Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Seduction of the Darkness ❯ Getting to know AVALANCHE ( Chapter 2 )

CHAPTER 2: Getting to know AVALANCHE

The young woman awoke on a soft mattress and stared up at a high ceiling. She sat upright and saw the room was small yet very well furnished.  She saw a soft, black shirt and loose black trousers draped over a nearby chair and the gentle vibrations under her feet told her that she was on board a vast craft of some kind. She winced and glanced down to see a wide bandage wrapped around her torso. She frowned slightly, wondering why she was bandaged until a jolt of pain reminded her that she'd been shot the night before. Then she remembered the tall stranger and thought of his raspy voice before she told herself that she needed to find out where she was and why she was here. She dressed quickly and slipped on her high boots. She fastened the chain of her necklace round her neck and gazed down at the strange creature there for a moment or two before she walked out the room.

She heard a strong voice before she even reached the room. It was male and so worn he sounded like something out of a Western movie. She walked down the main corridor until she reached a vast chamber. Consoles were set into the sides of the room, which had large windowpanes on three sides. People were working at the consoles and there was a large platform in the centre of the room, overlooking the chamber and a large globe set into the floor. Painted on the floor of the bridge was a woman in a swimsuit with the word Shera underneath. On the platform before a steering wheel, was a tall blond man wearing a blue shirt and light coloured trousers it was apparent that he was the captain of the vessel.

'All right, that's all you need to know. Go and do your own thing till we know what's what. Well, tie me down and brand me senseless.'

The last statement drew everyone's attention to her as she walked in. She looked round at the spacious bridge and then fixed on a small group gathered near the steering platform.

'So this is the damsel everyone's talking about. Not surprising. I have to admit it, lil darling you have gotta be the finest thing I've seen in years. If I wasn't so tied up in keeping my bird flying, I'd gawk at you all day.'

Hellfire nodded slightly, acknowledging the compliment.

'Well, I see you're not a big talker so let's get the introductions underway, shall we?' said the captain. 'The name's Cid Highwind and I'm captain of this fine vessel. This little sprite over here is Yuffi.'

'Hey there!' piped up a small woman with very short black hair and dark eyes. She was wearing shorts and a top that bared her stomach and had a sash tied round her head. A small cat with a gold crown atop his head rode in on the back of a red wolf-like beast. The cat took in the group before his eyes lit on her.

`This is the lassie that everyone's talking about,' said the creature. Hellfire stared at him.

`That cat's talking,' she said evenly but her expression was written with shock and disbelief.

`Oh, that's Cait Sith,' said Yuffi. `And that's Red XII.' She gestured to the red wolf that, to Hellfire's surprise opened its mouth and spoke in a human voice.

`A pleasure to meet you, miss.' His manner was quite elegant and she found herself responding in like kind.

`The pleasure's all mine, though I have to admit I'm still trying to absorb the realisation that you are able to speak. Your friend as well.'

Cait Sith sniffed. `You'll find that it's not that strange, lass.'

`So I've come to believe.' Hellfire looked to the group once more. A tall and burly man with dark skin and a skull tattoo on his arm stepped forward.

'Name's Barret, Barret Wallace.' He held out his mechanical hand to her. She took it gingerly, but was surprised at the gentle grip of the robotic hand.

'Barret here's the one who formed our little gang,' said the captain. 'That lil lady over there's Tifa.' He gestured to the slender Asian woman dressed in black. 'And next to her is good ol' Cloud.' The athletic, handsome young man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes nodded to her. ' Don't know where Vincent's hiding...hey, there's the devil himself now!'

The enigmatic stranger walked onto the bridge and stepped into view. She appraised him, taking in the tangled ebony mane and lean, slightly muscled form. He seemed unremarkable despite his dark beauty, and then she saw those crimson eyes like blood illuminated by a bright flame.

'You,' she whispered. She could never forget a face and eyes like his.

Vincent nodded. 'I remember you, too.' They exchanged gazes briefly before the captain broke the silence.

'Well, I see he needs no introduction. Why don't you make yours?'

Hellfire turned to them. 'My name is Hellfire. I…to be perfectly honest, I don't know where I was before I was shot. I was thrown into combat before I even had the chance to get my bearings.'

'You were in what was left of Midgar' said Cloud. `We were under attack by Deep Ground.'

`Deep Ground?' repeated Hellfire.

`They're a section of SOLDIER created underneath Midgar,' he explained. `By order of Rufus ShinRa. But they didn't appear until after the meteor. They killed all the current Soldiers that were trapped after Midgar was destroyed.'

`But it seems old Vincent here's the one they're after.' Cid nodded to the silent gunman. `They attacked him in Kalm and we're trying to find out why Deep Ground decided to come out of hiding.' He looked at her. `So what's your story?'

`I…I don't know,' said Hellfire. `All I remember is being hit by a strange device while I was inside a laboratory where I was working as an intern. The next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a battle.'

Vincent glanced at her but said nothing.

'Well it's nice to have someone besides Vincent with scientific know-how,' said Cid. 'All right, we need to take a raincheck. I'll let you know when the meeting's gonna take place.' The small group disbanded and Hellfire decided to explore the ship. She walked into an empty control room and saw a glass cylinder on the right hand side. She stared at the transparent casket, getting lost in her thoughts. She winced in pain and rubbed her stomach. Though the wound was healed, she still felt the shot every time pain jolted her body. Her reverie was broken by a voice, young and forceful. 

'Still adjusting to the Shera, I see.'

Hellfire whirled around and saw the athletic blond man standing a few feet away with the young Asian woman. Cloud and Tifa approached her. 

'How's your shoulder?' asked Tifa.

Hellfire glanced at her shoulder before replying. `Much better, thanks to whoever took care of it.' She looked at them. `I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name.'

The Asian woman smiled. `I'm Tifa.'

Hellfire nodded before turning to Cloud. `I saw you fighting that thing during the battle. That's some skill you've got.'

`I do my best,' said Cloud. `I noticed you too. I haven't seen anyone fight like that for a long time. You've got to be a master to be able to use a sword like that. But I've never seen you before.'

`You wouldn't,' replied Hellfire. “I'm not from around here.' She didn't mention the device that had sent her here. She got the distinct impression they wouldn't understand. She turned to Tifa. `So, are you two brother and sister?'

`Friends. We used to run a delivery service before the meteor hit.'

`I keep hearing about a meteor but I know nothing about Midgar, Kalm or anything else that I've been hearing lately. Could one or both of you please fill me in? I have a feeling I'm going to be here for a while.'

At her urging, Cloud told her about the disaster at Midgar three years ago and gave her all the information she wanted to know about Deep Ground and ShinRa. When he was done, Hellfire slumped against the console of the computer, supporting herself as she took all of it in.

`That's quite a story. I can see why you're involved and I'llhelp in any way I can, but it's going to take a while for all of this to fully sink in.'

Tifa smiled. `Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it while you're settling in here. But I'm happy that you're willing to help us. We could use another fighter.'

Hellfire looked at Tifa. 'I don't know if I'm going to be much help to AVALANCHE.'

Tifa smiled. 'Just stay close to us and you'll be fine.'

Hellfire nodded and smiled. `All right. You've got yourself a new member.'