Chocobo's Final Fantasy Haven
Ray Pang
Story
Story
Story |
CHAPTER IXFINALLY, SOME ACTION!Quays
placed his hands carefully, almost lovingly, on the materia
and felt the tingling sensation once again. The colors swirled
inside it and this time almost instantly turned green. He felt
the intoxicating power flow into him, letting it wash over
him. He stood there for a long time, much longer than the
previous time, reveling in it. When he finally released it he
thought the shock would tear him apart. He fell to the floor
and laid there for long minutes, exhausted.
Tifa woke up and looked around. The room was dark, but she felt a tremor run through the building. She thought the whole room had shook, but it could have just been a dream. She got up and walked over to the window, staring out into the darkness. All was silent and calm. Her
room looked out over the courtyard, and beyond that the
opposite side of the fortress. She could just make out the
dark forest beyond in the moonlight. She stared out at the
trees for a long time. She
couldn't help but wonder where her friends were now.
Cloud shook his head and sat up. He looked around, but he could barely see in the darkness. He thought he had heard Aeris cry out. He
rubbed his eyes and looked over at her. He could make out her
dim form nearby, but she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Slowly
he eased himself back down, but it took him a long time to
fall asleep again.
Just past the Gaea Cliffs the moon shone starkly over the barren region known as the North Crater. Long after the tremors from the release of the Ultima from Quays materia had ceased the ground around the crater continued to tremble. In fact the vibrations began to grow, and soon the entire crater was shaking violently. There
was a tremendous roar, and dirt and rocks began to spew from
the crater, shooting up into the atmosphere as if by some
cataclysmic upheaval of the earth. The few creatures that
inhabited the area fled for their lives as the crater was
obscured in a huge cloud of rock and dust. So it was that
nothing on earth saw the clawed hand, half as large as a
soccer field, that suddenly reached out of the crater and
clamped down on the cold earth beside it.
Cid yawned as he walked into the room. He looked around and saw that all the others were there, as well as Renada and a number of her men. She looked at him as he came in. "Well,
you're all here now. I guess we can begin." Cid
sat down beside Vincent. Renada had led them back to her
headquarters the night before, but by the time they got there
they had all been too exhausted to ask any questions, so she
had agreed to fill them in in the morning. "I
thought Renada was supposed to be a guy," Cid whispered
to Vincent. "Apparently
they just assumed that," Vincent replied. Cid
shook his head. "Leave
it to Cloud and Reno to walk out into a barren wilderness and
come back with fur coats and a beautiful woman." "Cloud
told us a little bit about you when we rescued him,"
Renanda said to them all. "Enough for me to realize that
we all should be working together. I understand you were in
the fortress. Do you know what Quays is working on?" "He's
gathering all the materia energy in the region and
concentrating it in one huge materia orb," Cloud replied.
"Have
you seen the orb?" Renanda questioned. "No,"
Cloud replied. "We weren't allowed down in the lab."
"Do
you know why he's doing this?" she asked. "He
told us for scientific advancement and the betterment of all
mankind," Reno said. "But we find that rather
unlikely." "I
assume he wants to use the materia as a weapon," Cloud
said. "Not
quite," she replied. "He's got bigger plans than
that. He actually wants to use the materia to force the planet
to release another WEAPON." "Another
WEAPON?" Cloud said. "Why?" "He
believes he can use the super materia to control it," she
responded. "As you know, the WEAPONs are tremedously
powerful creatures, but they are controlled by the planet and
will destroy any threat to it, even human threats. But if he
were somehow able to control that power, he would be
unstoppable. He could demand anything he wanted and destroy
anyone who stood in his way." "So
that's why I felt the danger," Aeris exclaimed. "And
the pain. He was using the materia to hurt the planet in an
effort to get it to create another WEAPON." Renanda
nodded. "And
the greater the danger, the more powerful the WEAPON it would
produce. He has carefully calculated the damage that would be
neccessary to make the planet create the most powerful WEAPON
it could, much more powerful than any of the others we have
seen. This WEAPON would be the SUPREME WEAPON, and it's power
would be inconcievable." "And
he wants to use the materia, this 'super' materia, to control
it?" Cloud said. "Yes,"
she replied. "He has concluded that in theory the materia
would be stong enough for him to manipulate the WEAPON with
it. If it works, he will control SUPREME WEAPON instead of the
planet." "In
theory?" Red said. "What if it doesn't work?" "If
it doesn't work then the SUPREME WEAPON will carry out it's
original instructions from the planet and eliminate the
threat, which of course, would be Quays and his super materia."
"So
he could be bringing about his own destruction," Barret
exclaimed. "Possibly,"
Renada replied. "But we cannot count on that. The materia
will probably work, and then the WEAPON will be under his
control. Even if it doesn't work and Quays and the super
materia are destroyed, we'll still have SUPREME WEAPON
wandering around without any idea of what it may do. Nobody
wants to have a lion wandering around in their house,
especially if they don't know whether it is going to be
hungrey for more or not. No offense meant," she said,
looking at Red. "None
taken," he replied. "No,
the best thing to do would be to stop Quays before he releases
WEAPON. We are planning an assault on the fortress. Today. Any
of you who wish to join us would be more than welcome. We're
planning on finishing this now, before it gets out of
hand." "Excuse
me," Cait spoke up from near the back. "But I am
afraid it is already too late." "What
do you mean?" Renada asked. "A
WEAPON has been spotted moving south near Icicle Inn. Also,
Quays has contacted all the major cities and demanded that
they declare him their supreme ruler or he will use WEAPON to
destroy them. As proof of his power and control over WEAPON he
has selected one city to be destroyed as an example. WEAPON is
headed there right now." "What
city?" Cloud said sharply. Cait
paused for a moment and looked at Cid. "Rocket
Town." Cid
jumped up. "Rocket
Town! Damn. Shera!" Everyone
started talking at once. "Hold
on a minute," Cloud shouted. He
turned to look at Renanda when the others had quieted down. "We're
with you, but we have to do it now. We have to stop WEAPON
from destroying Rocket Town." "Of
course," Renanda replied. "Everything has already
been prepared. We can leave as soon as we get our gear
together." "How
far away are we from the fortress?" Red asked. "About
ten miles," she responded. "It will take us about a
half hour to get there." "Half
hour?" Barret said in surprise. "I don't know about
you, but my feet don't go that fast." Renada
turned and looked at him. "Then
we shall have to do better than your feet," she replied.
"Follow me." She
led the out the door and around the building. In the back was
a large pen filled with white Chocobos. "These
fellows should make things a bit easier on your feet,"
she said. "Excellent,"
Barret said in agreement. Cloud
walked up beside Renada. "Thanks
for the help." "We're
helping each other," she replied. "I'm not doing
this out of the goodness of my heart. My brother worked for
Quays, but when he found out what Quays was really up to he
refused to continue. Quays killed him." Cloud
was silent for a moment. "I'm
sorry," he said. She
shrugged. Aeris
came up beside them. "We
better hurry," she said. "Now
that SUPREME WEAPON is already here, what exactly is the
plan?" Cloud asked. "I
guess all we can do now is destroy the super materia,"
Renanda replied. "But
what will happen to WEAPON then?" Cloud asked. "Will
he return to the planet once the threat is gone?" "I
don't know," Renanda replied. Cloud
looked at Aeris. "It
depends on whether the planet thinks there are any other
threats," she said. "But we may not have to worry
about that. If you can get me to the super materia, I may be
able to stop WEAPON with it." "What
makes you think you can do that?" Renada asked. "She's
an Ancient," Cloud replied. Renada's
eyebrows went up. "I
had heard there were none of you left," she said. "I
am the last," Aeris replied simply. Renanda
nodded. "Very
well. The plan is to storm the fortess and get the materia
into your hands. Now we better ger moving. We're wasting
valuable time." "One
other thing," Cloud said suddenly. "One of our
friends is still in the fortress." "I
assure you we will do our best to make sure that none of his
prisoners are harmed," Renada said. "She's
not a prisoner," Cloud responded. "She's one of
Zangan's people." Renanda
looked at him in surprise. "Is
she some sort of spy?" she said. "No,
she's really working with him, but she doesn't know of Quays
plan." Renanda
frowned. "We'll
do what we can," she said. "But if she opposes
us...well, you know what we'll have to do." Cloud
nodded, but if nothing else, he was going to make damn sure he
was the first one to reach Tifa once the assault began. "Let's
mount up," Renada called out. The
pen was opened, Renada and her men collected their gear as the
Chocobos were brought out, giving Cloud and his friends
weapons as well. There wasn't enough Chocobos for all to ride
so some had to share, even though Red would not ride one at
all. His four legs would let him easily keep up with the
birds, and the Chocobo hadn't been born yet that would let the
lion like carnivore ride on it's back. Cloud helped Aeris
climb up behind him and moved up beside Cid. "Cid,"
he said. "Take Vincent and Elena and head back to Mr.
Holzoff's cabin. Get the Slipstream and try and stop WEAPON
from reaching Rocket Town, or at least slow it down." Cid
nodded, moved up beside Vincent and Elena, and then they broke
away and galloped ahead. Renada,
at the head of the formation, turned to the others. "For
my brother and all who have been hurt by this madman,"
she shouted. "Let's finish this!" She
turned and spurred her Chocobo onward, with the others right
behind.
Tifa sat in the common room. It was long after lunch, and the room was empty save for her. There was a plate in front of her, but she had barely touched the food. She
felt more alone than she had since her father had died. All
her friends were gone, and she hadn't really become friendly
with any of Zangan's men. Most of them were polite but kept
their distance, and some of them were obviously not pleased
about her being here at all. Zangan was almost always busy,
and had little time to spend with her. Again
she wondered where here friends were, and if they would come
back anytime soon. She was begining to think that maybe she
had made a mistake, and had let jelousy dictate her actions.
Maybe she should try to go find them. She
got up and started walking down the hall past their bedrooms. No,
she decided. She wasn't the one who had left. They had left
her. Besides, if Cloud really did want Aeris then she would
just be in the way. Perhaps all this time she had just been a
wedge between them, keeping them apart. She didn't want Cloud
and Aeris to be seperated just because he felt sorry for her.
Better to let him go. She
felt tears starting to form in her eyes again. "Snap
out of it," she said aloud. She
found herself in the lounge. She sat down on the couch and
folded her arms across her chest, a look of determination on
her face. Cloud
and Aeris were gone, she thought. It was time to get on with
her own life. She
looked down and saw there was something on the floor beside
the small table in front of the couch. It looked like a deck
of cards. She
kneeled down and picked one of them up. Tarot
cards. She
stood there in thought for a long time, then she gathered the
cards up and walked swiftly away.
Zangan was sitting in his office, head bowed, when Tifa burst in. She walked over to him angrily and dropped the tarot cards on his desk. He looked up at her in surprise. "What
are these doing here?" she asked. Zangan
looked at the cards, then at her. "What
do you mean?" "These
are Cait's tarot cards. Why didn't he take them with him when
he left?" Zangan
shrugged. "How
should I know. He must have forgotten them." Tifa
shook her head. "You
obviously don't know Cait very well. He would never forget
these cards. His fortune telling skills, if you could call
them that, are all he ever thinks about. He never lets these
cards out of his sight. Now what's going on here?" Zangan
sat back in his chair. "There's
nothing going on," he replied. "I don't know why
your friend left his cards. Perhaps he forgot them, perhaps he
just left them knowing he would be back for them soon. I think
you're making something out of nothing." Tifa
just stared at him, but her face softened, and for a moment he
thought she was going to believe him. And in truth she wanted
to. She didn't want to believe that Zangan would lie to her,
or withold the truth, but was she letting her belief in him
blind her to what was really going on? How could she know what
the real truth was? Suddenly an idea came to her. "Fine,"
she said. "If you won't tell me, then I'll go talk to
Quays." She
turned and walked toward the door, but before she could exit
Zangan called out to her. "Wait."
She
turned and looked at him. For a long time he did not speak. "I
was hoping..." He
turned his head away, but she saw the sadness that she had
noticed on other occasions, and for the first time it suddenly
hit her how old and tired Zangan looked. "Well,
it doesn't matter what I hoped," Zangan continued.
"I have betrayed you, Tifa. Your friends did not leave on
their own, I forced them to go. The girl, Yuffe, she was here
all the time. I sent her with them as well. They are probably
all dead by now." Tifa
turned pale. "What?"
she said. "How could you..." "The
Turks found Yuffie. I knew if you found the girl you would all
turn against us. I couldn't get rid of the Turks without
raising the suspicions of your friends, so I had to get rid of
all of them." Tifa
continued to stare at him, horrified. "But
why?" she burst out. "They were my friends." "They
would have interfered with the plan," Zangan replied.
"They would have tried to stop Quays." Tifa
stared at Zangan. She didn't know what to say. All she could
think of was how could he have possibly betrayed her like
this? "What
is Quays doing?" she asked. "He's
used the materia to make the planet create another WEAPON. He
can control it with the super materia. He's using WEAPON to
basically take over the planet. Even now WEAPON is on it's way
to destroy Rocket Town." Tifa
fell silent again. This was just too overwhelming. She didn't
know what to think. But one obvious question did come to mind.
"And
you're going along with this?" "I
was hoping he wouldn't go this far," Zangan exclaimed.
"I was hoping he would use the super materia for good, as
he told you. To build and cure, not to tear down and destroy.
I was hoping he was a better man than that!" "Bur
you said he's already released WEAPON," she replied.
"He's already chosen the path to destruction. I think
it's obvious he's not going to change his mind at this point.
Why don't you stop him now?" Zangan
looked at her and shook his head. "I
cannot." Tifa
looked at him in exaspiration. "Why
not?" she cried. "Is this some sort of philisophical
honor thing again? You told me when I went to fight Shinra
that our tactics were dishonorable, and you were right, but by
the same token, we got the job done. Somewhere along the line
you've got to say enough is enough and do what you have to do,
in spite of how you may feel about it. What dishonor could
there be in trying to stop a madman bent on world
domination?" Zangan
looked at her, and the trace of a smile appeared on his lips. "Very
nice speech," he said. "But I'm afraid it is nothing
as complicated as all that. Quays is my son."
Renanda and Cloud lay at the top of a ridge looking out over the fortress. She turned to another man beside her. "Is
everyone ready?" she asked. "Yes,"
the man replied. "The
demolition charges in place?" The
man nodded. "Very
good, give the order." The
man crawled back down the slope until he was sure he couldn't
be seen from the fortress, then got up and hurried off. Renada
and Cloud worked their way back down the slope as well. The
others were waiting with their Chocobos behind the ridge. They
remounted. "We
attack as soon as we hear the demolition charges go off,"
Renanda said. "Get in as quickly as possible. We have
surprise on our side, but we know they have a well trained
force. If we give them time to get organized the fight will be
twice as difficult. If we move fast enough, we may be able to
overwhelm them before they have a chance to do that. Remember,
everyone on the planet is depending on us, we must not
fail." There
was a loud retort from over the ridge. "That's
the signal," Renanda cried. "Let's go!" The
Chocobos surged forward. Red, who was near the back of the
group, leaped ahead but then stopped suddenly. He lifted his
head, sniffing the air. There
was a scent in the air. That compelling scent he hadn't
detected since that day on the mountain, and in fact had
nearly forgotten about. But now he smelled it, stronger than
ever. He
looked around, trying to follow the scent with his eyes. They
fell on a rocky crag in the distance. His eyes detected
movement. There was something there. His
eyes widened, and he stared in shock. "It
can't be," he found himself saying aloud. There
on the crag a beast was staring back at him with the same red
eyes as his own. Barret
suddenly halted his Chocobe beside him. "Let's
go Red," he shouted. "The battle has begun." Red
glanced at him. "Look,
over there.." he started to say, but when he looked back
the ridge was deserted. "We
ain't got time for no sightseein," Barret exclaimed.
"Get a move on!" With
that he spurred his Chocobo forward, then turned to look at
Red again. Red
glanced one more time over at the ridge. The urge to run over
there as fast as his legs would take him was almost
overpowering. With an almost superhuman effort he turned away
and followed Barret as he rode toward the fortress. In
front of them Renada and the others were charging ahead. The
fortress was right before them now, and Cloud could see that
the doors on this side had been blasted open. A few of Zangans
men had come out to see what was happening, but they were too
few to put up much resistance. Those who did not run back into
the fortess were swiftly overwhelmed. They
reached the entrance and climbed quickly down off their
mounts. Cloud and his friends pulled out the weapons Renanda
had supplied and followed her into the fortress. Already Cloud
could hear the sounds of battle within. He
turned to Aeris. "I've
got to find Tifa," he said. Aeris
looked at him and nodded. "I
understand," she said. Reno
came up and took Aeris by the arm. "You
go on," he said to Cloud. "We'll take care of the
super materia." Cloud
nodded. He turned to the others. "Barret,
Red, Cait, you're with me. Rude and Yuffie, you go with Reno.
Everyone, be careful." He
turned to look at Aeris. She smiled. "You
too," she said. Reno
quickly led them away. Cloud turned and, with the others
behind him, started down the hall.
The Slipstream slowly rose vertically off the rocky outcrop. Cid ran his hands deftly, almost lovingly, over the controls. The craft turned and began to pick up speed. "Hang
on," he said to the others. "I'm starting the
afterburners." Elena
felt herself pushed back in her chair as the Slipstream
suddenly surged forward. Within moments the ground below them
was flashing past with surprising speed. This thing could
really move! Nevertheless
Cid did not seem satisfied. He kept fiddling with the
instruments and cursing complaints about how he couldn't get
more speed out of her. "Relax,
Cid," Vincent said from beside him. "We're doing
everything we can." Cid
looked at him but did not reply. Vincent could understand
Cid's mood. It wasn't his hometown that was about to be
destroyed. Vincent
looked at the gauges in front of him. "We've
got a radar contact," he said. "Looks like two
aircraft coming up from the southeast." Even
as he spoke the radio crackled to life. "Captain
Highwind. This is Captain Tanaka of the Fort Condor airforce,
requesting permission to join your formation." What
God damn formation, Cid thought. I'm one freaking plane. "Request
granted," he replied. "Glad to have you
aboard." Within
minutes the two other aircraft appeared and pulled up on
either side of the Slipstream. Vincent could see that they
were identical to Cid's own plane. "Looks
like those guys at Fort Condor have been busy," Cid
observed. "Good,"
Vincent replied. "I've a feeling we can use all the help
we can get." "We're
coming up on Rocket Town," Elena said. "Hot
damn," Cid responded. "Let's kick some WEAPON
butt!"
"Your son?" Tifa said. Zangan
nodded. "It
was a long time ago. Before I met you. During the war in fact.
Wutai had established some refugee camps for those who had
been displaced during the war. I was helping bring in supplies
and food for the refugees. I met a woman. We had a brief
affair. It was young, and it was nothing serious, at least not
to me. I was called away and when I returned the refugee camp
had been destroyed. I searched but could find no trace of her,
or clue to where she had gone. I thought I would never see her
again." He
turned away from her and stared at the wall. "Then,
two weeks before Meteor came I met her again in Midgar. That
was when she told me about Quays." He
looked at her again. "He
was the only child I had ever had," he continued. "I
wanted to do everything for him, to make up for all the time
we had missed together. But then Meteor struck, and his mother
was killed." "I'm
sorry," was all Tifa could say. "It
was my fault," Zangan said. "I was on my way home
when the destruction began, and I stopped to help some people
who were trapped beneath a building that had collapsed. When I
finally got back to her, her home had also collapsed. She was
barely alive when I reached her. She died in my arms. If I had
only gotten there sooner..." "Surely
you can't blame yourself for that?" Tifa said softly. Zangan
looked up at her. "Why
not?" he replied. "I stopped to help some strangers
while she was dying. I placed their welfare above that of the
woman who had given me a child." "But
you didn't know!" Tifa said. "You were just doing
what you thought was right, what was right." Zangan
snorted. "All
my life I have been doing what was right, and where has it
gotten me?" "Zangan,"
Tifa said, but he held up his hand. "Before
she died she made me promise to take care of Quays. He's the
only thing I have left of her now." Tifa
was silent for a long time. At least now she understood. She
took some comfort from the fact that Zangan had reasons for
what he did, though not much. In spite of the fact that Quays
was Zangans son, what he was doing was still wrong and he had
to be stopped. "Zangan,
I realize he's your son, but what he is doing is madness. Do
you know how many people will be killed if he destroys Rocket
Town? Can you actually tell me you will just stand here and
let that happen?" "I
am hoping he will come to his senses before it is too
late," Zangan replied. Tifa
just looked at him. "Zangan,
wake up! You're letting the fact that he is your son blind you
to the truth. It's too late, he's not going to stop now."
Zangan
looked at her but said nothing. "Well,
somebody's got to stop him, and if you don't, then I
will" She
turned and ran out of the room. "Tifa,
No!" Zangan cried. He
sprang from behind his desk and went to follow her. As he
crossed the room he suddenly heard a dull explosion. He
reached the hallway just as a man rushed up to him. "Honored
one," the man shouted. "The fortress is under
attack!"
Greco moved silently down the hall. He knew the enemy was nearby. He could hear movement in the room ahead, and none of Zangans people would be so incautious. He glanced around the corner and saw Reno walking toward him. He
stepped out into the hallway. Reno looked at him and stopped.
They stood about fifteen feet apart. "Prepare
for your death," Greco said. Reno
looked at him and shook his head. "What's
this, the third time you've told me that?" he said.
"Forgive me if I seem a little skeptical." Greco
smiled. "Your
gift of gab won't save you now. Waiting this long will just
make it sweeter." He
took a step toward Reno. "Just
one thing," Reno said, holding up his hand. "If
you're going to fight the Turks, you have to learn to fight by
the Turks rules. And the Turks rules are..." A
shot ran out. Greco jerked backwards and then slumped to the
floor. Reno
walked over and looked down at the lifeless body. "...that
there are no rules," he finished. Rude
stepped out from behind a nearby curtain, the gun still
smoking in his hand. "I
thought it was, the guy with the biggest gun wins," he
said. Reno
looked at him. "No,
that was last week." Yuffie
and Aeris walked up beside them. "C'mon,"
Aeris said. "We've got to hurry."
As Tifa made her way through the common room she saw Quays enter from the other direction. "Where
the hell is Zangan?" she heard him call as one of his men
ran by. "Quays!"
she said. The
look in her eye must have given her intentions away, for as
soon as he saw her he pulled out his gun. "No!"
Quays
looked past Tifa and saw Zangan enter the room. "Put
down the gun, Quays, it's over," Zangan said. He slowly
walked up to stand beside Tifa. Quays
looked at him in surprise. "Over?
How can you say it's over. I have control of the greatest
weapon ever created. The world is mine for the taking and you
tell me it's over?" "Quays,
please," Zangan said. Quays
face darkened. "You
have betrayed me," he said. "You told me if these
'friends' of yours found out anything you would take care of
them. Yet now here they are, gathered like wolves at my gate.
But there is still a chance for you to redeem yourself." He
turned to look at Tifa. "Kill
her." Zangan
looked at Quays, then turned to Tifa, but he did not move. "Kill
her or I'll do it myself," Quays said, pointing his gun
at Tifa once more. Zangan
looked at Tifa again. He took a step toward her, never taking
his eyes off her face. "Defend
yourself," he said. "Zangan..."
she said. How could he expect her to fight him? Zangan
struck at her. The blow hit her on her leg just below the hip.
With a cry she fell to the ground. "Finish
her!" she heard Quays cry. But
Zangan made no move. Just stood there looking at her. "At
least try to defend yourself," he said. "What kind
of warrior are you?" Tifa
got back up again, thinking furiously. Was this some sort of
ploy he was attempting, or did he really intend to kill her?
She looked in his eyes but all she saw was steely
determination. He
attacked her again, but this time she was ready. She dodged
out of the way, then blocked a kick as he suddenly turned
toward her. She slid under an open palm stike to her face and
had another kick glance harmlessly off her shoulder. So
far she had made no offensive moves of her own. She just
couldn't bring herself to believe that Zangan would do this.
But maybe she was just fooling herself. No matter how he felt
about her, Quays was his son. Was it that hard to believe that
he would turn against her for his own flesh and blood? Tifa
had been slowly retreating across the room. Zangan was
increasing the speed and power of his attacks. But there was
something not quite right. Looking at him she could see that
he was leaving a gaping hole in his defenses, a hole that even
an amateur would have noticed. Tifa
struck back, but not where Zangan was unguarded. It was so
obvious, was he just trying to set her up, or did he have
something else in mind? Zangan
twisted round to avoid her blow and they came face to face for
a moment. "A
warrior should die in battle," he whispered. She
spun away. He came after her again. This time she stood her
ground and fought back, but still she did not attack him on
his unguarded side. She understood now, but she knew she could
not do what he was asking. He
came at her again, attacking more strongly and recklessly than
ever. Again there faces came into close contact. "Zangan,
I can't," she said. "You
must!" he growled. His hand shot out and caught her on
the side of the head. She stumbled back and turned to face him
again. He
struck at her now with all his strength, and she knew she
could not continue fighting this way. If she didn't stop him
it would just be a matter of time before one of his blows got
through. He was too good for her to hold him off indefinately.
She
dodged to the side and then suddenly turned and kicked at the
side of his head. The blow caught him squarely, for he made no
move to defend against it, or avoid it. He stumbled backward,
then fell to the floor. Tifa
stepped over to him, grabbing his head with one hand, while
bringing her other back for a killing blow. Quays
raised his gun one more time and sighted it on Tifa. Even as
he did so he saw her arm slowly drop back down. "I'm
sorry, Zangan, I can't," she said softly. There
was a commotion in the hallway and suddenly Cloud, Barret, Red
and a woman Tifa did not know burst into the room. "Cloud!"
Tifa exclaimed. Zangan
sat up and Tifa helped him get to his feet. They all turned to
look at Quays. "Your
forces have been routed," Cloud said. "Give it
up." Quays
looked from one to the other of them, his glance falling last
on Zangan. "Quays,
he's right," Zangan said. "End this before anyone
else gets hurt." "So
that's it then, father?" And he spit the last word out as
if it were a curse. "You're turning against your own to
cast your lot in with this scraggly band of thieves? What
power does this girl hold over you?" "She
holds no power," Zangan replied. "She is just my
friend." "And
you would choose this friend over you own son?" "Over
a son such as you I would gladly choose her or any of her
friends. I have tried to look after you for the sake of your
mother, but I see now that my feelings of guilt about her
death have led me down a path that made me forsake everything
I've ever believed in. The truth of the matter is that if you
were twice that man you are, you wouldn't be half the person
she is." Quays
looked at Zangan, and his face turned red with rage. "You
have always been nothing but a sentimental old fool!" he
shouted. "My mother was the only one who ever cared for
me and you let her die. Well, why don't you just let me return
the favor!" He
lifted up his gun and fired at Tifa. Then he turned and bolted
down the hallway. Cloud
felt his heart rise up in his throat when he saw Quays fire,
but he was much too far away to do anything about it. Zangan
appeared to be too far away to as well, but somehow in the
next instant he was suddenly standing in front of her. He
jerked backward and then slumped to the ground. "Zangan!"
Tifa cried. Renada
took off after Quays. Cloud stopped beside Tifa for a moment
to make sure she was all right, then he followed Renada. Tifa
lifted Zangan's head up off the floor. "Zangan,
oh Zangan," she said, tears filling her eyes.
"Please don't die. Please..." Zangan
coughed and looked at her. The red fist on his shirt had a
matching stain on the other side. He smiled. "A
warrior should die in battle," he said softly. "I
would have been honored to die by your hand." "Zangan,
don't say such things," Tifa said. "You're not going
to die. You told me yourself you were too tough to be killed.
Don't leave me now when I've finally found you again." "Don't
mourn for me," he replied. "After the things I've
done there really is nothing left for me here. I'm looking
forward to finally being able to rest." "Zangan,
no," Tifa said distraughtly. She looked around. "Aeris,
where's Aeris? She could help you." Barret
came up beside her, and she looked pleadingly at him, but he
just shook his head. She
wrapped her arms around Zangan. "Please
don't leave me. I'll miss you." "Be
strong, Tifa," Zangan said. "You have your friends
to get you through this. And your young man. That night you
saw him, the girl had been hurt. He was just helping her. It
was nothing more than that." Tifa
shook her head. "I
don't care about that now," she said. "I just want
you to get better. Please hang on." She
looked at him, but he did not answer. "Zangan..."
Barret
came up and laid a hand on her shoulder. She
looked up at him. "Aeris.
Get Aeris," she said. "She can help him." Barret
looked at her with moist eyes of his own. "He's
gone, Teef." The
tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked up and raised her
fists to the sky. "Why
have you taken away everyone I've ever loved?" she cried.
Reno stepped into the lab and looked around. It was deserted. "Looks
like all the birds have flown the coup," he said as the
others came in behind him. "When
they saw we meant business they probably all took off,"
Yuffie said. "Looks like Zangan didn't train his men as
well as he thought." "I
don't think that was it," Aeris said. "But something
is definitely wrong. They never put up any kind of organized
resistance." "Whatever
happened, it's made it easier for us," Reno said.
"C'mon." They
walked to a door at the back of the lab and opened it. There
was a smaller room inside, with a glass enclosed chamber in
the middle of it. The room was filled with yellow light. They
stepped into the room. They all stopped and looked in
amazement at the size of the materia in the chamber. Yuffie
took a step forward. Reno
reached out and grabbed her arm. "Not
so fast," he said to her. "This is Aeris' job."
"But..."
she protested. "Look at the size of that thing. What are
we going to do with it after Aeris is done?" "Destroy
it," Aeris replied. "It's unstable. Materia cannot
be concentrated to that intensity for long. If left the way it
is it will eventually explode." "But
can't we just use if a couple of times first?" she
questioned. Aeris
ignored her and walked toward the chamber. "Quit
you're drooling and relax," Reno said. "This is one
piece of materia you can't have." Aeris
stepped into the chamber. She hesitantly reached out and
touched the orb. She brought her hand back, as if she had
gotten a shock, but then reached out and touched it again. She
put her other hand on it and closed her eyes. Slowly the
yellow color faded away, and the stone began to glow a pure
white.
"There it is!" Vincent said. "I
see it," Cid replied. "Shit, it's huge." As
Cid flew closer they saw the enormous hulking figure of WEAPON
towering over the houses on the outskirts of Rocket Town.
Already they could see some of the homes below were in flames.
"Let's
see if we can get it's attention." The
three aircraft streaked down toward the creature and launched
a barrage of missles. Elena felt her stomach turn inside out
as Cid pulled up and flipped over so he could see the rockets
strike WEAPON. The
missles hit and for a moment WEAPON was obscured from view by
the blasts, but when they subsided a moment later the creature
appeared unharmed. It turned toward them and suddenly the air
around them was blazing with the fierce light of half a dozen
lasers. Elena thought she was going to lose it for sure at the
violent maneuvers Cid went through to avoid the deadly beams. "Well,
we don't seem to have hurt it much, but we sure did piss it
off!" Cid exclaimed. "Did
the missles do any damage at all?" Vincent asked. Cid
did not reply for a moment as he brought the plane around for
another run. "Can't
tell," he replied. "It certainly doesn't look like
it." WEAPON
had turned again and was once more firing at the town. "Damn,
cut that shit out," Cid exclaimed. "Come after
us." The
two other aircraft let loose with another barrage. This time
Cid did not fire but followed the missles as they sped toward
WEAPON. "Cid,
what are you doing?" Elean said with just a touch of
panic in her voice. "We
need to take a closer look to see if we're doing any damage.
I'm hoping the explosions from the missles will cover our
approach." "You're
hoping?" Elena said. Suddenly
the sky lit up in front of them. For a moment they could see
nothing but a fierce white light, then it faded and they saw
the huge shape of WEAPON looming up right in front of them. "Oh
God!" Elena exclaimed. "We're gonna hit it!" Cid
pulled the stick over. The plane yawed until it was pitched on
it's side. He dropped down till Elena thought she could count
the leaves on the trees they passed, then flew the plane right
between WEAPON's legs. "I'm
going to have a heart attack now," Elena announced. Lasers
flashed around them once more. Elena was pushed back in her
seat as Cid brought the plane about in a screaming turn just
above the treetops. Elena
felt her stomach drop down into her toes as the Slipstream
suddenly rocketed skyward. Then Cid leveled off and swung
around again. "So,
did you see any damage?" she managed to gasp out. "Umm,
I really didn't get a chance to take a look," Cid
replied. Elena
looked at him in shock. "Don't
tell me we have to do that over again," she said through
clenched teeth. "I
didn't see any damage at all," Vincent said. "That's
just great," Cid replied, shaking his head. The
radio crackled to life once again. "Captain,
Highwind, we used the last of our missles on that run. Should
we continue the attack?" Cid
looked out the window. WEAPON was firing into the center of
the town once more. "Goddam!"
he exclaimed. "We've got to find some way to get it away
from the town. If we can't hurt it, then maybe we can distract
it by annoying it. Close in and use your cannons." There
was just a moments hesitation. "Yessir,"
came the reply. "Correct
me if I'm wrong, but isn't that an incredibly foolish thing to
do?" Vincent asked. "You
bet your ass it is," Cid replied. "Hang on." "Oh
no," Elena moaned. "Why did I ever come with you
guys?" Cid
turned the Slipstream toward WEAPON once more. He fired the
last of his rockets and then followed the other two planes in.
Cid
swung lower and WEAPON once more rapidly filled the view ahead
of them. Cid opened up with his cannon as they closed in, then
he pulled up and passed so close by WEAPON's face that the
could see the creatures huge red eyes staring in the window. Cid
twisted the plane in a gut wrenching turn as lasers flashed by
outside once more. Nearby he saw one of the other aircraft
disintergate in a ball of flame. "We
lost one," he said grimly. Instead
of pulling away he circled around WEAPON, keeping close enough
to command it's attention, yet hopfully far enough away to
stay out of harms way. "What
are you doing?" Elena said. "We've
got nothing left to hit it with," Cid replied. "But
it we leave it alone it'll just start attacking the town
again. I'm just trying to keep it occupied until..." "Until
what?" Elena asked. Cid
shrugged. He didn't really have an answer. He was kind of
hoping that Cloud and Aeris would get something done at their
end. At this point that seemed the only hope, but there was no
way for him to tell when, or if, that was going to happen. He
turned sharply and dropped back down to treetop level, heading
back toward WEAPON once again. If something was going to
happen, he hoped it would happen soon. He knew if he kept
acting like a fly it was just a matter of time before he got
swatted. Lasers
buzzed around him as he closed in on WEAPON once more. "I've
been hit," they suddenly heard over the radio.
"Losing altitute. My right wing's been damaged. Going to
have to bring her down. Sorry, Captain." "Nothing
you can do," Cid replied. He looked at Vincent beside
him. "Looks
like it's up to us." There
was the sound as if a cannon had gone off beside them and Cid
twisted the stick as the Slipstream suddenly jerked violently
to one side. "We've
been hit!" he yelled. Elena
almost screamed as the ground came rushing up to meet them,
but Cid managed to lift the nose and pull up a moment before
impact. Even so she could see he was fighting with the
controls just to keep the plane level. Nevertheless, he
brought the plane around and started to head back toward
WEAPON yet again. "Cid,
what are you doing?" Elena exclaimed. "You can
barely control this thing. We've got to get out of here."
"We're
the only thing standing between it and Rocket Town," Cid
replied sharply. "Every second we slow it down gives them
more time to evacuate." "But
Cid..." Elena started, but then fell silent. She looked
at Vincent. He said nothing but slowly reached back and took
her hand in his. Cid
gained altitude. The controls were too unstable to fly close
to the ground anymore. This made it less likely that they
would crash, but it also made them an easier target for
WEAPON. He
bore down on the creature again, knowing that this would
probably be his last attack. "Lady
luck, don't fail me now," he muttered. He
opened up with his cannons, but he knew it was like throwing
pebbles at a gorilla. WEAPON
turned toward them, and Cid braced himself to see the now
familiar blast of it's laser beams. But
WEAPON continuted to turn, until it was facing north, away
from the town and the Slipstream. Then it started to walk off
quickly. The
Slipstream flew past it behind it's back. Cid brought them
around to get another look at it. It was indeed headly rapidly
away from them. "It's
leaving!" Cid cried jubilantly. The
others just stared at it. Elena could hardly believe her eyes.
"They
must have done it," she said. "They
must have done something," Vincent agreed. "Let's
just hope..." He
stopped and they all looked past the creature. On the horizen
ahead of it they saw a blazing point of light. "What
the hell is that?" Cid said slowly. The
light grew, becoming brighter by the second. It approached
them with amazing speed, growing in seconds from a point of
light to a huge ball of white flame. It came on, straight as
an arrow at the huge creature in front of them. When it struck
it emitted a flash of light so blinding that they all had to
shade their eyes and turn away. The
light faded slowly, and it was many seconds before their eyes
adjusted enough to be able to see the now empty plain where
WEAPON had stood. "Holy..."
Vincent said softly.
Cloud moved quickly down the hall, the sword Renada had supplied him held firmly in one hand. It was no Ultima Weapon, but it would have to do. He
could hear Renada up ahead of him, and the occasional crack of
a firearm told him that Quays was not far ahead either. He
turned the corner of the corrider and saw Renada standing by
an open doorway up ahead. He
came up beside her. The room in front of them was a huge
storeroom, filled with crates and barrels. She motioned to him
that Quays was inside. Cloud
signaled for Renada to cover him, then leaped into the room.
He heard the crack of gunfire as he dove behind a large pile
of crates. Renada
followed him in, firing blindly and dodging behind a second
group of crates to the left of him. "Give
it up, Quays," Cloud shouted. "Zangan's dead. You're
forces have been defeated. There's nothing left to fight
for." The
only answer was the cracking of wood as a bullet hit the crate
he hid behind. Cloud
motioned to Renada that he would swing around and try to get
behind Quays. Renada nodded. She fired again and ducked back
quickly as Cloud made his way toward the back of the room. He
worked his way back slowly, feeling his way ahead by instinct.
He listened carefully for any clue as to Quays location as he
went, but he heard nothing. Occasionally Renada would call out
to Quays, hoping to get him to give away his location, but he
did not answer. Cloud
came around a corner and saw Quays standing with his back to
some crates. Quays saw him at almost the same instant. Cloud
dodged back as Quays fired at him. He stood there with his
back to the crates for a moment, sword ready. He looked up and
saw that the crates backing this aisle were stacked up rather
precariously. He
shoved the top crate, and the whole line of crates backing the
aisle tilted and then collapsed into it. He
came around the corner, sword ready, to see Quays scrabbling
away. Quays fired wildly in his direction and then disappeared
down another aisle. Cloud leaped to follow but then stumbled
and almost lost his footing as his foot slipped on something
on the floor. He looked down to see that one of the crates had
broken open and dozens of grey materia orbs were scattered
across the floor. He picked his way slowly through them and
headed off after Quays. Cloud
came around another aisle to find himself at the back of the
room. There was no sign of Quays. He must have missed him
somehow. He turned and started back toward the front. He
hadn't gotten very far when he heard Renada call out in
distress. "Cloud!"
He
ran around a corner and looked toward the front of the room.
Renada was on the ground, with Quays standing over her. "Quays!"
Cloud shouted. Quays
turned to look at him. Cloud stooped and picked up one of the
materia orbs. Quays
smiled. "That's
not going to do you much good," he said. "I'll take
care of you in a minute." He
turned and Renada found herself looking down the barrel of his
gun. The
materia orb flew through the air and struck Quays in the
center of his back. He cried out and stumbled forward as the
bullet he fired hit the ground just inches from Renada's head.
She
scrambled to the side, grabbed the gun that Quays had earlier
knocked out of her hand, turned, and fired. Quays
fell to his knees. Slowly he turned and looked at her. His
mouth opened as he tried to speak, but no words came out. Then
he slumped to the floor and lay still. Cloud
hurried over to Reneda and helped her up. "Are
you all right?" "Yes,"
she said. "Thank you." Cloud
looked at Quays and shook his head. "C'mon,"
he said. "Let's get back to the others. We're finished
here." Renada
nodded, then she pointed to the ground. "Hey,
look at that." He
looked down. The materia orb he had thrown lay on the floor at
their feet. It glowed with a faint but distinct green light.
It was early evening when Cloud and Renada, followed by the others, rode up and dismounted outside Icicle Inn. The Slipstream sat on a rocky outcrop nearby. The
entered the Inn to see Cid, Vincent, Elena and Shera sitting
by the fireplace. They got up as Cloud and his friends
entered. "Cid
has asked Shera to marry him!" Elena blurted out. They
all looked at her in surprise. "What?"
Cloud said. "That's
great," Aeris spoke. The
women all gathered around Shera, talking excitedly. Cloud
walked over to Cid. "Cid,
I didn't think you had it in you." Cid
looked at him sheepishly. "No
need to make a big deal out of it," he replied.
"It's just that when I heard WEAPON was headed for Rocket
Town the first thing I thought of was her. Not the town, not
the Tiny Bronco, not even my spaceship. I figure if she can
take my mind off that, well...you know." Cloud
smiled. "It
really must be love?" he suggested.
"Congratulations." Cid
shrugged. Reno
suddenly raised his voice above the others. "Well,
if this isn't a cause for celebration, I don't know what is.
Let's party!" Most
of the others went into the kitchen to get drinks. Red took
his customary place on the floor in front of the fire. Aeris
sat down nearby as Yuffie came over. "I
can't wait to go home and tell everyone in Wutai about
this," she said. "They're never going to believe
that super materia. I just wish I had something to show
them." Aeris
smiled. "Give
it up Yuffie. I told you already that the super materia would
destroy itself it we had left it active. I'm afraid you're
just going to have to be happy with your fond memories." "Besides,"
she continued. "After it was deactivated all the materia
whose energy it had absorbed returned to normal. There were
dozens of materia orbs in storage in the fortress, and we gave
them all to you. You're going to head to Wutai loaded to the
gills with the stuff. What more do you want?" Yuffie
nodded. "I
guess," she said. "But even so, I'm gonna dream
about that materia for a long time." "I
suppose," Aeris replied. Yuffie
went over to talk to Shera. Red turned and looked at Aeris. "I
was looking through some of Quays notes in the lab," he
said. "They indicated that he had found a way to keep the
super materia stable." "That
may be true," Aeris replied. Red
looked at her with a puzzled expression. "But
you told Yuffie the super materia was unstable." Aeris
shrugged. "So
I did," she said. Red's
brow furrowed. "Explain,"
he said. "Isn't
it obvious. You know Yuffie. If I told her the super materia
was stable, she'd do anything she could to get her greedy
little hands on it, and I cannot see any good coming from
that." Red
looked at her for a long time, then nodded. "So
you lied to her," he said. Aeris
looked at him innocently. "And
we're all better off for it," she replied. Red
smiled. "So
where is the materia now?" he asked. Aeris
returned the smiled and patted her backpack. "In
a safe place," she replied. Red
turned his face back to the fire. "I
have no doubt that it is," he said with a grin.
Tifa sat on the steps outside of the Inn, looking up at the stars. She could hear the others talking loudly inside, but she wasn't paying any attention. She
heard the door to the Inn open, but she did not look to see
who came out. Someone
sat down beside her. "Are
you okay?" Cloud asked. She
shrugged. "I'm
sorry about Zangan," he said. She
turned to look at him. "He
was..." and her voice choked off. She bowed her head. "Why
must it always end this way? Why does life have to be so
unfair? You strive and strive to do your best, to be the best
person you can, and what does it get you? Am I doing something
wrong, or is this all just my punishment for what we did in
Midgar?" Cloud
shook his head. "I
don't know, Tifa," he said. "I don't have any
answers. But I do know this. You've lost your father and
Zangan, and it's a tragedy, yes, but you should also consider
yourself lucky to have known two such men in the first place.
At least you got to spend some time with them, and that's a
precious thing. I would have given anything to have known my
father, to have spent some time with him, if only for a few
days. But he left when I was just a child, and I never got to
know him at all." Tifa
was silent for a long time. "I'm
sorry for the way I acted," she said slowly. "You're
the only family I have now. I would hate to lose you. I was
such an idiot." "No,
it wasn't you..." he responded. He put his arm around
her. She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He
looked at her, not speaking for a long time. "Thank
you," he said, barely audibly. She
looked up into his eyes. "What
for?" she asked. "For
being you. For everthing you've ever done for me. I don't
think I could have made it through all this...without
you." He
looked at her, her dark brown eyes, still moist with tears,
like immense wells flowing deep into her soul. They were
enchanting eyes. Beautiful eyes. "Cloud,"
she whispered. He
felt his face drifting slowly toward hers. "Tifa,
I..." Suddenly
the door burst open and they found themselves outlined in a
stark white light. "So
there you are!" Barret exclaimed. "Come on in and
join the party. You're missing all the fun." Cloud
looked at Tifa, rolled his eyes and smiled. He got to his feet
and helped her up beside him. Together that walked back into
the Inn. THE
END
AUTHORS
NOTE: Come on Cloud, say it. Just SAY IT! Hah! You didn't
think I'd make it that easy, did you? I suppose if I keep
writing these I'm going to have to choose between Tifa and
Aeris, and I am afraid that at that time Aeris is going to end
up on the short end of it. But for all you Aeris fans out
there, I promise to make it as painless as possible. And who
knows? In a fit of madness I might just change my mind. Time
will tell. The
Turks, good guys? Vincent and Elena together? Cid asking Shera
to marry him? Aeris being devious? Aeris? I must be losing my
mind. Okay,
I admit it. It was probably a bad idea to dismantle the
Highwind, especially since it did nothing to further the plot
of the first story. I don't even know why I did it, it just
seemed reasonable at the time. And yes, I thought about
calling the new aircraft the Highwind II, but I just like the
name Slipstream better. This
tale had a pretty classic story line. The quest. The old
master passing the torch to the next generation. But some
plots never wear thin, and I think it's well suited to the
characters. I'll try to be a little more innovative next time.
I'm
sure you picked up on the hints of another of Red's species
wandering around. Think it's a safe bet you'll be hearing more
about that? I need a name for a female of Red's kind. If
anyone has any suggestions, or any opinions at all about the
story, or just wishes to vent, fell free to contact me at
[email protected]. That's
all for now. My, how we writer's do have a tendency to go
on...all right, shut up already.
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