Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ A - All Readers ]

The general sat at his desk looking over the diagram of the newest sector found in the ruins of Midgar: Sector Zero... Now that was one place that had brought Reeve to Cloud’s doorstep asking, no begging for his immediate help.
Recently, Reeve’s main expedition group found a hidden sector where it was presumed high mako activity had begun to take effect on his men. Another thing was that men began to vanish suddenly and were found dead half eaten. So whatever it was that was killing off the soldiers was a monster of high intensity.
“Sir...” a voice came from the tent flap. A middle aged man of forty entered cautiously, his bifocals clinging desperately to the bridge of his narrow nose. Despite his shaggy brown hair, his hazel colored eyes peered out with hope at the general.
“What is it Professor Riley?”
“I was hoping to gain some audience with you about this new excavation site. I would like you to allow my colleagues and I to go into the sector with you and your men.”
“I’m afraid I can’t risk bringing your faction along with us due to the high risk of coming face to face with this unknown creature that has been eating our men in the past couple of weeks.” Cloud explained professionally.
“But Sir...”
“Professor Riley, please do not make me repeat myself anymore then I have to...”
“We promise to stay out of your way when you come to face any monsters. We would just like to explore this sector and record data for the sake of science and history.” Riley explained.
Cloud sat down in his cot and rubbed his forehead and sighed. There was no way he could be able to shake this man off and Odin knew he hated dealing with “scientists.”
“Fine. I will not be held responsible for any casualties and stay out of my men's way. If things get out of control and I say get out, you do as I command. Is that understood?”
Professor Riley straightened up and nodded vigorously with a small smile,
“You have my thanks General.” With that he left the blonde alone to brood. He had not been home in over a week and he knew Aerith was probably having a mental breakdown with a smile plastered to her beautiful worried face.
They had managed to clear out a bit of debris from the entrance to Sector Zero and were camped just twenty yards from the entrance. No one knew whether it was day or evening, for the red cloud dust hung heavily over the mutilated city.
Cloud went outside and stared at the metallic doors some of the welders tried opening a few days back. In a result of that conquest, one man was badly injured due to a small fire incident with another worker. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... He didn’t like it...not one bit.
“Sir, we are ready for your orders to go and investigate the facility.” a soldier stated.
Cloud narrowed his unique cerulean hues,
“Rally the men and set up. We are heading in now.”
Professor Riley and his group followed the soldiers down into the echoing empty hallways. Never in his wildest dreams did he think Sector Zero existed and the fact that he was the first of any man of science to enter this lost haven. He felt like a child who woke up to find birthday presents at his door step...
“We are picking up mako activity everywhere professor. I mean its incredulous...seems like it’s moving in a pattern...like a snake.” The young apprentice spoke up. Another colleague peered over the blonde’s shoulder too look at the electro-tablet and glanced worriedly up at Riley.
“Should we tell the general?”
“No Victoria. Knowing him, he’ll pull us out the instant he finds an excuse.”
The woman nodded and they found themselves ushered by a few soldiers.
Cloud was in the lead, his blade glowing softly in the darkness and flashlights lighting the way ahead. This place looked all too familiar...
“Cloud, I understand.”
“Tifa...please I never meant to hurt you this way.”
“There were other ways, but it doesn’t matter anymore Cloud. They all equal the same hurt I feel now.” the woman named Tifa spoke up softly.
Cloud brushed a hand through his hair and glanced up into the ruby colored orbs, his mouth devoid of words or excuses. He loved the green eyed maiden...
The raven haired woman began to walk back to the doors...
“Forgive me.”
Tifa turned around,
“There is nothing to forgive...it is I who should be asking your forgiveness.” she whispered, her eyes were narrowed in clarity.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not the little girl you grew up with...you will never understand cloud so forget it and forget me.” she answered. Before Cloud knew it, his best friend vanished off into the darkness.
Cloud didn’t know by what she meant by him not being the girl he knew until Aerith was almost assassinated by Sephiroth. Instead of dealing the killing blow to Aerith, Sephiroth had pierced Tifa’s body and to his utter surprise, his silver haired rival had embraced the bleeding woman and she clung to him like a woman in love.
As Sephiroth spoke to Cloud, all he could do was hold Aerith’s unconscious form in his arms. His blue glowing eyes staring incredulously at Tifa’s serene face. A pool of blood at her feet, her creamy legs enveloped in thick crimson red and her face...her face held a smile.
“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh but little puppet...I do. Don’t you see?”
“You killed her!”
“On contraire puppet...she’s merely asleep.” he chuckled, “Such a beautiful woman...”
“Don’t touch her!”
Sephiroth snapped his eyes at Cloud and smirked letting sudden anger pass, “I think I have the right to touch the woman of my child...”
Cloud’s eyes widened and his jaw slacked in shock as his enemy grinned and wrapped his black coat over Tifa, once again rising to the heaven’s.
The earth beneath Cloud’s feet began to tremble and shift violently. From the very creases of the cracked ground, a grimy miasma erupted causing a few of his men to fall to thier knees.
“WATCH OUT!” he ordered to his men. Everyone began to retreat backwards till a green shadow coiled up in front of them. It was an ever shifting glowing green sandstorm of a monster like the golem...
“Damson! Hitaly! Up front with me!” Cloud shouted.
Two soldier’s ran forward, one man and woman, so identical with thier cropped mouse brown hair and gray eyes, they must have been related.
“Sir!” they both shouted in unison.
“Whatever this is, you see it’s made up of a sand substance. This isn’t going to be easy so equip yourself with these.” Cloud yelled as he threw level three fire materia at the two. He equipped Ifrit to his mace and readied himself for the first attack. Damson struck with his machete but to no avail as the weapon went through it without a hit.
“Fire!” Hitaly shouted as a torrent of flames engulfed what seemed to be the head. It retreated backwards and Cloud unleashed Ifrit, the celestial fire beast rose and pummeled the enemy with a fire ball. The intense heat began to melt the sand into emerald glass, giving the non existent enemy a glass form.
“By the Ancients!” someone cried from the back. Cloud looked back to find Riley too close to the battle,
“I said GET BACK!” Cloud bellowed at him angrily. The professor jumped at the general’s angry snarl that he immediately blended back behind the soldier’s who were ready for battle should Cloud’s help fail.
Cloud glared back at the beast and struck with his mace leaving a rupture that poured out with mako light. He narrowed his eyes, his hand shielding them from the piercing light till he noticed something black in the middle.
“General!” Hitaly yelled in warning as she dodged for the man but was thrown back by the creature along with Cloud. Cloud shook his head, crimson blurring his vision, knowing well he had wounded his head. The pounding at his temples was uncontrollable as he leaned on his weapon. Damson was throwing fire at it but the glass seemed to deflect the magic, but long enough to distract the thing.
Cloud readied Knights of the Round as he advanced one slow step at a time. His head seemed to be on a verge of explosion, he winced, seeing Damson crumple to the ground. Several other soldiers came forward, thier attacks doing minimal damage on the thing but this monster was made of mako...
More men fell to thier deaths and yet Cloud’s vision and consciousness was fading. He felt like he was slipping on ice...slipping into darkness. NO!
Cloud forced the last of his strength only to stumble before the monster, mace embedded in the eroded concrete beneath him, heaving he uttered the command for Knights of the Round.
He gazed up to find ethereal beings begin to snatch the energy out of the enemy and suddenly the crystal-like monster burst into an emerald white nova.
“Cure!” a soldier commanded and Cloud felt a sharp tug of feeling begin to course through his body.
“General, are you all right? You’ve lost a lot of blood...”
“I’m fine.” Cloud mumbled as he heaved himself off the ground. He walked over slowly to the remains of the creature and stumbled a bit due to the pulsing pain in his head. This was worse then Jenova trying to break into his mind...
A black object among the crystals caught his blurred vision and as he bent down he picked up a grayish-granite armlet.
“Sir...we found an entrance into an abandoned laboratory!” someone shouted,
“General? General! Medics quick!” the soldier exclaimed as they caught the falling hero.
“Cloud...I’m a weapon...created to destroy all that you love: That includes Me.” the woman’s voice whispered.
“Take care of the child...someday that child will become the angel to rule all.”
The woman began to fade...
“Wait!”
“Your time is up...”