Chocobo's Final Fantasy Haven
Ray Pang
Story
Story
Story |
CHAPTER IVMIDGAR AGAINTarkin
sat unmoving in his chair. His training at SOLDIER had given
him the discipline to ignore minor irritations and sit for
hours while remaining utterly still, especially when he was
thinking, and right now he had a lot to think about. His
spies had informed him the failed experiment was finally on
the move. It had taken much longer than he had thought. Cloud
was apparently stronger than he suspected, but he should have
known. He realized he had underestimated the young warrior,
and he would have to be careful not to do that again. Even a
failed Shinra experiment still had power. After all, he had
managed, obviously by some fluke, to have defeated the mighty
Sephiroth. He
felt anger inside him at that. He considered it for a moment
and decided it was proper. Sephiroth would have been pleased
with his loyalty, and slowly the anger dissipated to be
replaced by satisfaction of what was to come. He reached over
and picked up the yellow materia orb from the pedestal beside
his chair, the last gift given to him by the great Sephiroth. He
would have to monitor things carefully from now on. Very
carefully indeed. He needed someone to get close and report to
him of Cloud's every movement. He was pretty sure he knew just
who could handle that job. A
smile slowly grew on his face He looked at the materia
carefully, stroking it as if it were a small pet. As he did so
his sleeve slipped partway down his arm, revealing an old
tattoo. It was faded now from wear but still visible. It was
the number 3. "Very
soon, my dear master," he said softly to himself,
"you shall have your revenge." Tifa
did not feel good as they passed through the crumbling walls
and into the streets of Midgar. She had had some good times
here at her bar in the early days with Avalanche, but she
would never forget the poverty of the slums or the horror she
had felt at the destruction of Sector 7 and the death of her
friends. On the whole she would rather never have had to see
this place again, she decided. True, things had changed
radically since then. Midgar was mostly ruins now. Meteor had
done such fearsome damage that it was decided it would be
easier to just abandon the city than to attempt to rebuild it.
The streets were choked with rubble, and vegetation had
overgrown most the buildings that still stood. The streets
were deserted for the moment, but they were all on guard, for
they knew that all sort of strange creatures now inhabited the
city. Still,
nothing seemed anxious to bother the well armed group as it
traveled down the center of the road in broad daylight. Tifa
thought this would chance quickly if they wandered very far
into any of the old buildings, or after night fell. She
sincerely hoped that they would be done and far away before
the sun sunk below the horizon. Though
many of the buildings had been utterly destroyed, there were
still enough standing that they were in no danger of getting
lost. Tifa kept her eyes open as they headed unerringly toward
Shinra Headquarters. She saw movement once or twice in the
rubble around them, but nothing challenged them. A
short time later they stood in front of their destination. The
building was still standing, although the top floors had been
torn off and now lay in a pile of rubble completely covering
the street to the north. Perhaps the bottom twenty floors were
still intact. "It's
a good thing the vault was down in the basement and not up on
the top floors," Barret remarked, looking up. They
walked up the cracked concrete steps that marked the entrance.
The doors of the main entrance lay twisted and broken on the
ground in front of them. Carefully they stepped over them and
into the building. The
lobby was dark after the bright sunlight. Cloud looked around,
but he saw no sign that anyone, or anything, had passed
through recently. Still, he had a feeling that danger was not
far away. He slowly drew his sword and held it at the ready as
he advanced through the lobby. He knew they had been watched
on the way here, and he had no doubt that even now a trap was
hastily being laid for them, a trap somewhere in an area where
they would be most vulnerable. The dark corridors of Shinra
Headquarters seemed to be the perfect place to him. "So
where do we go from here?" Yuffie asked tentatively. "Not
sure," Cloud replied. Though he had been a member of
SOLDIER, he had rarely been at Shinra Headquarters. And in his
few visits here with Avalanche he had had other things on his
mind besides taking a tour. "We'll
just have to wander around and see what we can find," he
continued. "Stay together, and be ready for
anything." "Just
look for anything that leads down," Barret suggested, not
very helpfully. It
took them a while, but eventually they found a narrow stairway
leading down into darkness near the back of the building. "Why
do I get the feeling we are walking right into the lion's
den?" Cloud asked before he started slowly down the
steps. The
stairs led down into a large room full of machinery. The floor
was covered with about an inch of water, and they could hear
dripping off to the left. There was a door at he far end of
the room. They
started in that direction but hadn't gotten very far when the
heard some high pitched sounds off to the left. Cloud stopped
them and turned that way. He saw something scurry between two
pieces of machinery off in that direction. The others took up
battle positions without saying a word. The
giant rats struck quickly from two different directions. As
soon as he had a clear shot Cloud sprang forward and swung his
sword in a murderous arc. Two of the rats instantly lost their
lives. The others scattered around him and tried to get at his
friends, but Cloud flicked his sword like lightening and took
out another as they went by. The others were met with a flurry
of blows from Tifa to his right and the razor sharp claws of
Red to his left. In minutes all but two rats were laying
unmoving on the floor, and those two were scurrying off into
the darkness to lick their wounds. Cloud
turned to see Yuffie fling her shuriken unerring at the last
rat that still remained on the other side of them. Barret
turned around to look at him, and they realized that the
battle was over. "Nothing
to it," Barret said confidently. "We didn't even
have to use our materia." "Not
yet, anyway," Red commented. "Somehow, I think this
may have just been a warm up." "That's
what I like about you, Red," Yuffie said. "You're
always such an optimist." "C'mon,"
was all Cloud said. They
walked on. They reached the door and opened it to see a narrow
corridor that went on for as far as they could see in the dim
light. Both walls of the corridor held numerous doors. "If
we have to search through all these rooms we could be here a
very long time," Barret said with little enthusiasm. Cloud
silently agreed, but he didn't see much of an alternative. He
was just about to say as much when they heard a commotion
behind them. It sounded like it was coming from near the
stairs they had come down. They heard the high pitched squeaks
of the rats, and the unmistakable sounds of battle. "Looks
like we're not the only thing on the rats menu today,"
Yuffie said. In
spite of the fact that it was most likely none of their
business and it would probably just cause more trouble, Cloud
could not stop his curiosity from getting the better of him.
He headed back toward the sounds of the fight. "Umm,
I think we're supposed to be going this way," he heard
Yuffie protest, pointing down the corridor. He ignored her. "Shut
up, Yuffie," Tifa said as she walked past her after
Cloud. The
others followed, Yuffie last. Cloud
swiftly went down the corridor until the sounds came from just
around a large heavily damaged and unrecognizable machine. He
quickly glanced around the corner of the machine then ducked
back. He looked at Tifa. "I
don't believe it," he said. Tifa
slipped past him and looked around as well. There she saw none
other than Cait Sith backed into a corner with three giant
rats closing in on him. "Boy,
am I glad to see you guys" Cait exclaimed. They all came
up and stood around him, ignoring the bodies of the three rats
they had just dispatched. "It
was quite a surprise to see you," Cloud replied.
"What are you doing here?" "Actually
I was looking for you," Cait replied. "Huh?"
Cloud questioned. "I
got a message from Wutai," Cait explained. "I
assumed it was from your father, Yuffie. It said that you were
headed for Midgar and needed my help. Here, I have it here
somewhere." He
fished around for a moment and then pulled out a crumpled
piece of paper. Yuffie took it from him and gave it a hard
look. "This
isn't my father's handwriting," she said after a moment. "So
who could have written it?" Tifa questioned. "Could
someone else have written it for your father?" Red
suggested. "I
suppose," Yuffie replied. "Well,
who else knew where we were going?" Barret pointed out. Cloud
took the note and looked it over. It didn't say much, just
that he and his friends were headed for Midgar and urgently
needed Cait's help. "When
did you get this?" he asked. "Two
days ago," Cait replied. "I set off right
away." "Two
days ago," Barret repeated. "The day after we left
Wutai. If this wasn't from Godo, whoever sent it found out
where we were going pretty quickly." "Well,"
Cloud said thoughtfully, "we didn't make any secret about
where we were going while we were in Wutai. Someone might
easily have overheard us." "But
who, and why?" Tifa questioned. "And if it's not
from a friend, then what purpose could there be in sending
Cait to us?" "I
don't know, " Cloud replied, "but I don't like
it." "Cait,
do you know where the vaults are where Shinra kept all their
Ancient artifacts?" Red suddenly asked. Cait
turned to look at him. "Sure,"
he said, "why do you ask?" Cloud
briefly explained the mission they were on. "So
maybe my father realized that we may need help finding the
vault, and thought Cait could help us," Yuffie said after
Cloud had finished. "Which would mean the message really
is from him." Cloud
shrugged, somehow not satisfied with the explanation. If it
was true that Cait knew where the vaults were then he would be
very useful, and it would have made sense for a friend to
summon him. Still, something just didn't seem right, but he
couldn't think of any better explanation at the moment. One
thing was for sure, they would have to be more careful about
who they said things in front of. "We
could debate who sent you for as long as we want, " he
said to Cait, "but it's just slowing us down. The fact of
the matter is you are here and can help us. Why don't we get
on with it before every monster in Midgar decides to pay us a
visit." They
could all see the wisdom in that. They headed back through the
room once more, this time with Cait walking in front with
Cloud. In this way they worked their way slowly down four more
levels. They were attacked three more times, twice by packs of
rats and once by some large spider like creatures, but each
time they beat them off easily. Still, Cloud had an uneasy
feeling. It seemed to him that the attacks were somehow
coordinated. As if an intelligence was feeling them out,
sending lesser forces against them to test their strength,
while all the time it was gathering it's strongest forces for
an all out attack that would come.... when? Well, he didn't
really know, but he felt that it would be sometime soon. He
tried to hurry them on, thinking if they reached their goal
soon enough the enemy would have to be forced to attack
sooner, before it was completely ready, or risk the chance of
them slipping away. They
descended yet another set of steps. When the reached the
bottom they gathered in a large vestibule whose only exit was
a large steel door opposite the stairs. "This
is it," Cait said. "The vaults are behind this
door." "I
hope it's open," Tifa said. "Easy
enough to find out," Cait replied. He walked up to the
door and pulled on the handle. It did not budge. He let go and
examined the door. There was no sign of a lock, just an
electronic keycard mechanism. "It's
locked, and it opens with a keycard," Cait said, shaking
his head. "Not
likely we're going to find one of them around," Barret
observed. "It
wouldn't do us any good even if we did," Red stated.
"The keycard mechanism runs on electricity, and there is
no power." They
all stood looking at each other for a moment, but no one came
up with any brilliant ideas. "Well,"
Barret said finally, looking at the door dubiously.
"Let's try it the hard way. Cloud, give me a hand, will
you?" Cloud
walked up next to Barret as the others moved out of the way.
The door looked much too solid for them to force, but he
figured they had to give it a try. Barret
counted to three and they both flung themselves shoulder first
into the door. They fell back, Barret grunting loudly, but the
door didn't even shudder. Cloud knew right away that this
would get them nothing but sore. "Forget
it, Barret, it's too heavy," he said. He suddenly
produced an orb and held it up for Barret to see. It glowed a
faint green. "I
guess we'll have to use this," he said, "though it
will let every monster within a mile of us know that we are
here." "Yeah,"
Barret agreed, "but after they see that power they might
think twice before taking us on." "You
may be right at that, " Cloud responded. "Get back,
everyone." Barret
led the others back up into the stairwell. Cloud waited until
he was sure they were a safe distance away. Then he turned
toward the door. He held up the Ultima materia and
concentrated on it. In seconds a green mist seemed to fill the
air around him. He felt heat build up inside him. The green
mist coalesced into a ball of green fire which rapidly
expanded until it was almost blinding. Cloud took a single
step forward and released. With a roar that rung in his ears
the door was engulfed in the blast of raw power, which tore it
asunder. The
echoes died away quickly, leaving an eerie silence. After a
moment the others filed back into the vestibule. Cait
strode forward through the wreckage of the door. The others
followed. Inside was another corridor which led in two
directions. "Which
way do we go now?" Red asked. "Not
sure," Cait replied. "These are the vaults. The
artifact you're looking for could be in any of these rooms.
We'll just have to look through them all." "Great,"
Barret said unhappily. "There must be a dozen rooms here.
You told us you knew where to go." "I
told you I knew where the vault was" Cait replied
testily. "This is it, but I don't have an inventory of
it, if that's what you're asking. Perhaps there is one around
somewhere if you care to look for it." "We
don't have time to argue," Cloud cut in. He felt more
strongly than ever that they had to get out of here as fast as
possible. "We'll have to split up into two groups. I
don't really like the idea, but we can search a lot more
quickly that way. Tifa and Cait, come with me. Barret, you
take the others and look in the other direction." Barret
was going to protest about bringing Yuffie with him, but then
thought better of it. "All
right," he said. "Just don't get yourselves
lost." "You
either," Tifa replied as she followed Cloud. The corridor
went perhaps ten feet and then made a left in front of them,
but there were three doors before then, one on the left and
two on the right. Cloud reached the first one on the right and
grabbed the knob. He could see there was no lock, and these
were simple wooden doors anyway and he knew they would have no
trouble getting through them even if they were locked. But the
door opened easily. There
was a large storage room inside. Boxes lined the walls and
were piled up on shelves. They started methodically hunting
though them. "Most
of these boxes are empty," Tifa said after a few minutes,
holding one in her hand for Cloud to see. "Most
of these too," Cloud remarked sourly. "I hope
someone didn't come through here earlier and beat us to
it." Tifa
thought about that for a moment. "But
we just found out about it ourselves," she pointed out.
"Who would have known?" Cloud
shrugged. "I
don't think they knew what to do with most of the stuff they
had down here," Cait suggested "but they knew it
could be valuable. Perhaps someone came down here right before
Meteor struck and just grabbed whatever they could." "That's
possible," he answered. "Either way, all we can do
is look." It
didn't take them long to finish with that room. They moved on
to the next, and then the next. Red had explained that the
crystal materia did not look like any other materia. It was
not round but looked like a large multifaceted jewel. And
instead of the soft colored glow that emanated from all other
materia it was completely clear. But in each room they
searched they saw nothing that looked anything like that. Each
empty room they left behind made Cloud more and more uneasy.
He kept his ears open for any sounds in the corridors outside,
and even though he heard nothing he could not help but feel
that the enemy was closing in rapidly. They
searched though three more rooms with no luck. When Cloud went
to open the next door he was surprised to find that it was
locked. He
pointed it out to the others. "Maybe
that's a good sign," Tifa said "Perhaps there's
something important inside." Cloud
took a step back and then lunged forward. His shoulder hit the
door solidly and it flew open. They stepped inside. This
room was smaller than the others. It only held one shelf along
the back wall. The only thing on the shelf was a metal box. "At
least this won't take long," Cloud said. He
reached over and lifted the box off the shelf. There was a key
hole set in the front of the box, and Cloud thought it would
be locked, but it opened easily. He
didn't say anything for a moment, then he looked at them and
smiled. "Jackpot."
"All
right," Tifa said. "Let's get the others and get out
of here." They
started for the door when Cait, who was closest to it, stopped
and tensed. Even before he spoke the others heard the sounds
in the corridor outside. Cait looked out the door and then
turned toward them. "We've
got company," he stated. "This
is hopeless," Barret snarled, knocking some empty boxes
across the room. They
had already searched through four rooms and found nothing. "I
don't think getting angry will help the situation," Red
observed. Barret
just grumbled in response They
were almost done with this room. Barret walked out into the
corridor, leaving the last corner of the room for the others.
Just as he came out something off to his right caught his eye.
He turned to see something vanish around the corner. He didn't
see much, just a flash of blue. "There's
something out here," he called out. The
others came out and he explained what he had seen. Yuffie
boldly walked down the corridor and looked around the corner,
but the hallway was empty. At the end of the corridor stood
another metal door, slightly ajar. "It
looks like whoever or whatever it was went in there,"
Yuffie said, pointing to the door. "Should we
follow?" Barret
thought for a moment. There didn't seem to be much point in
it. They were here to get the Crystal materia, not chase
around after some Shinra monsters. Still, perhaps this would
give them some clue. It would only take a moment to look, and
he had to admit their search so far had been fruitless. "Yeah,
why not," he said finally. As
they walked toward the door they heard the sound of rushing
water behind it. It echoed strangely in the corridor around
them. They
reached the door and pulled it open. It seemed to lead into
some kind of service tunnel. There was a channel down the
center of the tunnel, and this was where the sound of the
rushing water was coming from. A narrow concrete path ran down
the tunnel on either side of the channel. They
stepped over and looked down. The water rushed swiftly through
the narrow channel. The tunnel was not long, and the water
passed through a grate at the northern end of it and
disappeared into an narrow opening at the southern. The
concrete path ended blindly at either end of the tunnel. There
was a rusty ladder leading up into the darkness on the other
side of the channel, but no way for them to get to it. "Well,
if anyone came in here they either flew out or swam out, and
either way I don't think we can follow," Red said. "I
suppose," Barret replied. He looked at the water again.
The rushing current would quickly sweep them away if they
attempted to cross. Not that he had any desire to. It now
appeared to him that whatever he had seen had not gone this
way at all. "All
right, I guess we better..." he began. Suddenly
there was a loud thump as the door to the room was slammed
shut! "Hey!"
Barret exclaimed. They
ran over to the door, but it did not budge when they tried to
open it. Barret slammed up against it. The door shuddered
slightly, but held. "DAMN!
They
were some type of zombie like creatures. Perhaps the residual
Mako energy from Meteor had reanimated them. Some of them
still wore tattered rags of what appeared to have once been
Shinra uniforms. Whatever they were, there were half a dozen
of them in the corridor, and Cait could see more coming around
the corner. He
had just settled into his fighting stance when Cloud burst
past him, sword flashing. Three of the zombies went down
before they had a chance to react, and the others hesitated,
surprised by the ferocity of the attack. But as more and more
of them came around the corner their boldness grew, until once
again they surged forward. In
moments the battle was joined in earnest. Tifa held back a
little, using his materia to cast defensive spells around
herself and her partners, only moving forward to attack when
she was sure they were well protected. Cloud fought with no
thought of defense, always advancing, always striking for the
kill, and even though this tactic usually caused havoc among
their enemies, it left Cloud dangerously exposed. It was
usually up to Tifa or one of the other more methodical members
of the party to protect him when he did. Cait
was more deliberate, only advancing when the enemy was off
balance or at a disadvantage. His huge Mog body could take as
well as dish out an enormous amount of punishment. Not many of
the zombies could stand in front of him for long. But
in spite of their fighting skills they found themselves slowly
being forced back. There seemed to be no end to their enemy,
and for every one that fell two or three replaced them. It
seemed that every creature in Midgar had been called to the
attack. "There
are too many of them," Tifa shouted. Cloud
swung viciously and another zombie went down. He glanced
around quickly. "You're
right," he called back. "Get back into the room.
I'll slow them down a little." Cloud
held up a green materia orb as Tifa and Cait bolted for the
room. They stepped to either side of the door once inside and
stopped. There
was a flash of blinding green light from the corridor and a
tremendous roar, and then Cloud burst into the room. He
slammed the door. "That
won't hold them for long," he said, panting. "And
neither will this door. I wonder were the others are?" Barret
paced back and forth in front of the door, feeling like a
caged tiger. "Damn,
" he said again. "That's
not going to help," Yuffie pointed out. "I
don't hear you coming up with any ideas," he snapped in
return. "At
least I'm not using up all my energy pacing and cursing,"
she answered. "And
a fat lot of good all your energy is going to do you if we
can't get out of here," he replied. Red
ignored their repartee and looked at the water. He had to
agree that their original assessment was correct. It was
running much too swiftly for them to get across before they
were dragged away. As he studied the water he caught a glimpse
of a dark shadow beneath the foam, and suddenly the water
started to bubble even more fiercely near the center of the
channel. He
stepped back. "I
think there's something...." he began. The
giant serpent burst up from beneath the foam with an ear
splitting cry, showering them in a spray of foam. Even though
Red had been prepared, he still was stunned momentarily. The
creature reached back and swung a huge clawed hand at him. He
recovered quickly enough to attempt to jump out of the way,
but was not entirely successful. The hand struck him a
glancing blow, yet it was still strong enough the toss him
hard against the stone wall. He slumped to the ground. "Shit,"
Barret exclaimed. He opened up with his gun, blasting away at
the creature. He saw Red go down but didn't get much of a look
before the creature swung at him. He dodged and then moved
back to the wall to stay as far away from the creature's claws
as possible. He saw Yuffie fling her shuriken and then run
swiftly in the other direction. The
creature reared back and then let out another screaming cry.
Then it struck again, this time swinging at Yuffie, who stood
there unmoving for a moment, then desperately flung herself
out of the way just in time. Barret
shook the cobwebs out of his head. "It's
using some kind of sonic attack, " he shouted over to
Yuffie. "Try to stay away from it when it screams!" "If
you see a place to hide, let me know," she called in
return. He
had to admit she had a point. The path on either side of the
channel was narrow, barely six feet across. Well within the
range of the huge serpents claws. There was no place to hide. Barret
let go another blast, backing away slowly. They didn't seem to
be doing much damage. He had his share of materia, but what
spell would be best to use? The creature seemed to be at home
in the water, so fire would seem the appropriate choice. But
he knew he didn't have the fire materia. Who did? He
looked at Red, who still lay stunned on the floor in the
center of the tunnel. He pulled out a green materia. "Yuffie,"
he called, "keep it occupied!" She
looked at him a moment, then threw her shuriken again and
stepped right to the edge of the channel. The creature turned
and lunged toward her. She dodged so desperately that she
tumbled and nearly fell into the churning water. In an instant
she was back on her feet scrambling away. "Thanks
a lot!" she called back to him. Barret
did not respond, for he was concentrating on the green materia
in his hand. Red
felt a surge of energy when he was hit with the cure spell. He
shook his head and got up, feeling his mind clear. "Red,
use fire!" he heard Barret call. The
creature screamed at them again. Barret covered his ears, but
it didn't seem to help much. The serpent turned and slammed
both claws down on Yuffie, and for a moment Barret was certain
she'd been crushed, but then he saw her scrambling away again,
apparently unhurt. The
creature screamed again, but this time in pain as it was hit
by a huge ball of fire. Barret stepped forward and started to
blast away with his gun again. There was a flash of light as
Yuffie hit the creature with a lightning spell. The
creature reeled back as Yuffie and Red hit it repeatedly with
their spells while Barret continued firing. With one final
scream it twisted around and sunk down below the raging water.
"We
toasted him," Yuffie yelled with glee. Barret
sat down for a moment to catch his breath. They had killed the
beast but they were still trapped. It
only took a minute for the zombies to break through the door,
but if they thought at all it was likely they regretted it.
For when they opened it they were met by Cloud's flashing
sword. The party was making it's stand just inside the
entrance, which was narrow and easily defended. The zombies
could only come at them two or three at a time, and for a long
time they stood their ground. But there seemed to be no end to
their enemy. Even after there was a pile of bodies in front of
them that almost formed a solid wall, they still kept coming. Slowly
the party was forced back in spite of all their attempts to
prevent it. Cloud continued to swing his sword viciously at
any zombie foolish enough to come within reach, but both Tifa
and Cait had long ago resorted to casting spells that caused
as much damage to as many zombies as possible. Tifa
risked a glance behind her and saw that the back wall was just
a few feet away. They could not retreat much further. She cast
an ice spell and stepped backwards, almost stumbling with
weariness They were all exhausted, and she knew she would not
have the strength to continue for much longer. It seemed
impossible that they could have attracted so much attention
without Barret and the others hearing or seeing something. Or
perhaps they were in the same situation somewhere else in the
vaults. She was just beginning to feel desperate about their
situation when the seemingly endless line of zombies suddenly
petered out. Cloud swung his sword one more time and the final
zombie fell. Then they all stood in silence, hardly believing
that the battle was finally over. "We
did it," Cloud said weakly, leaning on his sword for
support. Cait sat down while Tifa leaned against the wall.
They were too tired to respond. "Looks
like we caught you at a bad time," said a strange yet
familiar voice. They all looked up to see a man in a neat blue
suit standing in the doorway. Behind him two other people
stepped into view. "Turks,"
Cloud said softly. "Great." "So
what do we do now?" Yuffie asked. Barret
sat with his back against the wall, while Yuffie, without
realizing it, was now pacing back and forth. Red was wandering
around staring at the tunnel around them. "I'm
thinking," Barret replied. "In
that case we could be here a very long time," she
remarked. Barret
did not answer. He was too worried to be baited by her verbal
sparring. Someone had deliberately locked them in here, and
the only reason he could think of someone doing that was to
get them out of the way. He felt that Cloud and the others
were in desperate trouble. "We
have to get out of here," he muttered. Red
strode over to them. "Perhaps
we can," he said. "Look at those pipes." Barret
followed Red's gaze. In the corner near one end of the tunnel,
almost hidden in the shadows, two narrow pipes ran up the
wall. He looked up and saw that they ran into the ceiling
above, but another pipe ran out of the wall not to far from
them. This one ran across to the other side of the tunnel into
the far wall right next to the ladder. He
looked at Red. "Someone
might be able to make that," he said slowly. "But
those pipes would never support your weight," Red pointed
out. "And
you, of course, have already mentioned that climbing is not
one of your talents," Barret returned. They
both turned to look at Yuffie, who had stopped pacing and was
looking at the water now, unaware of their conversation. "Oh
Yuffie, " Barret called pleasantly. "We've got a
little job that requires your ninja skills. It'll also give
you a chance to get over your fear of heights." "Did
somebody take out an advertisement in the paper announcing we
would be in Midgar today?" Tifa questioned. Reno
stepped into the room and looked them over, a sly look on his
face. Rude and Elena followed. "I
wouldn't know about that," Reno said casually. "The
truth of the matter is we have no quarrel with you. We were
sent here to obtain a particular item. An item that seems
likely now to be in your possession. If you would be kind
enough to hand it over we can all avoid an unseemly
altercation." Cloud
gave a short bark of laughter. "I
seem to recall that the last time we had an unseemly
altercation the Turks came up at the short end of it," he
said fiercely. Elena
stepped forward. "I
told you they wouldn't listen," she said sharply.
"C'mon, let's just finish them." Reno
held up his hand. "Control
yourself, Elena," he answered calmly. "In their
weakened condition it would hardly be a fair fight. Besides,
they were kind enough to open up the vault for us and
eliminate any other opposition. We own them a debt of
gratitude. Give us the Crystal Materia and I give you my word
as a Turk that you will not be harmed." "And
if you are hoping that your friends will show up to give you a
hand," Elena added, "then you are in for a
disappointment." "What
did you do to them!" Tifa exclaimed. "Just
led them astray with a simple ruse," Reno replied.
"I assure you they were unharmed when we left them. Now,
I'm afraid I can't wait any longer. Will you give us the
materia?" Cloud
lifted up his sword and held it in front of himself. "Not
likely," he answered grimly. "So
be it," Reno stated, as if he had known all along. The
Turks attacked simultaneously. This fight was considerably
different from their battle with the zombies, who had used
brute force and large numbers to try to overpower them. The
Turks attacked with a coordinated well thought out plan. They
did not press the attack at close range, preferring to hold
back and pummel Cloud and his friends with magic spells. Tifa
realized the wisdom in this. In their exhausted state they
would soon be too weak to use their own spells, and this was a
safer course then a direct physical confrontation, where even
in his weakened state Cloud was still capable of doing serious
damage with his weapon. Tifa
saw Cloud fall backward as he was hit by a blast from Reno's
electromag rod. She turned to cast a cure spell but nothing
happened. She realized she no longer had the strength to use
her materia. With a sinking felling she realized they could
not win this battle. As
if they could feel Cloud and his friends weakening, the Turks
pressed forward, increasing the power of their attacks.
Suddenly Tifa felt burning pain as fire flashed around them.
She stumbled backwards and fell. She looked over to see the
other members of the party down as well. With sudden resolve
they all slowly got up, and stood with their backs literally
to the wall. If they were going to lose, they would sell
themselves dearly, she thought. The
Turks started forward but were interrupted by a blast of
gunfire. With a shout Yuffie and Red ran past Barret and threw
themselves into the fray. The Turks were instantly demoralized
by the sudden appearance of reinforcements, and immediately
were put on the defensive. With renewed vigor Cloud, Tifa and
Cait sprang forward to join their friends, but the Turks gave
way, knowing that the battle was hopeless now. They turned and
retreated into the corridor, and Cloud was too tired to pursue
them. Reno stopped and turned toward them. "Apparently
our simple ruse was a little too simple," he said.
"You've won this round, but you know this isn't the end
of it. We'll see you again soon enough." Cloud
knew that was true, but he said nothing as they turned and
disappeared down the corridor. "You
guys got here just in a nick of time," Tifa exclaimed. "That's
apparent," Yuffie said, seeing their obvious exhaustion. Barret
resisted the urge to snap at her. After all, she had climbed
across those pipes in the tunnel and gotten out quickly enough
to release them and get them here in time. In spite of her
character, she did have her uses. "Well, it's all over now," Cloud said. "We have the Crystal. I suggest we follow the Turks example and get out of here as fast as possible." |
Contact
Music (FF7) |
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Author: Frank Verderosa, all rights reserved. |