Chapter One: the Ten Years

Here is my Final Fantasy VII fanfic number one. It's very simple. Read it! I'll have included a bonus when I sort some stuff out. You'll be able to click on links throughout the text for appropriate music. That will be on my own site. For now, I hope you enjoy it.

The collisions of worlds.

Chapter one: The ten years.

Ten years after the Meteor/Holy/Sephiroth etc. incident, Cloud and the others were discussing what to do.

But to fill you in on what happened in those ten years. Midgar was in pretty bad shape, but not totally destroyed. Many of the ShinRa workers who hadn't been in the HQ at the time were alive, but out of a job. The world knew about Cloud and saving the planet and so on - Holy had seen to that - and many people were looking at ShinRa and their position in the new world.

To cut a long story short, Cloud decided to take over ShinRa, Inc. Appointing himself President, Yuffie Vice President, and the rest of the group in other administrative positions, he started to get the world in order again.

One of the highlights was coming up with the lifestream equaliser theory. Holy had drawn a lot of the lifestream to Midgar in order to destroy Meteor, and this was slowly dissipating. It was Barrett who came up with the idea that this movement could be channelled through certain pathways, and made to turn turbines rather like hydroelectric power. The old electricity distribution systems and some of the stuff related to the old Mako reactors could be used, reducing costs; even under Cloud ShinRa still wanted to make money, but now without destroying everything. This new system did not destroy the spirit energy, in fact it helped the planet heal injuries and replenish the depleted areas faster. As spirit energy is always circulating, the system would last for ever.

It was when Cloud and Tifa were surveying spirit energy levels around Mt. Nibel that concerns begun to develop - about Sephiroth. He hadn't returned to the Planet; Cloud was sure about that, as he hadn't totally come from the Planet, being infused with Jenova. But he had to have gone somewhere; the question was where?

Jenova, on the other hand, was still around, though not doing much. It was at the Nibel reactor, and while the survey plane passed over, Jenova began to move.

It showed Cloud a vision. The final battle between Sephiroth and Cloud was shown, and then Sephiroth's apparent death. Sephiroth was seen turning into red lifestream, and merging with Cloud's own green spirit. Then the red filled the space, and filled the entire universe, before quite suddenly disappearing.

The vision was real, not a hallucination, and it had been captured on video. Cloud had been unable to sort out its meaning, and eventually decided to launch a worldwide competition for interpretations. Many entries were received, but Cloud's instincts told him all were wrong.

Anyway, at the point of this discussion, which was happening in the new ShinRa HQ at Kalm, Vincent and Nanaki were talking.

"But surely lifeturbine will meet energy needs. Why open the coal mines again." said Vincent.

"I'm thinking that transport needs revitalising. We could get gas out of the coal and use it to power cars."

Vincent was not pleased. "I thought we decided that nothing that would pollute was permitted!"

"It wouldn't pollute, not with an efficient engine design. The hydrocarbons would just produce water and carbon dioxide." "Excuse me," said Tifa. "Couldn't we extract hydrogen from the sea and use that".

"Uneconomical" said Nanaki.

Vincent explained; "We worked out that not enough fuel could be carried, so we'd need filling stations every 30 miles, which is too much."

"On the other hand, a fuel cell could be used, and that would only require power points to recharge." suggested Nanaki.

Chapter2:Hopesandthreats.

"We'vegotit!"exclaimedCloud.

"WhereSephirothis"saidCait.ThenBarretadded,"AndhowtobringAerisback!"

"Aeris!"shoutedNanaki,VincentandTifa.

Cloudproceededtoexplain:"Yousee,itwasBugenhagen'sidea.Hephonedupsayingthatmaybe,justmaybe,Sephirothhadgonetoprespace.Icheckedthetheorybooksinourlibrary,andfoundthedetails.Prespace,sometimesknownasK,thecompactifiedspace,iscommontoalluniverses."

"IfSephirothisinK,thenthisisbadnews.Yousee,hecouldbreakoutintoadifferentuniverse",saidCait.

"Andcausehavocthere"addedBarret.

"ButhowdoesthisrelatetoAeris"askedTifa,sceptically.

"I'llexplainthisone",saidCid,walkingintotheroom.

Cidproceededtoexplain.HesaidthatanotheruniversehadmanagedtoobtaindataabouttheFF7universe,andhadmadeitintoagame(guesswhatuniverse!).Theyhadthereforegotsomeoftheoldinformation,whichincludedtheAerisinformationthatwaslostafterherdeath.
"Igetit"interruptedVincent."WegotothisotherplaceandgettheAerisdata.Thenwebringitbackhereandinfuseitintoourown,beforeresurrectingAerisfromtheCityoftheAncients."
"Yes.Thatexplainswhypreviousattemptsfailed,andwhyallattemptsaredoomedtofailwithoutthedata.Youcan'tbringbacksomethingthatisn'tencodedinspacetime."saidCloud.
Yuffiethenenteredtheroom.Typically,shehadbeenlisteningatthedoor,andequallytypically,sheaskedwhetherthisplacewouldhavemateria.
"No",saidBarret."Theplacewearelookingathasverylittlemagic.Worsestill,ourownmateriawon'tworkthere."
"It'stoofarfromthisplanet",saidCloud."Buthere'sthebadnews.Sephiroth'smagicwillworkthere."
"TheworsenewsisthatthisistheveryuniversethatSephirothislookingtoinvade",saidCid.
"Thenwhat'rewewaitingfor!"shoutedTifa."Let'sbustSephiroth!"
"Holdit,Tifa",saidCloud,takenaback."Whilewehavegotawaytogettothisotheruniverse,it'sgoingtotakeawhiletoperfect."
"Howlongis"awhile""askedNanaki.
"'boutamonth"answeredCid.
"It'llbeamonththeirtimetoo?"enquiredTifa.
"Sure"saidCloud.
Chapter3:Tothenewworld.
Amonthlater,Cloud,Tifa,Yuffie,Vincent,Nanaki,Cait,BarretandCidweregoingtothenewuniverse.Thedevicetobeusedwascalledahyperporter-ateleporterthatwouldworkbetweenuniversesaswellaswithinthem.Ordinaryteleportershadbeendevelopedlongago,butwerenotusedduetoexcessiveenergydemands.However,thiswasaspecialcase,sotheenergywastobemadeavailable.
Thegroupenteredthehyperporterwiththehardwarecontrolmanagerandthesoftwareadministrator;pilotandco-pilotinotherwords.Thepowersystemwasconnected,andthedestinationspecified.Itasprecisely22:08sourcetime,08:49targettime.Thesystempoweredup,blackingouttheentireplanet.Then,thehyperporterported.
Thiswasonlystageone.Thehyperporterwasnowinprespace.Happily,thereisplentyofenergyinprespace.Assizedoesnotexistinprespace,infiniteenergywasneeded,andzeroenergyatthesametime.Thispresentsaproblem,butthesoftwareadministratorsorteditout.Bizarrely,sizedoesexistinK,sothehyperporterhadscaleandyetdidnothavescale.Again,thesoftwareadministratorsortedthingsout,andittooklessthantenminutestoinitiatestagetwo.
Thegroupthenlandedonthenewplanet,inthemiddleofaschoolfieldinBirmingham,England.Thelanguageconverterwasactivated,sothatCloudandtheotherswouldspeakEnglishratherthanShinRi,CetraorMid-thethreelanguagesoftheirownworld.Thentheyhidthehyperporter,sothatpeoplewouldnotbepuzzledbyit.
Nowthetaskwastofindthedata.Cloudassumeditwouldbeencodedintospacetime,butNanakiknewbetter.Itwouldbeononeofthegamedisks,sothetaskwastopurchaseacopyofFinalFantasy7.Ithadtobeanewcopy,sothedatahadn'talreadybeenreadandtheetherdata-the"impression"thattherealdatamakesonspacetime-transferred.
Therewasaproblem.Theyhadn'tbroughtamoneyconverterwiththem,andGilwasnouse,eventhoughtheir30millionwasworthabout£2millionpoundsdirectly,and£500billionintermsofhomepurchasingvalue,thankstotheavailabilityofmagicbackhome.Sotheyhadthreeoptions:nickthegame,nicksomemoney,orearnsomemoney.
"Let'sjustnickthebloodything",saidCloud.
Barretdisagreed."Ithinkitmightbeeasiertonicksomemoney"
YuffiewasonCloud'sside."I'llgetit.YouknowhowgoodathiefIam."
"Wecaughtyoulasttime!"interruptedTifa.
"Ishouldjustkeepoutoftheway.I'llpuzzlepeopleotherwise"saidNanaki.
Caitwasn'tmuchhelpeither."Itwasagoodideaformetocomeinperson.ButasI'mwheelchairbound,Ican'treallyhelp"
Cid,patientasusual,hadotherideas."Woulditbethathardforustogetajobandearnsomemoney?"
"Ican'twork,andnorcanCaitorNanaki.Barret'sgotthatarmofhis,Yuffiewouldstealmoneyanyway,sothatleavesCloud,TifaandCid"saidVincent.
"Me,thePresidentofShinRa,workinMacDonald's!Notlikely!"objectedCloud.
Tifasimplysaid,"Idon'tfeellikeit."
"Ithoughtyoualreadyknew,I'mdoingit!"saidCid.
"No,you'renot.Itwilltaketoolong."statedCloud.
"He'sright.WehavetodothisbitbeforeSephirothcomes."addedTifa.
Thediscussionlastedforalongtime,butintheenditwasCloudwhovetoedallthebizarresuggestions(liketeleportingintoSquaresoftheadoffice)anddecidedtorobthelocalSafewaysupermarket,onKingsHeathHighStreet.Cloud,VincentandYuffieweretogo,andtherestofthegroupwenttofindawayintotheschool,asithadstartedraining.
Chapter4:Ethics?
Cloud,VincentandYuffiesoonreachedSafeway,andenteredthroughthemaindoor,collectedabasketandgenerallyactednormal.Theirclothesdidgetsomefunnylooks,butthankfullyCloudhadafoldingpocketsword,soitwasnotnoticed.
Havinggotsomefairlynormalgroceries,thethreeproceededtothecheckout.Yuffiehungback,whileCloudandVincentqueuedup.Whentheyreachedthecheckout,theyhadthegoodsscanned.Whenthecashiersaid"11pounds33please",Vincentsprungintoaction.
"Handoverthemoney"ashepulledouthisSniperCR.
"Now!"addedCloud,unfoldinghisCompactimaWeapon-thepocketsword.
Naturally,thecashierwastrained.Sheslammedthedrawershutandhitthepanicbutton,screaming"ROBBERY!HELP!".Intheresultingruckus,Yuffieforcedopenanothercashdrawerinanunoccupiedcheckout.Gatheringupthemoney,sheshouted"Gotit!"
Vincentshotatthewindow,andClouddodgedthesecurityguardsandcuttheglassdownwithhissword.Thenthethreeranout,andleaptovermovingtrafficbeforedashingroundthebackoftheBaptistchurch.
Takingabreather,thethreedecidedtotryandsneakbacktoQueensbridge,theschooltheyhadlandedat,knowingthepolicewouldbelookingforthem.OnceatQueensbridge,theotherscoulddowork,soCloud,YuffieandVincentneednotappearagain.
Astheywerecrossingtherailwaytrackstheyheardacryof"Stop!Thief!Police!"
"Fuckthis!"exclaimedCloud.
"Run!"shoutedVincent."I'llholdthemoff!",takingaim.
Thankfully,Yuffierememberedtheyhadagreedtocausenocasualties."Holdyourfire,Vin!"
Nextsecond,theyweretearingoffdownthetracksandscramblingupthebank.Withoutstoppingtocrosstheroad,theyclimbedupthewallthatwasadjacenttothepavement,andranroundthebackoftheschool.Ascendingthefirestairstheygotintothemusicroom,wheretheotherswerewaiting.
Didyougetseen?"askedCid.
"Youdidn'tcauseacommotiondidyou?"saidBarret.
"Ithink...we...lostthem."gaspedYuffie,exhausted.
Nanaki,calmasusual,asked"Howmuchdidyouget?"
"two-fifty,orthereabouts."repliedCloud.
"Pounds,thatis"addedVincent."Anddon'tcallmeVin,Yuffie!I'mnotyourboyfriend."
Everybodylaughed.ItwascommonknowledgenowthatYuffieandVincentweretogether,butVincentwouldalwaysdenyit.
Cidthensaid"OK.I'mofftogetthegame.I'vedetectedacopyinHMVintown,soI'lltakethebusandbebacksoon".
"Goouttheotherendoftheschool.Wemightbebeingwatched,sobecareful"advisedNanaki.
"Alright.Seeyalater!"Cidsaid,leavingthemusicroom.
"OK,soheshouldbebackinacoupleofhours.Whichleavesusenoughtimetolookatgettingback."saidCloud.
"We'regoingtoneedalotofpower-probablymorethantheygeneratehere."remarkedNanaki.
Barret,however,hadalreadyworkedeverythingout."We'llhavetosneakintotheNationalGridcontrolcentre,anddivertallelectricitytoourhyperporter.Itshouldtakeabout30secondstocharge"
"Where'sthiscontrolcentre,then?"askedYuffie.
"Notfarfromhere"answeredBarret.
"Waitaminute.Weren'twegoingtodealwithSephiroth.He'scominghere,right?"saidTifa.
Vincentobjected"Thatwasyouridea,noteveryone's.Ineverintendedtostaywithyouthislonganyway."
"Don'tlie,Vin.What'stherealreasonwhyyoudon'thateSephiroth?Younevertoldus."saidYuffie.
Chapter5:Arevelation.
"Sephirothis...my...grandson."repliedVincent.
"What?"exclaimedeverybody.
"ButHojoisSephiroth'sfather,right.Andyou'renotoldenoughtobeHojo'sfather."askedCloud.
"MyselfandLucreciahadachild.Beforethechildwasborn,ShinRacapturedLucrecia.Thechild'snamewasScarlet."repliedVincent.
"Scarlet!Youmeantheweapondeveloper?"saidCait.
Vincentcarriedon."Yes.ScarletwasbornintheShinRaHQ.ThenLucreciawasreleased.ProfessorGasttookcellsfromScarletandfusedthemwithJenovacells.Beforehecouldfurtherfusethem,tocreateSephiroth,Hojotookover.HefusedtheJenova-Scarletcellswithhisown,tocreateatesttubebaby.Thiswasraisedinafastincubator,sothatafteroneyear,thebabywouldbea20yearoldadult,andaformidablesoldier."
"AndthatwasSephiroth?"askedNanaki.
"Right."continuedVincent."ScarletandLucreciawereunharmedbytheexperiment.Theywerebothletgo.ScarletwasraisedbyLucreciaalone.Thisallhappened29yearsago"
"Soletmegetthisright.You'reSephiroth'sgrandfather,andLucreciahisgrandmother.ThenScarletandJenovaarebothhismothers,andHojoishisfather."saidNanaki.
"Sephirothhadtwomum's?"askedYuffie.
"Three"answeredTifa.
ItwasVincent'sturntobesurprised."Ionlyheardoftwo.Whowasthethirdmother?"
"Aeris's.TheShinRaneededSephirothtohavethepowersoftheAncients,astheirultimatesoldier.SotheyinfusedhimwithmoreDNAsamples,fromAeris'sparents,whowerebothAncients."Tifareplied.
"Sephirothhasthreemothers-oneCetra,oneanalien,andonenormal.Andtwofathers,oneofwhomisaCetra,andtheotheraweirdo.That'sright,isn'tit"askedBarret.
"Ithinkso"saidTifa.
"Probably"addedVincent.
"ThatexplainsSephiroth'spower.He'sbornofnottwo,butfiveparents.ThatmakeshimtheoreticallymorepowerfulthanIam."saidCloud.
"You'rethefusionoftwopeople,right?"askedVincent.
"MyselfandZack.InShinRa'scombinationpowerproject."repliedCloud.
CloudhaddiscoveredalotabouthimselfsincetakingoverShinRa,Inc.SephirothhadnotbeenentirelytruewhenhesaidthatCloudhadbeencreatedbytheShinRa.CloudandZackwerebothnormalpeople,havingledreallives.TheShinRacapturedthem,andfusedthemintooneperson.ThispersonwasclosertoCloud,andheldCloud'smemoriesandfeelings.ThecoverstorywasthatZackhaddied-evenPresidentShinRadidnotknowthetruth,andoftenwonderedwhathadbecomeofthegreatSOLDIERmemberZack,whohadreachedfirstclass.ThisexplainedthereasonwhyCloudsometimesfreakedoutnearSephiroth.SephirothwasabletoforceCloudtoobeythehiddenthoughtsofZack,whowouldhavesupportedSephirothinhisplanstobecomeagod.
"Idon'tgetit,though.Youdon'tseemtohateSephiroth,understandably.Butyouhelpusdestroyhimlasttime,andyouhaven'texactlytriedtocauseusproblems,whenwe'reagainstSephiroth."continuedCloud.
Vincent'sreplywasasurprisetoeverybody."Idon'thateSephiroth.ButIdon'tlikewhathe'sdoing.Nevertheless,justbecausehetriedtodestroyeverything,doesn'tmeanIwanthimdead".
"Don'twanthimdead!Youhelpedkillhim!What'sthematterwithyou?!"shoutedBarret,quiteshocked.
"Ikilledhimtostophimdestroyingeverything.Iampreparedtokillhimagain,ifitiswhatittakes;Iwouldprefernottohaveto."repliedVincent.
Cloudunderstood."Isee.Iguessitmakesnodifference.Sincediscoveringmyownhistory,Idon'thatehimsomucheither."
"Hangonaminute."Yuffieinterrupted."Thatstuffyousaid,Tifa,aboutSephiroth'sparentsbeingAeris'smumanddad-thenthatmakesAerisSephiroth'ssister!"
"Uh?What?"answeredTifa.
"SephirothandAerisshareparents.Thatmakesthembrotherandsister,surely."explainedYuffie.
"Notfullsiblings.Notalltheparentsarecommon."repliedNanaki."ThoughIsupposeyoudon'tnormallygetpeoplewithfiveparents."
"You'reright.HowcomeIdidn'tmakethatconnectionbefore.I'veknownthatforthreeweeksandnotnoticed.Thenyouhearit,Yuffie,andfigureitoutstraightaway."saidTifa.
"ButthatwouldmeanSephirothkilledhissister!"saidCloud,startled.
"Hedidn'tknow.Notthen.Hedoesnow."remarkedVincent,surprisingeverybody.
"Howdoyouknow?Haveyoubeenintouchwithhimthen?"askedBarret."Becauseifyouhave,I'llkillyou!!"
"TheShinRarecordshaveSephirothashavingdiedunaware.Ifthisistrue,I'llhavetotelltheMayortoupdatethem."mumbledCait.
"IjustsenseditaswewereinK.Isupposeit'sconnectedtoissuesofscalethere-ImusthavereadSephiroth'smind."saidVincent.
Chapter6:Thebeginningoftheend.
Justthen,Cidcrashedin,slammingthedoorasusual."I'vegotthedisk.Butthatmotherf***ingSephirothishere!"
"Sephirothlanded!Where?"askedCloud.
"LasVegas,theUnitedStatesofAmerica."saidCid.
"Vegas?Sephirothisn'tagambler.Hehatescasinos."saidCait.
"Exactly.He'salreadydestroyedthree,nottomentionkillingover150civiliansand32policeofficers.Itwasonthenews."saidCid.
"Wehavetogetthere!!Hecan'tbeallowedtodestroyanotherplanet!!"urgedVincent.
Nanakithought."Yes,buthow.Thehyperporter'senergydemandsaretoogreat,we'dbespottedifwetakeaplane,and-"
CidinterruptedNanakimid-sentence."Webroughtthemidwind,remember.Thatlittleairship.It'suptothejobalright.We'llcrosstheAtlanticinthat.Imean,itcandoMach5.We'llbethereinnotime."
"Let'sgo,everybody.ToVegas!"saidCloud.
15minuteslater,thegroupwerespeedingacrosstheAtlanticOcean.AtMach4.5(themaximumcruisingspeed),theyhadcausedquiteanupsetinEnglandbygoingsupersonicoverland.The2010worldcupwashostedbyEngland,andthefinalwasbeingplayed-ArgentinaVSUSA-whenthesonicboomdamagedtheroofoftheEuropeStadiuminLondon,necessitatinganevacuation.Besidesthis,theglassfrontoftheNATOcivilianopsHQshattered;asinglepaneofglass40storeyshigh,crashingontothestreetbelowinjuredmany.Numerousmorepanesofglasswereshattered,andpeopledeafened,asthemidwindblastedon.PassengersonaConcordeflightthathadbeenturnedbackwereshockedtoseeanotherplaneflysoclosetothemitalmosthit,andshipsbelowhadtheirportholessmashedbytheboom.Stillthemidwindflewon.MoredestructionwascausedwhenitdidnotslackenspeedasitflewoverAmerica;shatteredglass,deafenedpeopleandveryconcernedpolicewerethelegacyofthemidwind.
MeanwhileinVegas,thesituationwasrapidlygettingoutofcontrol.Thecitywasablaze,withsixseparatefiresacrossthecitythreateningtomergeintoagiantinferno.FirefighterswereblockedfromgettingthroughbySephiroth.Peoplewerefleeingthecity;thosewhowerestillalive,forthedirectdeathtoll-thosekilledbySephiroth,notthefires-hadreached2300.Rightinthemiddleofitall,watchingthedestruction,wasSephiroth.Laughing.
CloudandtheothersonboardthemidwindwerenottheonlyonesheadedtoVegastostopSephiroth.AfleetofUSjetswasalsoheadedthere,eachcarryingpowerfulair-to-surfacenuclearmissiles.TheUnitedStatesmilitarywaspreparedtodestroyVegastotallytokillthisman,whowasnowmorewantedthanOsamabinLaden.Ofcourse,iftheyhadknownwhohewas,theywouldhavejustnukedtheplacestraightaway.
2hourslater,Cidlandedthemidwind,andheandtheothersgotoff.Theyimmediatelybegandiscussingstrategy.
"Ithinkthebestideaistostartbyputtingthosefiresout.That'llmakeiteasiertogettoSephiroth."saidNanaki.
"How,though?Wehaven'tgotanyequipmentormagic."saidCait.
"We'lljusthavetogetsome,then.There'snootherway.Moveout!Findafiretruck,andfindonenow!"orderedCloud.
"Wait!I'vegotagoodidea."saidCid,beforeeverybodytoreoff."Whenwegetafiretruck,Sephirothwillcomeafterit,tostopit,becausehedoesn'twantthefiresextinguished.Thenwecangethim!"
"Goodone,Cid.MOVEOUT!!"shoutedCloud.
"Everyoneranoffindifferentdirections.,exceptCait,whobeinginawheelchair,couldn'tgoanywherefast.WithinaboutfiveminutestheyheardYuffie'sshout."Igotone!"
Everybodyrushedtowardsthetruck.Yuffieexplained."Itwasoccupied,butInickedit.DidwhatI'mgoodat!"
Itwasatightsqueezefortheeight,especiallyasoneofthemwaswheelchairbound.However,theyallgotin.ThenCiddrovethetruckathighspeedtowardsthestrip.
Itwasn'tlongbeforetheywerestoppedbySephiroth.Theyalljumpedout,readytofight.Sephirothlookedalarmed,thensaid"I'mfinishedherenow.Ifyouwantsomethingwithme,I'mofftoTokyo."Thenheflewintotheskyandoutofsight.
"Tokyo!We'venotimetolose.Tothemidwind,everybody."shoutedBarret,andeverybodywasbackintheairship.
Chapter7:RaceforTokyo.
Soonthemidwindwasbackintheair,racingawayfromonedestroyedcitytoanotherthatwasendangered.ThePacificcrossing,however,wouldtakealongtime,soTokyowouldquitepossiblybeinruinsbythetimetheygotthere.Mostofthisjourneywasoversea,solessdestructionwascausedbythemightysonicboom.
JapanhadbeenwarnedbytheUSAthatSephiroth,knowntoeveryonenowasTheApocalypse,washeadedtheirway,andtheJapanesemilitaryhadbeenmobilised.Japanhasmuchexperienceofearthquakesandtsunamis,butnothingcouldpreparethemforthepowerofSephiroth.ThedisastertocomewouldoutstripLasVegas'sbyfar.
ContrarytoCloud'spredictions,themidwindinfactarrivedonly20minutesafterSephiroth,whohadbeenforcedtotakealongerroutebytheJapanesefighterjets.Naturally,hecouldhavesmashedthemintwoseconds,buthedidn'twanttowastemagic.
Cidlandedthemidwindagain,andtheyallgotout.
"Hegotawaylasttime,butthistimewe'llsmashhim!"orderedCloud.
"Thisisgoingtobiggerthaneven10yearsago!"proclaimedCid.
"Lasttimethefateoftheplanetwasinourhands.Thistimeit'sforeverything!"declaredBarret.
"Ifwelosethis,allislost."saidNanaki,withhistypicalseriousness.
"Thisisaboutmorethanuniversesforme.Ihavepersonalreasons."remarkedVincent.
"Willwebeallright,Cloud?Imean,wouldn'tSephirothbeoutofourleague?"askedTifa.
"Alright,everybody,listenup."repliedCloud."We'remostofusgreatplayers.Sohere'sourstrategy.MeandTifawillbeattackingfullon.Barret,you,VincentandYuffieshouldstaybackanduselongrangeattacks.Vincent,ifyougetlimit,don'tuseitunlesswe'redesperate.Everyoneelse,limitswhenyougetthem.Useyourbestlimit-level3or4.Cait,stayoutofhisway.You'reonhealingduties,sobeaware.Ofcourse,anybodywhoneedstohealshould."
"Whataboutme?"askedCid.
"I'vegotaspecialjobforyou.Iwantyoutogetsometechnology-missiles,bombs,whatever.Getsomestuff,thengoupinthemidwind.Attackfromtheair.Oh,andifyoucangetajetorsomething,usethatinstead,soasnottowreckourairship."
"Myairship,youmean.Alright,I'montoit."agreedCid,racingoff.
Thenthegroupsetoff.AfterabitoftrekkingaroundbothintactandruinedpartsofTokyo,theysawSephiroth,kneelingdowndoingsomething.Barretshouted
Chapter8:Decisiontime.
"Sephiroth!You'rehistory!"
Everyonewasinstantlyinrole.BeforeSephirothhadachancetodoanything,hetookgunfirefromVincentandBarret.AshewasabouttofireoffaComet2spell,Yuffie'sdevastatingConformerhithim.ThenhetookhitsfromTifaandCloud,endingupquiteshockedbythesuddenbarrageofattacks.
Despitethepoweroffivesuccessiveattacks,Sephirothwasbackup,andcastTheKBarrier,aspellthatreducesalldamagebyhalf,castsadoublespeedregen,triplesspeed,andblocksstatuschanges.ThiswasfollowedwithJenovaAid,anon-elementalattacktwiceasgoodasUltima.
Caitwasquicklyabletoheal,asdidTifa.ThenYuffieshowedalittlesmartthinking,byusingaHolyTorchitemtodestroyTheKBarrier.Cloud'sswordslashseverelycutSephiroth,andVincent'sshothithimverypreciselyinthehead.
SephirothretaliatedbyattackingYuffiewiththeMasamune,intendingtosliceoffherhead.Hewasinforanastyshock.Yuffieneatlydodgedtheblow,thenpickpocketedtwosachetsofStardust;theComet2item.
Cloudsuddenlyshouted"Wait!Doitsimultaneously."
BarretandVincentpreparedtoshoot,YuffiethrewherConformeronanarc,Cloudwaitedtostrike,andCaitandTifabothpreparedtouseStardust.
In3seconds,everythingcametogether.SephirothwasblastedbyBarretandVincent,beforebeingbombardedbytwolotsofComet2.Whilethiswashappening,theConformerslashedthroughhim,almostchoppingofhisarm.JustwhenSephirothwasthinkingitwasallover,themightyslashoftheCompactimaWeaponhithim,andclosetodestroyedhim.
Sephiroththenshowedwhyheismorethanjustagoodsoldier.HecastedthedevastatingExaFlare-anattacksopowerfulthatnotevenEmeraldWeaponcouldhavewithstoodit.ThiswouldsurelyhavebeentheendofnotonlyCloudandhisfriends,butoftheentireislandofHonshu,haditnotbeenfor...
Chapter9:Theultimatecatastrophe.
Cid'sarrival!Fromthemidwind,Cidclearlysawwhatwasabouttohappen,andpromptlyuseda,theReflectitem!PowerfulthoughExaFlarewas,itwassubjecttoReflect!Theenergygatheredintoahugesphere,about50metresacross,ofhighlycompressedenergy,withthepowerofa500Gigatonbomb.Thenitblewup.
TheblastwavehittheReflect,andbouncedstraightbackintoSephiroth!Thelevelofenergyknockedhimabout100milesintotheair,almostintoorbit.YetExaFlarewasn'tfinishedyet.Theblastrocketedoutwards-twoblasts,infact,theoriginalandtheReflected.Thepowerrazedbuildingstotheground,totallyburntuppeopleandanimals,andcreatedamightycraterinthegroundfora300kilometreradius;theresultwasthattheislandofHonshuwasalmosttotallywipedout.Evenworsedestructionwastocome.Agigantictsunamirushedintofillthecrater.Itmetinthecentre,ofcourse,buttheforcewassogreatthatitbouncedbackoutwardsagaintopoundtheshoresofJapan,China,andKorea;muchof'coastal'Japanhadpreviouslybeenmountainforest.
ItwasnotonlyAsiathatsufferedtheeffectsofExaFlare.TheblastupsetthePacificrim-the'ringoffire'thatwasaplateboundary.Pressurewasreleasedallalongmajorfaultlines,triggeringslipsandearthquakes,butnonequitesocatastrophicastheSanAndreasfault.Pressurehadbeenbuildingupallalongthisfaultfor115years,previousquakeshavingonlypartiallyeasedthepressure.Whenthesubterraneanpressurewave,itselfratherlikeanearthquakewave,hittheSanAndreasfault,itslipped.
ARichter9.6,themostpowerfulquakeinrecordedhistory.LosAngelesdevastated.SanFranciscodevastated.SanDiegodevastated.Phoenix,inArizona,andthedestroyedVegasfeltthequake.SodidSeattle,andVancouver,furthernorth.Tothesouth,MexicoCity'sgeologyamplifiedthethenfairlyweakwavesintosomethingquitepowerful.
Bynow,theworldwasbeginningtototallycollapse.Onecityhadbeenburnt,andseveralotherssmashedbyearthquakes,inadditiontoacountryhavingbeentotallywipedout.Themidwind'ssonicboom,ironicallyaresultoftryingtostopdestruction,addedtothepanicandchaos.Stockmarketsweretumbling,peoplewererioting,governmentsandmilitarieswereatatotalloss,andavastnumberofpeopletrulybelievedthatTheApocalypsewasbringingtheapocalypse.
Cloudandtheothers,despitenottakingdamagefromtheblast,hadstillbeenknockedbackwardsforseveralkilometres,thoughnowherenearasbadlyasSephiroth.Theyhadgotquiteashocktofindthemselvesinthemiddleoftheocean,butCidsoonpickedthemupinthemidwind.Itwasn'tlongbeforetheeightweretalkingagain.
"Hegotaway..."saidCloud.
"Well,Iguesshewon'tbetryingthatoneagaininahurry."saidTifa.
"Getreal,man!Heain'tdead.Wegottamakehimdead!Moveout"orderedBarret.
Naturally,therewasalotofcheeringatthisstatement.However,Nanakibroughteverybodybackdowntoearth."Easiersaidthandone,Barret.Sephirothispowerful-verypowerful.He'salsofasterthanus,eveninthemidwind.Evenifwecaninjurehim,he'lljustrunoff."
"Notlikely.Sephiroth'sgenesgivehimawin-or-losementality.Hewon'tnormallyrunofffromafight,nomatterhowbadlyhe'shurt."saidVincent.
"Maybeso,buthe'sstillpowerful."saidCloud
"Youknow,I'mstartingtowonderaboutsomething."saidTifa."Lasttime,Sephirothhadanobjective,right.Nowhere,hedestroyedVegas,granted,presumablybecauseofhishatredofgambling.Butafterthat,Idon'tgethismotive."
ThediscussioncontinuedasthemidwindwascruisingoverthePacificataleisurelyMach2.2.TheobjectwastofindSephiroth,buttheeightwereinafairlyrelaxedmood.Theyknewthathewouldbeinnearorbit,andtheyweretravellingintheoppositedirectiontothatwhichhehadbeenblasted,sotherewasagoodchanceofmeetinghim.Theydidn't,however,expectexactlywhatwouldhappenwhentheydid.
Chapter10:PostTraumaticStressDisorder.
Theeightdidrunintohim,2hourslater.Sephirothinfactlandedontheairship'sdeck,andproceededtomakehiswaytothebridge,whereCloudandVincentwhereengagedinagameofteamchessagainstNanakiandYuffie.Thenthedoorwasopened...
"Sephiroth!!!Die!!"shoutedCloud,asTheGreatOneentered.
"ThatisexactlywhatIintendtodo."repliedSephiroth,calmly.
"Wha?"exclaimedCloud,startledbytheresponse.
"WhydidyoudestroyTokyoandVegas?"askedVincent.
"TheVegascasinosandtheJapanesecompaniesarethesameastheShinRa.Theyonlycareaboutmoney.Icannotrestuntilallhavefallen.Infact,Icanneverrestatall."answeredSephiroth.
"Why?Whathaveyoudone,tobethatway?Istilldon'tgetwhathappened,eversinceNibelheim."askedCloud.
"I'vekilledtoomanypeoplewhoweren'tinvolved.15yearsago,thecitizensofNibelheim.10yearsago,thecitizensofMidgar.Now,thecitizensofJapanandAmerica.Allordinarypeoplelivingtheirlives.It'smyfaulttheyaren'tstilllivingtheirlives."Sephiroth.
"Posttraumaticstressdisorder,right.Ithoughtyouwerecreatedtobeimmunetoit.Yourgenesshowyouasabletoforgetaboutsuchthings."saidCait."Nobodyisakiller,andeverybody.Anybodycankill,andforgetaboutit,butnoteverybodyreallywantsto.Idon't.Inanycase,formeitgoesbeyondjustcivilians.Ikilledmyownsister,knowingIwasdoingso."answeredSephiroth."Youknew!Then...why?"enquiredTifa.
Sephirothreplied."AtthetimeIbelievedIwasinvincible.Now,ofcourse,Iknowdifferent."
Tifaunderstood.ThenSephirothsurprisedCloudbyaskinghimaquestion."Whyareyouhere,anyway?"
"ToresurrectAeris.Weneedthedata.Infact,we'vegotit,butwestayedbecauseyouwerearound,andwefeltwehadtostopyoudestroyingeverything."answeredCloud.
Chapter11:Ahopedashed.
"Youhavesucceededinstoppingme.ButyoucannotresurrectAeris."statedSephiroth.
"Whynot?Cidhadworkeditallout."askedCloud.
"Areyousayingmytheoriesarewrong.Damnyou!"saidCid.
"Itisonlypossibletoresurrectsomebodywhohasbeenkilledifyoualsoresurrectthekiller.Ofcourse,foraresurrection,allpeopleinvolvedmustwishtoberesurrected.Idonot.Therefore,yourresurrectionwillfail."saidSephiroth.
"Whydon'tyouwantyouberesurrected?Surelyeverybodywould."askedNanaki.
"Thereisnopurposeformeinyourworld-inanyworld,cometothat.WhenIwishtocome,youwillknow."answeredSephiroth.
"How?"askedCloud,sceptically.
"Simple.Therewillbeataskforme."repliedSephiroth."Iamgoingnow,backtoK.Thereisnowhereleftforme.Goodbye."
Sephirothvanished.Theeightwereforsometimesilent,contemplatingthemeeting.ItwasCloudwhobrokethesilence.
"Well,Iguessthere'snothingelsetodohere.We'llhavetolookatgettingback."
"We'renotinahurry,soIthinkI'llkeepthemidwindatsubsonicspeedswhileweheadbacktoBirmingham."saidCid.
Thegroupoffriendswerebynowverytired,sotheyallwenttosleepwhilethemidwindmadeitswaybacktoBirminghamonautopilot.
Afteralongflight,theyfinallylandedatQueensbridge.Theyweregreetedbythehardwarecontrolmanager,wholookedveryhappy."You'reinluck,guys.Iwassupervisingthe'porter,whenitsuddenlyfilledwithenergy.Don'tknowwhy,butitmeanswewon'tneedtocharge.Everybodyin,please."
Theeightquicklypackedintothehyperporter.Then,inaflashoflight,itleftEarth.
Chapter12:Aworldshaken.
TheGovernmentsoftheworldneverdidgettothebottomoftheTheApocalypseincident.Theconsensusreachedwasthatithadbeenaterroristaction,andthevastcraterhadbeencausedbyatop-secrettypeofbomb.TheabsenceofanypapershadbeenattributedtothehypothesisthatTheApocalypse(i.e.Sephiroth)hadhadthemonhimatthetimeoftheexplosion.Theworlddidrecover,andwithinfiveyearsworldmarketswerebackinshape.However,therehadbeenaprofoundchange.WiththeJapanesecompaniesdead,themightyMicrosoftwasabletoextenditssphereofinfluence,treblingitssizeanddiversifyingintosuchthingsascars,spaceexplorationandagriculture.ItwasonlyamatteroftimebeforeMicrosoftownedtheworld,andtheShinRacameagain.
Disclaimers.
ManycharactersandconceptscreatedbySquaresoft,Inc.Orginalconceptsincludehyperporter,prespace/K,lifeturbine,TheKBarrier,ExaFlare,JenovaAid,etherdata,midwind,Cait'sdisability,Sephiroth'sparentage,CompactimaWeapon,FF7planetlanguagesandlanguageconverter,EuropeStadiumandNATOCivilianopsHQ,amongstothers.
WrittenbyThomasWootten,AKAChiral.
ThisstoryisinnowayendorsedbyoraffilatedwithTheGovernmentofTheUnitedStatesofAmericaandTheUnitedStatesmilitary,theGovernmentofJapanandtheJapanesemilitary,BirminghamCityCouncil,SafewayPlc.,QueensbridgeSchool,NATO,FIFA,anyLasVegascasinos,anyJapanesecompaniessuchasMitsubushi,Microsoft,SquaresoftInc.,oranyotherindividualsororganisationsdirectlyorindirectlymentioned.
MusicfilestakenfromRpgdreamersandFinalFantasyMusicOnline