Chocobo's Final Fantasy Haven
Ray Pang
Story
Story
Story |
CHAPTER IIIMEN (and a WOMAN) IN BLUEThe
wind swirled around Tifa as she stepped out of the helicopter,
followed closely by Cloud and Aeris. They saw Red sitting a
short distance away. "Hi,
Red," Tifa said, running over to the red beast. "It's
good to see you all again," Red replied. "Come on,
Godo is waiting for you." He
led them quickly through the streets of Wutai until they came
to Godo's residence. Godo was waiting inside. "You're
here," he said, seeminingly quite pleased to see them.
"Come, sit down. I know you must be tired from your trip
and probably would like to get some rest, but what I have to
tell you is very urgent." "We're
not tired," Cloud said quickly. They
sat down while Godo stood in front of them. His face was drawn
and he looked worn. Aeris thought she had never seen him so
obviously worried. "The
trouble started about a month and a half ago," he said.
He suddenly produced a small orb and walked over to let them
look at it. Cloud
examined it closely. It was a materia orb, all right, but
something was wrong. All materia glowed faintly with Mako
energy, but this orb appeared dead. It was a dull grey with no
hint of color or life. "What
happened to it?" Cloud asked, looking up at Godo. "We
don't know," Godo replied. "But I can tell you that
all the materia in Wutai is like this. Something is sucking
all the energy out of our materia, and it's not just happening
in Wutai. It happened at Icicle Inn about two weeks before it
hit here. In fact, all the northern regions seem to have been
affected, and it's spreading." Tifa
looked at him curiously. "Like
some kind of disease?" she suggested. "Possibly,"
Godo replied. "We really don't know. But I don't think
so. I suspect a single entity is behind this. I seems that
someone, or something, is gathering all the Mako energy on the
planet, or at least a good portion of it. To what purpose, I
have no clue, but I think we urgently need to find out." Cloud
nodded in agreement. Whatever was causing this, he had a
distinct feeling that no good would come of it. "Aeris,"
he said, turning toward her. "Have you ever heard of
anything like this?" "I'm
not sure," Aeris replied slowly. "I seem to remember
a story about some kind of materia that could draw it's power
from all other materia. But I think it was some kind of
legend, or children's story. I don't think it was real. It was
a long time ago, and I'm not really sure..." She
stood in thought as her voice faded into silence. "The
only thing that seems certain is that the source of the drain,
whatever it is, is somewhere in the north," Godo said.
"So that's where I sent Yuffie, but now she has
disappeared." "Where
was she when you last heard from her?" Cloud asked. "At
Icicle Inn," Godo replied. "They were exploring some
area north of there, but I don't know the exact location.
That's another reason why I think this materia drain is being
caused by some directed intelligence, and not just some
strange natural phenomena. I believe she must have found out
something, or run afoul of whoever, or whatever, is causing
this. I fear she could be in serious trouble." "Then
the sooner we're on our way, the better," Cloud stated. "I
agree," Godo replied. "But even with my daughters
life at stake I know it would be foolish of you to rush off
unprepared. The others should be arriving some time tomorrow,
if all goes well. You can safely wait at least until then, I
should think." "You've
been in touch with everyone else?" Tifa asked. Godo
nodded. "Yes.
Red has already spoken with Vincent, who is on his way to get
Cid. The others are gathering at the Gold Saucer. I can send
Shake to pick them up tomorrow. Until then, rest and renew
yourselves. You have the hospitality of my house, and don't
hesitate to ask if you should need anything. I will have some
food prepared, and then I suggest you get some rest. You may
have a long and hard road in front of you." The
first thing she noticed was the smell of smoke in the air. She
was not concerned. The smell of burning leaves, or of a late
autumn cookout, was not uncommon this time of year. But as she
neared Nibelheim and the smoke began to swirl thickly about
her, she realized that something was very wrong. She
had been up in the hills around Nibelheim most of the day,
exploring new trails in the mountains. If she was going to be
a guide she needed to know the area like the back of her hand.
She was tired, but that didn't stop her from breaking into a
run when she saw the flickering of flames through the trees
ahead of her. She
came out of the trees and stopped in shock. Nibelheim was in
flames. The whole town seemed to be caught in a huge inferno.
She could see figures running through the fire, and she heard
the screams of the dying. "Pappa..."
she mouthed, though no words came out. The fear choked off her
voice, and for a moment it was almost overpowering. But in
spite of it she found herself rushing recklessly toward the
inferno, the fear overcome by a more pressing need. What had
become of her father? She
turned the corner that led onto the main street, coughing as
the smoke enveloped her. Now the flames were all around her
and if she had stopped to notice she would have felt the
intense heat. She did stop, but not because of the heat.
Across the road stood her home, or what was left of it,
engulfed in flames. Tifa
stared helplessly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she
heard cries off to her left. She turned. The flames rose high
overhead, but through them she could make out a dark figure
striding slowly down the street, his deliberate pace in sharp
contrast to all the other paniked individuals she had seen. As
two people ran by him, a sword flashed in the flickering light
and they fell to the ground and lay still. Suddenly
her fear was gone, overwhelmed by anger that welled up inside
her. Sephiroth! She knew somehow that he was responsible for
all this. With sudden determination she started toward him,
but a wall of flame rose up between them and forced her back.
She shouted his name, but he did not hear over the roar of the
flames. Now he was walking away from her, toward the old
Shinra Mansion. She
ran down the street until at the end of the block she found a
way past the flames. Quickly she made her way back, but when
she got to the mansion Sephiroth was gone. She looked around,
the mansion was in flames along with the rest of the town. He
had not gone in there. The only other way he could have gone
was down the trail to Mt. Nibel, toward the Mako reactor. She
ran down the trail. The
flames faded away behind her, but the fire still burning in
her heart raged on. She reached the Mako reactor just in time
to see Sephiroth cutting down yet another person standing in
front of it. She called his name again, and this time he
hesitated for a moment and seemed to glance in her direction,
but then he turned and entered the reactor. She
ran on. The man Sephiroth had struck was lying by the reactor
entrance. As she ran past him he moaned softly and turned his
face into the light. Tifa
stopped as if she had run into a wall. She knelt down and
lifted her father's head. He opened his eyes and looked at
her, and the trace of a smile formed on his lips at the sight
of her. His mouth moved as he tried to speak, but no words
came out. Then his head sank back in her arms. "Pappa,"
she said softly as the tears ran down her soot stained face.
For a moment more she cradled her father's lifeless figure in
her arms, head bowed. Then she felt the anger washing over her
once again. She placed her father's head carefully back down
on the cold earth. Then she lifted up her fists to the sky. "Sephiroth,
SOLDIER, Mako reactors, Shinra, everything. I hate them
all!" She
turned to face the entrance to the reactor. A sword gleamed on
the ground nearby. She picked it up, and, abandoning all
caution, ran inside. Sephiroth
stood at the top of a long stairway, facing away from her. She
ran blindly up the steps, sword held high, with no thought of
caution or stealth. Her rage consumed her, and her one thought
was to stirke out at the person that had destroyed everything
she held dear. Sephiroth
turned as she came clattering up the steps. He easily
sidestepped her clumsy swing. He reached out and grabbed her
arm with a vice like grip, twisting it and slipping the sword
out of her hands. He pushed her away and swung the sword up.
She raised her hands in a useless attempt to fend off the
blow, and then the sword came down savagely. Tifa
woke up and stared at the ceiling above her for a few seconds,
a shiver running down her back. It seemed like a lifetime had
passed since that night in Nibelheim, yet she still remembered
it as if it were yesterday. She
glanced over at the window to see the early morning light
streaming in. There was a sound coming from outside. A dull
roar, and that must have been what woke her. Curious, she got
up out of bed and went over to the window. The sound grew as
she did, and now it was almost uncomfortably loud. As she
walked she felt the house vibrating slightly. She looked out
the window to see some sort of large aircraft descending above
the houses not far away. She
walked over to the dresser and slipped off her nightgown. She
paused for a moment to look in the mirror above the dresser.
Slowly her hand traced the scar that ran from her left
shoulder to just below her right breast. Most of the scars
Sephiroth had left behind were not so obvious. Hastily
she threw on her clothes and ran out to see what was going on.
"So
what do you think of the Slipstream?" Cid asked. The
others were gathered around him in a large open field at the
edge of Wutai. A sleek black jet rested in the field in front
of them. "It's
very...loud," Aeris said. Even in idle, she could barely
be heard above the rumble of the engines. "Very
impressive," Cloud said, and he meant it. He didn't share
Cid's love of all things mechanical, but he had to admit the
jet was a good looking piece of equipment. "You built
this while working on the rocket too? Where do you find the
time?" "I
like to keep busy," Cid said curtly. "Very
nice," Red commented, "but I'm surprised you didn't
use the parts for your rocket." "Believe
me, it was tempting," Cid replied wryly. "But I was
commisioned to build it by the Governor at Fort Condor. They
paid for all the parts and equipment." "So
it's not really yours," Tifa said. "Oh,
it's mine all right," Cid replied quickly. "In
return for building it and giving them the plans I got to keep
the prototype. I did consider taking it apart to use on the
rocket, but when it came down to it I just couldn't. I guess I
just miss the my old airship more than I thought." "I
was kind of suprised when you told us you had dismantled the
Highwind," Cloud agreed. Cid
shrugged. "It
appears you no longer need the use of the helicopter,"
Godo observed, speaking for the first time. "No,"
Cloud agreed. "I’ve got a feeling we’ll get where we
are going a lot faster in this thing." He
turned to Cid. "We’ve
got to pick up the others in the Gold Saucer. So how would you
like to take us for a little ride." "Just
hop right in," Cid replied with a grin. In
took them a few minutes to get their things together, but in a
short time they were in the air, winging their way toward the
Gold Saucer. Cid couldn’t help showing off a little by
putting the plane through some high speed turns and rolls. The
others endured it with varying degrees of enthusiasim. Tifa
sat clutching the arms of her chair with white knuckles as
they flew upside down just above the treetops, but she gritted
her teeth and said nothing. Cloud, on the other hand, seemed
to be having a great time, and kept encouraging Cid to do more
wild manuevers. Tifa was sorely tempted to tell him to shut
up, but held her tongue. Red was looking out the windows
nervously, his tail twitching furiously. Vincent seemed to be
the only one completely undisturbed. Aeris looked calm as
well, but then she looked at Cid. "Can
this thing fly in a straight line?" she asked. Cid
looked back at them and grinned. "Yeah,
but what fun would that be?" he replied. In
spite of his response he righted the plane and leveled off,
although it seemed to Tifa they were still dangerously low.
She tried to relax the rest of the way, but she did not feel
really comfortable until they had finally landed and she
stepped off the plane at the Gold Saucer. "So
where are we supposed to meet the others?" Aeris asked. "In
the lobby of the Ghost Hotel," Cloud replied.
"C'mon." He
led them swiftly through the entrance. Even though Tifa had
been here many times, she was still facinated by the glitter
and carnival atmostphere of the huge amusement park. They
reached the hotel and entered the lobby. They immediately
spotted Barret pacing back and forth in front of the reception
desk. Cait sat in a chair nearby, a deck of cards laid out on
a small coffee table in front of him. "Barret,"
Cloud called. Both
Barret at Cait looked up at his call. Cait gathered his cards
and they both walked over. "It's
about time you guys got here," Barret said with a smile.
"I was starting to wear a hole in the carpet. He
pulled both Tifa and Aeris to him and crushed them in a bear
hug. "How
are my two favorite ladies?" "We
were fine until now," Tifa gasped. "How's
Marlene?" Aeris questioned when he relented and let them
go. "Good,"
Barret replied. "She had her first day of school last
week. Can you believe it?" "How
did she take it?" Aeris asked. "She
did fine," Barret replied. "I was the one who was a
mess. She's growin up so fast! I've finally gotten to see a
little more of her and I just want to spend every
minute..." He
stopped, looking at something behind them. The others turned
to see three people standing in the lobby entrance. The Turks!
"How
touching," Reno said with a mocking look on his face. Cloud's
hand immediately went to his sword. "What
are you three doing here?" he questioned sharply. "Relax,"
Reno replied causally. "We're not here to fight. In fact,
we're here to help. Godo hired us to give you a hand finding
Yuffie." Everyone
except Rude looked at him in surprise. "What?"
Barret exclaimed angrily. "We're
working with them?" Elena said, the shock plain on her
face. "No
way," Tifa found herself saying. "We
don't need your help," Cid said grimly. "Apparently
Godo disagrees," Reno replied, unfazed. "I guess
he's so concerned about his daughter that he thought you could
use all the help he could get you. I don't really know, and to
tell you the truth I don't really care. I'm not too pleased
with the situation myself, but Godo's gil is just as good as
anyone else's, and he's paying us a lot of it." "You
didn't tell us we'd be working with them," Elena cut in
angrily, obviously as much in the dark as Cloud and his
friends had been. "There's no way I'm going to do
it!" Reno
looked at her dryly. "Elena,
snap out of it," he said rather harshly. "You're a
Turk, don't forget that. It's unproffesional to let your
emotions interfere with a job. I'm suprised at you." Elena
gave Reno a look of pure hatred. She opened her mouth as if to
protest again, but then shut it and turned away angrily. "Well,
I'm sure as hell not working with them!" Barret spit out
angrily. "Not after what they did to Sector 7. Not after
they murdered Jessie, Biggs and Wedge!" Elena
turned back toward them. "And
how many people do you think died when you blew up the
reactors in Sectors one and five?" she questioned
caustically. "I knew a lot of those people. Some of them
were close friends." Barret
glared at her, but said nothing. "All
right, everyone just calm down," Cloud said. He was
surprised as everyone else with this turn of events. Could
this be some kind of trick? If so, he could not see the
purpose behind it. It would be easy enough to contact Godo and
verify Reno's claim. It was kind of shocking to think that
Godo would hire the Turks, but who knows what a man would do
when his only daughter was missing? If Godo felt desperate
enough, he might just do it. "We
all did a lot of things we regret back in Midgar," he
said. "We all lost people who we were close to. But that
was war, and in war you often do things that you may not be so
proud of later on. But the important thing to remember is that
it's over now. There is no more Shinra, there is no more
reason to continue that paritcular fight. We have a new
mission now, to find out what is happening to the materia and
to find Yuffie, and much as it may displease me to work with
the Turks, I'm willing to do it if Godo thinks it's the best
way to find his daughter." He
looked at each of the others in turn, his gaze lingering on
Barret, who grumbled but said nothing. Tifa could sympathize.
Of everyone here, she and Barret had been closest to those who
had died when Sector 7 was destroyed. It was a bitter pill to
swallow to have to work with the one who had caused it now,
but if Cloud thought it best, she wasn't about to protest. "So
it's agreed," Aeris stated, looking at the Turks,
"We all work together?" Rude
nodded. Reno looked at Elena, who glared back at him but gave
a curt nod. Reno
looked at Cloud. "All
right then," Cloud said. "Now that that's settled.
Godo said that Icicle Inn was the last place Yuffie contacted
him from, so I guess it would be best to start our search
there. C'mon, let's head back to the Slipstream." He
turned and walked out, the others falling in line behind. As
he walked Red came up beside him. "So
what do you make of this, Red," Cloud asked softly.
"Do you think Godo has lost faith in us?" Red
shrugged. "I
don't think so," he replied. "I think like most
fathers his daughter means everything to him, and he'll do
anything he can to get her back. I guess he figures the more
people he has looking, the more likely it is someone will find
her." "But
why pick the Turks, of all people?" "Their
morals may be in question," Red replied, "but they
do seem to have a certain code, and a reputation to uphold. As
long as he pays them, I think they will do everything in their
power to get the job done. Their questionable morals may even
come in handy in certain circumstances. They may be able to
obtain information that we could not." Cloud
shook his head. What a strange twist of events, he thought.
Whatever else might happen, he didn't think he would get a
bigger suprise than to find out that they would be working
side by side with the Turks! Little did he know how wrong he
was.
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Author: Frank Verderosa, all rights reserved. |