Avalanche had changed a lot over the years; first of all it was Barrett,
Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, Tifa and then Cloud. But then they died Jessie, Biggs
and Wedge at the pillar and then there were three. Then six more were added;
Aeris, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Vincent and Cid. But after Sephiroth
they pretty much disbanded; Vincent and Yuffie went to the Turks and Cid,
Red and Reeve went back home and of cause Aeris had died. Recently the
team had been down to three again until Liol went missing and they had
pretty much got back together again. Until now, now another had died. It
was Cid.
“ I can’t believe it.” Said Cloud.
“ I know, I mean after all we went through together,” Added Yuffie.
The whole incident had shocked the whole group; none of them could
believe it.
“ Does anyone know where Shera is?” Asked Tifa.
“ She left Rocket Town for Kalm two days ago, in fact she should be
back today.” Stated Yuffie. “ I saw her a little while before she left.”
“ You all know what we have to do don’t we?” Asked Vincent.
“ Unfortunately, yes.” Said Barrett sighing. “ We gonna have to break
it to her.”
“ I’ll do it.” Burst in Tifa.
“ Are you sure?” Questioned Cloud.
“ Yeah, I’ll be alright, I’m probably Shera’s best friend out of all
of us. Us being close-neighbours and all.” Settled Tifa.
“ Fine thanks Tifa, give Shera our condolences.” Said Cloud.
“ I will, I don’t know when I’ll be home though, Cloud.”
“ Take as long as you like, he was our best friend.” Tifa closed the
Turks Headquarters door.
“ Cloud, Kole has done the autopsy and,” Started Vincent without finishing.
“ Yes, we’ll all come.” Finished Cloud.
“ Yeah, can I pass?” Asked Yuffie. “ I really don’t think I can stand
seeing Cid there on the table.”
“ Okay, me, Vincent and Barrett will go.” Considered Cloud. “ Vincent
where is the autopsy room?”
“ It’s on the floor above, follow me.” Answered Vincent.
They took the stairs almost nervous, although they had killed before
and seen death before, only once had they seen one of their friends dead
before.
They reached the room and opened the door to see Cid lying on the table.
“ God.” Said Cloud under his breath.
*
Dark Nation searched the wreckage of the building for his lost owner,
the explosion had happened long ago and Dark Nation had feared the worst
for his master when it happened, he only hoped he had got the shield up
fast enough to save him. But after that something else happened, something
bigger than before. This time a big red ball was coming towards the city
and this time everything changed. It seemed as if everything stopped for
a while. In fact Dark Nation couldn’t remember much past that, to be truthful
he can’t remember anything since then. It’s almost as if he was asleep
since then.
He ran across the dead, ruined ShinRa building in search of the
President. He reached a sign, he recognised it, it was the one held upon
his master’s door. He walked another twenty feet before finding him there.
His master, the President, Rufus.
“ Hello boy, where’ve you been ay?” Rufus asked, he knew he would get
no answer but he said it anyway. “ Haven’t seen you in a while.” In fact
it didn’t seem just a while it felt like,, what did it feel like?
It took a while before he realised he was stuck under a pile of the
broken concrete and other debris. He couldn’t move.
He had a link, a link with Dark Nation. Not only was it a link, but
a bond. He could control him for brief minutes before he was too exhausted
to go on. He started a link with Dark Nation; the animal picked itself
up and moved closer to Rufus. He steadied his mind and moved the creature
so that the main debris was lifted off his torso and onto the ground beside
him. He severed the connection.
“ Good job Nation.” Rufus said as he climbed his way out of the wreckage.
“ From here on in, things can only get better.”
*
Galen was half way to her destination, she didn’t know exactly where
she was going but she knew she was in safe hands. The boat from Costa Del
Sol to Junon was a first for her, before the incident she had never left
the safety of her home village of Genosha. The fresh sea air and the beautiful
blue ocean made for a spectacular combination. For Galen it was the most
exciting time of her life.
From here on in, things can only get better.
*
Sephiroth rubbed his hands together in delight as he watched the city
of Rocket Town crush under his supreme control. Already half of the citizens
had been possessed and his plan was going completely as planned.
“ So what do we do now Mister Sephiroth?”
“ Trust.”
“ Trust?”
“ Yes.” The boy was beginning to trust him more and more; a
smile appeared on the small boy’s face.
“ From here on in, things can only get better.”
*
“ From the autopsy we can tell he died around thirty-six hours ago from
suffocation.” Stated Kole. “ The training simulator had an air depletion
button, someone must have pressed it.”
“ Sephiroth.” Said Cloud.
“ It could be, we have no way of knowing.” Said Vincent.
“ Damn!” Shouted Cloud as he covered his lost friends body. “ I can’t
believe he’s gone and there’s not way of him coming back!”
The door to the autopsy room swung open and a mysterious orange creature
stepped in; the room went deadly silent.
“ I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
*
“ I’m so sorry Shera, there was nothing we could do.” Comforted Tifa.
“ You know it’s funny through all the troubles he has been through,
I always thought it was things like this that would kill him.” Shera held
up an old cigarette of Cid’s.
“ Do you think you’re gonna be alright?” Asked Tifa.
“ Yeah, well I’m gonna have to be. But at least I have another little
one to comfort me.”
“ Shera?”
“ Yes,”
“ What do you mean?”
“ It’s nothing, it’s just,”
“ What?”
“ I’m pregnant.”