At first I thought I was going to base my next fanfic on Vincent Darkfall. Then I thought about Cid Highwind. I couldn’t make up my mind. After writing Seifer’s Revenge, I felt like I had already used all my good ideas. But I was determined to write another story. So finally I came up with something I liked. I’m not quite sure how people will react to it, and I haven’t decided whether to tack the happy or sad ending on, so I’ll be winging some of it. This story touches on an interesting argument, too. The Tifa/Aeris Conflict (I made the name up). For a long while people have debated whether Cloud was truly in love with Tifa or Aeris, and the creators of FF7 are probably laughing their heads off because of it. I think they left the issue open on purpose so people could think what they wanted, much like the ending (I think Holy made all humans disappear as well as saving the Planet, as mentioned by Bugenhagen late in the game. This would explain why the section after the credits was from Red XIII’s POV. This isn’t a very popular theory though, as it destroys any future fanfics.) But anyway, I have always been an Aeris fan, so don’t be surprised by…well I won’t give it away. All I can say is…the evil has returned, and he has some unexpected allies. Well, I have gone on too long for a foreword, so enjoy…
“Can you hear me?” Hiron asked.
“Loud and clear,” Kara responded, groaning.
“Is the video feed coming in clear?” Hiron asked again.
He’s doing it again, Kara thought.
“Everything’s fine. Calm down.”
Kara ran a check on the satellite signal one last time. It was coming in fine. She hated this job. But that’s what she got for working with Junon Channel 6 news network. Hiron Katma was the most eccentric news reporter ever. He was also crazy. After the Meteor Incident and Midgar’s near-destruction (thankfully there no loss of life because all citizens were evacuated to the slums), huge interest arose in Sephiroth and the Ancients. Suddenly, Channel 70 news got an interview with one of the people who was part of a group that supposedly destroyed Sephiroth and summoned Holy. The man’s name was Cid Highwind. He gave full exposure to everything. Sephiroth’s history, the history of the Ancients, their struggle against Sephiroth, and finally the one surviving Ancient who died to save all of humanity. Channel 70’s ratings skyrocketed. So much information that had been unknown before to politician and civilian alike had come pouring out in one two hour interview. Cid had even revealed the names of all of the members, which led to several future interviews to those that accepted the invitation. All members of the group except two had been located. Cloud Strife, the supposed leader of the group, and Vincent Valentine. Both networks knew whoever found them first would reap the benefits. But, for the time being, Hiron had come up with another insane scheme. He was going to travel down inside the North Crater where Sephiroth had been killed. Everyone had advised him against, telling him that the levels of Mako down there had fluctuated severely after the incident, and that it could mutate him. But he would not listen. It seemed that ratings were more important to him than his own life. He planned to go down into the crater alone with a camera and voice transmitter. They were going to broadcast the footage after they had viewed it and say it’s live.
“Kara, switch the footage to the main projector. I want everyone in the press room to see this. I’m going in!” Hiron yelled, his ego showing again.
Kara pressed a few buttons on her desk keyboard, and the footage switched over to the main screen. Everyone who had been busily typing a minute ago was now staring at the screen. Kara also switched the sound feed over to the main speakers. She was still the only one who could talk to him, though. The camera on his helmet allowed everyone to see from his point of view. Hiron was looking down from a ledge near the upper edge of the crater. An airship had flown him in earlier. Kara started recording.
“I am standing on the edge of the North Crater, the previous hideout of the infamous Sephiroth. I am looking down the crater as Cloud Strife would have looked when he began his descent with his ragtag band of heroes. Of course, the crater has changed much since Holy was released…”
Kara smiled. Hiron had used a buzzword. The second the millions of viewers heard the name Cloud Strife there attention would be focused completely on the news. Little was known about the mysterious leader of the warriors who saved the earth. That made him all the more of a hot commodity.
“I will now proceed to repel down inside the destroyed crater, risking myself exposure to high levels of Mako.”
The camera shifted, and then the view slowly began to slide down. The sound a repel cable grinding was heard in the back ground. No one, not even Hiron, knew where the cable stopped. Kara took a sip of her bitter coffee. The excitement was even starting to get to her. She started to fidget. The footage was amazing. The Mako stained rock walls, the crumbled stone walkways. Cave entrances pock-marked the walls of the large crater. Suddenly, the camera image stopped moving. Hiron had landed.
Hiron inspected the walkway beneath him. This was great. He was going to resurrect News Channel 6 and bring it to the top of the charts. The camera on his head felt slightly annoying, but it was worth it.
“This walkway must be thousands of years old. It appears stable enough to support my weight.”
Hiron began to walk across the stone walkway. It was about ten feet wide and easy to walk on. He reached the end, were the wall opened up into a cave entrance. Hiron entered the cave.
“As you can see, this ancient tunnel is slick with Mako…”
Hiron’s lecture was interrupted when he lost his footing, tumbling over and sliding down the wet rock deeper into the tunnel.
“AGGHHHHH!!!!”
Hiron felt the rock floor beneath him give away. He fell into the darkness.
Hiron opened his eyes. He coughed, looking up. He had fallen a good distance.
“Kara! Kara, can you hear me?” Hiron yelled into his transmitter.
“Hiron! You’re breaking up! Are you…” the receiver buzzed and went dead.
“Kara! KARA!” Hiron screamed. “Oh shit. This is bad.”
Hiron stood up. He was scared out of his mind. The camera on his head was broken and his communication device wasn’t working, so he had no way of contacting anyone. No one but Cloud Strife himself knew what was down here. Hiron tried to walk.
“Agh!” he yelled, stumbling over. His left knee was dislocated. He got up again, propping himself against the wall. Hiron managed to hop on one knee, using the wall if he began to fall. Suddenly a rhythmic chanting started up. It sounded inhuman. Hiron had no idea where it was coming from.
He barely summoned up enough courage to continue down the tunnel. Suddenly the transmitter sparked to life.
“Hiron! We’ve managed to boost the signal temporarily. The camera on you’re head is still giving us sound, but no picture. You can still communicate with us, but this is my last transmission to you. We are tracking the satellite feed and sending a rescue squad. Stay where you are!”
“Oh, thank God,” Hiron whispered.
The chanting grew louder. Hiron had to see what was going on. He reached the end of the tunnel.
“There’s some sort of chanting coming from this cave. I’m pretty sure you can hear it now,” Hiron said.
Hiron entered the cave. He was on an upper shelf of rock, which overlooked the most amazing thing Hiron had ever seen. The level below him was a single massive platform of crystal floating above an abyss of Mako. The platform was almost a mile long. A long blade was stuck into the ground in the center, barely discernable. The sword was surrounded by no less than ten thousand people in brown robes, kneeling and chanting.
“My God,” Hiron whispered. He got down on his stomach, crawling to the edge of the ledge.
Hiron tried to discern what they were saying. It was some language he had never heard before. The phrase they were chanting was strange: raru humino sero yowaf, o taroe sefiroth.
With all of his study in language he could not find out what that meant. Hiron described the setting so the camera would hear it. Suddenly, the sword began to glow brightly. A figure appeared over it. The figure became clearer and clearer and the chanting grew louder.
“No! It can’t be!” Hiron yelled.
Hiron was bathed in an explosion of yellow light. When his eyesight recovered he nearly died with dread. He recognized the person floating over the sword. He had seen his image a million times.
The white haired man plucked the sword out of its crystal resting place, raising it high above his head and shouting out in the strange language. The brown-robed people stood up, shouting and holding there arms out to the man.
Suddenly the man’s head turned, staring at the exact spot where Hiron was hiding. Hiron felt himself lift off the ground. Suddenly he shot forward. He scraped across the crystal surface, pulled by some unseen force. The brown-robed people around him moved away, clearing a path. Hiron flipped onto his back and came to rest. The tall man stood over him. His blue eyes seem to pierce Hiron’s flesh. Hiron couldn’t believe it. Sephiroth had returned. He raised his masamune high over his head, preparing to strike.
“NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Hiron screamed.
The last thing he ever saw was the glint of the blade as it plunged down.
Hi, apparently there I screwed up with my author name or something, but its supposed to say Vincent Darkfall. Sorry it’s taken so long to get this out. I ended up scrapping my original idea before coming up with this. In the time it took to write this I have heard some big news. As you know, the direct sequel to FFX is coming out (Not FFXI, FFX-2) and it looks hot. But, something else even more enticing is in production. Get this…a direct sequel…to…FINAL FANTASY VII!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAYYYY!!!! You should probably pick your jaw up off the floor now. I guess my theory for the end of FFVII is wrong, ‘cause they would all be dead. Also, the ages of the characters in the story are the official ages, with the exception of Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith, as their ages are never revealed. Sooooo… let’s get on with the show(oh yeah. For this story let’s assume their journey to defeat Sephiroth lasted 6 months). Presenting………
The sky began to lighten. The dark was fading, mixing with the coming dawn. The wind whipped in Cloud’s hair. He had grown it out and
dyed it black. People all over the world knew what he looked like, and he couldn’t have anyone recognize him. He didn’t want the fame and publicity. Not like Cid. He was a good friend, but he had to be in the spotlight. Cloud still couldn’t believe when Cid did that interview on Channel 70. But on the other hand, it had given a lot of exposure to the efforts of the group. And most of all, for Aeris. She had died for all of them. Cloud gunned the engine on his motorcycle and tried to forget about her. It had been almost a year and a half since all of that happened.
Cloud sped down the deserted Neo Midgar highway. With all of the corruption out of the government, Midgar had become a pleasant place to live. Reconstruction from the damage done by Meteor was completed, and the control of Midgar had shifted to the Mayor. The Mayor was a great leader. The first thing he did in office was initiate plan Neo Midgar (Not Shinra’s plan). It involved the rebuilding and refurbishing of the slums and the rest of Midgar. The slums were no longer the slums, and Midgar switched all of its power off Mako to hydro, solar, and wind power. At first it seemed absurd, but it worked just as well, if not better than Mako. The pollution over the present-day “Neo Midgar” and in “the slums” (they still called it that even though it was as beautiful as Neo Midgar) disappeared. Crime had all but vanished in Neo Midgar. It was a golden age.
Vincent drove past Cloud. The sky began to grow even lighter. They had about thirty minutes until sunrise. If they weren’t out of sunlight by then, Vincent would last about five seconds. His sun allergy had grown fatal. When he had first joined them, his abilities were undeveloped and his sun allergy virtually nonexistent. But now, in just two years, he had become almost godlike in strength and would die quickly in the sun.
Hojo was a madman. He made Vincent what he was today. Hojo had somewhat of a fascination with vampire mythology, and had been waiting for the perfect subject to see if he could make one. It was kind of depressing that Vincent had to read fiction books to find out about himself. He had found some interesting facts out. Apparently, vampires grew stronger over the ages, enhancing what they called the “Dark Gift”. Hojo had sped up the process. Vincent developed new abilities in months instead of centuries. It was hard on him. He had the strength of fifteen men, he could move faster than the human eye could track, turn into a wolf, become nearly invisible in shadow, and was telepathic and telekinetic. And of all of these great abilities, there was the one horrible downside…he needed the blood of a living human being.
Cloud didn’t know what kept him going. He had to feed off hobos, hookers, thugs… all in the seediest part of town. Shinra HQ. The building was demolished and the Neo Midgar Council Building was built on top of it. But the government didn’t bother to destroy the basement levels. It had turned into an underground hideout for all the “less privileged” people who had been pushed out of their “homes” in the sectors when they were cleaned up. That was where Vincent went to feed. People didn’t care if a hobo went missing here or there.
Cloud, snap out of it! You’re going to miss the turn, Vincent’s voice echoed in Cloud’s mind. Cloud slowed down and got behind Vincent, turning right onto the exit off the high-rise highway. Cloud was sometimes disturbed about how easily Vincent could hear Cloud’s main thoughts. But Vincent normally gave him his privacy.
The exit road led to the Neo Midgar Airship Dock. The dock was virtually empty except for the majestic Highwind. Cid had given it to Cloud as a gift. Cid hadn’t needed it anyway, seeing as the Mayor had appointed him head of the Neo Midgar Peacekeeping Fleet. The NMPF was made up of a hundred mint-condition airships. The Highwind II, the flagship of this almighty fleet, was the most technologically advanced ship in the world to date. Cid designed and captained the ship himself. He could command all of the ninety-nine other ships from the Highwind II. The fleet combined with ground forces was unbeatable. The Mayor probably would have given Cloud control of the army if he had stepped forward to claim his fame, but that position was given to Barret Wallace. Barret was probably a better leader, thought. The first thing he did was abolish SOLDIER. He dubbed the project “inhumane and dangerous”. Barret’s fight against “the Establishment” was over, and he (and Marlene) grew to respect the government.
Cloud got off his motorcycle and, along with Vincent, wheeled it up the catwalk to the ship’s cargo hold. After securing their bikes, Cloud and Vincent entered the ship. Two crew members passed them in the hallway, saluting. The crew had been with them since the beginning, and after Sephiroth was killed they vowed to stay. The money that Cloud earned while racing chocobos was more than enough to pay for their lifestyle and the crew’s salaries. Cloud raced under an alias, and was careful not to win too much so not to draw attention to himself. Cloud and Vincent walked into the main chamber of the ship.
“Go ahead and tell the pilot to take off,” Cloud said to Vincent.
“Where are we headed?” Vincent asked.
“To see her,” Cloud answered.
Vincent said no more and turned towards the cockpit. Cloud walked the other way to the chocobo pen. As he entered the room, Squall chirped with delight. Cloud walked up to the Gold Chocobo, stroking his neck. Squall had never lost a race. Cloud only raced with him periodically, though.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Cloud said, petting him.
“Warrrk!” Squall responded.
Cloud laughed, reaching into the greens bin next to him. He pulled out some Gysahl Greens and fed them to Squall. The chocobo warked approvingly. His eyes were dark like a storm cloud, hence the name.
“I have to go. See you later,” Cloud said, petting Squall one last time.
He walked to the wall across from Squall, running his hand along it. He felt the small bump and pressed inward. A tile of the wall lifted up, revealing an electronic keypad. Cloud entered the four digit code, causing the wall in front of him to retract and slide to the side. Cloud walked through the hole into the armory.
Swords, guns, and materia lined the walls. All of the weapons and magic that Cloud and Vincent had collected during their quest to defeat Sephiroth was in this room. Cloud smiled to himself. It seemed like some stupid video game. The heroes’ spoils hanging from the wall. A certain feeling of nostalgia came over Cloud when looking at the weapons. His adventures. Sephiroth. Her. A sharp buzzing was heard as the PA turned on.
“Crew, prepare for liftoff,” the pilot said.
I’ll be seeing you soon Aeris, Cloud thought, turning around and leaving the armory
“Okay, thanks a lot, bye,” Tifa said, hanging up the phone
“Honey, who was that?” Derek asked.
Tifa calmed herself, trying to hide her worry. She turned to face her husband. He was a handsome man of twenty-six, with chestnut brown hair and green eyes.
“It’s about Cloud,” she responded.
Derek nodded. Tifa let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Derek Rion was a very accepting and kind man. He understood her relationship with Cloud, and the rest of the group. He accepted her prolonged search for Cloud. Tifa looked at the ring on her finger.
Why did you have to disappear Cloud? she thought.
The baby started to cry.
“I’ll get her!” Derek yelled from the living room of their house in Kalm.
Tifa love Derek, but often wondered what would have happened if Cloud had stayed with her.
Why did he have to love Aeris? she thought.
For the past year Tifa had probably called every bar, restaurant, gas station and hotel in all of Midgar. And Derek stood by her side, supporting her every step of the way. Derek walked into the kitchen with the baby.
“I think Melissa’s hungry,” he said, smiling and handing the baby to her.
Tifa smiled back then gave Derek a kiss. She would have to try and not worry about Cloud. Wherever he was.
Cloud ran his fingers through the water. The crystalline trees sparkled around him. He could see why this place was the home of the Cetra.
It’s so quiet and peaceful. They must have been able to hear the Planet clearly here, he thought.
Cloud could see Aeris in the bottom of the crystal-clear pond. He longed to be with her. The urge would have overpowered him if Vincent wasn’t there to help him. Cloud mostly kept it inside himself; let it eat away at him. It also pained him to know that she might not feel the same way about him. He couldn’t bear to think about it. He loved her more than anything in the world, but how did she feel? He shut the thought out of his mind.
“Hey, Aeris. How are you doing?” Cloud asked. He felt stupid talking to her, but it was something he always did. “Listen, I’ve been wondering about something. I love you, Aeris. Hell, if you can hear me wherever you are, you most likely have heard me for the past year-and-a-half so you already know. But I just need to know if you feel the same way. It might help me to…you know…get on with my life. If you could just send me a sign…anything! I just need to know.”
Cloud looked around. Nothing happened. Not a sound. Not a movement.
Ahhh, who am I kidding, Cloud thought.
A flutter of wings caught Cloud’s attention. He twisted his head around to see a single white bird land on a tree branch. It began to chirp. Cloud couldn’t believe it. He laughed to the point of tears.
“Thanks,” he said happily.
He stood up and turned to leave. But a popping noise stopped him in his tracks. He spun around to look at the pond. Bubbles were floating to the top of the pond and then popping.
That’s strange. That’s never happened before, Cloud thought.
Suddenly a whole mass of bubbles floated up.
“What the hell?” Cloud whispered.
He saw a figure struggling to swim to the top.
“No! It can’t be!” Cloud yelled, running to the pond.
He dove in, slicing through the water. What he saw next he couldn’t believe. Aeris was alive and struggling to swim. But it seemed she was too weak. She opened her eyes and saw Cloud, just before she went limp. Cloud swam towards her, grabbing her and lifting her to the top of the pond. He broke the surface, holding her head up.
“Come on! Breathe, dammit!” he screamed.
He put his ear to her mouth, but he couldn’t hear any breath. He swam to the side of the pond, get out and pulling her onto the bank. Cloud held her in his arms. She was soaked to the bone, her clothes worn thin by the constant contact with water. He put two fingers to her neck. Her pulse was weak but it was there. Cloud put her on the ground, hitting her in the sternum with both hands so she would cough up the water and start breathing. It wasn’t working.
“VINCENT!!! SOMEBODY!!!” Cloud screamed at the top of his lungs.
But no-one came.
Foreword:
Contact me at my new e-mail address for feedback: vdarkfall@hotmail.com. Keep reading!
Chapter 2: Phone Calls
The phone rang. Barret opened his eyes. The phone rang again.
“What in the…” Barret whispered, throwing back his bed sheets.
He got out of the bed and walked to the nightstand where the phone stood ringing and picked it up
“Yeah?” he said groggily, rubbing his eyes.
“It’s me,” a familiar voice responded.
Marlene walked in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.
“Daddy, who is it?” she asked sleepily.
“One second honey,” Barret said.
“Who was that?” the voice asked.
“Cloud? Cloud, is that you?”
“Yeah. I know this is strange. I haven’t talked to you for almost a year, and I choose to call now. But this is really important. Something unbelievable has happened.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“It’s better if you see it for yourself. Come to Mideel.”
The receiver clicked and the line went dead. Barret stared at the phone in disbelief. Was it really Cloud, or some crank call made by a kid, he thought. Barret contemplated whether to take it seriously and go to Mideel or to ignore it. He made his decision quickly.
“Yuffie! Close your eyes!” Origachi snapped.
Yuffie sighed, close her squinted eyes. The small amount of light that she had managed to take left a pink spot in the infinite blackness of her eyelids.
GAWD! I’ve been sitting here, my legs crossed, eyes closed, meditating for three hours! Why does my sensei put me through this? I’m gonna kill him, and my dad! I thought I had finally earned some respect from him! But noooooooo, he goes off to Midgar as an ambassador and sticks me with this sensei that forces me to meditate every day! Yuffie’s mind raced.
“Yuffie, be calm and the spirits shall come. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we finish.” Sensei Origachi commanded.
How does he do that? It’s like he is telekinetic or something. Something, ANYTHING, save me from this hell I’m in. I wish was back with Cloud and the gang. That was never boring! Please, I pray in the name of Aeris, rescue me!
The door to the outside chamber opened. Yuffie opened her eyes to see who it was, but was blinded by the light. She blinked a couple of times, and the room returned. A servant was in the room, holding Yuffie’s PHS phone.
Origachi jumped up, face red with anger, “I said NO interruptions!”
Yuffie moaned, seeing her only chance for freedom slip away. She feared she would be stuck in the small, paper-walled meditation room forever.
“But sir, it sounds very important.”
“NO! There can be no interruptions!”
The servant bowed, began to leave the room.
No! I should have hid the phone! Why did I have leave it outside! Aggghhhhh! That’s it! Yuffie’s mind screamed.
Yuffie stood up.
“Heijji, wait,” she said to the servant.
Heijji obeyed and turned around, holding the phone out. Origachi stared at Yuffie, as if he couldn’t believe she would disobey him. Yuffie felt what her mentor called “adolescent anger” building up inside.
“Origachi, cut the enlightenment crap. I know you’re an overzealous monk hasn’t accomplished anything his entire life, and I know you see me as your chance to prove yourself to my father. But seriously, you’ll never win. So you should just take your pathetic little existence elsewhere, and give “enlightenment” to someone who gives a damn,” Yuffie said, putting all her emotions out into the open.
Origachi just stood there, mouth open. He finally gathered up his wits to and began to speak.
“Well, if that’s how you feel…” he trailed off, sounding like he was ready to give in. But he did quite the opposite, “… then we’ll stay here until you become enlightened. No TV, no music, no contact with your friends. Do you understand that, Mizzzz Yuffie?”
Yuffie walked up to Origachi and looked him straight in the eye.
“Well, if that’s how you feel…” Yuffie said, “then you can just go screw yourself.”
Yuffie grabbed the phone from her servant’s hand and raced through the door. Origachi was fast on her heels, screaming at her. Yuffie ran down the paper-walled hallway. She was much faster than her mentor, partially because he was nearing fifty years old. Yuffie was almost to the pagoda’s stairwell when two of Origachi’s loyal servants stepped in front of her, blocking her way. They were big men, and she wasn’t going to try and get past them. Instead she tore through the paper wall next to her. She stumbled into a room where the some children of Wutai nobles were eating lunch.
They must have just finished morning meditation. I don’t know how I went through that as a kid, Yuffie thought.
The children stared at her wide-eyed, most likely wondering why the daughter of the one of the most famous men and Wutai had just jumped through the wall. No doubt they had been taught all the stories of Sephiroth’s defeat in school. Only three months after the Meteor Incident schools had already begun teaching children about Sephiroth and the people that fought against them. And none of that would have happened if Cid Highwind hadn’t gone public about the whole thing, blowing the lid off the government cover-up. Now everyone knew everything about what happened. The Jenova Project, the Nibelheim reactor, The Black and White Materias, the original Project: Neo Midgar, the Ancients, the North Crater, and even Aeris’ death. That was the real reason Cid went on TV. He wanted everyone to know the sacrifice that she made. The memories of the journey came flying back to her.
I should have told Cloud what Aeris had said to me at Cosmo Canyon. Why didn’t I? Yuffie thought.
Her train of thought was interrupted by the shouts of men behind her. She looked around the room, and it was all closed in except for a window.
“Oh well. I’ve cheated death before,” she thought out loud.
Yuffie leapt through the open window, light bathing her. She felt the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the air. The river rushed beneath her. Of course, she already knew that the river was going to be there. Yuffie tossed the PHS safely into the bushes just before cutting into the water. She swam to the bank, her clothes drenched and her heart pumping. She loved that feeling. As she climbed out she remembered the phone and retrieved it.
“This is Yuffie,” she said.
“Hey Yuffie, its Cloud. I know it’s been a long time.”
“Cloud! It’s great to hear from you. I’m bored out of my mind!”
“Yeah, I figured you would be.”
Yuffie sighed. She still heard it in his voice. That sadness had never left.
“So, how are you doing, Cloud? Dating anyone?”
Yuffie regretted those words the second they left her mouth. Why do I always have to act to so happy? she thought.
“Oh, no. I’ve kept myself open just for you.”
They both laughed, but she knew that wasn’t very funny. It was the kind of laugh you have when one of your relatives tells a bad joke.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m calling. It’s hard to explain. Please come to Mideel. I know it’s short notice, but this is really important.”
“Cloud, I would jump down the North Crater to get away from this place.”
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
Yuffie heard the click and then the dial tone. She shut off her phone. She didn’t give much thought to why she was going to Mideel. She just wanted to get out of this place.
Cid twirled the cigarette in his hand, holding over the ash tray and tapping it twice. He watched the ashes drift down, landing in the small glass bowl. He hated these stupid meetings. If they were more common than just once a month, he would have probably lost it.
Why does the military even have to be here? I’m commander of the airship fleet and I have to listen to the Secretary of Transportation whine about how the roads have potholes. Goddammit, I’m so bored! Cid’s thoughts stirred inside his mind.
“…and that is why we need to shift the budget away from industrial expansion and into improving what we already have,” the Secretary finished.
Cid looked up, across the glass table. There were fifteen men sitting at the table. Five were military, Cid being one of them. The Commander of Special Operations, General Sirius Rygar. His background in black box agencies and nonexistent operations made him a shoe-in for the position. Commander Karras Hummel, leader of the Midgar Navy. He had forgotten more about ships than anyone could ever learn, and his position would soon be vacated. Most people didn’t live past eighty. Then there was General Frieus Orion, aka “Furious Orion”. He led the PR part of the Midgar military. He had a reputation for yelling and breaking down into tantrums around the press, hence his nickname. Finally there was Barret Wallace, head of the Midgar Army. Strangely enough, his chair was vacant. Cid didn’t know why, and he normally received a call when Barret ducked out to spend time with his daughter. Everyone else around the table headed a department in the cities government, except for the Mayor. That is, Mayor Reeves. When Cid had first started in his position he had called Mayor Reeves Cait Sith on more than one occasion. It was strange not hearing that voice come out of giant cat robot. But, Reeves was a good man, and he listened to Cid, unlike many of the other suits in the “War Room”. They thought him too boisterous for politics.
Suddenly, Reeves stood up, interrupting the Secretary of Transportation.
“That will be enough, Mr. Flan. There is a important matter that I must discuss with Generals, and time is running short. You’re all excused,” Reeves said quickly.
All of the department heads mumbled as they left the room. This wasn’t on the agenda, and these were people who prided themselves on their schedules.
This is strange, Cid thought.
Reeves paced back and forth, as if trying to find the right words. He finally spoke.
“I know this isn’t on the agenda, but this is quite urgent. Junon Channel Six News just released a confidential tape to us for analyzing. Apparently, one of there more daring reporters decided to repel into the North Crater.”
Cid suddenly felt very, very cold. Memories from his journey into the North Crater came back to him.
How could someone be crazy enough to do that? If they only knew what we went through. And if Cloud hadn’t been there to lead and encourage us, we would have never made it.
“What! How come we didn’t know about this until now?” questioned Rygar.
“We didn’t want this leaking. Panic is like a wild fire. It spreads faster than you can put it out,” Reeves responded.
Cid raised his eyebrows. “Why would there be panic?” he asked.
The generals grew alert. Cid saw the tension grow in Reeves. His eyes flicked back and forth. He pressed a button on the table, causing a projection screen to lower. The image of mountains came up.
“This is the video transmission that Channel Six was viewing,” Reeves explained.
The video began to play. Cid could hear the over-enthusiastic voice of the newscaster, but he wasn’t listening. His entire body felt numb. He could see the very mountains that they had view before descending into the blackness that was the North Crater. Suddenly, the camera’s view swung around as the newscaster began to rappel over the lip.
“Oh my god, that guy is crazy!” exclaimed Commander Hummel.
The camera image was shaky, and you could hear the deep breathing of the man behind the camera.
He should be scared, Cid thought. The things we saw in there…
All of the generals were glancing back at Cid. He noticed this but did not care. The camera came to a stop as the newscaster landed on a ledge.
Wow, the crater changed a lot. Holy sure made an impact when it was released, Cid contemplated.
The newscaster walked down across a narrow rock bridge and entered a tunnel with walls slick with Mako.
“Damn! We should have been told about this before it even happened. The press will have a field day if this leaks! And it most certainly will! It always does! And the press will come running to the military for an explanation. I mean there will be…” and what happened next silenced General Orion.
The newscaster tripped sliding down the tunnel and tumbling over and over. The ground collapsed beneath him and suddenly the camera feed went out.
“The audio feed still continues,” Reeves said.
There was a cry of anguish and then cursing. Then a sound something like chanting. Cid could tell it was human, and it sounded eerily familiar. He could hear what sounded like footsteps and all the while the chanting grew louder. At last it came to and epitome and it seemed to vibrate the whole room.
“Oh, my god,” Cid could hear the newscaster say under the loud noise. “No, it can’t be!”
The chanting stopped, and a lone voice began to speak. The voice was full of power and determination. Cid recognized the language. It was the language of the Ancients. He had heard Aeris speaking it before she died. And he also recognized the voice. He felt if he were going to die on the spot. The cigarette dropped from his hand onto the soft carpet floor. He could tell by the look on Reeves face that he knew too. There was an incredibly loud scream, and then nothing. The audio feed cut off. A stunned silence accompanied this.
“What the hell is going on? I feel a little left out of the loop here,” Hummel asked, looking back and forth between Reeves and Cid.
“It’s Sephiroth. He’s back,” Cid explained, almost placid on the surface.
“No! No way! There is no goddam way that psycho is back!” Orion exclaimed.
Rygar looked blankly at Orion. “I served in six SOLDIER operations with Sephiroth. That was his voice on that tape,” he said.
“Jesus, this is bad! This reporter is most likely dead, and now we got Sephiroth on our hands. What’re we going to do?” Hummel asked.
Everyone looked around the table. No one knew what they should do. Cid’s PHS phone rang. With a look of surprise and apology Cid answered it.
“Cid, is that you?” a voice asked.
“Depends on who’s asking,” Cid answered apprehensively. The generals looked at Cid questionably. It was against policy to have your phone on during a meeting. And in the government, policy is everything.
“It’s Cloud,” the voice answered.
“Cloud! No freakin’ way! How’ve you been?”
“Uhhh…okay. Listen, there is something you need to see. Come to Mideel as soon as you can.”
“Well, okay. There’s something you should know too.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.” Cid decided not to tell Cloud about Sephiroth yet. Cid leaned forward, whispering into the phone, “Hey, do you want Reeves to come?”
Cloud deliberated for a second. “Yes. He was there for a lot of it. See you in Mideel.” The receiver clicked and the dial tone rang.
Cid turned off the phone and placed it in his pocket. He sat there for a while, his hands propping up his chin, staring at the table. The generals all looked at him expectantly, along with Reeves. Cid looked up.
“Was that the Cloud?” Orion asked.
“Yes, it was him. He’s asked me to come to Mideel. Reeves, you too,” Cid answered.
Reeves looked slightly stunned. He didn’t respond, but instead just nodded. Cid got up, pushed his chair back, and walked to the door. Reeves followed him. Before leaving, he turned.
“I’m sorry to do this at such short notice, but you understand why I have to leave. I’m instating the Seventh Mayoral Right. A committee of my choosing will govern until I return. This may have to involve the military, so stay on high alert. Try to keep this from the public as long as you can.”
And with that they left.
Tifa stepped off the airship ramp way and on to the soft grass. The clearing in the woods was located less than 100 yards from Mideel, which made an ideal spot for landing. Not many people came to Mideel anymore. It was never fully rebuilt, and most of the wreckage was simply pushed into the permanent Lifestream lakes. Mideel was made up shacks now. The doctor who treated Cloud was still a resident of Mideel, and no doubt still ran his clinic. Tifa thought she could find him there. She entered the town. It was depressing seeing it again, especially at night. It brought back a lot of memories. She walked passed the shacks to the clinic. The citizens looked at her with interest. She was probably the first new person they’d seen in town for a long time. Tifa paused, walking over to the Lifestream lake. She looked down into the green mass. She could see her reflection, but she always felt like she could see more if she just stuck her head beneath the surface. But she already knew what happened if you were to do that. Tifa wondered if that was what was always like in Lifestream. Maybe the deceased got to relive their memories while they were there.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” a gruffy voice remarked.
Tifa jumped. She hadn’t heard the person walk up to her. As she turned around, she half expected to see a mugger or some lowlife asking for money. But there was something in the voice that sounded familiar. Sadness.
“Vincent!” she exclaimed at the familiar face.
There he was, clad in entirely in black and, to her surprise, he wasn’t wearing his headgear. She actually found him quite attractive, and she realized most women would. She rushed forward and embraced him.
“It’s been a long time…” he said.
“Yeah, it has,” she responded.
She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. His eyes were a blood-red and stared blankly at her. There was never any emotion in those eyes any more.
“Cloud is in the Mideel Clinic. Follow me,” Vincent said, turning around.
“Wait!” Tifa said. Vincent stopped. “Why did Cloud call me out here? I mean, he hasn’t called me in over a year! Why now?”
Vincent hesitated, and then looked back over his shoulder and spoke, “It’s really best you see this yourself. I can’t explain it any better than Cloud can, but I think this may be a prelude to something bigger. Much bigger.”
Tifa gave up. She followed Vincent to the clinic. He walked to the door, opening it and stepping out of the way, gesturing for her to walk inside. She did. The lights were bright, and it took a second for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she could see Cloud standing in front of her, Red XIII sleeping on a chair beside him. Red’s ears stood up, then flopped back down.
“Tifa, I’m glad you could make it,” Cloud said. He seemed dazed.
“Cloud…” Tifa started, but found no words to finish.
She ran forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his long black hair. He put his arms around her in an uncouth manner.
“Why... why didn’t you ever call me? Why didn’t you ever come by?” Tifa said over and over.
Cloud pulled out of her tight embrace. He walked into an adjoining room, waving for her to follow. She walked through the passageway and stopped dead. An emaciated woman lay on the hospital bed. She was breathing, slowly but surely.
No, it can’t be! She’s too thin to be her! But, her eyes… Tifa thought.
Tifa looked deep into her eyes. She could see it. It was that gleam that was so incredibly familiar.
“It happened yesterday, while I was in the City of the Ancients. I can’t explain it. But hopefully she can, when she wakes up,” Cloud said.
The woman that lay on the table was, undoubtedly, Aeris.