Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC. Final Fantasy VII and all of its characters are the property of Squaresoft and Sony.
Sailor Moon: Alternity
By Daryll Pung
Part 4: Answers From The Planet
PG-13
Chapter 1: Old Friends Anew
"What do you mean, its possible?" asked Cloud Strife, glaring at his old friend and fellow ex-SOLDIER Dev Killwatt. The team was visiting him in his new residence in Cosmo Canyon. The rest of the team sat up straight in surprise.
"I mean, with the threat to the Planet- namely, Sephiroth and Meteor- gone, it may be possible to resurrect Aeris Gainsborough," said Dev. He glanced at Red XIII. "I know you are all aware of how the Planet reuses spirit energy. Well, it takes a little bit, and from the research I've been doing, if we take parts from the bodies of all the WEAPONS, we can fuse them into a special one-use Materia that will bring her back within a certain time frame. We have the pieces of all but one WEAPON.. because we haven't fought that one yet."
"I was wondering why you wanted us to collect the pieces from the bodies of the WEAPONS," said Tifa Lockheart thoughtfully. "But I thought all the WEAPONS were destroyed. What is this last WEAPON? And how do we do this?"
"Well, I snuck into what was left of Midgar after it was destroyed, and with Reeve's help, was able to locate some files, actually copies. We do have to move quickly, because the originals are in the hands of the Turks. According to these files, Sapphire WEAPON, the last remaining WEAPON, is located on the Glacier near the Crater. The actual fusing will require all of us to really want Aeris back," elaborated Dev.
"So it's back north we go?" asked Cid Highwind. "Repairs are complete on the Highwind, although we kept the jet engines." He grinned. "More fun to fly that way."
"We have to stop at the City of the Ancients anyway. Two reasons. First, we have to recover her body. Second, I have to recover something myself. Reeves will be joining us as Cait Sith again, and I suggest we get moving," said Dev.
"I guess I'll have to leave Marlene here again," sighed Barret Wallace.
"I guess you'll be needing all that Materia we collected," giggled Yuffie Kisaragi.
"Then let us go," said Vincent Valentine.
* * * *
The Highwind swept low, going into hover as Yuffie brought them back to Wutai. She climbed down the ladder, and raced to her house. Ten minutes later, she raced back out, carrying Conformer and a big sack filled with Materia. The Highwind shot upwards, moving towards the City of the Ancients.
* * * *
After landing the Highwind just outside of Bone Village, the team proceeded on their way to the City of the Ancients. They moved down the narrow path that led to the center, once again approaching the lake where Aeris' body had been laid to rest. The team paused to put Materia into their weapons.
"Yuffie, where's that Underwater Materia we used on Emerald WEAPON?" asked Cloud. He had one remaining slot in his Mystile armor.
"Here you go," said Yuffie, handing over a purple orb. Cloud equipped it, and looked at the rest of the team. He moved to the lake, entering the water. He dove down to the depths, searching. In the meantime, the rest of the team readied the special carrying case for Aeris' body. They watched Dev go off into the shell-house.
What's he up to? wondered Tifa. She saw Barret look at her, and she nodded, running to follow.
Dev moved down the shell's inside surface, to the secret pathway that led to the underground Ancient holy place. He glanced around, and then moved down the crystal stairs. Tifa saw this, and cautiously followed.
He halted at the bottom. Tifa stifled a sigh upon seeing the very place where Aeris had died. She knew that while Aeris had competed with her for Cloud's attention, Aeris really had been a good friend, and deep down, she missed her.
To her complete surprise, Dev moved to the platform and crossed his arms. He seemed to be waiting for something, mused Tifa. She moved closer, and was at the base of the pedestals that led up to the platform when a white light appeared, expanding to fill the platform before vanishing. When the light faded, she was shocked to see twelve girls, one boy, and two cats standing on the platform in front of him.
"Hello, Hoppers. I'm Dev Killwatt. Let's get you on your way, shall we?" smiled Dev reassuringly.
"You're a member of the Order." It was a statement, not a question, and it was the blonde in front who said it.
Dev nodded.
"Okay, I think there's some explaining to do," Tifa spoke up, tapping her right foot. Dev turned, startled.
"Uh..." Dev trailed off.
* * * *
When Tifa and Dev led the Sailor Scouts out of the shell-house, Cloud was already dry, and the special container was sealed. There were some curious looks exchanged upon sighting the girls.
Dev sighed. "Listen. These people are Hoppers. They are being sent from world to world, to a special contact that then sends them on their way. I'm that contact in our world. It is of utmost importance that we get them home. Luckily, this coincides with our goals here."
"So are they going to help us against Sapphire WEAPON?" asked Cloud, one eyebrow raised.
"And what is your interest in Sapphire WEAPON?" came a voice that caused the entire crew to draw their weapons and whirl around. Reno, Rude, and Elena stood at the entrance to the special grove, taking in the scene.
"The Turks," hissed Yuffie.
"The Troublemakers," sneered Reno. "You're lucky we don't kill you here and now. We're out of a job because of you."
"You call what you did before a job?" asked Barret angrily.
"What are you doing here?" demanded Cloud.
"Looking for a spiky-haired guy who uses a sword," answered Elena. Cloud tightened his grip on Ultima Weapon.
Reno laughed. "Relax. It's not you. We want him on our team, and he was rumored to be in Icicle Town. The fact that it's on the way to Sapphire WEAPON is an added bonus."
"What is YOUR interest in Sapphire WEAPON?" demanded Tifa.
"Same as yours, I suspect. I imagine we'll meet again. Here's a warning..stay out of our way!"
With that, the Turks turned and left.
"What the heck was that all about? And what is a Sapphire WEAPON?" asked Mina.
"A spiky haired guy who uses a sword and is not me?" wondered Cloud. He thought for a second. "No way!"
"Zack," whispered Tifa.
"But he was killed by Shinra troops outside of Midgar," said Cloud, eyes wide.
"Maybe the fact that he was in SOLDIER like us helped him survive.. you never know what Mako will do to you," said Dev. "Or maybe something else is going on."
"We'll talk about this on the way to Icicle Town," said Cloud. "And we'll explain things to you Hoppers also on the way."
"To the Highwind?" asked Cid. He received a nod for a reply. The group began to move out, Barret and Vincent carrying the special case.
"But they just threatened you.." began Serena.
"I know," said Cloud. He simply smiled.
* * * *
The Highwind hovered outside of Icicle Town. The group climbed down the rope ladder to the snow-covered ground. As they entered town, they went to the inn.
"Well," said Cloud, coming back to the table they all took in the corner. "The innkeep has confirmed that it was Zack. He went to the glacier on a snowboard. Luckily, he has enough snowboards for all of us."
"Snowboarding? Sounds like fun," said Amara.
"What if we don't know how?" asked Serena.
"It's easy..just follow our lead," smiled Tifa reassuringly.
Chapter 2: Cold Wastes and Warm Huts
Cloud drew up short, sliding to a stop. The Hoppers were handling themselves rather well, he thought. He looked around. The scenery was striking. Glistening white; occasional cold, biting winds; mountains in the background.. very pretty. And somewhere out there on the glacier was Sapphire WEAPON and Zack.
"Are we ready?" asked Tifa behind him.
"Yes. Remember, we gotta keep warm. Let's go!" said Cloud.
"Much better," said Cid.
"Huh?" asked Lita.
"He used to be so dopey about things like this!" chuckled Cid as he kicked off, heading after Cloud and Tifa.
The Scouts exchanged glances as they followed.
* * * *
The fire burned hotly, warming the tired faces of the group sitting around it. They were in a cave, and they had called it a day. There had been no sign of either of their targets.
"Well, this is interesting," said Amy quietly, studying some Materia with Michelle and Yuffie. "And you say that this little green orb can rain comets down on people?"
"Yup," said Yuffie.
"You know," Raye began thoughtfully. "I find it amazing we're all coping so easily with this."
Luna opened an eye as Serena sat up, glancing around. "Yeah, you're right. It's become second nature already to be in all these different worlds."
"I always knew you Sailor Scouts were more than you appear, but I never knew everyone was so versatile," said Artemis, on Mina's lap.
"So, what's your home world like?" asked Tifa. She glanced at Dev, in earnest conversation with Cloud.
"A lot like this one, actually," said Darien. "But we don't have this.. Materia stuff. Or all the monsters you people deal with."
"Or airships like the Highwind," put in Trista.
Dev rejoined the group. Cloud got up and moved to the entrance of the cave, gazing out at the night.
"Of the worlds we visited, this one feels the closest to home," commented Samantha.
Red's head suddenly jerked up as he smelled something that alarmed him. At the cave entrance, Cloud snapped alert, hearing something just beyond the edge of his perception. Almost by magic, Ultima Weapon was in his hands. He stepped out into the snow, aware that everyone was now at the cave entrance, wondering what was going on. He heard the barely perceptible sound of metal sliding, like someone pulling a sword out of its sheath. Snow crunched, and Cloud dodged left as an unknown individual slashed at him, missing narrowly. Cloud turned and parried the next blow. He caught a glimpse of the individual in the firelight.
"Zack!" gasped Cloud. The individual took a step back.
"Huh?" asked Zack. "What did you call me? Is that my name?"
Cloud nodded.
"Why can't I remember? And how do you know?" asked Zack suspiciously. "Who are you?"
"I was in SOLDIER with you," said Cloud. "We were friends. We were on our way to Midgar to become mercenaries when some Shinra troops caught up with us and shot you."
"I don't remember any of that," said Zack, taking a few steps further back and sheathing his weapon.
"I'm not surprised," said Cloud quietly, sheathing Ultima Weapon. "I am surprised you survived, though."
"What's SOLDIER? What's Shinra?" asked Zack. He heard a sigh from Tifa.
"Come on by the fire," invited Dev. "We'll see if we can't help you find your memories, like Tifa did with Cloud."
* * * *
Morning found the group, with Zack in tow, moving further on the glacier. The going was rough, and the group soon found themselves at the base of Gaea's Cliffs.
"Hey, Cloud," said Cait Sith.
"What?" Cloud asked, stopping to look at him.
"Isn't Mr. Holzhoff's place near here? Maybe he knows something about the whereabouts of Sapphire WEAPON. And I'm sure we could all use a break," said Cait Sith.
"Actually, that's a good idea," said Cloud. "Besides, maybe Sapphire WEAPON is back in the Crater, what with Sephiroth destroyed and all. Let's find out."
The group moved off. Cloud led them along the base of the cliffs until they spotted the flag that was constantly flying as a reminder to travelers. They moved to the house, and knocked on the door.
It opened. Mr. Holzhoff stood in the doorway, and looked pleasantly surprised to see such a large gathering of people.
"Come in," he said. He led them into a common room that was nice and toasty warm from the fireplace. "I remember you,' he said, examining them closely. He frowned. "Some of you, anyway. What are you doing back here?"
"Looking for a monster called Sapphire WEAPON," said Cloud.
"WEAPON, eh?" he said. He looked thoughtful. "What's it look like?"
Cloud glanced at Dev.
Dev spoke up. "It's bluish in color, and resembles a giant spider with wings."
"Now that you mention it, something like that flew overhead a few days ago. There were some other people that stopped by recently, too. They were all dressed up in blue suits. I thought they were crazy, but they just went off and did their own thing," said Holzhoff.
"The Turks," muttered Cloud.
"Turks?" asked Zack.
"More Shinra," said Barret. "They always buttin' their heads where they don't belong."
"And they have a head start over us," said Cid with a frown.
To everyone's surprise, Cloud laughed.
"Hmph. I seriously doubt the Turks are gonna be able to defeat Sapphire WEAPON all by themselves. We have lots more experience fighting WEAPONs, and remember how tough Ruby and Emerald were? No, I think they'll be waiting on us to collect the fruits of our labor."
"Cloud is right," said Vincent seriously. "Turks standard procedure in a case like this is make your enemies do the work for you."
"So now what?" asked Serena.
"For now, we get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, we ascend Gaea's Cliffs into the Crater, and fight Sapphire WEAPON," said Cloud decisively.
"Right this way," said Holzhoff.
* * * *
"So, Cloud, who do you think the Turks are trying to revive?" asked Tifa, moving along the narrow cliff trail right next to him.
"I'm not sure, Tifa. Maybe Tseng. I'd hope they'd be smarter than to revive Rufus or even Sephiroth. I imagine we'll find out in due time," Cloud answered thoughtfully.
"If they do that, do you think we can win?" worried Tifa.
"Don't worry, Tifa. Everything's gonna be all right. Remember?" he grinned with a wink.
Tifa smiled back and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hey lovebirds, let's move!" called Cid, grinning.
* * * *
The team stood at the edge of the crater. Looking upon it, they could see the changes that had been made since Holy's release. The Crater was now sealed, with occasional deep fissures running through it. Lifestream was still at work in the center, however. A single lake of green was visible, green wisps of steam trailing off of it.
And right on the shore stood a large, bluish, spider-shape with wings.
Sapphire WEAPON.
Chapter 3: The Resurrection and The Turks' New Friend
"That's him," said Red XIII. "That's Sapphire WEAPON."
Cloud gazed intently at several shapes moving closer to them. "I'm surprised they actually tried," said Cloud.
"Huh?" asked Raye.
"The Turks," said Cloud. As the shapes moved closer, they became identifiable as the Turks. Rude and Elena were carrying Reno between them. All three looked beat up and tired. They saw the group, but there was no antagonism evident in their features. Only Elena said anything as they passed.
"Good Luck," she said wearily.
"What doesn't seem right about that?" asked Yuffie after the Turks passed.
"Lots," muttered Cloud.
"You guys don't trust they tried and lost?" asked Luna.
"No, we don't," said Tifa.
"As well we shouldn't," said Vincent. "I was once a Turk, and it's quite possible they are still deceiving us."
"Enough of that," said Zack. The excitement of a fight was getting him riled up.
"Agreed," said Cloud. "We'll deal with the Turks later. Right now, Sapphire WEAPON awaits! Move out!"
They set out.
* * * *
The shape of Sapphire WEAPON loomed above them. It was gazing at the lifestream.
"Why doesn't it attack?" asked Mina in a whisper.
"Most WEAPONS didn't, unless you bothered them," said Cait Sith.
"Well, I'm about to bother it," said Cloud. He pulled out Ultima Weapon.
"Yeah," said Tifa, cracking her knuckles, already wearing Premium Heart.
Yuffie simply smiled as drew Conformer. Cid was puffing on a cigarette, leaning against Venus Gospel. Barret readied Missing Score. Vincent loaded Death Penalty. Cait Sith held HP Shout in his hands. Red XIII already had Limited Moon equipped.
The Scouts looked at each other. They glanced at Dev, who had drawn his sword, Plane Protector. It wasn't as glamorous as Cloud's and Zack's swords, though. Zack also stood ready, holding his sword. As one, the Scouts captivated the rest of the team with their transformations into Sailor Scout form.
"Let's do this in style," said Cloud. A red orb equipped on his sword gleamed bright red. Cloud put his sword away as he summoned.
"ULTIMATE END!"
It caught Sapphire WEAPON by surprise. A wall of bluish energy rose around him, as Knights of the Round Summons was activated. Again and again, the knights came, slashing, chopping, blasting, and hitting him as he dropped. Finally he faced the thirteenth knight... Arthur himself. The sword came up, and then slashed down, badly injuring him as his surroundings returned him to the Crater. Sapphire WEAPON turned to face his adversaries.
"Ultima!" called Tifa. Raw lifestream gushed out and nailed Sapphire WEAPON. Then again. And again. And one more time, thanks to Quadra-Magic Materia.
"Comet 2!" cast Yuffie. Comets rushed out of the sky and impacted with loud explosions into Sapphire.
"TERA FLARE!" cast Red XIII. The world seemed to shrink before their eyes as Bahumat ZERO was summoned. Way above the planet, the gleaming, silvery dragon drew up, extended his six wings, and began to charge. He blasted his breath towards the planet. The clouds parted, and a huge beam of green energy blasted Sapphire WEAPON, resulting in an almost nuclear explosion.
Sapphire retaliated. He rose up, extending four of his eight legs. He hit Cloud with his four legs repeatedly, dropping Cloud to his knees.
"Fullcure!" cast Barret. White light rose around Cloud, restoring his energy. Cloud's fury was building as the Sailor Scouts added some input.
"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"
"PLUTO DEADLY SCREAM!"
"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"
Sapphire absorbed the impacts of all the power being tossed at him. He activated his central crystal. It began to pulse a bright red.
"GIGA FLARE!" cast Cid. The ground rumbled beneath Sapphire as he was ripped upwards, in between the clouds, to face Neo Bahumat. The blazing energy that the bright red dragon nailed him with dropped him to the ground with tremendous force.
Cloud used a Megalixir on the group. Sapphire WEAPON regained his feet and reared up.
"Uh oh," said Yuffie.
Blazing energy lanced out, nailing the group repeatedly. Everyone was on his or her knees. Cait Sith threw up another Megalixir, refreshing everyone as Cloud cast again.
"ULTIMATE END!"
This time, when Sapphire WEAPON returned to the normal world it was on its knees... all eight of them.
"Beta!" cast Yuffie from her Enemy Skills Materia. A nuclear explosion encompassed Sapphire.
"Flare!" cast Tifa. A fiery explosion hit Sapphire.
Sapphire tried to regain its feet as the three ex-SOLDIERs jumped forward, each one using mastered Double-Cut Materia. The combined slashes, with fire support from Yuffie, Vincent and Barret, brought Sapphire crashing down in a huge explosion. Pieces of Sapphire WEAPON flew everywhere. When the dust settled, a gleaming sword lay near the lake. Cloud picked up a piece of Sapphire WEAPON as Zack picked up his ultimate weapon, Sonic Slasher.
"Sweet," was all he said. Cloud pulled out his PHS phone.
"Cloud calling Highwind," he said. "Clear to come to the center of the crater."
"Wow," said Raye as the Scouts returned to normal. "That was fun."
* * * *
"And how do we do this?" asked Cloud to Dev. The pieces from each WEAPON were laid out in front of them.. a piece of armor blasted from the WEAPON that had attacked Junon, only to have its head blown off by Shinra's Sister Ray Cannon. A claw from Diamond WEAPON, destroyed from another blast of pure mako energy from Sister Ray, after it was moved to Midgar. One of the organic laser eyes that Emerald WEAPON had used on the group as they fought it underwater, right outside their sub, thanks to Underwater Materia. A fragment of wing from Ultima WEAPON, from the crater it had made when Cloud and his friends had killed it from the Highwind over Cosmo Canyon. A fingertip from Ruby WEAPON, recovered when Cloud, all by himself, had defeated the beast outside of the Gold Saucer in the desert. Last, but not least, a spine from one of the legs of Sapphire WEAPON. The pieces were all laid out in a circle, equidistant from each other, with the special case in the middle. The Sailor Scouts, back in their normal forms, were separate and watching. Cloud looked intently at Dev. Only Zack looked unconcerned.
"All of us, stand in a circle around the pieces," Dev said after consulting his notes. He and Zack stood apart from the rest, near the Sailor Scouts.
The team moved into the positions he dictated. "Now. All of you must reach deep within yourself. You must draw out those inner emotions concerning her. The Planet must be convinced that she really deserves to be back amongst her friends, that your need for her is real. Only the raw, untamed power of your emotions can do it... begin now. I'm not sure how long this will take," finished Dev, looking up.
The team stood taunt, each deeply wishing for Aeris. The wind blew across the crater, the only sound they heard. It slowly calmed. It seemed as though nothing was happening. Eyes among the team opened, and sighs were heard.
Suddenly, the pieces began to glow. Lines of Lifestream shot from each piece to each other. The glowing star-shape began rotating as the pieces rose off the ground and twirled into one. They became a glowing orb, green with white lines through it.
"White Materia," Cloud said in awe. An explosion was heard, and then the White Materia exploded, totally vanishing.
"Huh?" asked Tifa. "It didn't work?"
"What was the other sound?" asked Cid.
"That was us," came a gleeful voice. The team spun, facing the Turks, still looking the way they had before, but seeming to have a lot more energy.
"So ya'll weren't really hurt, and never really fought WEAPON, huh?" asked Barret, holding Missing Score ready.
"Why fight when you do such a good job of it?" taunted Reno. "By the way, thanks for the piece of Sapphire WEAPON. We really appreciate it."
"Who did you try and revive?" asked Cloud suddenly.
Elena smirked. "We decided we were tired of being subordinates, and to try our hand at ruling the world. So we brought back a friend under our control, who will help us do just that."
"Why you-" began Cait Sith as the ground began to rumble. Loud popping drew their attention, and they all-except for the Turks-recoiled as they realized the Lifestream lake was boiling.
Suddenly, Lifestream dripping off of it as it rose, a familiar shape shot upwards out of the lake. It roared as it rose, a dread shape everyone present-except for Zack and the Sailor Scouts-recognized.
"Ultima WEAPON," whispered Cloud in shock.
"A new and improved Ultima WEAPON, combining all the powers of every previous WEAPON," said Reno as Elena held a glowing yellow orb towards Ultima. The team recognized Manipulate Materia.
Ultima WEAPON roared again, and charged its central core.
"Huh?" said Rude, glancing at a suddenly perspiring Elena.
"This-This isn't what's supposed to be happening!" gasped a panicked Elena.
"What!?" shouted Reno.
"Apparently, Ultima is uncontrollable," said Cloud wryly.
Ultima WEAPON fired his Ultima Beam at the Turks, who all nimbly dodged away. Ultima roared, and rose skyward, disappearing in a bright blue flash. The Turks all looked at each other.
"You do, of course, realize what has just happened," said Tifa, glaring at them, her fist cocked.
"Well, whom did you attempt to revive?" asked Reno sarcastically, brushing himself off and brushing off Tifa's anger.
"She's right here!" snapped Cloud, eyes blazing in anger. He stepped over and yanked open the case. It was empty. Cloud's anger subsided to sadness, as the Turks all smiled.
"I guess we failed," said Cloud sullenly.
"No, Cloud, you didn't," came a female voice behind them all. Everyone spun to see Aeris Gainsborough standing behind them on a rock. Still wearing the same dress, smiling the same smile, and carrying Princess Guard. She stepped forward.
"And, apparently, we have to team up with the Turks to hunt down their experiment. How could you think you could control that which the Planet creates in its anger?" she asked, facing the shocked Turks.
"I, uh," trailed off Reno, eyes wide.
"How nice of you all," smiled Aeris, circling to examine the party. She noted the differences. The weapons, the armor, the Materia. "Is Sephiroth still around?"
"Nope," said Cloud, a smile on his face. "We fought and defeated him to allow your prayer, your memory, Holy, to go free."
Aeris hugged Cloud. "It's so nice," she said, eyes shining.
"And we found someone else you might know," said a smiling Tifa. She indicated Zack.
Aeris turned, and her jaw dropped in shock. She gasped out the name. "Z..Zack?" she asked in stunned amazement.
Hearing his name, Zack looked up and saw that which had been haunting his memories. Those beautiful green eyes. In a rush, memories were unlocked as he fell, clutching his head.
"Zack!" shouted Cloud in concern.
"It's okay, Cloud," said Zack, gasping as he gazed steadily at the ground.
"Aeris..." his voice trailed off. "I remember now. I was a SOLDIER Third Class. I met a pretty girl during a tour through the slums. She was in an abandoned church, tending some flowers. The first thing I noticed was those green eyes. I dated her as much as SOLDIER allowed. Then I was transferred to Sephiroth's unit after I made First Class. That's where I met SOLDIER Trainee Cloud Strife." Zack looked up. "It's all slowly coming back to me now. Nibelhelm. Tifa. Sephiroth. The Reactor. Cloud, it's a shame you weren't still in SOLDIER. You'd have certainly made First Class by now."
"Thanks, Zack," said Cloud. "I owe it all to you, though."
"I wasn't the one who took out Sephiroth at Nibelhelm. I had no part of that. So, I think you finally found yourself, just as I just did," said Zack, noticing Aeris' funny looks towards Cloud.
Cloud cleared his throat. "We'll figure this out as we all chase after Ultima WEAPON," he said. He glared at the Turks. "ALL of us," he said, as the Turks glanced guiltily at each other. He got nods, and pulled out the PHS.
"Cloud to Highwind," he said. "Get over here now.. we've got an emergency."
The whine of jet engines carried them all away from the Crater, searching for the worst adversary they had yet to face... Neo Ultima WEAPON.
Chapter 4: A New Crisis for the Planet
"Well," murmured Aeris as she was brought up to date. "I'm surprised all the WEAPONs had been beaten in the first place.. but if this Ultima WEAPON has all the previous WEAPONs' powers, it will be very difficult to beat." She turned from the window to look over the group. "As for the Hoppers, I would suggest getting them out of here as soon as possible."
"I would, since I don't want to endanger them against this WEAPON," began Dev, glancing at the quiet Scouts. "But we still have to burn another three days before I can."
"These junctions cause such trouble," said Serena despondently. "And everywhere we've been, it's been a risk of all of our lives to get us on our way, least of all those from the Order who've helped us all the way."
"The Order?" asked Reno.
"Alternate forms of him," Michelle explained quickly, forestalling more questions as she indicated Dev.
"Oh yeah," said Tifa, glancing at Dev. "I remember you telling us that."
"Anyway," said Cloud. "We need to figure where Neo Ultima is headed next."
"Well, if the crater is mostly healed, where's the next biggest wound on the Planet?" asked Aeris.
"Mideel?" asked Yuffie.
"That was already taken care of by the original Ultima, remember?" answered Red XIII to Yuffie.
"Midgar," said the Turks in unison.
Aeris looked startled. "What happened to Midgar?" she asked.
"It was destroyed when Holy and Lifestream repelled Meteor," said Cait Sith.
"Don't worry," said Barret to Aeris. "Elmyra is Marlene's baby-sitter in New Corel, where they both are safe."
"That's great," said Aeris, looking relieved. "We'll have to visit after this is over. But yeah, Midgar sounds like the place. Or it could be headed towards a place where the Planet's power is concentrated."
"How are we gonna fight this?" asked Zack.
"With everything we have," said Cloud. "We have plenty of Materia. Everyone's going to get as much as they can handle. Use the most powerful right away, to weaken it as much as we can off the bat. It's probably gonna take a lot to finish it off. I'm guessing it'll have double the staying power of Ruby, and it'll have lots of attacks and spells."
"That's very destructive," said Cid. He glanced at the Scouts. "Maybe they should go somewhere safe?"
"Where's safe?" asked Vincent.
"Good point," muttered Cid, lighting up a cigarette. "Here in the Highwind is probably the safest place in the world right now."
"Okay," said Cloud. "For now, we head to Midgar. Everyone rest up. This one's gonna be a challenge."
Nods answered him as the meeting adjourned.
* * * *
The clouds were mesmerizing, thought Mina as she gazed out of the window in the Highwind Operations Center. The Scouts were all quiet, thinking of their own world, so far away, yet so near. She thought back to when Amy had asked to stay on the Enterprise. Amy had apologized to the team since, but there was no doubt that that technology had touched their lives. She glanced at Amy, who was looking at pictures on her microcomputer. Her mother was the one currently on the screen.
"Should we get involved in this?" asked Hotaru.
"We're here, aren't we?" replied Samantha.
"Think about it," said Melanie, glancing at her twin. "How much help can we really be?"
Darien, who had both Reeni and Serena leaning against him, looked up.
"I used to think that, back in the beginning, when I first became Tuxedo Mask," he said. "I would think that I could handle my mission all by myself, then turn around and realize how alone I truly was."
"Then you joined with the Sailor Scouts and realized how potent you were together," said Luna from Serena's lap.
"That's very true," said Artemis, on Mina's shoulder. "As a team, you are very powerful."
"Powerful enough to handle this?" asked Raye.
"Consider something here," spoke up Amy. "Look at all the challenges we've all faced together. We have two challenges in front of us right now. Beat this thing and get on our way. Plus, the challenge looming over everything we do."
"Darkstrike," said Trista.
"And remember," said Serena. "Every difficult challenge we've ever faced together, no matter how hopeless, we've always won. We can win anything, provided we all combine like we do in the worst of times. We've done it before, and we all know what it takes!"
"Yeah," said Lita. "Everyone cheer up! After all, we're the Sailor Scouts! We can do anything!"
"Besides," began Amy. "We're not from this place, so maybe our attacks will have more effect on everything."
"I guess we'll find out," said Raye confidently, spirits buoyed by the discussion.
* * * *
The Highwind drew to a hover near Midgar. Cloud gazed out of the forward windows.
Nothing.
Cloud turned to Aeris, who was standing next to Zack with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I don't know, Cloud," she said. "I'm not sure where it could be. We need to land somewhere where the Planet's presence is extremely strong, so I can talk to it."
"Where might that be?" asked Cid, currently piloting the Highwind.
"The City of Ancients, of course," smiled Aeris.
"'Kay," said Cid. He moved the throttle, and the Highwind leapt forward.
* * * *
Aeris walked out of the shell-house towards the waiting group, looking anxious.
"I know where it is," she said. "We'd better get going!"
The team moved to the rope ladder that led up to the Highwind. The airship's turbines were slowly turning in preparation for their departure. After the last person climbed aboard, the ladder was rolled up, and the turbines screamed to life, propelling the Highwind and its passengers towards their destination, and a dangerous enemy.
"So, where are we going?" asked Cid as the Highwind moved forward, circling up and away from the City of Ancients.
"Cosmo Canyon," answered Aeris. The Scouts noted Dev go pale.
"What is it?" asked Yuffie, also noticing.
"That's not good," muttered Dev.
"Why is it there?" asked Barret.
"Two reasons, I think," said Aeris. "One, it's continuing where the old Ultima left off. Two, the Planet has a very strong presence there, so Neo Ultima WEAPON can refresh itself."
"Three, it's where my Planar equipment is to send the Hoppers on their way," interrupted Dev, head in his hands. He looked up.
"That can wait," said Cloud. "That's not as important as reason number 2."
"Actually, it's the most important," said Dev. "Listen. There is an enemy out there that only these Hoppers can fight. This enemy is bent on destroying the boundaries between its world and theirs. If it succeeds, then the boundaries separating every one of the worlds will dissolve, fusing them!"
"And that means?" asked Zack.
"Total and utter chaos. Rampant destruction of every being on every world's way of life. Collisions between things never meant to see each other. The end of a whole lot of worlds as everyone knows them," said Dev urgently. "It just became doubly important that we destroy this thing!"
"Well, here's our chance. Cosmo Canyon, dead ahead. And lookie there, a huge WEAPON charging his powers," said Cid.
Everyone turned to see the hulking shape of Neo Ultima WEAPON straight ahead of them. The WEAPON began descending.
"I think it knows we're coming, and wants to be connected with the Planet for extra power," said Aeris, beginning to worry.
"Cid, open fire," said Cloud. "Everyone else, on deck with me! Neo Ultima WEAPON, prepare to die!"
The Highwind swooped towards Neo Ultima, opening fire. Salvoes of rockets streaked towards the WEAPON. As the first rockets hit, the WEAPON retaliated. Beams of energy shot at the Highwind. It was all Cid could do to dodge them. He brought the airship down, landing one hill over from Neo Ultima. Everyone disembarked. The team prepared themselves, and the Sailor Scouts transformed.
"Yeah!" said Tifa. She looked at Cloud.
"Let's go!" he yelled, holding his sword out like he was leading an old-fashioned
infantry unit in a charge.
* * * *
Things were not going well, reflected Sailor Moon, in a crouch. Everyone had nailed the thing with his or her most powerful attacks, and it was still going strong. Every Materia had been used. Every attack repelled. They were on the brink of losing.
"Psst! Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury called. "I think I've discovered a new way to use our powers!"
The Scouts gathered around her. She pulled out a green Materia.
"Where'd you get that?" asked Sailor Venus.
"It was extra. This is an extra one of the kind that can rain comets," explained Mercury. She glanced at Moon. "Could you summon your Crescent Moon Wand?" Moon nodded and did so. Mercury took it, and she placed the orb right in the crescent, where it fit perfectly. "Everyone remember how we beat Beryl? If we channel all of our energy through the Silver Imperium Crystal and then through this, we should be able to drastically weaken that thing."
They paused to dodge a hail of rock, from Cid impacting to the ground.
"Let's do it!" said Sailor Moon. She stood, and began to focus all her energy into the Wand. The rest of the Inner Scouts each laid a hand on hers, and concentrated, while the Outer Scouts covered them. The wand began to glow with fierce light, charging the green orb.
Meanwhile, Neo Ultima reared up. Reno darted in.
"Electro-Mag Rod!" he shouted, hitting Ultima. The WEAPON retaliated, raising its fist as one claw grabbed him, holding him in place. The rest of the team, seeing this, all attacked nearly simultaneously to release Reno. They succeeded, at a cost. Ultima fired its main beam, dropping everyone. All were barely conscious, needing just that one second to recover. Ultima charged again for that killing blow.
Then, out of nowhere, a beam of intense green and white energy, with flaming rocks thrown in for good measure, came from the direction of the Sailor Scouts. The power of the blast disrupted Ultima, injuring it badly, and providing that one second that everyone needed to release his or her pent-up rage.
Cid stood first, everyone else behind him.
"HIGHWIND!" he yelled. A virtual hailstorm of magical missiles blasted Ultima from all directions. Right as the missiles tapered off, Barret jumped in.
"CATASTROPHE!" Barret shouted, pointing Missing Score at the ground and blasting himself skyward on a pillar of super-heated energy that he quickly focused on Ultima. As his ran out, Red and Yuffie charged as Vincent transformed into Chaos.
"ALL CREATION!"
"COSMO MEMORY!"
"SATAN SLAM!"
A beam of iridescent light issued from Yuffie. The purplish-white energy combined with Red's blast of pure orange, issuing from the planet as flaming skulls from Chaos all hit the WEAPON at the same time. As Neo Ultima recovered from that, Tifa charged in with her limit combo.
"BEAT RUSH! SOMERSAULT!" she called as her fists hit the WEAPON, followed by a flip-kick. "WATERKICK! METEODRIVE!" she called as she spin-kicked and back dropped Ultima. "DOLPHIN BLOW!" An uppercut. "METEOR STRIKE!" At this point, Tifa was charged with enough energy to actually pick up Neo Ultima WEAPON and drop it on its head. She reared her fist back and charged. "FINAL HEAVEN!" she called as she punched with the force of a nuclear explosion.
"SLOTS!" called Cait Sith. He came up with three bars, and Knights of the Round was summoned against Ultima. As it recovered from that, it charged.
"Not this time!" said Aeris. She stepped forward. "GREAT GOSPEL!" Everyone felt heavenly energy refresh them, and a yellow glow surrounded the entire team. Neo Ultima WEAPON's main beam didn't even hurt the team while in that glow.
"Let's combine this!" said Zack to Dev and Cloud. "We all know the technique.. a SOLDIER tradition!"
"Yeah!" said Dev.
"Let's finish this!" shouted Cloud. "Do it NOW!"
In unison, the three ex-SOLDIERS shouted. "OMNISLASH!" All three leapt forward in a frenzy. Supercharged swords slashed again and again. They circled, as if they were doing some psychotic dance. As one, all three jumped for the finishing blow. White rays of light blinded everyone. Only the explosion from the final strike was heard. The ground rumbled, and a thunderous crash was echoed over their heads. Then all went quiet.
The dust settled, and everyone was standing in the middle of a new crater. Cid pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
"That is how we do it," he said, puffing contentedly away.
* * * *
"And our next destination?" asked Serena, gazing steadily at Dev.
"You'll be going to E-12. A dangerous place, but it's the shortest way to get you home," said Dev. The white glow filled the Node, this one natural.
"Dangerous?" asked Lita.
"Its time frame is only a little ahead of your natural one, but the place isn't very pleasant. You'll see. In the meantime, good luck and Godspeed. Time is running out, and the urgency of the situation is deepening. We're counting on you!" said Dev.
Raye gave a cocky salute as the Sailor Scouts jumped through...
TO BE CONTINUED...