Chocobo's Final Fantasy Haven
Ray Pang
Story
Story
Story |
CHAPTER VWINTER WONDERLANDTifa
turned sharply and slid to a halt. She stepped off her
snowboard and looked back up the slope. The others were far
behind. She could make out one small figure up on the slope
above her, but of the other there was no sign. She
studied the figure, but he was too far away to identify.
Still, she knew it had to be Red. He was going in much too
straight a line to be Barret. She
picked up her snowboard and looked around. It had snowed
during the night, laying down another six inches of powder
over the ground that had already been covered, and blanketing
the trees in the forest in front of her with a layer of white.
She
glanced up. The sky was clear now, and the sun shone brightly,
but it gave off little warmth. Although she was flushed with
heat from the effort of snowboarding down the slope, she knew
it would soon pass. She pulled the zipper on her ski suit up
another inch, thankful that they had had the foresight to come
properly prepared this time. She
looked back up the slope. She could see Red plainly now. He
had a rather unique snowboarding method. She had never seen
anyone sitting on one before. However, though not very fast it
did seem to be effective enough. She
looked back up the slope as Red came to a stop beside her. She
could see Barret now. He seemed to favor the slide wildly out
of control, then fall and roll method of snowboarding. Even as
she looked she saw him take a tumble. She
shook her head. Cloud would have given her a run for the
money. But he was... Oh
no, she wasn't going to get started with that again, she
thought firmly. This wasn't the time or the place. They
waited patiently until Barret stumbled to a halt not far away.
He stepped off the snowboard, picked it up, and heaved it into
a nearby snowbank. "Goddam
stupidest form of transportation I've ever seen!" he said
angrily as he walked over to them. Tifa smiled. With his
clothing covered with snow from his numerous falls, he looked
like nothing so much as a huge polar bear. "What
the hell is so funny?" he said, looking at her
accusingly. "Nothing,"
she replied, trying to look innocent. She pointed to the left.
"I think the trail leads off this way." "Ungh,"
he grumbled, and started off. Tifa and Red fell in behind. A
narrow trail led into the trees. Tifa looked around, trying to
remember if they had come this way when they were here the
previous time, but she couldn't be sure. She remembered a lot
of walking on trails through the forest, but they all looked
pretty much the same to her. The
trail led east, and for a long time it ran level through the
forest. After a while they came to a rocky area, and they
investigated a small cave, but it was empty, and showed no
sign of having been visited recently. The path from there led
northward, and the ground started to climb up slowly. Eventually
they reached a large clearing with a single pine tree near the
center. Tifa seemed to remember seeing that before. To the
left the forest dropped down into a shallow valley. She could
see the gleam of sunlight off of a small lake at the bottem. A
trail led down that way, but the one they followed led
northward, up steeply into the hills. She was sure they had
been this way before, and the climb had not been easy. It was
no easier this time, and they were all huffing and puffing
when they finally reached a clearing high up on the hillside. "Let's
rest here a minute," Barret said. He brushed the snow off
a fallen trunk of a tree and sat down. Tifa
quickly sat down beside him, gratful for the rest. They were
high up in the hills now, and could see miles of wilderness
below them. Tifa stared out at the land below. She could see
no sign of them, but she knew that somewhere below them the
others were making there way though that very same forest. "What
a veiw," Barret commented. "Uh
huh," she replied. She continued to stare, hoping to
see...what? She really didn't know. Maybe a small movement
somewhere in the trees below, or perhaps the flash of sunlight
glinting off a sword. "Almost
makes it worth the trip up here," Barret continued. He
looked around. "You know, I'm suprised we haven't run
into any wild beasts. They were pretty numerous the last time
we came through here. But we haven't seen one." He
turned to look at her. "Or
am I talking too much again?" She
smiled. "No,
you can talk. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to
snap at you." "It's
okay, I'm a big boy," he replied. "I can take it. I
just didn't realize how upset you were about the
situation." Tifa
was silent for a moment. "It's
not even that really," she said finally. "It's not
the Turks, although I don't like working with them. It's just
that..." "What
the hell is he up to?" he interrupted. She
looked at Barret, who was looking behind them. She turned to
see Red slowly working his way up through the rocks, head down
and moving back and forth methodically. "Red?"
she called. He
did not answer. He continued moving up the rocks. Then he
suddenly lept up onto a large boulder and disappeared behind
it. They
both got up. "Red!"
Tifa called. "What are you doing?" There
was no response. They walked over the the rocks that Red had
climbed. They saw nothing out of the ordinary. They both
looked at each other. "Where
does he think he's going?" Barret asked. Tifa
shrugged. "Don't
know, but I guess we better follow." They
started up the rocks. They went slowly, for the footing was
treacherous. Some of the rocks came free when stepped on, so
they had to walk carefully. Eventually, however, they climbed
up on the large boulder Red had disappeared beyond. Red
was in a narrow cleft that formed a small level clearing among
the crumpled rocks of the mountainside. He seemed to be
walking around randomly, nose to the ground as if sniffing the
rocks. Every once in a while he would lift his head and sniff
the air as well. "Red,
are you okay?" Tifa questioned. Still
he did not answer, though he was barely ten feet away and she
knew he must have heard her. He had his head down once more,
and now seemed to be concentrating on one small area just
under the cliff face. He pawed a few of the rocks out of the
way, his nose to the ground. "What
the hell had gotten into him?" Barret exclaimed. They
stepped down off the boulder and walked over to stand right
beside him, but he still acted as if they did not exist.
Suddenly he sat down on his haunches, lifted his head to the
sky, and gave off a mournful howl. "Red,
what the hell is the matter?" Barret shouted. Red
howled again. Barret went to grab hold of him but Tifa stopped
him. He looked at her, but she just shook her head and pulled
his arm back slowly. Barret
shugged and they both just stood there. Red howled once more,
then his head sank down to the ground. He sniffed once more,
then turned towards them. "Sorry,
did you say something?" "What
the hell was that?" Barret exclaimed. "I'm
not quite sure," Red replied. "There's something
here, or there was something here. I smell something in the
air, and on the rocks, all around. I've never smelled anything
quite like it. It made me feel so strange. I don't know how to
explain it, but I've never experienced anything like it
before." "Something
dangerous?" Barret asked. "No,
at least, I don't think so. But it isn't like that at all. It
makes me feel...good, I think. I can't explain it." Barret
gave Red a puzzled look. "Now
you're begining to sound like Aeris. You're not making any
sense at all." Red
shrugged. "Sorry."
"Are
you all right now?" Tifa asked. "Yes,
of course" Red replied. Barret
looked around. "Well,
if you're done doing...whatever it was you were doing, we
better get going. There's only an hour or two of light left.
We better get a move on if we are going to cover our area
before dark." They
climbed back over the rocks and continued north. The trail now
wound back downhill. It was much easier going and they soon
reached the bottem of the slope. The sun was low in the sky
now and hidden behind the mountain. The wind started to pick
up, blowing in from the east. It felt much colder, and Tifa
pulled her hood up. "Look,
there's another cave," Red said, looking over at a dark
crevice at the base of the mountain to their left. "Let's
check it out," Barret said, starting over. "A
good excuse to get out of the cold," Tifa observed,
following quickly. The
entrance was narrow, but it widened out immediately, and was
quite spacious inside. Though the light inside was dim, it
appeared empty. Tifa walked toward the back where she thought
it might be warmer. Red
walked in last and looked around. "Someone
has been here," he said. "Huh?"
Barret exclaimed. "How can you tell?" "There
are faint tracks on the floor," he replied. "Not
that recent, but not too old either." He
indicated a spot on the floor, and when Barret looked
carefully he saw faint footprints. He stood up and looked at
Tifa. "There
may have been somebody here," he said. "See anything
back there?" Tifa
looked around, surprised. Somehow she had not expected them to
find anything. "No,
I don't...oh my God." "What?"
Barret exclaimed. They rushed over to Tifa. She was standing
with her hands covering her mouth, looking down at a body
lying in the rear of the cavern. "It's
not Yuffie, is it?" Barret asked. But
it was obvious from a glance that it was not. It was a much
larger person than Yuffie, and it was a man. He was laying on
his stomach, with his face turned partially towards them.
Barret looked at his face and at first thought it was a
stranger, but then he realized it was familiar. "It's
Staniv," he said slowly. "Oh
no," Tifa said and turned away. Red
came up beside Barret and looked at the body. "Did
he freeze to death?" Barret asked. Red
did not answer for a moment. "I'm
not sure," he said slowly. "There aren't any cuts,
but a lot of bruises. I don't know if that would have killed
him. It looks like he was in some kind of fight though." "Could
he have gotten the bruises in a fall?" Barret asked. Tifa
steeled herself and turned to look at the body over Red's
shoulder. "Good
question," Red replied. "Hard to say, though."
He turned away and examined the floor for a while. "There
are a lot of tracks here," he said after a short silence.
"At least five people. I don't think any of them were
Yuffie, there's no tracks small enough to be hers. I think he
was the victem of foul play. If the others had not been
enemies, why would they leave him here?" Tifa
had been examining the body slowly, now she turned toward
them. "His
neck was broken." "What?"
Barret said. He walked over to her. She pointed to a bruise on
the back of Staniv's neck. "Someone
hit him at the base of the skull." "Hit
him with what?" Barret asked. "Their
fist," she replied. She stood up, still looking at the
body. "And these other bruises, I think there's no doubt
about it. He was killed by someone trained in martial arts.
Someone who was very good." They
all stood in silence for a long time. Neither Barret nor Red
doubted what Tifa said. Finally
Barret turned to look toward the entrance. "We
better get moving," he said. "It's almost dark. I
think it's time to head to Mr. Holzoff's cabin. We've got a
lot to tell the others." No
one else spoke, but Red followed Barret toward tne exit. Tifa
glanced once more at Staniv's body, shivered, and slowly
followed them out. "Let's
get moving," Cloud said. Aeris
slung her snowboard over her back and followed Cloud as he led
them down the trail. She had been uncomfortable on the board,
but she thought she had done quite well for a beginer. Cait
had barely been able to stand on the board, and though she had
tried to stay with him for moral support, he went so slowly
that after about the tenth time he waved for her to go on she
did just that. Cloud had stayed with her, though she knew he
could have easily outdistanced her if he had chosen to. Though
she hadn't done badly she was still glad to be off the board
and on her own two feet. They
trudged through the forest for quite some time in silence.
Aeris wasn't exactly sure what she should be looking for. Some
sign of Yuffie, she knew, but she hardly expected to run into
her walking down the trail in the other direction. With last
night's snowfall, it didn't seem likely they would find any
tracks either. She kept her eyes open, but all she saw was the
empty trail ahead and the snow clad trees all around. Eventually
they came to a large clearing with a frozen lake in the
center. Cloud walked to the edge of the ice and looked out
across the lake. He turned to the others. "There's
an island out there with a small cave. I remember it from the
last time we were here. We should go check it out, but the ice
on the lake is trecherous. Aeris, you better wait here while
Cait and I go take a look." "What,
it's too dangerous for a girl?" she said, somewhat
indignently. "That's
not what I meant," he replied. He had been hoping she
wouldn't object, but to tell the truth, he hadn't been that
hopeful. "It'll be better if we have someone back here
safe. Then if we get in trouble, you can give us a hand or get
us some help." Aeris
looked at him for a moment. "Nice
try," she said finally, "but I'm coming along."
Cloud
turned away and shook his head. Women! He
started off across the ice, realizing that arguing was
pointless. Aeris and Cait followed. Cloud remembered that the
ice had been breaking up in the middle of the lake the last
time, but now it was a solid sheet. It must be colder than it
had been then, he thought. It made the going a little easier,
but the wind and water had churned up the ice as it had frozen
and there were jagged humps and narrow crevices they had to
negotiate, so it was still trecherous, but they made it across
without mishap. The
entrance to the cave was narrow and little over three feet
high. They had to get down on hands and knees to enter. Aeris
wasn't comfortable squeezing into such as small space, but she
did not protest, and inside the cave was roomy enough. They
could see as soon as they entered that the cave had been
inhabited some time in the past. There were some ragged sacks,
or perhaps clothing, and the broken handle of what might have
been a shovel in one corner, and there was a ring of ashes and
some charred wood in the center of the room. "Do
you think this could have been left by Yuffie?" Cait
asked, looking around. Cloud
pushed the pile of rags around with his foot. "These
could have been left by anybody," he replied. "I
seem to remember at least some of this stuff being here the
last time we came though. That fire, however, was not there.
Someone has been here not too long ago, but unless we find
some better clues, there's no way to tell who it was." They
looked around for a short while, but found nothing more.
Although he had no proof, Cloud had a hunch this was somehow
connected with Yuffie. This was a remote region, almost
uninhabited. Any sign that they found at all was more than
likely to be connected to her in some way. "Looks
like we've seen all we can see here," he commented.
"Let's get going." Even
if they had found positive proof that Yuffie had been here it
still wouldn't tell them much more than that they were on the
right track. They
squeezed out the entrance and headed back across the ice. This
time across Aeris slipped once and banged her knee painfully,
but she glanced at Cloud and went on without a word. When they
reached land once more they headed north along the eastern
shoreline. A mountain rose up steeply on their right as they
walked, but they stayed along the lake. Aeris shaded her eyes
and looked up the slope. A trail led up that way, and she was
glad they weren't going in that direction. She was tired
enough trudging through the deep snow, going up the mountain
would have made it even more difficult. The
lake curved slowly to the left until they found themselves
heading west. Aeris noticed that this portion of the lake was
ice free, and she could see steam curling off the water. "Is
this a hot spring?" she asked. Cloud
looked at the lake. "Yeah,"
he replied. "Let's
stop for a minute," she said, walking toward the water
without waiting for a reply. As
she approached the water she could feel the heat coming off
it. She sat down on the edge and inhaled deeply. She had been
cold and her knee ached where she had banged it, but the
warmth made her feel much better. She
turned to the others to call them over. A
mound of white was moving toward them out of the trees at the
foot of the mountain. "Look
out!" she cried. Cloud
turned to see a huge cicular mouth bristling with dagger like
teeth bearing down on him. With a cry of surprise both he and
Cait dodged out of the way. The mouth missed, but the huge
bulk of the giant ice worm bowled them both over and sent them
sprawling into the snow. Cloud
sprang to his feet, struggling to try to unsheath his sword.
They had not met any dangerous creatures, and the sad fact was
he had let down his guard. Now he flung himself to the side
again as the jaws snapped at him one more time. Cait
found himself pinned under the creature in the snow, and
thought for a moment he might be crushed by the huge weight.
He would have been an easy target, but for the fact that the
creature was focused on Cloud as it's main course. Cait
struggled to pull himself out from under it, but to no avail.
He pounded on the creature with his fists, but it felt like he
was punching a huge rubber ball, and he doubted if the monster
felt anything at all. He glanced over at Aeris, who had not
moved from the lake. She was just standing there with her head
bowed, not even looking at them. He didn't think there was
much she could do, but she could at least lend a hand! Cloud
continued to dance wildly around in the snow trying to avoid
the worms fearsome jaws, but the snow hindered his movements.
As he dodged he looked for some kind of cover, but the
treeline was a good thirty yards away, and he would never make
it in this deep snow. If it would just give him a moment to
draw his sword he would at least have a fighting chance. Suddenly
Cait found himself free. The worm had twisted round, swinging
it's huge bulk into Cloud and sending him sprawling into deep
snow. He scrambled to get up, but the snow made it nearly
impossible to move. The worm towered above him. Cait
stood up and started to rush over, but the snow hindered him
as well, and he knew he could not reach Cloud in time to be of
any help. He looked over at Aeris, who suddenly looked up and
raised her rod over her head. An
aura of yellow light suddenly blazed around her. It swirled
and flashed in the air, and then it flashed out and inundated
both Cait and Cloud. Instantly
Cloud felt himself filled with power. He drew his sword in an
instant. He raised it over his head, and it flashed with
light. The ice worm struck, and was met by cold steel. Cloud
swung with inhuman speed, slashing like lightening, over and
over again. Now the worm was stumblling backward, trying to
escape from this floundering human that had suddenly turned
into a ferocious beast. Cloud pressed in, showing no sign of
fatigue or slowing, swinging the sword as if possessed by a
demon. The worm reared up once again, but this time in it's
death throes. Then it collapsed to the ground and lay still. Cloud
looked around, almost as if in a daze. It seemed to take him a
long time to realize that the there were no more enemies to
fight. Cait
stood looking at Cloud. Even though he had felt the power
inside himself, he had barely had a chance to move before
Cloud had dispatched the beast. Cloud
looked at Aeris, who was walking back over to them slowly. "I
take it that was your doing," he said. Aeris
nodded. "You
looked like you needed a hand," she said modestly. A
smile formed on his lips. "Thanks,"
he said. "About
time," Elena said as Reno slid to a stop beside her. Reno
gave her a dark look. "You're
pushing your luck," he said. He stepped off the snowboard
and slipped it over his back. Then he took out his nightstick
and pointed it at her. "If we weren't on an important
mission I'd be tempted to teach you a little lesson." "Ohh,
I'm so scared," she replied sarcastically. Rude
walked between them and started down the trail. "Let's
go kids," he said. Reno
stared at Elena for a moment more, then turned and followed
Rude. There had been a definite lack of discipline lately, and
it was starting to annoy him. The fall of Shinra had a lot to
do with it, he thought, but the death of Tseng even more so.
Tseng had been the leader, the one that had held them
together. Things had changed since he was gone, and all for
the worse. Reno had tried to carry on in Tseng's footsteps,
had tried to hold together what Tseng had built, but he
realized he didn't have the leadership qualities that Tseng
had possessed. Elena especially had looked up to Tseng, and
now that he was gone she seemed almost uncontrollable. He was
unhappy that the once proud Turks appeared to have fallen so
far, yet he was at a loss as to what he could do. Sometimes
he wondered why he even bothered about it. Even with the death
of Tseng and the fall of Shinra they were still doing pretty
well. There hadn't been any shortage of jobs for them, and
they were actually doing quite well financially. When it came
down to it, wasn't that all that really mattered? Reno
caught up with Rude and they walked together down the trail,
Elena following a little behind. It was slow going in the deep
snow, and Reno thought they would have been better off with
skis than those blasted snowboards. At least they could have
used those cross country. He also might have been able to keep
up a little better. It didn't help his leadership qualities to
have been left in the dust by both of the others. Much
as he hated to admit it, the money was not all there was to
it. He had wanted to be a Turk since childhood. He still
remembered the pride he had felt the first time he had slipped
on the blue suit. How he had finally felt like he was part of
something, that he belonged. After a childhood spent drifting
from one foster family to another, he finally had found a
home. No,
the Turks meant much more to him than just a name. They had
been the only thing of importance in his life for almost as
long as he could remember, and he was scared to death that the
fall of Shinra would mean the end of the organization. He
glanced at Rude, who trudged on stoically. Good old dependable
Rude. They had been friends since they had joined the Turks,
but even Rude seemed changed since Tseng had died. Though he
had never been much of a talker, Reno knew that Rude had
shared his feelings about being a Turk. But now Rude just
seemed to be going through the motions sometimes, and Reno
suspected that Rude might just be staying with them because of
their friedship, and not for any pride in the organization
they represented. He
couldn't really blame either one of them, he thought ruefully.
Just what did any of them have left to be proud of? Mabye
Elena was right, and they had been reduced to stooges taking
orders from a group of people they despised. Was this what the
Turks were all about? What would Tseng think if he saw them
now? Reno
looked up and suddenly saw that he had fallen behind both Rude
and Elena, and now was last in line. He
shook his head. Tseng was dead, and there was no bringing him
back, and no replacing him. He couldn't be Tseng, he thought,
and it would just make things worse if he tried to be. He just
had to be Reno, and go on as best he could. They
slowly made their way northward. For a long time they saw
nothing but the trail and the forest surrounding them.
Occasionally the trail would open up into a clearing, but they
saw no sign that anyone had been in the area recently. The
ground gradually grew rockier around them, and the land slowly
rose up on their left. The trees became less numerous, but the
land was broken up and full of jagged and jumbled rocks, so
the going actually became more difficult. They discovered a
small cave a little further down the path, but it was
deserted. The
mountain rose up steeply on the left now. Reno glanced up and
the glint of sunlight reflecting off something high up on the
slope caught his eye, but in an instant it was gone. He kept
glancing up as they continued walking, but saw nothing
further. Reno
wondered if what he had seen was important. He couldn't think
of anything out in the wilderness that would reflect the
sunlight like that. They probably should check it out, but he
wouldn't have been anxious to climb up that steep slope on the
best of days, much less through deep snow when they were
already exhausted. He
was tempted to walk on without even mentioning it to the
others, but finally decided he was just being lazy. Typical
Reno mentality, he thought. He
called the others to a halt and told them what he had seen.
They looked up the slope, obviously no more anxious than he to
climb up. "Are
you sure you saw something?" Elena asked dubiously. "Yes,"
he replied. Did she think he was making it up? "The sun
glinted off something, right up there. I'm sure of it." "Okay,"
she replied. "I just wouldn't want to walk all the way up
there for no reason." "Where
was it again?" Rude asked. Reno
pointed. "Right
around there." "Don't
see anything now," Rude stated. "But
there was something," Reno reiterated. Were they both
doubting him now? "I
suppose someone should go check it out," Elena ventured.
"But I don't see why we should all have to go up
there." Reno
looked at her. "So
who's going to go?" Elena
shrugged. "You're
the one who saw it." He
resisted the urge to snap at her. He was the leader, he should
either volunteer to do it himself or designate one of the
others. He looked up the slope again. He did not want to go up
there. "We're
all tired," he said finally. "Let's just rest for a
little while. Then we can decide." Elena
shrugged but didn't object. They brushed the snow off some
flat rocks on the side of the trail and sat down. The rock was
uncomfortable and cold. Reno folded his arms acorss his chest
to conserve body heat. This wasn't turning out to be one of
their most comfortable assignments. They
were sitting there for only a few minutes when there was a
sharp retort from somewhere up on the mountain above them.
They all looked up at the sudden noise, which had sounded like
nothing so much as a blast of gunfire, or cannon fire. It
echoed through the valley around them. "What
the hell was that?" Rude said. Reno
stood up, puzzled. He looked up the slope and suddenly it
looked as if the entire mountainside was moving. "Avalanche!"
he yelled. "Run." They
all scrambled up and ran as fast as they could through the
snow back the way they had come. Reno kept glancing up at the
slope, and each time he saw the wall of white closing on them
with frightening speed. Now the ground around them trembled,
making footing even more difficult. If they stayed on the
trail they would be overwhelmed. "This
way," he shouted, running off the trail and into a
tangled group of boulders to the right. He threw himself down
behind the largest one and turned to the others. Rude
was just coming around the side of the boulder when the wall
of snow struck. Reno saw Rude for an instant being thrown
through the air, then everything turned white. For
a moment there was a thunderous roar, and then all went
silent. Reno lay unmoving until he was sure it was over. When
he tried to move he found he was pinned by the snow. He felt
panic rise up inside him. God knew how deeply he was buried! With
all his strength he pushed upward. He felt the snow give a
little, and then it fell away as he burst up into the
sunlight. He stood for a moment looking around, blinking. He
had not been deeply buried at all. The boulder had shielded
him from the worst of it. The
others were nowhere to be seen. He stumbled away from the
boulder in the direction he had last seen Rude, calling
wildly. But just as he did so he saw Rude scramble out of the
snow not ten feet away. Rude
looked at him. "Where's
Elena?" "I
don't know," Reno replied. She had not reached the
shelter of the boulder before the avalanche hit. Thinking back
on it now, he wasn't even sure if she had followed them. He
couldn't remember looking back as they had run. He
looked around helplessly. "How
close to you was she when it hit us?" he asked. Rude
shook his head. "I'm
not sure." "Did
you see her at all?" Reno questioned sharply. "She
was behind us when we were on the trail," Rude replied.
"I don't know if she followed us into the rocks." "Damn,"
Reno muttered. He started working his way back to the trail.
In some places the snow was over chest deep. Even if she had
been following them the snow could have knocked her yards
away. Unless she was right nearby it would take a miracle to
find her. Rude
followed, a little further to the right. As
the minutes dragged by Reno began to despair. He didn't know
how long she could survive under the snow and it was begining
to look like it might be impossible to find her. She could be
a pain in the ass sometimes, but she was still a Turk, she was
still one of them. He did not want to lose her. He
paused for a minute to catch his breath and looked around
helplessly. The snow had buried the entire trail in front of
them. She could be anywhere. He
was about to continue when he stopped suddenly and looked
around. He thought he heard a muffled sound. Rude
was scraping through the snow nearby. "Rude,
hold on a second," he said. Rude
stopped, and Reno stood there for a minute, listening
carefully. He could faintly make out muffled cries. "I
hear her," he said forcefully. "She's over this way.
Give me a hand." He
started shoving the snow away with renewed vigor. Rude came
over to search beside him. He stopped again and now he hear
her plainly, calling their names. She had to be close. "Elena,
we can hear you," he shouted. "Keep calling." He
pushed the snow aside to his right, and suddenly a hand
appeared in the whiteness. He grabbed it and hauled her out of
snow. She
gasped and shivered. "Oh,
thank God," she said. "I thought I was a
goner." They
helped her over to the boulder, where she sat down to catch
her breath. Reno and Rude sat down on either side of her. "Are
you okay?" Rude asked. She
nodded. "I
was so scared. I thought I was dead for sure. Thanks for
pulling me out." Rude
just shrugged, and Reno didn't say anything, but just looked
at her. She was actually a pleasent person when she dropped
her arrogent air, and it kind of reminded him of why she had
been chosen to join them in the first place. He just hoped it
didn't always take a near death experince to bring out this
side of her. "Do
you think you are strong enough to go on?" he asked. She
stood up slowly and looked at herself as if to check and see
if all her parts were still there. Then she nodded. "Do
you think we can continue now that the trail is
obliterated?" she asked. Reno
looked northward. The avalanche had dumped an enormous amount
of snow on the trail in front of them. It would be difficult
to get through. "Yes,"
he said without hesitation. "It might be more difficult
to go on, but we're much closer to Holzoff's cabin than if we
turned back. Besides, someone deliberately set off that
avalanche. Whoever did it was either trying to kill us
outright or at least discourage us from continuing. Nothing
would please me more than to show them that their little
scheme had failed. It looks like we might be on the right
track" Elena
nodded and the all stood up. "Let's
get going then," Rude said. They
headed northward once again, trying to make their way as best
they could through the deep snow. It was difficult at first,
but after about half a mile they passed the area where the
avalanche had affected, and the snow subsided to only a foot
or two. Reno
kept his eyes open for any hint that they were being watched,
but saw nothing. He especially kept his eyes on the slope of
the mountain to their left. Perhaps when they saw they had
failed, whoever had caused the avalanche would try again, but
he saw nothing out of place up there either. The
ground started to slope upward, and the mountain started to
level out on their left, until finally it was a mere hill that
posed no avalanche danger at all. Reno breathed a sigh of
relief. But
it was a bit premature. As the reached the top of the slope
they saw half a dozen people standing on the trail ahead of
them. "Looks
like we're being met by the welcoming committee," Rude
observed. Reno
slipped his nightstick out again and walked forward. The
strangers stood in a line across the trail, looking as if they
had been waiting for them, which was no doubt true. The were
all dressed the same, in black outfits with a red insignia on
the shirt. As he got closer he saw the insignia was of a red
fist. He
stopped about ten feet in front of them. One
of the men in the middle of the group spoke. "Apparently
we didn't make it clear enough that we don't want any visitors
here," he said. "I was hoping our little hint would
convince you to turn around." Reno
shrugged. "We
are kind of thick headed that way," he replied. "Who
are you?" Elena demanded. The
man glanced over at her. "That's
not important," he answered. "It must have been
difficult to get through that avalanche. I admire your
determination. Too bad it was all for nothing." "I
wouldn't say that," Reno replied. "After all, we got
to meet all you pleasent people." "Very
funny," the man said, "But I'm afraid your journey
ends here." "You
expect us to turn around now?" Elena said. "After
all we went through to get here? That's not very hospitable of
you." The
man gave her a look of contempt. "We
don't expect you to turn back," he stated. "We
expect you to die." Elena
and Rude stepped up on either side of Reno. "Sorry,"
Reno said. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to
disappoint you again." Their
opponents charged forward. Reno aimed his nightstick at the
one who had spoken and let loose with a blast of electicity.
The man cried out and fell to the ground, stunned. The others
hesitated for just a moment, and then came forward again. Reno
had no time for another blast before they were upon him. He
jabbed with his nightstick, forcing one attacker back. The
other one kicked swiftly at his leg, landing a glancing blow
and knocking him off balance for a moment. His own leg shot
out even while off balance and managed to knock the other one
back. As
a Turk he had been trained in all forms of combat, as had Rude
and Elena. Though competent at hand to hand he was no expert,
working as often with weapons or materia as with bare hands,
not specializing in any particular area. There was no materia
available at the moment, and his nightstick was not all that
useful at close quarters. They were outnumbered by a group of
people he soon realized were much more skilled than they in
weaponless combat, and soon found themselves on the defensive.
Still,
for a while they held their own in spite of the odds. Perhaps
their enemy underestimated them, or perhaps the realization
that they were fighting for their lives inspired them.
Whatever the case they battled to a standstill for quite a
while. But
eventually the tide inevitably began to turn in their
opponents favor. With their superior numbers their enemy was
constantly trying to slip someone behind them, and their
constant manuevering to avoid this eventually found them with
their backs to a pile of jumbled boulders which, though
preventing them from becoming surrounded, also left them no
place to retreat. To
his right an opponent suddenly got under Rude's guard and
struck him solidly on the left cheek. Rude stumbled back and
fell. A second man sprung forward to deliver another blow.
Reno turned swiftly and let loose with another blast from his
nightstick. The man went down as if hit by a truck. Reno
felt a solid blow to his side and he went down as well, the
nightstick flying from his hand. To his left he saw Elena,
backed up against a large rock, desperately trying to ward off
two attackers. The
man who had spoken to them suddenly stood looking down at him.
"You
have fought well," he said. "It may be of comfort to
know that I take no pleasure in killing you." "It's
no thrill for us either," Elena piped in just before a
blow to the forehead sent her to the ground as well. Their
opponents moved in to finish them, but suddenly they paused,
looking around. A sound filled the air. Reno had not noticed
it in the heat of battle, but now it was too loud for even
that to mask it. It was the unmistakable roar of a jet engine.
The
sound grew until it was nearly earsplitting. Then the
Slipstream flew over them, so low that the nearby trees bent
in the wind as it went by. Reno thought he could almost feel
the heat from the exhaust of those great engines as it roared
by. Their
opponents just stood looking at it. Obviously this was
something they had not anticipated. The
Slipstream roared up into the air and swung around. Then it
dropped down again and headed straight for them. Their
enemies hesitated, still looking at the jet. Then the one who
had spoken turned to look at Reno. "This
isn't the end of it," he said. In
an instant he was off and running, the others following close
behind. There was a narrow trail that led into a mass of rocks
off to their left, and they sprinted down it as the Slipstream
bore down on them. Reno
lay unmoving, looking up at the aircraft and watching the
smoke trails as the Slipstream let loose with a barrage of
rockets. The last of their opponents had just disappeared into
the rocks when the entire area erupted in a ball of flame. Reno
shaded his eyes for a moment at the blast, and felt a shower
of pebbles from the pulverized rock wash over him. He hastily
covered his head. When
he looked up again there was a sizable crater where the
missles had hit. He couldn't see how anyone could have
survived such a blast. Slowly
he stood up. He walked over to Elena and helped her up as Rude
came up next to them. The
Slipstream made another turn and came around again, this time
much more slowly. Rude and Elena waved. The
black jet waggled it's wings as it went by, then streaked off
to the north. They
stood there in silence for a few minutes. "Everyone
okay?" Reno asked finally. Rude
nodded. "Yes,"
Elena said. Reno
walked over and inspected the area around the crater. He came
back to them in a few minutes. "I
don't know if any of them survived, but there's no one around
now," he said. "There is a narrow path beyond the
rocks. If any of them escaped, that must be the way they went.
We're obviously close to something they don't want us to find,
but even if all those we saw were killed, we don't know how
many others there may be. I think the best thing to do now is
to head for Holzoff's cabin and tell the others. I think for
this job we're going to need all the help we can get." Rude
and Elena said nothing but followed him as he slowly led them
down the right hand trail. No one suggested exploring any
further. They had all had more than enough excitement for one
day. Cid
and Vincent were the last to arrive at Mr. Holzoff's cabin
that evening. They brought the Slipstream down on a rocky
outcrop just after dark. Soon they were all gathered around
the fire inside swapping stories of the days events. "Sounds
like we had a boring day compared to everyone else,"
Barret commented. "I
wouldn't call finding the dead body of someone we knew a
boring day," Tifa commented humorlessly. Barret
looked at her but said nothing. "Did
you see any sign of the people who attacked us?" Elena
asked Vincent. "No,
but we did find something strange," Cid cut in. "A
little to the west of you was a narrow valley filled with fog.
Couldn't see a thing in it. It was a clear day and there was
no sign of fog anywhere else in the region." "So
you think the fog was artifically created?" Cloud asked. Cid
nodded. "That's
my guess. It corresponds to the direction those people took
off in after they attacked you," he said, looking at
Elena. "I think the fog is being generated by someone to
conceal something. Something they obviously don't want anyone
else to find out about." Cloud
sat back in his chair. "You
could be right," he said. "At any rate it looks like
this bears further investigation. Whoever these people are,
they're going through a lot of trouble to prevent us from
finding them. There's no doubt in my mind they are connected
with the death of Staniv and the disappearence of Yuffie."
"Do
you think you killed any of them when you attacked them?"
Cait asked. Cid
shrugged. "Who
can say? Reno, you said you didn't find any bodies. Unless we
got a direct hit, the broken terrain could have protected
them. I'm sure at least some of them got away." "And
who knows how many others there are?" Barret mused.
"For all we know the hills could be crawling with
them." "I
don't think there could be that many," Red observed.
"If there were a lot of them someone would be bound to
have seen some sign of them. Out in this wilderness they would
have to be getting supplies from somewhere." "However
many there are, it's going to be tough to fight them without
our materia," Cloud said. "How good were they?"
"Very
good," Elena said. Reno
nodded slowly. "Difficult
to say because we were outnumbered. We might have had a chance
one on one." "Oh,
stop it," Elena replied. "They would have kicked our
asses and you know it." Reno
rolled his eyes. Cloud
looked at Tifa. "What
do you think?" Tifa
shrugged. "All
I saw was some bruises on Staniv's body. I wouldn't be able to
say until I actually saw them fight." "You
may soon get the chance," Cloud replied. "I think
our first order of business tomorrow will be to check out this
mysterious fog. And I think it would be best if we all went
together." He
looked around, but no one else seemed to have anything to add,
and they fell silent. Cait and Barret went upstairs. Reno got
up and went into the kitchen. He came back in a minute with
two drinks and sat back down next to Rude, handing him one. "She's
been hanging out with that freak an awful lot lately," he
said quietly, nodding toward Elena and Vincent, who were
talking together on the other side of the room. "What's
the matter, we're not good enough for her anymore?" Rude
glanced over toward Elena and then looked at Reno. "You
jealous?" Reno
chuckled softly. "Yeah,
right." He
took a long drink from his glass. "It's
not that," he continued. "She's a Turk, we should
stick together. Being friendly like that might give them the
wrong impression." Rude
did not respond. Tifa
got up and walked toward the hallway. Reno saw Rude's gaze
following her. He nudged him. "And
you're no better," he said. "You better forget about
that one, though, she's way out of your league." Rude
shook his head slightly, his face remaining expressionless. He
took a drink and then looked at Reno. "So
who's your favorite?" he asked. Reno
raised an eyebrow. "Out
of this bunch? Not much to choose from," he replied. Rude
looked at him skeptically. "All
right," he said. He paused and looked around carefully,
as if making sure they weren't overheard. Then he turned to
Rude and said in a low voice. "To
tell you the truth, anyone that'll say yes." Rude
looked at him, but he just smiled in return. Rude shook his
head and drained his drink. He got up. "You
are one screwed up dude," he said. "See ya
later." "What,"
Reno called after him. "As if you wouldn't." He
was about to turn back to his drink when Aeris walked by. He
got up and followed her into the kitchen. Aeris
glanced at him as he came in. "Wouldn't
what?" she questioned. "Huh?"
"As
if you wouldn't what?" Reno
smiled. "Nothing,"
he replied. "Just guy talk. What, were you spying on
us?" "Of
course not," she answered, taking him seriously.
"You said it loud enough." "So,
it sounds like you saved Cloud's ass today," he changed
the subject. "I
wouldn't go that far," she said. "It was a battle.
We all helped each other, just like always." "Don't
be so modest," he answered. "You know, I really
don't understand you." "What
do you mean?" "You're
so much better than they are. You've been running around with
a two bit terrorist with a chip on his shoulder and his
brainless cronies for how long now? When are you going to
ditch them and find some people who are more in your
class?" She
looked at him for a moment in surprise. "You
mean like you?" she asked finally. "Well,
it would be an improvement," he replied with a smile. She
looked at him skeptically. "Are
you drunk?" she asked bluntly. He
gave a slight shrug. "Not
yet." "You're
out of your mind," she said. "I better get back to
the others." He
stepped out of her way as she walked by. "That
spikey haired jerk is just going to break your heart," he
said. "As
if you wouldn't," she answered immediately. Reno
was not about to deny it. "At
least I have some charm," he suggested. She
shook her head and walked out of the room. He stood there for
a moment, then drained his drink. "Oh
well," he said softly, and turned to get himself another.
Tifa
sat on a narrow porch in front of the cabin, staring into the
dark. She could occasionally catch the sound of someone
talking inside if they raised their voice, but that was not
often. There was no wind, and the night was silent and clear. She
looked up and the stars blazed above her in cold fury, almost
unaturally bright and beautiful. The
door to the cabin opened and light flared around her briefly.
Then it closed again. She looked over to see Rude standing by
the door looking out into the dark. She turned back and looked
out blankly into the night. For a long time neither one spoke.
"Cold
night," Rude said noncomittingly. "Umm,"
Tifa said, not looking at him. For a long moment he thought
she would say nothing more. She
looked up at the sky again. "But
the stars are so pretty. I love looking at them on winter
nights. I can't explain it, but they always looked best to me
in the winter, almost as if they were closer somehow." She
fell silent again. She didn't even know why she was talking.
She had come out here to be alone. Rude
took a hesitant step toward her, then changed his mind and sat
down where he was. He looked up at the sky. "It
is pretty," he said. She
nodded but again said nothing. She heard a short bark of
laughter from inside. It sounded like Cid. "There's
something..." Rude said and stopped. She glanced over at
him but he didn't finish at first, just looked at her for a
moment and turned away. "Umm?"
she said. "There's
something I want to tell you," he said slowly, not
looking at her. "You probably don't care. I mean, it
probably won't make any difference, but I want you to
know..." He
stopped again and looked at her. She returned his gaze
expectantly, athough she was not sure she wanted to hear what
he had to say. "I
don't know whether you'll believe me. I don't expect you to
believe me. I know how you feel about the Turks, but I didn't
know what they were going to do to sector seven until it was
too late." He
turned away again, looking down at the ground now. For a long
time she just looked at him. Then she shrugged. "Too
many people have died," she said softly. He
looked at her again. He hadn't been sure how she would react
to his statement. At least she didn't seem angry. "It
never ends, does it?" she asked, then went on before he
could answer. "It seems all my life people have been
dying around me. My parents, my friends in Avalanche, Aeris,
and now Staniv. When does it all end? When we first started
Avalanche I thought we were saving the world, and maybe we
have for others, but not for us. I thought after Shinra was
destroyed we could live in peace, but I don't think that'll
ever happen now." She
looked up at the stars again. "Maybe
it's my own fault," she went on. "I chose a bloody
path when I helped destroy the reactors in Midgar. Maybe once
you choose that path there's no turning back, or changing
direction. Maybe now I'm paying for all the people who died in
Midgar." She
bowed her head and said nothing more. Rude resisted the urge
to move closer to her, but just sat there, knowing there was
nothing he could do to comfort her, but wishing there was.
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