Chapter 13: Hard Decisions
I woke up the next morning, and saw Sephiroth lying on the ground asleep close by. Loz was still asleep, and Kadaj also was. I was relieved when I saw she hadnt gone missing on us again like the last few times when me and Loz woke up. But I also thought she might be ok even if that did happen since Big Brother was with us now. I doubted he would lose sight of her if her JENOVA cells went crazy and affected her in a weird way again. I still couldn’t help wondering why those strange things had happened to her in the first place. I mean, me and Loz werent acting strangely out of nowhere, so what was doing that to her? I remembered Sephiroth’s explanation about all three of us being reborn, but it didn’t explain Sister’s strange powers. I stopped thinking suddenly, and heard a man humming close by. I quickly drew my revolver and pointed it to where the noise came from, but stopped; I saw Hojo sitting across from us writing something in a notebook. He looked like he was in a very good mood, but it didn’t seem like he would do anything bad to us, at least. I lowered my weapon and sighed in relief “Geeze… don’t ever do that again.” Hojo looked at me and asked “Do what? All I’m doing is taking notes. I have no hostile intent towards you.” I turned away “Hmph… or so you say. I still don’t trust you, but you’re better than that man with the big fat sword, at least. I guess I can tolerate you.” Hojo laughed “Oh, you mean Cloud, don’t you? He is of no importance to me, but I appreciate your gracious compliments.” I sighed and shrugged, then mumbled “That wasn’t supposed to be a compliment… but whatever.” I studied the area, and saw Mother sitting on the ground. Realizing she was awake, I approached her “Mother, are you ok? They didn’t hurt you?” Mother answered “I am fine, but I cant say the same for my metal wings. Unfortunately, a powerful device the enemy set off destroyed them before I could escape… without them, I don’t have my perfected form, either. Those wings are very special, as with them, I’m nearly invincible. But since they’re ruined, my power is reduced at the moment…” I grew serious and understood what she was saying “Alright, then we’ll just have to find a way for you to grow new ones. No problem, right Mother?” She looked downwards slightly, but didn’t respond. I recognized that she was saying it wasn’t that simple, and I felt a wave of sadness run through me. I shook my head, and felt some tears fall from my face “Oh no… but it doesn’t matter. When you’re in trouble, it’s our job to help you out. We’ll help you get your wings back, Mother. I promise.” She seemed surprised by my reaction and smiled “My son, you’re so brave… but the work is too dangerous. It will involve infiltrating Shinra HQ again… I don’t want you three to fall in battle this early.” I asked “So be it. We’ll do when we’re old enough to handle the job. But what is it they have that you need to regenerate your wings?” Mother explained “The only thing powerful enough to fix my wings is a special energy core that takes the form of a medium-sized metal box. It’s filled with both mako energy combined with a thick concentration of my cells—a special blend of powers that would make my wings good as new, once I bite it and touch it to the base of my destroyed wings. That part is a piece of cake… getting the core, not so much. Due to a long-term endangerment of our race, its been extremely difficult to near impossible for Shinra to mass produce them. In many cases, they used me as a conduit in order to extract my cells and fill these cores with them. That is why I have been weakened and powered down for unspeakable years. I only recently made a miraculous recovery and regained my full power and perfect, metal-winged form… until they unleashed those protocols a few days ago, that is. That put me back at square one.” I felt a surge of anger and said “What?! They were stealing your power? I wont have them get away with that.” I was really angry right now and turned away from my Mother so she wouldn’t see how furious I felt about that news. I groaned under my breath “Gah, that’s it… that is it! I wont stand this a minute longer! No need for me to worry about today’s job; it’s loud and clear.” I heard Loz yawn, and saw he had woken up. Kadaj was also awake, sitting next to him. But Sephiroth was still sleeping, and I began to worry “Um, Mother… it’s not Big Brother to sleep late like this… is he alright?” She replied “Sephiroth just… had trouble staying asleep last night. He’ll be ok, though. He’s just tired right now.” Loz grumbled “Aww, what? I don’t wanna wait for the next mission!” I turned to him and Kadaj, then said “We wont. We’ll just go together—all three of us. Mother can stay with him and keep him safe until he wakes up. Right, Mother?” I turned back to Mother, and saw a worried look on her face “Yazoo… don’t go there. I forbid you to go anywhere near the enemy’s HQ. Especially for those.” I realized she had read my thoughts and sighed, reluctantly listening “We wont, Mother… I’m sorry… We’ll do something else.” I lead Loz and Kadaj outside, and out of the woods we had camped out in last night. I turned back, and gazed at Kadaj and Loz “Brother, Sister, we have a very important mission today. Mother told me about a special energy core that’s mixed with JENOVA cells and mako energy, and she said it’s the only thing that can give her a new pair of wings and return her full power. But… they’re all locked up somewhere in Shinra Headquarters, and probably wherever the new one is to be more exact. I doubt the enemy would have left those behind in the rubble of old Shinra.” Kadaj protested “But Mother said we cant go there… if we don’t listen, who knows what she would do..?” Loz turned grim and worried “Oh man, I don’t even wanna think about it! What if she kills us for not following orders..? Then it’s over no matter what!” I sighed, and hardened my expression “Look, I know the risks, but the fact is she needs our help. We’re the only ones who can help her without being recognized by everyone the way Sephiroth would. He cant slip through New Shinra without being unnoticed; we can. Hardly anyone knows about us compared to how many enemies know him.” Kadaj grew angry and replied “Mother said no! Do you really wanna get us in big trouble or even killed over this mission that has death written all over it? Even if we did survive the infiltration, what are we gonna say to Mother if we get caught? She wont be happy if we purposely disobey. You know that, Brother!” I sighed and answered “I know she wont be happy, but if we actually do get that special core and make off with it… just imagine how happy Mother would be if she got her wings back. Not just how much power she would regain, but think about the happiness it would bring her.” Kadaj calmed down, and Loz shook his head sadly “You know what, Sister… I think he’s right. Even if we do get grounded for a very long time, we’ve all been tasked with protecting Mother and making her happy… that’s exactly why we’re all here. If we cant do what we’re supposed to, what good are we?” Kadaj nodded in agreement “Yeah, you’re right, Loz. Maybe disobeying orders can lead to good things happening… like Mother having new wings and getting the powers back that they give her. Somehow, I have a feeling that with a new set of wings, Mother can take down almost anyone without even a scratch on herself.” I turned serious and agreed “Exactly. Let’s get going before Sephiroth awakens and finds us out.” I led the way, leading us to back to Midgar, in hopes of successfully finding New Shinra so we could get that special core Mother needs.
Meanwhile, at the new Shinra Headquarters…
Reno returned to Rufus’s office to report, and Rufus grew curious at his return “Back so soon, Reno?” Reno argued “What?! No, I’m not done yet! No way! I came to tell you, President, that uh, well… you see…” Rufus added “Go on.” Reno continued “The remnants you want us to capture, they um… they disappeared. I searched everywhere, and there’s no sign of them being around. Rude couldn’t find anything either… I guess, we uh… ha ha, hit a dead end?” He laughed nervously and shrugged. Rufus shook his head in disappointment “I will not have that. Continue the search, and bring all three of them to me—alive. Especially the girl. I sense great promise in the young larva… promise that will finally make our goals a reality. And be sure to stand clear of Sephiroth. If he catches you, you know what will happen. Be cautious if you desire to bring him to me—or don’t do it at all. He is too powerful to be taken lightly. Nearly all of my men are too weak or inexperienced to challenge him which is why we must take advantage of the remnants’ rebirth instead of chasing Sephiroth. However…” Reno asked “Yeah? What is it?” Rufus continued “If Sephiroth is here to protect the remnants, we may be in awful big bind. Prepare well, as great sacrifice to achieve our goals may be what must happen here. Without SOLDIER intact, we only have our main defenses and armed forces to work with. This might be possible if we hadnt lost the entire SOLDIER group, but that’s simply how it is. We have no choice but to challenge them ourselves. Get outside, and keep looking. Bring me the three remnants, and avoid Sephiroth at all costs. You are no match for him.” Reno said “Yeah, yeah, I get it… But hey, Cloud survived everything, right? He’s strong enough to beat him for us. Let’s hire help from him.” Rufus nodded slowly “Yes, you are in fact correct on that. New priority mission, Reno: find Cloud, and do what you can to persuade him to aid us. Speak nothing of our plans for the remnants; only mention Sephiroth’s return. You know the rest.” Reno smiled and cried “You got it! I’m on it!” Then he ran to the elevator to leave the building.
(Back to Yazoo and remnants scenario)
After a long walk, we finally made it to New Shinra, which was built in place of the old ruined building we saw before. Loz was confused “Uhh… we did see a destroyed tall place, right? It wasn’t a dream?” Kadaj agreed “It was pretty fast… I don’t know how they rebuilt so quickly either, but the truth is that Mother doesn’t have her wings anymore. We saw it for ourselves. I don’t think that was a dream, Loz. Far from it, even.” I said “Come on, let’s go in. We’ll find a side path and sneak in like last time.” Loz grew fearful “You don’t think they have another giant crazy strong creature waiting for us again, do you?” I replied “I doubt it. I thought that thing escaped after I set it loose, but I might be wrong. Regardless, they know they cant pull the same trap like that. I doubt the same thing will repeat itself given that. If you repeat tactics, then you become too predictable. That’s basic. Even Shinra knows that.” Kadaj agreed “Yeah, he’s right. We should be ok this time.” I studied the building’s exterior, and didn’t find anything suspicious. I checked another time, but I still didn’t see anything that looked like a way in except the front door. I sighed and backed away “Great… looks like the front is the only way in this time.” Kadaj asked “What do we do..? If we go in the front, we’ll definitely get caught.” I shook my head, but didn’t speak. I didn’t know anymore than she did. Loz shook his head “Oh man… is this why Mother told us not to go?” I replied “I don’t know, but we all agreed disobeying was the right choice this time. I’m not turning around until we get what we came for.” Loz grumbled “Argh! Do we really have to go through the front and kill everyone? That’s nuts! There’s no way we’d…” Kadaj pulled her souba and stepped ahead of us “So be it. If it will make Mother happy, then I’m in. They may be bigger than us, but bigger doesn’t always mean stronger.” I agreed “I feel the same way. Even if this is a ridiculously stupid move, we either go through the front or not at all this time. I’m not going anywhere until we get that core for our Mother.” Loz armed his dual hound and said “Right, I agree too. Let’s get going!” Loz ran ahead, but Kadaj stopped him when he reached for the door “Wait. We cant go in without some kind of plan. Once we go in, there’s no turning back until we get that energy core. The enemy will react with haste and heavy impact. If we arent fully prepared, we’ll be the ones who get finished. Don’t get reckless unless it’s the only thing left.” I explained “Right, Sister. I think our best bet this time is to have fastest of us focus on going straight for the target, and the other two can focus on distracting the enemy and fighting them off while the other locates the JENOVA-Mako Core, along with striking down anyone who tries to stop us.” Loz smiled and cried “Ooh, me! Leave that to me! I’m perfect at that!” I smiled at him and nodded “I cant argue with that. Your powers are excellent for that part. Kadaj, stay with me. We’ll distract the enemy’s troops and fend them off long enough for Loz to steal the core. After that, we hurry off as quickly as possible. We’ll need to either outrun them or hide someplace they wont be able to reach or see us in. Hiding seems like the most convenient, but running is probably safer for us… I can use my gun for suppression fire on them. But if they don’t run out of numbers before I run out of bullets, then we’re in trouble.” Loz understood “Leave that part to me too. I can fix that.” I nodded, and decided to trust Loz with the key parts of this mission. We nodded at each other, and Loz led the way in, breaking down the door. An alarm went off immediately, and me and Kadaj stayed together, allowing Loz to push forward with the job of securing the JENOVA-Mako Core for us. I pulled my revolver, and Kadaj got into her fighting stance with her souba. I kept close to her, and said “Are you ready, Kadaj..? This one will be our hardest job so far.” She replied “I’m prepared. Don’t worry, I can handle heavy impact pretty well. Even on my own, at least against most.” Shinra guards began appearing, and we engaged in combat immediately. Small numbers would soon become big ones; the longer the battle, the greater our odds of being pinned down become. Especially in Shinra territory.
Meanwhile, in the main office of new Shinra…
A Shinra soldier rushed to Rufus’s office in a panic “President, sir! We’re under attack!” Rufus spoke in disbelief “Again? My, things sure have been dramatic recently... describe the rogue profiles to me. I’m interested in our rude visitors.” The soldier answered “Three kids, two of look like they’re 9 years old or so… and the other one looks like she’s about 6 or 7—all of them have silvery hair and are wearing identical black clothing.” Rufus sighed “I should’ve known… they’re back again. Get every soldier downstairs. Do not kill them; I want you to capture these children and have them locked up. Make certain to lock up their weapons, as well. I don’t want them to escape this time.” The soldier protested “Roger that, but one of them got away from our primary defenses. His current location is unknown, but he bursted right past the main guard in a rush. The boy appears to have rather brutal strength for his age, and I fear he is after something that we have. Most likely it’s something important; both to us, and to this rogue group.” Rufus shook his head “Very well. I want patrol of the upper levels doubled, then. I doubt even a strong boy as him can handle numbers perfectly. As for the girl and the other boy, have them captured. I also want the stronger child caught and locked up, as well. They may be strong, but they are still mere children. I expect success.” The soldier saluted “Yes, sir!” Then went back downstairs to follow orders.
As Loz reached the building’s middle levels…
Loz came to an area that looked like a science lab, and rushed past several small office-like rooms and hallways. He stopped at a broken, empty tank and studied it “Oh, this thing… looks like that weapon dragon thing broke out of it… I hope it really did get away like Brother said, though. I don’t wanna play with that thing after what Sephiroth told us…” He continued, and took the elevator to go upstairs, then went out and approached a large, blue tank that held a medium-sized metal box inside. Loz cried “That’s it! It’s gotta be it! Now to just go back and help Yazoo and Kadaj… without getting beaten down. They’re counting on me… I cant let Brother down. Or Sister.” He destroyed the glass with his dual hound, then climbed in to pick up the core. After picking it up, he slipped out of the broken cell and hurried to the elevator.
(Back to Kadaj and Yazoo scenario)
The soldiers came one after the other, as if there was no end to them. We kept fighting them off, but I sensed Kadaj growing tired. I was getting tired too, and mumbled “Come on, Loz… we cant keep at this forever..!” Kadaj said “He’s coming, right?!” I answered “I think so. Just a little longer! Hang in there, Kadaj! We’ve got this!” I fired several shots at one last Shinra soldier, and finished him off. Kadaj also killed another, and I realized they stopped showing more. Kadaj was gasping for air “Did we beat them..? Was that it..?” I was also trying to catch my breath, but didn’t respond. I heard Loz shout across the room “Hey, guys! I did it! I got the thing we need!” We both quickly turned his way and Kadaj happily cried “Alright! Let’s finish this and bring it to Mother!” I nodded in agreement, and Loz led the way out, but something knocked him down before he got outside, and he dropped the core “Oww!” He slowly got up and glanced around, arming his dual hound “What the..?! What just..?” Kadaj cried “Loz, look out! Behind you!” I saw what she was talking about, and realized the man Sephiroth called Cloud Strife was getting ready to attack him. I cried “No!” And jumped at him to protect Loz. I aimed my gun at him and fired several shots at him, but his sword blocked all of them except one. I yelled “Leave my Brother alone!” He coughed, and I thought I had killed him with the shot he suffered, but he quickly recovered, forcing me off of him. I got in his way to protect Kadaj and Loz when he raised his sword a second time, but he quickly turned away from us, and struck the JENOVA-Mako Core instead, breaking it and spilling the power sealed inside. All three of us shouted “No!!” Loz lashed out angrily “You big dummy! Mother needed that to get better! How could you?!!” He started crying and attacked Cloud, but Cloud blocked his every hit, and even sent Loz flying to ground “Ugh!!” I cried “Brother!” Kadaj was also crying and sobbed “Stop it… No more… please..!” I was too worried about Loz to bother with Cloud, and hurried to help him “Loz, are you ok?! Please be ok..!” I expected him to attack me and Kadaj next, but he didn’t. I wasn’t even sure if he was here anymore, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was making sure Loz and Kadaj didn’t get hurt by this bad man. Loz moaned but managed to sit up. I realized he was still crying “Unngh… he’s too strong… even I cant..! I failed Mother…! She needed that, and I let him destroy it! No!” I replied “No, don’t say that. This isnt your fault! It was an accident…” I helped him to his feet, and turned back to Cloud, who appeared to be standing there watching everything. I decided I had to be the brave one here and stand up to him, even if I died trying. That was the task Mother had entrusted me with when I was born. I hardened my expression and demanded “What do you want?” Cloud didn’t answer, just stared my way without doing anything. I decided to repeat myself “Cloud, what do you want? Spit it out or I’ll shoot you down where you stand!” I aimed my revolver at him without hesitation. Cloud groaned under his breath and paused, then replied “Yazoo, listen to me. I don’t want to fight you or your siblings. I really don’t. But think about what your Big Brother wants. He did tell you about meteor, didn’t he?” I remained steely and hardened “Hmph! As if I would tell you either way!” Cloud explained “Yazoo, please! Calm yourself. That power Sephiroth is after is so great you don’t have a clue; if he uses that power, this entire world everything on it will be obliterated! Even you and your precious family! Is that really what you want for yourselves, Yazoo? Think about what you’re being told to do!” I angrily replied “Shut up, bad man! I don’t care about anything you say! You big fat liar! Cut it out right now; I’m not gonna believe a thing you say, stupid!” Cloud sighed and shook his head “Well, I guess since you’re related, stopping you with words wont work… but please, Yazoo. You have to listen to me on this! You don’t know what you’re getting into! I know you don’t trust me, I get it. But if you follow your older Brother, you’ll be killing everyone—even each other. You have to believe me this time!” I lashed out, forcing myself to calm down “Shut up! I don’t wanna hear anymore from you. Maybe you’ll be better off dead if you cant tell me the truth.” I fired several shots at him, but he deflected them all, then grabbed me by the arm and punched me hard in my stomach “Ugh..! No, I cant… fall here..! Sister, Loz—run!” My vision began going black, and I fell down, dropping my gun. I struggled to hang on, and said “No, wait… just a little longer, for my Sister..!” But I blacked out before I could do anything else.
Meanwhile, back in the forest where JENOVA and Sephiroth were…
Hojo had still been taking notes in his notebook, and Sephiroth was also still asleep. JENOVA kept her eyes on him, making sure he was ok. He moaned in his sleep, and she gently stroked his silver bangs “Sephiroth, my beloved son…” She smiled, and tears fell from her eye. He moaned again, and said something in his sleep “No, stop… get away from them..!” JENOVA worried “Oh no… that cant be good…” He began stirring, and his breathing speeded up suddenly, and he said “No..!” Lying on his back, he quickly opened his eyes, and appeared frightened. JENOVA asked “Sephiroth, are you ok?” Sephiroth sat up, and shook his head “No, my Brothers, and my Sister… he got them, dang it! Goddang it, Cloud… why? Why are you getting them involved in this? It doesn’t make any sense! They had nothing to do with..!” JENOVA sighed “He got them..? It seems my fears were correct when you began stirring like that… I knew it was bad.” Sephiroth sighed “How did he find them? We’re far away from Midgar. There’s no way they went all the way back there.” JENOVA helped him up and said “I’m afraid they did, my son… it’s my fault. I told Yazoo about the JENOVA-Mako Core that had the necessary power to restore my wings, and he most likely went back and sought it out for my sake. I told him not to go, but it seems he did it anyway…” Sephiroth shook his head “Don’t blame yourself, Mother. They went after it thinking of you and your happiness. Though their intentions were pure, the result was unfortunate… But that doesn’t matter. We need to help them from that disgusting man. Mother, with me. He might be able to beat us one on one, but I don’t think he’d handle both of us together so easily. We cant fail; their lives are at stake because of my negligence. If I hadnt overslept, I couldve kept them far away from this disaster… I’m sorry.” JENOVA agreed “It’s ok. What matters now is we get them back. Let’s go!” Then both of them hurried out of the woods, and Hojo got up “Hey, where are you going?! I wasn’t finished observing!” He ran to catch up with them, hanging on to his notebook.
To Be Continued…
I woke up the next morning, and saw Sephiroth lying on the ground asleep close by. Loz was still asleep, and Kadaj also was. I was relieved when I saw she hadnt gone missing on us again like the last few times when me and Loz woke up. But I also thought she might be ok even if that did happen since Big Brother was with us now. I doubted he would lose sight of her if her JENOVA cells went crazy and affected her in a weird way again. I still couldn’t help wondering why those strange things had happened to her in the first place. I mean, me and Loz werent acting strangely out of nowhere, so what was doing that to her? I remembered Sephiroth’s explanation about all three of us being reborn, but it didn’t explain Sister’s strange powers. I stopped thinking suddenly, and heard a man humming close by. I quickly drew my revolver and pointed it to where the noise came from, but stopped; I saw Hojo sitting across from us writing something in a notebook. He looked like he was in a very good mood, but it didn’t seem like he would do anything bad to us, at least. I lowered my weapon and sighed in relief “Geeze… don’t ever do that again.” Hojo looked at me and asked “Do what? All I’m doing is taking notes. I have no hostile intent towards you.” I turned away “Hmph… or so you say. I still don’t trust you, but you’re better than that man with the big fat sword, at least. I guess I can tolerate you.” Hojo laughed “Oh, you mean Cloud, don’t you? He is of no importance to me, but I appreciate your gracious compliments.” I sighed and shrugged, then mumbled “That wasn’t supposed to be a compliment… but whatever.” I studied the area, and saw Mother sitting on the ground. Realizing she was awake, I approached her “Mother, are you ok? They didn’t hurt you?” Mother answered “I am fine, but I cant say the same for my metal wings. Unfortunately, a powerful device the enemy set off destroyed them before I could escape… without them, I don’t have my perfected form, either. Those wings are very special, as with them, I’m nearly invincible. But since they’re ruined, my power is reduced at the moment…” I grew serious and understood what she was saying “Alright, then we’ll just have to find a way for you to grow new ones. No problem, right Mother?” She looked downwards slightly, but didn’t respond. I recognized that she was saying it wasn’t that simple, and I felt a wave of sadness run through me. I shook my head, and felt some tears fall from my face “Oh no… but it doesn’t matter. When you’re in trouble, it’s our job to help you out. We’ll help you get your wings back, Mother. I promise.” She seemed surprised by my reaction and smiled “My son, you’re so brave… but the work is too dangerous. It will involve infiltrating Shinra HQ again… I don’t want you three to fall in battle this early.” I asked “So be it. We’ll do when we’re old enough to handle the job. But what is it they have that you need to regenerate your wings?” Mother explained “The only thing powerful enough to fix my wings is a special energy core that takes the form of a medium-sized metal box. It’s filled with both mako energy combined with a thick concentration of my cells—a special blend of powers that would make my wings good as new, once I bite it and touch it to the base of my destroyed wings. That part is a piece of cake… getting the core, not so much. Due to a long-term endangerment of our race, its been extremely difficult to near impossible for Shinra to mass produce them. In many cases, they used me as a conduit in order to extract my cells and fill these cores with them. That is why I have been weakened and powered down for unspeakable years. I only recently made a miraculous recovery and regained my full power and perfect, metal-winged form… until they unleashed those protocols a few days ago, that is. That put me back at square one.” I felt a surge of anger and said “What?! They were stealing your power? I wont have them get away with that.” I was really angry right now and turned away from my Mother so she wouldn’t see how furious I felt about that news. I groaned under my breath “Gah, that’s it… that is it! I wont stand this a minute longer! No need for me to worry about today’s job; it’s loud and clear.” I heard Loz yawn, and saw he had woken up. Kadaj was also awake, sitting next to him. But Sephiroth was still sleeping, and I began to worry “Um, Mother… it’s not Big Brother to sleep late like this… is he alright?” She replied “Sephiroth just… had trouble staying asleep last night. He’ll be ok, though. He’s just tired right now.” Loz grumbled “Aww, what? I don’t wanna wait for the next mission!” I turned to him and Kadaj, then said “We wont. We’ll just go together—all three of us. Mother can stay with him and keep him safe until he wakes up. Right, Mother?” I turned back to Mother, and saw a worried look on her face “Yazoo… don’t go there. I forbid you to go anywhere near the enemy’s HQ. Especially for those.” I realized she had read my thoughts and sighed, reluctantly listening “We wont, Mother… I’m sorry… We’ll do something else.” I lead Loz and Kadaj outside, and out of the woods we had camped out in last night. I turned back, and gazed at Kadaj and Loz “Brother, Sister, we have a very important mission today. Mother told me about a special energy core that’s mixed with JENOVA cells and mako energy, and she said it’s the only thing that can give her a new pair of wings and return her full power. But… they’re all locked up somewhere in Shinra Headquarters, and probably wherever the new one is to be more exact. I doubt the enemy would have left those behind in the rubble of old Shinra.” Kadaj protested “But Mother said we cant go there… if we don’t listen, who knows what she would do..?” Loz turned grim and worried “Oh man, I don’t even wanna think about it! What if she kills us for not following orders..? Then it’s over no matter what!” I sighed, and hardened my expression “Look, I know the risks, but the fact is she needs our help. We’re the only ones who can help her without being recognized by everyone the way Sephiroth would. He cant slip through New Shinra without being unnoticed; we can. Hardly anyone knows about us compared to how many enemies know him.” Kadaj grew angry and replied “Mother said no! Do you really wanna get us in big trouble or even killed over this mission that has death written all over it? Even if we did survive the infiltration, what are we gonna say to Mother if we get caught? She wont be happy if we purposely disobey. You know that, Brother!” I sighed and answered “I know she wont be happy, but if we actually do get that special core and make off with it… just imagine how happy Mother would be if she got her wings back. Not just how much power she would regain, but think about the happiness it would bring her.” Kadaj calmed down, and Loz shook his head sadly “You know what, Sister… I think he’s right. Even if we do get grounded for a very long time, we’ve all been tasked with protecting Mother and making her happy… that’s exactly why we’re all here. If we cant do what we’re supposed to, what good are we?” Kadaj nodded in agreement “Yeah, you’re right, Loz. Maybe disobeying orders can lead to good things happening… like Mother having new wings and getting the powers back that they give her. Somehow, I have a feeling that with a new set of wings, Mother can take down almost anyone without even a scratch on herself.” I turned serious and agreed “Exactly. Let’s get going before Sephiroth awakens and finds us out.” I led the way, leading us to back to Midgar, in hopes of successfully finding New Shinra so we could get that special core Mother needs.
Meanwhile, at the new Shinra Headquarters…
Reno returned to Rufus’s office to report, and Rufus grew curious at his return “Back so soon, Reno?” Reno argued “What?! No, I’m not done yet! No way! I came to tell you, President, that uh, well… you see…” Rufus added “Go on.” Reno continued “The remnants you want us to capture, they um… they disappeared. I searched everywhere, and there’s no sign of them being around. Rude couldn’t find anything either… I guess, we uh… ha ha, hit a dead end?” He laughed nervously and shrugged. Rufus shook his head in disappointment “I will not have that. Continue the search, and bring all three of them to me—alive. Especially the girl. I sense great promise in the young larva… promise that will finally make our goals a reality. And be sure to stand clear of Sephiroth. If he catches you, you know what will happen. Be cautious if you desire to bring him to me—or don’t do it at all. He is too powerful to be taken lightly. Nearly all of my men are too weak or inexperienced to challenge him which is why we must take advantage of the remnants’ rebirth instead of chasing Sephiroth. However…” Reno asked “Yeah? What is it?” Rufus continued “If Sephiroth is here to protect the remnants, we may be in awful big bind. Prepare well, as great sacrifice to achieve our goals may be what must happen here. Without SOLDIER intact, we only have our main defenses and armed forces to work with. This might be possible if we hadnt lost the entire SOLDIER group, but that’s simply how it is. We have no choice but to challenge them ourselves. Get outside, and keep looking. Bring me the three remnants, and avoid Sephiroth at all costs. You are no match for him.” Reno said “Yeah, yeah, I get it… But hey, Cloud survived everything, right? He’s strong enough to beat him for us. Let’s hire help from him.” Rufus nodded slowly “Yes, you are in fact correct on that. New priority mission, Reno: find Cloud, and do what you can to persuade him to aid us. Speak nothing of our plans for the remnants; only mention Sephiroth’s return. You know the rest.” Reno smiled and cried “You got it! I’m on it!” Then he ran to the elevator to leave the building.
(Back to Yazoo and remnants scenario)
After a long walk, we finally made it to New Shinra, which was built in place of the old ruined building we saw before. Loz was confused “Uhh… we did see a destroyed tall place, right? It wasn’t a dream?” Kadaj agreed “It was pretty fast… I don’t know how they rebuilt so quickly either, but the truth is that Mother doesn’t have her wings anymore. We saw it for ourselves. I don’t think that was a dream, Loz. Far from it, even.” I said “Come on, let’s go in. We’ll find a side path and sneak in like last time.” Loz grew fearful “You don’t think they have another giant crazy strong creature waiting for us again, do you?” I replied “I doubt it. I thought that thing escaped after I set it loose, but I might be wrong. Regardless, they know they cant pull the same trap like that. I doubt the same thing will repeat itself given that. If you repeat tactics, then you become too predictable. That’s basic. Even Shinra knows that.” Kadaj agreed “Yeah, he’s right. We should be ok this time.” I studied the building’s exterior, and didn’t find anything suspicious. I checked another time, but I still didn’t see anything that looked like a way in except the front door. I sighed and backed away “Great… looks like the front is the only way in this time.” Kadaj asked “What do we do..? If we go in the front, we’ll definitely get caught.” I shook my head, but didn’t speak. I didn’t know anymore than she did. Loz shook his head “Oh man… is this why Mother told us not to go?” I replied “I don’t know, but we all agreed disobeying was the right choice this time. I’m not turning around until we get what we came for.” Loz grumbled “Argh! Do we really have to go through the front and kill everyone? That’s nuts! There’s no way we’d…” Kadaj pulled her souba and stepped ahead of us “So be it. If it will make Mother happy, then I’m in. They may be bigger than us, but bigger doesn’t always mean stronger.” I agreed “I feel the same way. Even if this is a ridiculously stupid move, we either go through the front or not at all this time. I’m not going anywhere until we get that core for our Mother.” Loz armed his dual hound and said “Right, I agree too. Let’s get going!” Loz ran ahead, but Kadaj stopped him when he reached for the door “Wait. We cant go in without some kind of plan. Once we go in, there’s no turning back until we get that energy core. The enemy will react with haste and heavy impact. If we arent fully prepared, we’ll be the ones who get finished. Don’t get reckless unless it’s the only thing left.” I explained “Right, Sister. I think our best bet this time is to have fastest of us focus on going straight for the target, and the other two can focus on distracting the enemy and fighting them off while the other locates the JENOVA-Mako Core, along with striking down anyone who tries to stop us.” Loz smiled and cried “Ooh, me! Leave that to me! I’m perfect at that!” I smiled at him and nodded “I cant argue with that. Your powers are excellent for that part. Kadaj, stay with me. We’ll distract the enemy’s troops and fend them off long enough for Loz to steal the core. After that, we hurry off as quickly as possible. We’ll need to either outrun them or hide someplace they wont be able to reach or see us in. Hiding seems like the most convenient, but running is probably safer for us… I can use my gun for suppression fire on them. But if they don’t run out of numbers before I run out of bullets, then we’re in trouble.” Loz understood “Leave that part to me too. I can fix that.” I nodded, and decided to trust Loz with the key parts of this mission. We nodded at each other, and Loz led the way in, breaking down the door. An alarm went off immediately, and me and Kadaj stayed together, allowing Loz to push forward with the job of securing the JENOVA-Mako Core for us. I pulled my revolver, and Kadaj got into her fighting stance with her souba. I kept close to her, and said “Are you ready, Kadaj..? This one will be our hardest job so far.” She replied “I’m prepared. Don’t worry, I can handle heavy impact pretty well. Even on my own, at least against most.” Shinra guards began appearing, and we engaged in combat immediately. Small numbers would soon become big ones; the longer the battle, the greater our odds of being pinned down become. Especially in Shinra territory.
Meanwhile, in the main office of new Shinra…
A Shinra soldier rushed to Rufus’s office in a panic “President, sir! We’re under attack!” Rufus spoke in disbelief “Again? My, things sure have been dramatic recently... describe the rogue profiles to me. I’m interested in our rude visitors.” The soldier answered “Three kids, two of look like they’re 9 years old or so… and the other one looks like she’s about 6 or 7—all of them have silvery hair and are wearing identical black clothing.” Rufus sighed “I should’ve known… they’re back again. Get every soldier downstairs. Do not kill them; I want you to capture these children and have them locked up. Make certain to lock up their weapons, as well. I don’t want them to escape this time.” The soldier protested “Roger that, but one of them got away from our primary defenses. His current location is unknown, but he bursted right past the main guard in a rush. The boy appears to have rather brutal strength for his age, and I fear he is after something that we have. Most likely it’s something important; both to us, and to this rogue group.” Rufus shook his head “Very well. I want patrol of the upper levels doubled, then. I doubt even a strong boy as him can handle numbers perfectly. As for the girl and the other boy, have them captured. I also want the stronger child caught and locked up, as well. They may be strong, but they are still mere children. I expect success.” The soldier saluted “Yes, sir!” Then went back downstairs to follow orders.
As Loz reached the building’s middle levels…
Loz came to an area that looked like a science lab, and rushed past several small office-like rooms and hallways. He stopped at a broken, empty tank and studied it “Oh, this thing… looks like that weapon dragon thing broke out of it… I hope it really did get away like Brother said, though. I don’t wanna play with that thing after what Sephiroth told us…” He continued, and took the elevator to go upstairs, then went out and approached a large, blue tank that held a medium-sized metal box inside. Loz cried “That’s it! It’s gotta be it! Now to just go back and help Yazoo and Kadaj… without getting beaten down. They’re counting on me… I cant let Brother down. Or Sister.” He destroyed the glass with his dual hound, then climbed in to pick up the core. After picking it up, he slipped out of the broken cell and hurried to the elevator.
(Back to Kadaj and Yazoo scenario)
The soldiers came one after the other, as if there was no end to them. We kept fighting them off, but I sensed Kadaj growing tired. I was getting tired too, and mumbled “Come on, Loz… we cant keep at this forever..!” Kadaj said “He’s coming, right?!” I answered “I think so. Just a little longer! Hang in there, Kadaj! We’ve got this!” I fired several shots at one last Shinra soldier, and finished him off. Kadaj also killed another, and I realized they stopped showing more. Kadaj was gasping for air “Did we beat them..? Was that it..?” I was also trying to catch my breath, but didn’t respond. I heard Loz shout across the room “Hey, guys! I did it! I got the thing we need!” We both quickly turned his way and Kadaj happily cried “Alright! Let’s finish this and bring it to Mother!” I nodded in agreement, and Loz led the way out, but something knocked him down before he got outside, and he dropped the core “Oww!” He slowly got up and glanced around, arming his dual hound “What the..?! What just..?” Kadaj cried “Loz, look out! Behind you!” I saw what she was talking about, and realized the man Sephiroth called Cloud Strife was getting ready to attack him. I cried “No!” And jumped at him to protect Loz. I aimed my gun at him and fired several shots at him, but his sword blocked all of them except one. I yelled “Leave my Brother alone!” He coughed, and I thought I had killed him with the shot he suffered, but he quickly recovered, forcing me off of him. I got in his way to protect Kadaj and Loz when he raised his sword a second time, but he quickly turned away from us, and struck the JENOVA-Mako Core instead, breaking it and spilling the power sealed inside. All three of us shouted “No!!” Loz lashed out angrily “You big dummy! Mother needed that to get better! How could you?!!” He started crying and attacked Cloud, but Cloud blocked his every hit, and even sent Loz flying to ground “Ugh!!” I cried “Brother!” Kadaj was also crying and sobbed “Stop it… No more… please..!” I was too worried about Loz to bother with Cloud, and hurried to help him “Loz, are you ok?! Please be ok..!” I expected him to attack me and Kadaj next, but he didn’t. I wasn’t even sure if he was here anymore, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was making sure Loz and Kadaj didn’t get hurt by this bad man. Loz moaned but managed to sit up. I realized he was still crying “Unngh… he’s too strong… even I cant..! I failed Mother…! She needed that, and I let him destroy it! No!” I replied “No, don’t say that. This isnt your fault! It was an accident…” I helped him to his feet, and turned back to Cloud, who appeared to be standing there watching everything. I decided I had to be the brave one here and stand up to him, even if I died trying. That was the task Mother had entrusted me with when I was born. I hardened my expression and demanded “What do you want?” Cloud didn’t answer, just stared my way without doing anything. I decided to repeat myself “Cloud, what do you want? Spit it out or I’ll shoot you down where you stand!” I aimed my revolver at him without hesitation. Cloud groaned under his breath and paused, then replied “Yazoo, listen to me. I don’t want to fight you or your siblings. I really don’t. But think about what your Big Brother wants. He did tell you about meteor, didn’t he?” I remained steely and hardened “Hmph! As if I would tell you either way!” Cloud explained “Yazoo, please! Calm yourself. That power Sephiroth is after is so great you don’t have a clue; if he uses that power, this entire world everything on it will be obliterated! Even you and your precious family! Is that really what you want for yourselves, Yazoo? Think about what you’re being told to do!” I angrily replied “Shut up, bad man! I don’t care about anything you say! You big fat liar! Cut it out right now; I’m not gonna believe a thing you say, stupid!” Cloud sighed and shook his head “Well, I guess since you’re related, stopping you with words wont work… but please, Yazoo. You have to listen to me on this! You don’t know what you’re getting into! I know you don’t trust me, I get it. But if you follow your older Brother, you’ll be killing everyone—even each other. You have to believe me this time!” I lashed out, forcing myself to calm down “Shut up! I don’t wanna hear anymore from you. Maybe you’ll be better off dead if you cant tell me the truth.” I fired several shots at him, but he deflected them all, then grabbed me by the arm and punched me hard in my stomach “Ugh..! No, I cant… fall here..! Sister, Loz—run!” My vision began going black, and I fell down, dropping my gun. I struggled to hang on, and said “No, wait… just a little longer, for my Sister..!” But I blacked out before I could do anything else.
Meanwhile, back in the forest where JENOVA and Sephiroth were…
Hojo had still been taking notes in his notebook, and Sephiroth was also still asleep. JENOVA kept her eyes on him, making sure he was ok. He moaned in his sleep, and she gently stroked his silver bangs “Sephiroth, my beloved son…” She smiled, and tears fell from her eye. He moaned again, and said something in his sleep “No, stop… get away from them..!” JENOVA worried “Oh no… that cant be good…” He began stirring, and his breathing speeded up suddenly, and he said “No..!” Lying on his back, he quickly opened his eyes, and appeared frightened. JENOVA asked “Sephiroth, are you ok?” Sephiroth sat up, and shook his head “No, my Brothers, and my Sister… he got them, dang it! Goddang it, Cloud… why? Why are you getting them involved in this? It doesn’t make any sense! They had nothing to do with..!” JENOVA sighed “He got them..? It seems my fears were correct when you began stirring like that… I knew it was bad.” Sephiroth sighed “How did he find them? We’re far away from Midgar. There’s no way they went all the way back there.” JENOVA helped him up and said “I’m afraid they did, my son… it’s my fault. I told Yazoo about the JENOVA-Mako Core that had the necessary power to restore my wings, and he most likely went back and sought it out for my sake. I told him not to go, but it seems he did it anyway…” Sephiroth shook his head “Don’t blame yourself, Mother. They went after it thinking of you and your happiness. Though their intentions were pure, the result was unfortunate… But that doesn’t matter. We need to help them from that disgusting man. Mother, with me. He might be able to beat us one on one, but I don’t think he’d handle both of us together so easily. We cant fail; their lives are at stake because of my negligence. If I hadnt overslept, I couldve kept them far away from this disaster… I’m sorry.” JENOVA agreed “It’s ok. What matters now is we get them back. Let’s go!” Then both of them hurried out of the woods, and Hojo got up “Hey, where are you going?! I wasn’t finished observing!” He ran to catch up with them, hanging on to his notebook.
To Be Continued…
