Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Us And Them ❯ Unease ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10: Unease

 

Jessie stirred restlessly as Wedge drove the minibus across the rugged terrain. Next to her, Aeris, Vincent, Barrett, Biggs and Sephiroth slept soundly.

They had been driving for the past eight hours. Soon, they would be reaching Junon where Wedge would be dropping them off and driving back to Midgar. Then they would board the ship to Costa Del Sol, where their contacts in the vacation resort would provide them with additional transportation to Nibelheim.

How can they sleep knowing what we're about to do? The last time we made any move on a member of the Shinra family…Jessie closed her eyes and winced at the memory. Two of her friends had died that day. How many more would die before the Shinra company went under?

“We're getting close,” Wedge said loudly.

Aeris stirred and rubbed one of her eyes. “Wha…?” she mumbled.

“We're almost there,” Jessie told her, “Guys, wake up!”

Barrett muttered an obscenity as he and the others slowly woke up.

“Get ready,” Wedge announced, “I'll be dropping you off right outside of town,”

The group made sure they had all their belongings before Wedge pulled over.

“Good luck,” he told them before everyone exited the vehicle.

 

“There's gotta be something to do while we're on this boat,” Aeris muttered as she paced about her cabin restlessly.

“Must you do that?” Jessie grumbled as she lay on her bed.

“Do what?” Aeris glanced at her companion.

“Nevermind,” the older girl sighed.

“You seem preoccupied,” Aeris observed.

“Risking your life for a worthy cause does that to you,” Jessie commented absently.

Aeris grinned. “What risk? We've got one heck of a team on this mission! Brains, brawn, and skill- nothing can stop us!”

Jessie chuckled sadly. “Ah, Aeris. You're so idealistic. It's one of the things I like about you. But you haven't seen the consequences of messing up on a mission. I have,”

“Are you talking about what happened to those two people-?”

“Yes,” Jessie broke in, “You weren't there when it happened. Those two were good friends of mine. Only to be snuffed out by Turks, of course,”

“Is that why you hate the Turks so much?”

Jessie looked up at the ceiling. “That's part of it,”

Sensing that Jessie didn't want to speak anymore about the Turks, Aeris decided to change the subject:

“Hey, how'd you get to be so computer-savvy?”

“My father worked in computers,” Jessie explained, “There was always equipment around the house. My brother and sister were never really interested, but I always found them to be fascinating. I remember the first program my dad gave me. One of those kiddie programs that teaches you to type. I took it very seriously. It's actually how I learned to read,”

“Wow,” Aeris was impressed.

“Since then, I've always been a computer junkie,” said Jessie, “Got my first part-time job when I was fourteen at a computer store. Then three years ago, I joined Avalanche,”

“How'd you end up joining?”

“Through Biggs,” Jessie answered, “Gave me a stellar recommendation and everything…what- now you're jogging in place?”

“Heh, sorry. I'll get outta here,” Aeris grinned sheepishly as she left the room.

 

Sephiroth sat in the shade watching everyone coming and going around him. He had just finished having lunch with Biggs and Barrett. While the other two men had decided to go into the gaming room, he'd been content to wander off by himself as he always did.

“Is this seat taken?” a female voice asked.

Sephiroth looked up to see a woman in her thirties standing over the seat nearby, looking expectantly at him.

“No, not at all,” Sephiroth shook his head, “Go right ahead,”

“Thank you,” she sat down, “So many people love the sun. And it does a lot of good, of course, but I prefer to avoid it all the same,”

“I understand that,” Sephiroth nodded politely.

“Not so much that I have sensitive skin or anything,” the woman continued, “But honestly, after a while, I get a bit of a headache,”

“Interesting,” Sephiroth commented. That was something that had always happened to him after a couple of hours in the sun.

“Of course, it goes away the minute I'm out of the sun. But it's strange…it doesn't seem to happen to very many people. In fact, it's only where I come from that such a thing happens,”

“I've never heard of other people having that same condition before,” Sephiroth confessed.

“I'm sure you've never heard of people who could soar through the air just by thinking about it either,” the woman eyed Sephiroth, “Nor people who can heal from wounds quickly,”

Sephiroth found himself growing very uneasy at the woman's words. How could she know about him like that? Had he been too careless the last three years? Did Shinra now have a way to trap him into being their prized specimen again?

“No, they haven't found a way,” the woman told him.

Sephiroth's mouth dropped open in shock. Had she read his mind? Was she…?

“Were you the person who spoke to me in the church the other day?” Sephiroth glared at her.

So he has communicated with her. This could be bad…

“No,” the woman answered, “This is the first time I've ever spoken to you,”

“Why are you here?” Sephiroth asked warily.

“Many reasons. Mostly to check on your well-being,”

“Who sent you?”

“I cannot answer at this time. You need to keep your mind on your mission. I know it's possibly the most important one you and your comrades have undertaken thus far,”

Sephiroth stood up, knocking his chair over in the process.

“Get out of my head, woman!!” he snarled at her.

“You are the one who can't control your thoughts,” the woman regarded Sephiroth coldly, “You haven't learned to filter your thoughts, so it's open season on your mind,”

Sephiroth continued to stare uneasily at her.

“There is a lot you don't seem to know about yourself. Even Professor Gast and Professor Hojo only had a basic grasp on your true potential,”

“And you know everything?”

“More than they did,” she replied as she stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“Our conversation is done for today,” the woman explained, “This is not going to be easy. I can't have you losing your patience like you did by just finding out I know who you are. An even temper is crucial to finding out the truth. An emotion such as anger will cloud your judgment and allow deception to creep in,”

“How can I not get aggravated when you're behaving like some mystic from an obscure cult?” Sephiroth snapped.

“I understand how you feel,” said the woman, “But for now, just be happy with the fact that you're not an outsider like you think. Alienation is a dangerous thing. Goodbye for now, and good luck on your mission,”

She walked away.

“Wait!” Sephiroth chased after her, only to soon realize that the woman had indeed vanished. There were no doors alongside the long wall, and no one else around save for a lone sailor mopping the deck. Had the woman jumped off? Flown? No, not with a witness present.

Is she really…my kin? Was Jenova followed? But that was over two-thousand years ago! How long do her people live? How long will I live?

She hadn't wanted him to be agitated, but how could she pile on such cryptic hints and expect him to accept it without question?

Still, one thing she'd said was true: he did need to stay focused on the mission. Vincent may have been the one to organize everything, but it was Sephiroth's leadership skills and fighting ability that held everything together.

I suppose I'll go meditate now…

With a sigh, Sephiroth retired to his cabin.

 

Two days had passed since the members of Avalanche had boarded the ship bound for Costa Del Sol. Now, the party stood at their destination.

Upon docking, the party had split up, each member leaving the resort city on their own, before meeting at the designated pickup spot an hour later.

“How much longer do we have to wait?” Barrett complained, “They said they'd land around three `o clock. It's three-thirty, dammit!”
“He did say around three,” Vincent reminded him, “And this man doesn't exactly strike me as the kind to get hung up on an exact statement,”

“Then why the hell did you hire him for this job?” Barrett demanded.

“I'm told he is the best in his field,” Vincent replied calmly, “And from talking to this person, I can tell that he is a man who doesn't let fear hold him back,”

Just then, a faint roar could be heard from the distance.

“Hey, look!” Aeris exclaimed as she pointed ahead.

A small plane could be seen on the horizon. However, the group could see the plane getting bigger and bigger, until they realized it was bearing down towards them at an incredible speed.

“GET OUTTA THE WAY!!!” Jessie screamed as she and the others scattered.

Aeris ran as fast as she could before she dove to the ground. A strong wind blew her way, and she ducked her head to avoid being hit in the face with any flying debris. After a few moments, she noticed the roar of the plane's engine had stopped. Looking up, she could see a small passenger plane standing a few feet away from her.

The door opened, and the pilot emerged. He removed his goggles, revealing a head of ash-blond hair. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Barrett yelled as he marched up to the pilot, “That was TOO damn close!! See that girl??” he pointed at Aeris, who was trying desperately to smooth her windblown hair back into place, “A few more feet, and ya coulda killed her!”

“I'm fine,” Aeris insisted.

“That's why I stopped here, and not over there,” the pilot mumbled as he lit his cigarette.

The others slowly got to their feet and gathered around the plane.

“Cid Highwind, I presume?” Vincent looked at the pilot.

“Yep,” Cid took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled, extending his hand to Vincent, “Nice to finally meet you, Valentine,”

“Likewise,” Vincent answered, “But were such theatrics really necessary?”

“Was the perfect landing spot,” Cid shrugged as he took another drag off his cigarette, “You're not deaf. You knew to get outta the way. You can't do that, how the hell you gonna stop a multi-million-dollar corporation from messing with people's lives?”

“That's a rather simple way of viewing things,” Sephiroth commented.

“Yeah, whatever,” Cid shrugged as he opened a second door, “Get your asses inside and you can introduce the rest of yourselves after we take off,”

“Ass-hole…” Barrett muttered as he climbed inside.

 

“Valentine…” Cid sighed as he and the gunslinger sat in the cockpit, “You've got major guts,”
“Mmm?”

“I mean, kidnapping `Prince Rufus' and not even demanding a ransom? What the hell do you want to get out of this?”

“Inside information, and of course, absolute panic from within the company,” Vincent told Cid, “A ransom would not make sense. There is no way it could be pulled off without them finding us out. We won't kill Rufus Shinra, but there are plenty of ways to assure that he won't be returning to work as vice president anytime soon,”

“What's he doing in Nibelheim anyway?” Cid asked.

“President Shinra probably wants his son to know everything about the mako reactors they have around the world,” Vincent replied, “He had several trips scheduled to see every reactor. Nibelheim is to be the last one before he returns to Midgar,”

“So this is the only chance,” Cid concluded, “Gotcha. Right- we'll be landing twenty miles from Nibelheim. Hope you guys like camping. Especially with those damn Nibel wolves,”

“It's better than having us dropped off nearby and arousing suspicion,” Vincent pointed out.

“Still…” Cid frowned, “If anything goes wrong, just call me. I'll do what I can to bail you out,”

“Are you sure about that?” Vincent raised an eyebrow, “The people here all decided they have nothing else to live for except the demolishing of Shinra. If you come and help under those circumstances, you'll be exposing yourself, and you'll likely spend the rest of your life on the run. And it will be a short one, likely,”

“That girl in the pink shirt,” said Cid, “How old is she?”

“Seventeen,”

“And she's as suicidal as the rest of ya?”

“She has nothing else. Shinra took it all away,”

“Damn…she's just a kid,”

“Still want to bail us out if something goes wrong?”

“…Sure. Why the hell not?”

“…Very well then,”

 

My son…please…come back to me…

Sephiroth awoke with a start. It was still dark out. Everyone around him was still asleep around the campfire, save for Vincent, who was keeping watch.

That voice again…who the hell is that?

He unzipped his sleeping bag and kicked back the cover. It would be a while before he would get anymore sleep.

“Can't sleep?”

Sephiroth looked up to see Vincent facing him. He sighed, and then got up and walked over to his father.

“…Did my mother have an…attractive voice?” he asked suddenly.

Vincent looked taken aback. The boy had occasionally asked about Lucrecia over the years, but never anything that specific.

“Your mother had a beautiful voice,” Vincent answered, “And that's not just my being partial,”

“Do you think that people in the lifestream can contact someone living?”

“I don't believe in superstitions like that,”

“Aeris can hear the deceased speaking to her,”

“Deceased Cetra. Aeris has never heard the voice of a human from the lifestream. Why are you asking me this?”

“…I've heard the voice of a woman a couple of times. She calls me her son…begging me to come back to her. It's a beautiful voice…but…there's something…wrong, the way she sounds,”

“Did it sound at all familiar to you?”

“No. That's why I asked you,”

“Aeris' voice is similar to your mother's. I've noticed that since she's been with us,”

“It must just be the stress,” Sephiroth lied.

Vincent nodded. “Get some sleep. We should reach Nibelheim tomorrow morning,”

“You know that sleep isn't as necessary for me. Let me stand guard,”

Vincent hesitated, and then shrugged. “Do what you need to do,”

Sephiroth watched his father retire to his sleeping bag. He had almost been tempted to tell the man about the strange woman he'd met on the ship, but had thought better of it.

Don't need anyone thinking that I'm crazy…

 

The city of Nibelheim was already bustling at eight `o clock in the morning, despite the rain that was coming down. People were hurrying to work, mostly young men and woman rushing off to the mines. The few children who weren't sleeping in during their summer break, were sprawled lazily in the shelter of their front porches.

“Quaint place,” Jessie commented.

“I love it!” Aeris exclaimed, “It reminds me of Corel!”

“Let's check in,” Jessie pointed to the nearby inn, “The sooner we do that, the sooner we can relax. Rufus isn't coming until tomorrow,”

“Relax?” Aeris followed Jessie into the building, “I wanna explore!”

“It's a city,” Jessie said flatly, “There's buildings and people. Not much to explore,”
“Welcome to Hotel Nibel!” a girl exclaimed brightly, “Tourists?”

Jessie and Aeris looked at the girl. She looked a little younger than Aeris, sporting a fringed leather vest, and a matching skirt. A cowboy hat covered her dark hair, which she kept tied back in a very loose pony-tail.

“Visiting friends,” Jessie lied.

“Just so you know,” the girl continued, “I give tours of Mount Nibel if you're interested,”

“No thanks,” Jessie started to say.

“I'd love to!” Aeris grinned.

“Super!” the girl clapped her hands together, “First tour is at noon, and the next one is at four!”

“Swell,” Jessie muttered as she handed her gil over to the man behind the counter, “One room, please,”

“Just come back to the lobby at either of those times, and you'll find me with the group,” the girl told Aeris, “My name's Tifa. I do a few other odd jobs at this place, so if you need me, just ask around,”

“Will do,” Aeris nodded, “Thanks so much!”

“Hey, you coming?” Jessie called from the top of the stairwell.

“Yeah, I'll be right up!” Aeris hurried up the stairs.

“You shouldn't be too friendly with people like that,” Jessie said to her friend in a low voice, “We've already got one Shinra flunky who knows who we are,”

“I wonder if Sephiroth wants to come on the tour. Are you sure you don't wanna come?”

“Would you listen to me??” Jessie hissed as she opened the door and the two stepped inside the room, “Your carefree attitude is gonna get us all killed!”

“You're edgy today,” Aeris frowned, “Actually, you've been edgy for days now,”

Jessie sighed. “Yeah…I…I know. I'm sorry. Look, I don't mean to pick on you, it's just…”

“Alright, I'll be more careful,” Aeris conceded, “But I seriously don't think that girl Tifa's an undercover Shinra spy or anything,”

“I guess…”

“You're still worried?” Aeris peered at Jessie, “You think that something's gonna happen to one of us?”

“Let's not talk about that,” Jessie shook her head.

“You're right,” Aeris acknowledged, “That's why you should do something to take your mind off things. Like coming with me on that tour!”

“In the rain??”

“Forecast said it would let up in the afternoon,”

“You're not gonna stop bugging me until I say yes, are you?”

“Well, it works with Sephiroth most of the time,”
“You're such a pest,” Jessie joked.

Aeris grinned. “Let's go get some breakfast,”