Final Fantasy2
Chapter Thirty-Four: "Red Flag"
Voices screaming. Fire scarred his skin in flashes of heat. Despite the ash coating his throat he hollered and cried, laughed and wept, all at once. The sky was burning. The only salvation he could find was that in the fading warmth of a fresh corpse, whose blood already soiled his clothing and skin. He laid down among the bodies, feeling the stares of their blind eyes. He became part of them, one of them. He could hear his heart beating; it was very faint. He listened as his breathing ceased. A cold numbness spread first from his fingers and toes to his elbows and knees, and higher. His mouth became dry and his stomach hollow. His heart slowed. And finally, as he lay there among the dead and the rotting, his heart stopped.
***************
Locke awoke with a start in a place that was unfamiliar to him. He was lying in a warm bed with thick pillows, and soft light cascaded down on him from dull bulbs over his head. He could hear waves crashing in the distance; he wondered vaguely where he was and what had happened after the nightmare at the crater. With tentative movements he tested his arm. The limb responded sluggishly, rising over his chest until his fingers dangled over his face He curled the digits and watched the contracting muscles in his forearm.
The door opened, and he twisted in bed to see who it was: Nadia. She was carrying a tray of fruit and cereal that didn’t quite look appetizing to him. "Oh, you really are awake," she said with obvious relief in her tone. She placed the tray on a bedside table—by now he’d determined by the white walls that he was in some kind of hospital room. "How do you feel?"
"I’m not sure," he admitted, frowning at the roughness in his own voice. "Lazy, like I just got out of a coma."
"That’s pretty close, actually. You’ve been unconscious for three days."
Locke blinked several times, startled by the news. "Three days?"
She nodded sympathetically. "Yeah." He noted that she looked awfully tired as well. "We’re in Junon now. Rufus hasn’t tried anything yet—he’s actually taking care of us. He probably thinks we’re the only ones that can do anything."
"Oh, yeah." He pushed himself into a sitting position and viewed the entire room—it was small and empty except for several monitors and pieces of equipment. He didn’t notice until then that one was connected to his arm. "What happened back then, Nadia?" His inquiring eyes sought hers for the answers. "I’ve been having the most terrible dreams. What happened to Celes, and Sephiroth, and Cloud? And Lavos?"
Nadia averted her gaze for a moment. "I’m sorry. No one knows where Celes is, or any of them. But…" She chewed her lip. "But Lavos is on its way toward Midgar—they’ve been tracking it. And not only have two of the Weapons been released, but two more big monsters have showed up, too. They’re not doing anything ‘cept following Lavos, though."
"And the Weapons?"
As if answering his question a low siren began to wail throughout the base. Nadia raised her head. "That’s an intruder alarm," she mused. Locke started to get out of bed, but she held him still. "Don’t try to move so much—you’ll hurt yourself."
"But I have to know what’s happening," he insisted. "What if it’s—"
"Please Locke, just stay." She was able to ease him back into bed. "It’ll be all right. You can’t do any good the way you are anyway. I’m sure the others will take care of it."
The treasure hunter sighed, sinking back onto the mattress. He nodded, though he was unable to shake the unsettling feeling in his gut.
"Mr. President," the soldier reported through the intercom, "there’s an intruder. He’s sealed himself inside the inner core of the reactor."
"Do we have a camera in there?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well then, show me."
Tifa entered the control room of Junon’s Shin-ra base, moving to where Rufus, Glenn, and Lucca were already crowded around a display. Glenn muttered a curse. "I should have realized." His rough voice was even more crippled than usual. "It’s a member of SOLDIER."
"An old one," Lucca confirmed. "Tella. Even without Sephiroth they’re acting under the influence of the Jenova cells. But what’s he up to?" She pursed her lips, frowning as Tella moved out of the camera’s view. "At this point I calculated there should only be about four members left, not counting Sephiroth, Celes, and Cloud. You’d think their limited powers would be relatively obsolete by now."
"Lavos apparently found some use for them."
The lights above their heads began to flash, glowing far more intensely than they should have. "What’s going on? Rufus demanded, switching his display. "Is he trying to shut down the reactor?"
"No, sir," responded a man at his workstation. "He’s boosting the power."
"What?"
Tifa pulled Lucca off to the side. "What’s going on?" she asked. "Who’s this intruder?"
"It seems to be a SOLDIER member," said the young scientist. "Junon doesn’t have a normal Mako reactor—theirs in underwater. Anyway, he’s broken in and is—" she turned back for a second as several power output readings flashed across the screen "—increasing the reactor’s power output. Any more and things’ll start shorting out—he’s being very precise. Someone must be guiding him."
"Any sign of Cloud?"
She adjusted her glasses and shook her head. "Sorry, but no. Right now, I’m not worried about him. We have to figure out why…" Her eyes grew wide as her sentence trailed off. Before Tifa would ask what had happened she moved to another workstation and pushed the technician there aside. While the man protested she began to type furiously at the keyboard.
Rufus glanced over at the commotion. "What’re you doing? This area is—"
"What’s Lavos’s position?" Lucca interrupted. "Quick, where is he and what’s he doing?"
"He’s just about to the Midpoint," another technician answered. "Reports over the last several hours have been the same: no activity."
She stared at her screen printouts. "Damn." She muttered. "Red flag."
"What was that?" The President’s hand clamped on her shoulder, and she started. "Tell me what you mean."
"Red flag," Lucca repeated. "The kind you wave in front of a bull." She indicated her computer monitor as she set up an appropriate visual aid. Everyone moved to where they could see. "We’ve been wondering why the Weapons don’t attack Lavos, right? It’s because he hasn’t done anything yet. The three Weapons were created to destroy threats to the planet, but so far our spiky friend hasn’t tried. We, however, are draining energy out of the planet, making us the threat. Before, it probably wasn’t enough to alert their attention, but with the power being drawn at this rate, soon—"
Another siren went off, but this second alarm was accompanied by intermitted flashing red lights. A soldier burst into the room. "Mr. President!" he cried. "Something’s coming this way—something huge!"
"Coming?" Rufus repeated. "How?"
"In the water, sir. It’s already ten miles away and approaching fast!"
Lucca smiled grimly. "O-lay."
"This is no time for jokes," Tifa admonished. "There’s got to be a way to kill it, or at least not be a target."
To this Rufus shook his head. "All of our defense systems are powered by that reactor. If we shut it down and this thing decides to keep attacking, we’ll be powerless. I can’t take that chance."
Tifa wondered if he was worried more about the city’s people or his base. She let it pass without comment. "We’ll have to think of something, then."
"There already are soldiers in the reactor attempting to take out the man behind this. If we can return the output levels—"
"It won’t be enough," Glenn interjected quietly. "Cloud will make sure of that. He wants us to defeat the Weapons for him."
His remarks drew Tifa’s attention immediately. "Why do you say Cloud?" she asked defensively.
He glared at her only briefly before explaining. "In case you didn’t see, Cloud was the one who activated the Black Materia. His power and will gave Lavos life; he is in control."
"That’s not—"
"Both of you stop," Rufus barked. "We’ve got more important problems—I don’t need you here causing trouble. Now do something helpful or get the hell out of my control room."
Glenn crossed his arms and looked away, while Tifa apologized. "I’m sorry. What can we do?"
The President straightened, fixing the creases of his white suit. "As of now, nothing, unless you have ideas. We’ll attack it at full force with our cannon—that and all the rest of our artillery. Until a better option presents itself we’ll just have to pray it’s enough." With one last piercing look to the rest of them he began to make preparations with the crew.
Junon was most likely the largest port on the globe, but that fact was not its only credential. Built at the turn of the century in the beginning of a new era it was the most advanced military outpost created by man. The primary weapon was an enormous cannon that stretched out over the harbor, nearly one hundred feet in length. In addition, the entire slope of the mountain as well as the base itself was littered with dozens of smaller cannons and spaces for soldiers with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. It had yet to lose in any battle. And as the immense artillery prepared for their attacker, it was very clear why.
Rufus supervised everything from the central control room in the short time they had. Despite the sirens blaring and lights flashing he stayed still, calm, and collected, listening to the reports from his men and the slowly diminishing countdown. Sometime during this Glenn left, and no one asked why. Lucca stayed, though, helping to analyze the data they’d gathered, and Tifa stayed near the back to watch. She didn’t know what to think or do. When only three minutes remained most of the arsenal had been properly set, and all the technicians waited in tense silence for their orders.
"Can you get a lock on it?" Rufus asked, standing at the windows.
"Yes, sir. Target confirmed at 2.873 miles away and closing quickly."
"Prepare to fire."
Immediately the room began to buzz once more as the calculations were set.
"Adjusting 10 degrees right."
"Main coil operational and charging. 40% capacity. Target is locked into our computer grid. Probability of direct contact is 27%."
"That’s not good enough," the President interrupted.
"50% capacity."
"It’ll rise at it approaches, sir."
"80% capacity."
"I’m adding an extra calculation," Lucca said. "It’ll dissolved the creature’s barriers."
"Go ahead."
"Probability of contact 39%."
"I want it higher," Rufus snapped.
"2.197 miles and closing, sir. Cannon is at 100% capacity."
"Fire."
The entire base shook with the resonance from the cannon’s fire, lighting the morning skyline with a flash of intensity that threatened to dwarf the sun’s blaze. The shot echoed thunderously across the water as it sped towards the advancing opponent. They saw the impact’s resulting flash before they heard it, and the shock wave sent a tremendous wave crashing against the base. The control room, secure as it was, only felt a faint tremor of the explosion. Once again everyone fell silent, waiting for a report of their effort’s outcome.
The tapping of Lucca’s fingertips across the keyboard was the only sound in the room. Her monitor beeped. "Target has been…destroyed," she reported mystifyingly. "It’s dead, sir."
Rufus turned from the window, his eyes burning on her firmly. "Are you certain?"
"Helicopters just confirmed," added a technician. "It’s sinking, sir. Direct hit to the creature’s torso—it went right through him. Reports are in…" A pause. "No movement. It’s dead."
Just as they were about to start celebrating one of the audio counsels began to sound. Glenn’s voice came through the speaker. "That’s not it," he said urgently. "There’s another."
"Computer’s not reading anything," Lucca contradicted.
"You killed Ultros Weapon, but there’s something else here," he insisted, and as she listened she detected a note of pain in his voice. "One of those other two—one of Lavos’s Angels."
"But we’ve got no indication. Are you sure? Where are you?"
"With the soldiers."
Just then another transmission came through. "Sir, we’ve found the intruder from the reactor, but he’s dead. He simply collapsed—we don’t know what killed him."
Rufus pressed the com button to respond. "That’s fine, lieutenant. Take the body to the science wing and have it put in containment." He turned back to Lucca. "Check the computers again. Make sure there’s nothing else."
One of the receptionists screamed. Rufus spun around just in time to witness the ocean surface being ruptured by an enormous mass of flesh, and a long-snouted head rose out of the water. Waterfalls cascaded from its jaws and down the twisting snake-like body. It was nearly the size of the base itself. The people of the control room dared not breath beneath the cold stare of its black eyes, as if the creature had focused on them alone, and to move would prompt its wrath to fall up on them. After several long moments Rufus waved his hand at the attendant behind him. "How much time will it take to recharge the cannon?" he asked in a whisper, keeping his eyes on the creature.
He gulped. "Uh, several minutes, sir."
"I don’t think we have that much time."
Tifa moved to the window, and her fingertips trembled against the glass. The beast stared back at her, unwavering. "Something’s wrong," she murmured, her own brown eyes scanning the broad turquoise scales and sloping jaw line. "Cloud…I feel you. You’re here, somewhere." Her insides churned with the power emanating from their foe, as if it were attempting to guide her focus and thoughts. "You want me to see something, don’t you?" Her gaze swept up the creature’s length of neck, until she spotted a bit of blue iridescent light between its eyes on the top of its head. It was far away and hard to spot against the sunlight, but she could have sworn it was a man.
The beast’s jaws gaped wide as it charged suddenly, and the fort’s arsenal blazed at its full capacity against it. It barely flinched as the shell impacted on its flesh. A terrible cry arose from its long throat, and it lunged forward to drag one of the missile launches from its base. The soldiers nearby ran screaming.
"How much time?" the intercom Glenn’s voice had come from sparked. "How much time for the cannon?"
"Another two minutes," the technician replied without thinking.
It seemed like so short a time, and yet as they watched the quick wreckage that was being made they knew it was too long. Furthermore, it was soon made apparent that unless their attacker moved to a spot in front of the cannon, the machine would be useless, as the mechanisms that controlled its movement had been damaged. Rufus stood at the window, watching the scene silently. His thoughts were anyone’s guess.
Tifa’s eyes flittered to the cannon briefly, and she caught sight of two men running across its length: Glenn, and Sabin a few feet behind. "There are people on the cannon!" she called over her shoulder.
Rufus nodded while Lucca and the technicians glanced up in surprise. "I just noticed them myself," the President admitted, surprising them with the calm tone in his words. He didn’t take his eyes off them for an instant. "The cannon’s skin is several feet thick; they won’t be harmed by the heat, but if we fire at the creature at this range the shock wave would throw them off." His expression twitched. "Prepare the cannon for launch."
"It’s already prepped," the response came. "Capacity at 60% with probability of direct contact .004%."
Tifa glared at the man beside her. "You’re not going to fire, are you? If they fall they’ll be—"
"Killed. Yes, I know. But they seem to know that." He nodded as an indication for her to look. Halfway down the cannon barrel Sabin had stopped, letting Glenn--who’d shed his cape and chest armor—continue to the end alone. They were connected by some kind of wire.
Lucca joined them with binoculars, and confirmed. "They’re tied together. What the hell are they up to?"
The serpent twisted its head as Glenn unsheathed his sword, its attention captured. Immediately the blade began to glow, spreading veins of delicate emerald glitter about its master. While this was happening Sabin laid himself flat on the barrel, digging the claws of his Mithril Gloves into the thick plated metal to keep him steady. The rope that bound the two men together was fastened securely to his waist. He waited.
"Continue charging the main coil," Rufus instructed as the creature began to move towards Glenn’s swirling blade. "As high as you can. Prepare to fire on my signal."
"The highest we can get is 75% capacity, sir."
"It’ll have to do."
Glenn’s eyes met his enemy’s. They were an invitation—an unsaid challenge lying within the twin gold pools. They called to the beast’s deepest and most natural desire—to kill this man. This man whom it hated with a ferocious passion, the butcher of his kind. And with a cry of rage the huge head shot forward, mouth open and waiting, light from the fresh sun glistening off its sharpened fangs. Glenn stood unmoving. He waited until he could feel its steaming breath.
"Probability of direct contact 100%."
"Fire!"
Sabin shielded his eyes as the metal shuddered beneath him, and the explosion sent a gust of wind buffeting against him as he lay straddled on the cannon. He felt the wire that was tied around his waist grow taunt—as they had planned, Glenn had leapt off the barrel’s end just before the shot fired. Only after the shock wave had passed did he dare to look up.
Sabin sighed in relief, watching with elation the serpent’s twisting movements, its head having been severed from its tubular body. But then his eye caught the same glitter of light that had alerted Tifa. The man figure escaped just as the rest of the beast slipped beneath the waves.
"Increase magnification on that," Rufus commanded, having moved behind Lucca’s shoulder to see her monitor. He wasted no time in celebration. "Is that a man?"
Lucca adjusted the view. It showed what appeared to be a human figure, though instead of skin and hair it was composed of filaments of pure azure light, rippling like ocean turf across its surface. It’s back twisted and stretched until a pair of wings sprouted and spread to shield the entity like a cocoon. "I recognize that," she said to herself, utterly amazed. "Terra looked like that. I must be…an Angel."
"Is it Cloud?" Tifa asked, leaning close. "Can you tell?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, but no. I can’t tell." But just then the wings moved behind him, revealing the sharp and body features of the man. "That’s…" Lucca stared, and then rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. "It can’t be…"
Rufus’s eyes narrowed. "It’s Professor Hojo."
Sabin had not been around Hojo enough to recognize him immediately, and finally was alerted by a feeling of eerie discontent that radiated from the professor, human or not. Even then he had trouble admitting the fact to himself. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, which proved difficult with Glenn’s weight dragging him down. He managed to climb to his feet. Glenn was making steady progress up the cable, but he wouldn’t make it to the top in time; Hojo was already preparing to strike, a sadistic grin twisting on his lipless mouth.
The man-creature attacked sooner than Sabin had anticipated, feigning use of its magic to simply collide with him head on. The martial artist was thrown onto his back, surprised by the amount of force carried in so delicate-looking a form. He felt himself being pulled to the edge, and in desperation plunged his gloves’ claws into the steel. They caught and held, saving him from a fate on the jagged rocks of the surf below.
"A waste." Hojo stood over him, the sun’s rays streaming through his translucent skin. He laughed, and even in his new state his voice had stayed the same. He touched his fingertips together, and a blue light flashed within his hands. "I’ll send your energy to Lavos."
Sabin gritted his teeth, quickly thinking back to his training. "Water beats fire," he murmured, trying to remember the techniques. "Fire beats earth, earth beats wind, wind beats water—hell, I haven’t done this in a while." He jerked one glove free, concentrating on his fist with all the will of his mind. He hadn’t depended on his Blitz skills at all since fighting Cloud in the Train Graveyard, but now if he could just—
The glowing energy in Hojo’s grasp began to expand, and Sabin had no choice but to release his own. He swung his arm in a wide arch, sending a curve of fierce wind at his enemy. The Angel dodged but it wasn’t enough; the air blade sliced cleanly through its left wing. Before the deformed man could even utter a cry Sabin’s hand snapped around his ankle, flinging him over the edge.
Still dangling from the cable tied to his waist, Glenn saw the plummeting form and prepared. He was able to sway just far enough to reach the Angel, and the Masamune hummed triumphantly as it met the liquid flesh of its enemy. The blade tore across Hojo’s neck, ripping the head from its shoulders. Even after Glenn was sure the man had been killed he watched him fall to the rolling surf far below. Only then did he divert his eyes and begin to climb up the cable.
Watching from the control room, Tifa breathed a sigh of relief. Rufus, however, was still cautious. "Check the radar," he commanded. "Every check you can do. Make sure that was the last."
"Yes, sir."
"He’s got to be dead," Tifa said, her eyes on Sabin and Glenn as they regrouped on the cannon barrel. She noticed that Sabin was holding his right arm. "I hope those two are okay."
"I’m not reading anything," Lucca reported, having taken over one of the counsels. "Everything looks clear. The other Weapon isn’t anywhere near us."
Rufus moved to check once more for himself. "Are you positive?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
He let out a deep sigh, and in exhaustion sunk into the closest chair. He wiped sweat from his brow. "Power down the cannon," his voice barely whispered. "Recall the soldiers and assess casualties."
Lucca regarded him silently a moment; the man’s body was hunched over and weak with fatigue, reduced to a state she’d never seen in him. She turned to the intercom device and relayed the President’s command.
"I’m going to see if they’re all right," said Tifa, moving toward the door. When she passed Rufus she paused, and in sympathy touched his shoulder. "Are you all right?" Then she added, "Mr. President?"
Rufus lifted his head to meet her gaze, somehow able to force himself back into a confident air. He swept a loose strand of hair from his face. "I’m all right, Miss Lockheart. Go ahead."
She nodded and continued. On her way the door opened and Scarlet appeared, smoothing locks of her blond hair. Everyone paused to stare at her as she entered. Scarlet merely scowled and moved to Rufus’s side. "Mr. President, what on earth happened here?"
Rufus’s eyes met hers coldly. "And where were you?" he asked.
"Forgive me for not being here sooner. I was occupied." The lights and sirens finally ceased. "I suppose everything has been handled."
"Without any help from my aid." He stood, his icy demeanor demanding the attention of everyone in the room. "I expect you to at least do your job, which includes being present during an emergency."
Despite his authority Scarlet held herself with rigid posture, reminding herself that she was older—and taller—than the blond President. "I apologize, sir." Her voice held no such sentiment. "It won’t happen again."
"See to that." Rufus turned his back on her, leaning over Lucca’s shoulder. "I have an assignment for you, Miss Rannel. I know you’re not an employee of mine anymore, but I’m sure you’ll do this for me."
Scarlet spun on her heel and left the control room, Tifa following a moment later. Slowly, the technicians returned to their daily routines. Lucca realized that it was just her and Rufus now, and his attention was focused completely on her. She couldn’t refuse. "What is it?"
"I need to know exactly what happened to Professor Hojo," he said. "How and why he became that thing, and exactly how many are left. If any others attack we’ll need to know what we’re up against, and how to defeat them."
"That won’t be easy," she replied. "All of our evidence just sunk."
Rufus nodded. "I know it’s not simple, but you were Hojo’s assistant, weren’t you? You’re the only one I can trust to do this right. The entire staff will help you, but I want you to be in charge, Miss Rannel."
Lucca stared at him, amazed that he remembered her name let alone trust her with any kind of assignment—after all, she’d left the company. Part of her intellect reasoned that he was tricking her in some way, but in his eyes she saw only firm sincerity. Not only that, but she also realized that he was out of advisors, and he was missing all the members of his executive cabinet.
"All right," she said at last. "I’ll get right on it, Mr. President."
"Thank you. I thought you would." Rufus clapped his hand on her shoulder, grateful for her support. "You can find me in my room once you’re finished, unless I say otherwise."
"Of course." Lucca was determined to not let what was left of his superior attitude get to her—he had come to her for help. "You can rest now; this will take a while." He nodded and left, and she turned back to her monitor. She cracked her knuckles and adjusted her glasses. "Well, Miss Rannel," she said with a grin, "time to get to work."