again, but Zack anticipated its target. With all his weight behind the Buster Blade, Zack knocked the Armor away. Significantly lighter now and lopsided, Weiss's shell didn't adjust in time. Like a drunkard, it swayed ever lower.

"No," Cloud cried as he watched the Armor's trajectory in horror. But nothing could stop it now. Omega slammed into the mako pool, now a shallow puddle. From above, Weiss picked himself up. He approached the edge of the pool. "Stop!"

The white-haired man leaped toward the mechanical weapon. As he did, the mako in the pool receded in an unnatural pattern. In its center, a familiar figure emerged, still obscured by opaque liquid. Around her, husks of previously living creatures—monsters, Avalanche, even Fuhito—slowly disintegrated.

Sephiroth landed by Cloud's side. When he saw what was going on, he took a step forward. Cloud grabbed his coat with clammy hands. "Don't!"

Corrupted mako withdrew as Weiss landed, yielding to him a dry spot. As the mako entirely receded, she came into clear view. Her head with an innocent-looking face. Her eyes were open, staring blankly ahead. Then, her torso. She rose from the mako like a serpent. Weiss backed away cautiously at first.

Cloud heard something whisper, but he couldn't make out the words. The world seemed to stand still as Weiss's face turned from shock to disgust. And whatever was said angered him.

"You don't control me. No one does," he threw out a hand. As if on cue, the Omega armor flew forward. It struck Jenova's form and then passed right through.

An illusion. The armor crashed into a wall as Weiss dodged a tentacle. Another slammed him down.

Gunfire rained down. Vincent dashed out, but only Chao's quick reflexes saved him from being skewered by a laser-like spell. Jenova turned. Their eyes met. Cloud cried out in pain as his head rang with a maelstrom of voices.

"Cloud!" Cloud would have fallen to his knees without Sephiroth's solid form propping him up. Through blurred vision, he saw Weiss getting back to his feet. On the other side of the cave, the Omega armor began to float towards him as if bound by an invisible leash. But before Weiss could straighten, tentacles shot out of the pool, wrapping tightly around him. Weiss let out a pained cry, but the tentacles did not let go even as the form of Omega thrashed. More tentacles reached out. They forcibly penetrated Omega's outer shell until it looked like another one of Hojo's experiments. They looked like grotesque veins as they threaded themselves into Omega's very essence.

"We need to stop her," Cloud urged even as his ears rang. Vincent seemed to agree because the next thing Cloud heard was a rapid burst of bullets firing. They bounced harmlessly off Omega's tough exterior, which had moved to shield the vulnerable Weiss. Vincent let out an audible growl deeper than what a human vocal cord could make. Cloud thought Vincent might fully shed his human exterior and let Chaos out, but his mind was already focused on channeling his next spell.

"Get back! Get to the exit!" he called to Zack and Vincent. To his relief, neither questioned it as they retreated.

Cloud could start to feel mana exhaustion creep in as his reserves were drained by the spell he was preparing to cast. Sephiroth seemed to sense building mana. His eyes widened as he watched, but he never left Cloud's side.

Flare.

The cave lit up, at first deep red, and as the spell burned hotter, the flame turned blue. Jenova's tentacles began to darken and scorch under the intense heat, even as Sephiroth dragged Cloud backward toward the cave's exit.

"That mako is unstable. When the flames hit-"

The cave turned brilliantly lit. Cloud could feel intense heat at his back, but he didn't look behind him. He didn't take more than a few steps before an arm wrapped around his middle like a steel band. Carried by Sephiroth, they outran the chain reaction behind them. As they entered the tunnel, Sephiroth threw Cloud down. He let out a rough gasp as he felt Sephiroth's weight then fall on top of him. They braced. Next to them, Zack also dropped down, Vincent nearby. Cloud squeezed his eyes tight as the cave exploded around them.

Then, for a terrifying few moments, Cloud didn't hear anything. His ears rang from the aftermath of the explosion. When he opened his eyes again, the tunnel was pitch black. As the ringing faded, Cloud heard the sound of falling rocks. Then his heart dropped. Beyond the sound of rocks clashing against each other, he could hear an inhuman keening.

"They're still gaining on us," Aerith said. Cait pulled on one ear in frustration. Above them, the Avalanche thugs were so close Cait could make out the shape of their muzzles and the color of their fur in the moonlight.

"Just a bit further," he said.

The problem was that Avalanche's science experiments could leap straight down where he and Aerith had to follow the trail. And Cait didn't dare repeat his mic stunt now, where it could bring a whole sheet of ice and snow on top of them if he induced an avalanche. Not unless they could find some shelter first.

A microphone to direct the sound waves. Reeve's mind swirled with the idea. His hand hovered over the controls. But it was too risky.

They paused on another landing, and Cait could tell Aerith had pushed as far as she could. Her hair, unbound by the wind, had the stiff look of frozen straw. Her dress was soaked under Zack's heavy cloak, stuck to the front of her legs. The sound of snow crunching under steadily advancing heavy feet made Cait's whiskers twitch. Reeve paused with his hand over the audio controls. The risk of being buried by snow was high. Aerith weakly held her staff up, and her hands began to glow.

"Sss-sealing E–vil," she stuttered. Pink and purple lights gathered around them. Cait watched in awe as it settled, stopping their Avalanche pursuers in their tracks again. But it was too early to cheer. Though the beasts stumbled, paralyzed, Cait could see how they shuddered, already fighting against Aerith's binding magic. And looking at the flower girl, she would not have it in her to do that again.

"C'mon," Cait urged, though a heavy weight settled in Reeve's stomach, "We still need to move."

Aerith stepped toward Cait, but her feet gave way, and she fell to her knees. Meanwhile, Cait picked up a low roar in the distance.

The magic was wearing off. Aerith pushed a hand in front of her, pushing herself back up. The heavy coat that shielded her from the wind slid a little. It, too, was soaked and frozen over. Now, it added weight to her slight frame. Reeve bit his lip as Avalanche advanced again.

Aerith looked up as a large shadow blotted out the moonlight. One thug reached a clawed hand out-

Reeve reached forward. Cait's speaker system energized.

Bang!

Bang bang!

The radio by Reeve's side crackled.

"We have visual," Gun's curt voice came through. On the screen, from two angles, two bodies spread on the ground, puddles of dark blood sluggishly spreading, soaking into the snow beneath. Reeve let out a soft breath as his hands left Cait's controls.

Vincent's eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, fast enough to realize the tunnel wasn't blocked off by rock fall. He aimed his gun in the darkness and squeezed the trigger. His ears, still ringing, didn't even register the sound of the bullets.

Something shuddered and pulled away. Fresh air hit Vincent's face. The tunnel opened up into the night sky. Stars winked back at him from beyond the edges of the tunnel. Beyond that lay the rim of the crater.

Above them swirled a dark cloud that blotted out the stars in irregular ways. It was the same one Zack had remarked on in the Tiny Bronco, but now that Vincent had a closer look, with the crater top blown off, he realized it was something else entirely.

It was a swarm of monsters. Whereas they had previously quiescently floated above the crater in anticipation, they were now disturbed by the battle beneath. As he watched, the dark cloud collapsed into a swirling funnel.

Vincent walked out, gun still aimed in front of him. Black shadows swirled toward the crater within a crater created by the explosion, and a pulsing organic mass rested at the epicenter.

The mako that once filled the bottom of the cave was gone. Where Omega Weiss once was, instead, there was an organic charred ball as big as the cave that once stood there. At first, Vincent thought the monsters that filled the cave were also gone. But Chaos growled in the back of his mind at the thought. Inside the crater Cloud's spell left, charred flesh began to slough away, revealing malevolently purple. Then Vincent realized. The monsters in the cave had coalesced into a ball around Weiss and Jenova. It formed an ominous tower, reaching upward as the swirling monsters above extended down.

When the two branches reached each other, a loud clapping echoed in the crater bowl, followed by a gust of wind nearly knocking Vincent to his knees. His cloak flapped behind him as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dust.

A bright shape coalesced where the monsters had been. As it grew, countless monsters clamored to meet it, only to disintegrate on contact. As more viscera sloughed off, more of Omega's armor corrupted by Jenova's infection revealed itself. Deep veins of purple marred the pure white shell of what was once the Planet's last defender.

"Abomination," Chaos announced gruffly at the same time Vincent heard movement behind him. Cloud stumbled out next to him, a hand holding himself up on the tunnel wall. He was bleeding from one ear, and despite Sephiroth's best effort to protect him, he was nursing an injured side. He grimaced at the scene.

"It's the reunion," Cloud said. Sephiroth, still staunchly beside him, stiffened at the word.

Something screamed inside the crater. It sounded like Weiss, but yet not. It sounded like a Weapon. But could Weapons scream?

Chaos shuddered in the back of Vincent's mind.

The crater began to shake violently. "Titan's balls," Zack said as he finally found them.

Vincent didn't turn to check on him. The form of Omega grew and grew. It towered over them and the northern crater. A weapon patchworked white and purple.

For a short moment, everything stilled. Omega Weapon floated almost gently over the ruined landscape, its wings spread wide. Its three leg-like limbs hung limply underneath. It looked like the guardian angel it was created to be—the last salvation for life. Other than the angry veins pulsing over its entire body, it seemed almost peaceful. Then, it raised one of its armored arms.

It screeched again as one of its limbs crashed into the crater wall, knocking a deep hole into the rock. It raised a second arm directly over them. Vincent looked up as his entire body tensed, ready to run. The limb hung over them, the claw at the end large enough to destroy a town.

As it began to slam down, the ground shook again.

"They're waking."

They?

"Brethren."

Vincent didn't curse out loud, but as he stumbled, he uncharitably sniped back at Chaos in the safety of his mind.

Could they pick another time to do this?

"We should all hope they don't fully wake. It would add more…chaos…"

"Brace!"

"Cloud-"

"Shield!"

"What in Titan's name-" Zack said between pants.

Cloud's timely spell saved them from becoming bloody paste against the crater wall, but even Cloud's formidable mana reserves wouldn't be enough to withstand Omega's onslaught indefinitely.

After they dug themselves out from under Omega's foot, they scattered as best they could. Omega seemingly realized it hadn't been successful and renewed its attack. The Weapon's limbs came crashing down repeatedly, thrashing almost wildly as it attempted to swat them like flies. Every once in a while, it released a hail of magic that rained destruction anywhere it landed.

The weapon was as tall as Shinra Tower. Its wings stretched over them like a terrifying facsimile of the Midgar plate.

Zack followed behind Vincent as they scaled the exposed sloping walls inside the crater.

"How in hell are we taking that out," Zack asked as he followed Vincent. The dark-haired man didn't respond as they climbed higher, out of the way of rolling rubble.

Vincent observed the Weapon. Finally, he responded.

"We immobilize it," he said. Zack sighed and followed behind.

Further away, Sephiroth was darting across the boulders with Cloud in his arms. Cloud looked half collapsed after he clashed with the Weapon. It was a wonder he wasn't unconscious with how much mana he used. Omega lifted another foot, aiming for the duo.

It's targeting them, Zack realized.

Sephiroth saw it coming and dashed out of the way at the last moment. The leg rammed into the side of the crater instead, sinking in deeper than expected as more rock crashed on top. The Weapon paused before lifting another of its remaining two tentacle-like appendages.

"It's stuck," Zack said. Vincent looked at where Zack pointed. The limb that plunged into the side of the crater must have penetrated the cave system under its crust. Vincent's eyes widened.

"This way," he urged.

They waved to Sephiroth and Cloud as all four circled the crater strategically. Another hit, but it was shallow.

The second appendage struck out again and broke through. Zack watched it pull halfway back, revealing mako crystal underneath, before getting stuck again. There was only one limb left.

Zack followed Vincent as they crept up to the first stuck limb. The last arm of the Weapon continued to ignore them, trying to strike out at Cloud and Sephiroth instead.

Vincent jumped onto the limb lightly and looked back at Zack. He gulped as he looked up at the towering giant above them. It would be like trying to scale the Tower by running on top of one of the massive mako pipelines that ran to it from the reactor. Except that the pipeline in question wasn't static. One shake, and they would fall.

Vincent's cloak swept behind him as he ran, leaving Zack further behind. Zack sighed and leaped on top of the leg as well. In for the gil in, for ingot as they say. As he ran, they ascended further and further above the crater rim. Gusts of wind swept through Zack's coat and hair. He could feel even sweat freezing on his scalp. But they couldn't stop.

Something screeched. Zack looked up and cursed as he saw the flying monsters, previously in a sluggish swarm, take notice of them. They dived toward Vincent.

Bang! Gunfire picked a few off. Zack's foot slipped. He looked down to right himself and then heard wings flapping.

Shit.

But instead of a monster, he saw leathery wings wrapped in red when he looked up. Vincent, rather Chaos, took to the air, drawing off the monsters. All Zack could do was keep climbing as Vincent clashed with mutated Zu above him.

Below them, Omega finally stilled as Sephiroth trapped the last limb. But Zack could only spare a quick thought for his friends. The air was getting thinner, and the wind was exhausting every gasp. As they climbed higher, it also became steeper. Even with the mako in his veins, Zack's fingers were frozen and stiff, and they slid against Omega's smooth scale-like armor.

Zack's vision narrowed as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and he half crawled the last bit of distance to the top of the tentacle. There, he caught his breath as he looked up. And up. And up.

They stopped at what looked like Omega's hip. Above them, more armor protruded from Omega's chest. Something fell past, leaving only Vincent to hover, then landed with a thump. His back was to Zack, surveying their path forward. His hair and cloak fluttered in the wind, but the Turk suit underneath stayed immaculate. He turned to look at Zack, then up at Omega.

"We keep climbing."

Zack didn't have breath for more than a few words. So he kept it economical.

"Ah fuck."

Cloud held on to Sephiroth's shoulders as they raced up Omega's side. Sephiroth's arm was solid around his waist. Even as Omega's thrashing jarred them, Cloud felt safe.

That didn't make Cloud any less indignant about being carried like a damsel.

The last spell took almost everything out of Cloud and put him on his back. Even now, his body burned with mana exhaustion.

As Sephiroth kept climbing, Cloud could see the crater below them pull further and further away over Sephiroth's shoulder. The wind whipped Sephiroth's hair, obscuring Cloud's vision. He blinked and looked forward, trying not to be distracted by Sephiroth's chiseled profile.

They were close to the top of the towering Weapon, almost on its shoulder, when Cloud could hear sounds of fighting. Soon, the reason came into view.

Thankfully, Zack and Vincent looked none the worse for wear. This high up, Weiss was still nowhere to be seen. He was either swallowed by the transformation or knocked unconscious when Jenova took over and possibly crushed by the rubble.

Cloud wasn't sure which alternative was better.

Instead, Zack and Vincent were mid-duel against something more nightmarish. Where the head of the Weapon was, there instead was a mutated mass of tentacles protruding from a hollow skull. The Weapon's mawl grinned back at them, writhing with angry purple protrusions. Jenova had infested its entire interior, puppeteering its tough exoskeleton. The sign of the infection lay before them, crawling through Omega's towering crown.

Cloud audibly gasped at the sight.

In addition to being grotesque, it was shocking. Jenova had succeeded in taking over what was meant to be the Planet's ultimate defense. Cloud wiggled in Sephiroth's hold, and as if reading his mind, Sephiroth set him down.

"Vincent!" Cloud called. Vincent dodged a thrashing tentacle and leaped back, putting distance between himself and Jenova.

"She's taken over," Vincent said. But Cloud could hear the tinge in his voice that hinted at another being beneath Vincent's placid exterior.

"Can we …save him?" Cloud wasn't sure what relationship Chaos had with Omega other than circumstance. They were both Weapons. Two keys to the Planet's salvation. But that didn't make them close. And now, one was in Jenova's grasp.

"No," Vincent, or rather Chaos, rasped. "Omega is gone. Jenova means to hijack his body for the final solution." Cloud's heart dropped. Sephiroth turned from watching Zack keep Jenova distracted to look at Vincent.

"The final-"

Chao narrowed Vincent's eyes.

"…Think of Omega as the bootstrapper….and I the shutdown sequence. Omega comes when the Planet dies. It takes the lifestream that is left and flees to plant another seed. Start anew. If Jenova takes over…"

"She's like a virus," Cloud realized. "She's hijacking the Planet's systems to replicate herself and spread to other worlds." Chaos lowered Vincent's head in a small nod.

"Omega is dead. Jenova must be stopped."

Zack joined them, wiping sweat from his brow. He shot a grin at Cloud.

"Took your time," he teased. His face turned serious when he turned to Vincent. "This isn't working. The armor is impenetrable."

Cloud weighed his mana reserves. They recovered a little on their climb, but it wasn't enough. Perhaps another mako pill…Cloud stumbled as the entire Weapon shook. One of its limbs, previously trapped by the crater, wrenched free. Zack cursed.

"If anyone has a plan, better say something now," he said before another shudder knocked them off balance. The armor beneath them began to tilt, and Zack stabbed the Buster Sword hard downward, anchoring himself. Sephiroth did the same with the Masamune. Cloud stumbled sideways and grabbed onto Zack.

"There. It's the only vulnerability," Chaos said. Cloud followed his finger, pointing at the pulsating mass in Omega's head. Each time the tentacles flailed, it revealed a glowing purple core in a familiar shape.

Jenova.

Another shudder shook them. Another limb ripped free. Then, Omega's wings quivered like a newly born moth's just emerging from its chrysalis. It pumped its wings once, and Cloud raised an arm over his eyes as a strong gust of wind buffeted them.

"We can't let it take off!" he shouted over the roaring wind. He could barely hear it when Chaos fired Vincent's gun toward the head. "We need to get up there!"

From under Vincent's cloak, a pair of wings sprouted. Chaos looked at Sephiroth with Vincent's face and raised a brow.

Message received. Sephiroth jerked the Masamune free and sheathed it. Then, he stepped forward, steadying Cloud with an arm around his waist. With his other hand, he grabbed Vincent. Then, they were airborne.

Zack braced himself against Omega's armor as the final limb wrenched free. Above him, Vincent dodged Jenova's tentacles with Sephiroth and Cloud in tow. As they neared Omega's helm, the tentacles grew more aggressive, ignoring Zack in favor of attacking Vincent's demonic form.

But Zack had worries of his own. Omega's armor plating was smooth and tough. Even the Buster Sword barely scored the surface. Zack needed to find a better way to climb up or some other way to weaken the weapon. He looked around as Omega's wings beat again.

The wings!

Heavy plating covered every bit of Omega's surface, but it was weaker over the joints where Omega's wings connected to its body. Its joints turned with each wing beat. With the way Omega listed to one side as it strained against the last bits of rock holding it to the earth, the wing was positioned downhill from Zack. Zack pulled up his sword and hefted it, allowing him to slide down. As he did, he picked up speed.

"Ahhhh!"

The Buster Sword slammed into a joint. Zack jammed it deep into the biomechanical plate. The large blade looked like a toothpick next to the bulk of the wing. Omega shuddered again, and something clattered. It tried to beat its wing, and the movement knocked the Buster Sword loose and Zack with it. Zack righted himself to land, but unexpectedly, his feet didn't touch Omega's armor again. He stepped into space as Omega jerked away from him.

Zack's stomach lurched, and it took his mind a moment to realize he was in freefall above the crater. He saw Vincent's winged form fluttering above, free of his passengers and now fending off monsters. It wasn't going to be fast enough. Gunshot sprayed over him.

Zack closed his eyes as the wind blew from below, ruffling his hair and clothes.

There has to be a way. There's still time!

Then Zack hit something soft. And then bounced. He opened his eyes again to see…netting?

"Hey, y'all fall asleep up there?"

A familiar voice shouted at Zack. He looked down to see Cid's gruff face and Aerith's pale one, both likely having seen his fall. Zack sighed and grabbed onto the net, climbing down to the deck of a gleaming airship.

"I see you got an upgrade," Zack joked weakly. Cid scoffed. Aerith crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Hey, mister, we really need to stop meeting like this," she said. Zack laughed.

"What can I say? I'm really falling for you." Cid snorted.

"I'm going back to the bridge and leave you lovebirds with the rest of your audience. Can't trust any of those monkeys not to get us crushed by that monster."

Audience?

Zack looked up to see amused eyes looking down at them from the deck above.

"We couldn't not come," Sebastian explained to Zack as Essai watched Omega grow closer. Cid returned to the bridge and maneuvered the Highwind toward the monster (Omega Weapon? Who's Weapon?!).

Frankly, it was all Reeve and Kunsel could do to prevent all of Soldier from running after Zack, Sephiroth, and Cloud when they heard what went down. Thankfully, after accounting for the crew, the Highwind could only hold so many people. And thanks to Cait, they quickly found the Ancient (Zack's girl?) after picking up the Highwind's rightful captain.

Now, Genesis and Angeal peeked over the edge of the railing at the fighting below, with Cait beside Angeal's feet. (Essai thought he had seen everything. Not so!) Genesis looked about ready to start shooting magic even from this distance, while Angeal appeared to be the thin veneer of restrain holding Genesis back. Essai knew better now. Angeal was just as crazy.

Aerith returned to the cabin at Zack's behest as the wind picked up.

"We need to get back down there," Zack said, "They aren't going to get anywhere close that way." Sephiroth's sword and sporadic gunfire interspaced flashes of magic.

The airship drifted down closer, swaying wildly as the wind howled around them.

"That's as close as it's gonna be," Cid's voice came on the intercom. It was closer than Essai expected, certainly a better job than their pilots during the Wutai War. But still further than the lowest rung of the ladder.

"Wait, it's too far. How do we get down there?" Essai asked, then saw the expression on Angeal's and Genesis's faces. Genesis was the first to leap, a step onto the ship's railing, then over it.

Oh no, not again. No no nonono.

Sebastian grabbed Essai's arm

"Hey, com'ere," he said, his voice sugary and sweet.

With a harsh shove, Essai was over the edge.

Cloud watched in awe as Genesis and Angeal appeared seemingly out of thin air, each slicing a thick tentacle from the crawling mass that infected the Weapon. He looked up to see the Highwind pull back up over the top of Omega.

His heart felt lighter than it had since Nibelheim.

"You guys…"

Genesis, haughty as ever, flashed a smirk at him before diving to attack. Angeal followed close behind him.

Another thump and Zack showed up with another familiar face.

"Sebastian!" Sebastian nodded at Cloud, and both Zack and Sebastian ignored the wild screaming. Cloud watched as yet another Soldier stumbled down. He hit Omega's helm at a run, then fell gracelessly on his behind, where he slid the rest of the way. Cloud winced but Essai pulled himself back up, muttering unflattering things about Sebastian under his breath.

Cloud was going to greet them (or maybe laugh), but Omega was moving again. It flapped its wings once, generating a gust around them.

"Hold on!"

Cloud raised an arm to shield his eyes from the worst of the gust. He watched the Highwind sway precariously in the sky. Its sails flapped as it righted itself. The flying monsters around it weren't so lucky. They scattered under the force of Omega's wings, only to be picked off by gunfire.

Omega's wings arched overhead.

This can't go on, Cloud thought. He gritted his teeth as he reached both arms out. His sword glowed as the hairs on his arm stood under the pressure of his mana.

The spell's name flooded his mind as if saying, "Use me," "Use me."

Ultima.

Bright green filled Cloud's vision. It burned as channeling finished. Then a beam of light shot toward Omega's helm, hitting it dead center and vaporizing any monsters in the path. A loud cracking sound echoed over the crater.

Did I…

The smoke cleared to reveal Omega's helm. It was shattered, and parts of the exoskeleton fell. But the purple mass writhed still, protected by Omega's skull. It let out something like a screech. As if obeying a command, flying monsters swarmed the helm. As they approached, they seemed to melt into it until a cancerous mass was all that was visible. As it grew, it began to glow with odious light.

Cait watched helplessly from the bridge as the Weapon's head began to glow an ominous purple. He tugged on Cid's trousers insistently.

"We've got to help them!"

Cid's cigarette had long gone out, and the man was chewing on the leftover butt.

"Tryin'," he said between gritted teeth, "Keepin' us from crashin' first." The Highwind shook. A few screens began to turn red as Cid's crew scrambled around them. At the helm, Cid gripped the steering wheel so tight Cait could see veins becoming prominent on the man's forearms.

Whatever buffetted the ship affected those still fighting on top of the weapon. Zack had stabbed his sword into a weak point in its armor, anchoring him against an unnatural pull that was drawing all of them in like a strong gravity spell. Grabbing onto him were two other Soldiers. Above them, Angeal found the edge of a horn on the weapon's head. He held on tightly, Genesis clutched in his other arm.

Closest to the glowing ring, Sephiroth was struggling to find a purchase. He had Cloud, whose body had gone limp, grasped by an arm. He was the only thing keeping Cloud from either being sucked in or swept clean off the weapon. He and Cloud had been closest to the head, and now, they were sliding toward it.

"Let go!" Cloud said weakly, still woozy from mana exhaustion. The only indication Sephiroth heard him was his furrowing brows.

That idiot, Cloud thought with a tinge of frustration, he'll get pulled in, too.

It wasn't that Cloud had any particular death wish. In fact, he wanted to live more than anything. Especially now. When he could close his eyes and see a future with so many of his loved ones right before him.

But his instincts and the other Cloud's instincts positively screamed at him.

Whatever Jenova was up to was bad. And Cloud needed to keep her from Sephiroth. But Sephiroth held stubbornly on, even as Masamune scrapped over Omega's tough carapace, and Sephiroth's boots left rubber streaks as he fought with every ounce of strength to stay planted where they were.

"You need to let me go," Cloud said again.

Sephiroth shook his head as they inched closer toward the malevolent orb. This closed, it looked like a mini black hole. Beyond it, nothingness. Cloud looked behind Sephiroth at the others. Zack. Genesis. Vincent. Angeal. Sebastian and Essai.

He closed his eyes for a moment. His heart beat loudly in his ear. Wind roared past them, whipping his hair against his face.

If it were a fight she wanted, a fight she would get.

Cloud opened his eyes again. Blue locked on green. The sound of wind faded away.

"Together, then."

Sephiroth sprung forward, Cloud wrapped in his arms. For a moment, it felt like they were falling.

Distantly, he heard someone yell "No!" over the heartbeat pounding in his ear. Another resonated against his chest.

Cloud turned his head to look at the ring that drew them closer. It grew so large it took over his entire field of view. Then, the ring was closing over them as they passed the event horizon. They were falling through.

It was as if they had fallen through a portal into an ocean of stars. Particles streamed by them, and from a distance, they shimmered like stars against the dark.

Then, they weren't falling anymore. They slowed as their surroundings brightened. Sephiroth landed on a rock platform, ostensibly floating above a river of light.

"The lifestream," Cloud said, voice reverent. He could feel the warmth that slowly thawed his frozen fingers. Mana trickled back into him. Mako streamed past them, glowing the pale green of spring leaves.

But all was not well.

Screeching echoed around them as purple flickered through the lifestream. Sephiroth set Cloud down as investigated.

Screeching echoed again, and Cloud turned toward the sound. He looked into the empty abyss beyond.

"Dodge!" Cloud turned back too late. He felt a hard shove against him as Sephiroth pushed him out of the way of a tentacle. Cloud gasped as Jenova grabbed Sephiroth tightly. He fell to one knee and struggled as the tentacles twisted around him. Cloud ran toward the tentacles, sword already swinging, but beams of magic shot out at him, causing him to swerve. Cloud looked at Sephiroth, and it felt like his stomach was in his throat. Glowing green eyes, pupils slit so narrowly they looked like lines peered back.

"Get away. Don't-"

Then he was engulfed. A shell hardened around Sephiroth and Jenova.

nononononoNONONO!

Cloud screamed as he ran toward them, letting loose a flurry of strikes. They bounced harmlessly off.

All was quiet around them except the sound of his gasping and the sword clanging against hard armor. No wind. No screeching. Not even the cries of the planet.

Cloud lost track of how long he tried to pry the shell open to free Sephiroth. His arms burned, protesting each swing, but he kept on going. He ramped up the spells, each attempt singing his mana pathways, but none worked.

Finally, the shell crumbled at one last swing, cracking like an egg. The pieces sloughed off to reveal a familiar face. Sephiroth kneeled calmly at the center, his eyes closed. Cloud breathed out in relief to see him.

"Sep-"

Relief turned to despair as more of the shell cracked. A single pure black wing jutted from Sephiroth's back. It twitched at Cloud's voice. Green eyes fluttered open and locked on blue once again.

And Cloud knew. Knew before the familiar-not-familiar smirk began to spread across Sephiroth's face. Knew of the empty and cold eyes that stared back.

Jenova's son stood and calmly stepped out of the ruined cocoon.

"Cloud," he said, his voice an almost mocking caress. The tone, the intonation. It was so different from Sephiroth's. How could he ever have mistaken one for the other?

The Masamune flashed, and Cloud lifted his sword to block just in time. The impact pushed him back, and his exhausted arms protested. Suddenly, Sephiroth's face was close enough he could feel the other man's breath against his skin.

"Like I told you, Cloud…I will never be just a memory."

Phew.

This chapter was originally 11k words, but I edited it down to ~9k. There were some deleted scenes to keep the story moving. Hope this turned out well!

Just a little more til the end…