Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Dreams ❯ Wings of the Protector ( Chapter 14 )

(Voice in Mind)

 

Chapter 14: Wings of the Protector

 

The ticking of the clock against the wall was the only sound in the room other than the music lightly playing from the adequate stereo system. A suit jacket was laid carefully over the high back of a chair in which a heavy suitcase rested. The lights were on this time, although not blaringly bright and harsh, but most of the room was still and silent… except for the lone man sitting on the couch.

 

He seemed like a businessman, dark slacks and equally dark tie accompanied by a pressed white, long-sleeved shirt and an interesting looking tie… it had strawberries on it. That particular tie had been a gift one Gift-giving holiday.

 

The man, Reeve, sat back on the couch and pulled the binder into his lap, sighing as he did so. It was a photo album and not surprisingly, it was full of pictures and memories. Most were of his lover as his family pictures were in another album.

 

He fingered the edges of one, smiling as he remembered that day. They had taken a trip out of Midgar as it was before the time they could make their relationship public. They had gone to Costa del Sol for a weekend and hardly left their hotel room except for the day they spent in the water. Reno had gotten sunburned and was whining as his skin tingled and ached. Reeve could only laugh because his skin just darkened.

 

Then again, one good thing came out of that. Rubbing lotion and cooling oils into his lover's skin had other pleasing side-effects.

 

As he browsed through the pictures, Reeve's mind was truly in another place. So far in their searching they had not come up with a place where Tifa could be hiding. Most if not all of Midgar had been torn apart in their effort to find her, and it was clear she was not concealed in the abandoned ShinRa building.

 

He sighed and laid the photo album down on the glass topped coffee table before rising from the couch and wandering over to the window. He pushed the curtains back and stared out at the rapidly darkening sky that was hanging over the remains of Midgar and the land beyond.

 

Somewhere out there that cruel bitch Tifa had his lover trussed up like some sort of farm animal and tied to a chair. Somewhere on Gaia, Reno had suffered through a helicopter crash, only to end up in the arms of a sadistic vengeful she-devil, and there was naught that Reeve could do. If the Turks could find no traces of his red-haired lover, what hope did he as an executive have? His training in intelligence was vastly outdated, and though it was something that was rarely forgotten, much like riding a bike, he found it all useless. The only thing they knew for certain was that she was not in Gongaga. Great. That only left the other ninety-nine percent of the planet.

 

Reeve groaned in irritation and cast his amber gaze out over the city. Someone out there knew… there had to be some person that had the information, but they weren't offering it up. Some still remained loyal to the former ShinRa regime despite what had happened. And it was those very close-mouthed people that were hiding what he needed to know.

 

Cloud hadn't been of any help at all. Like the others, Reeve included, he had thought Tifa was dead and was genuinely shocked to find her still alive. The executive could feel the man's fury of betrayal, even through the telephone lines. The spiky-headed blond explained that if Aeris hadn't have become suddenly ill he would help Reeve search, but as it were, he and the doctor were both concerned for the health of her child. He did, however, say that he would call all of his contacts and see if he could buy the information from someone on the streets. Reeve could only thank Cloud, wish Aeris good health, and hang up.

 

He could feel an anger rising up in him for his helplessness. A fist clenched at his side, and he had to fight down the urge to strike something. Bouts of immaturity weren't going to help him right now. He had to keep his act together.

 

Archer, who was currently asleep in Reeve's guest room and had argued greatly against the executive being left alone, had contacted Cid earlier in the day. The pilot had told them about Gongaga, but still, they had no clue as to what had happened. Only that a horde of demons had attacked and destroyed it, seemingly for no reason. He did make mention, however, of a strange man that had defended the town then disappeared afterwards. At the time, he didn't know the man's identity.

 

Then twenty minutes ago, Cid called back to say that he had gotten a phone call about Vincent. Someone claimed that they had found him, and he was going to rush to Cosmo Canyon; Yuffie and Nanaki were going with him. Reeve wholly wished that it wasn't another trick.

 

Suddenly, in the corner of his eyesight, Reeve caught something that pulled him from his inner musings. He immediately focused on the object and tried to ascertain what it was. It was a black blob on the horizon and it appeared to be getting bigger. He didn't recognize the shape but he watched it closely, peering through the thick glass as the sun's light started to fade and the sky fell into shades of deep blue and purple.

 

The executive gasped when he saw that the black shape was suddenly joined by a horde of smaller shapes. All were heading straight for Midgar at enormous rates of speed, coming from the direction of Kalm, from the East. He didn't know what they were, but he was very familiar with the heavy feeling of dread in the pit of his belly. He knew, without knowing why, that those weren't a flock of easy to handle Zemzelett, but rather something far more dangerous.

 

His hand shot into his pocket, and, without taking his eyes off the window, he hit the speed dial for Tseng's PHS. If Elena wasn't with him, he would just tell the head of the Turks to call her, while he went and woke Archer. After a few rings, the Wutaiian man answered.

 

“Tseng, here.” As usual his answer was crisp and business-like, the perfect example of a man who would step into his place should anything happen to the executive himself.

 

“Something is approaching Midgar from the East,” Reeve explained quickly, skipping all the pleasantries. There was no need with Tseng, only a few people would be calling him and undoubtedly the Wutaian had the President's number programmed into his PHS. The shapes were getting closer and were being joined by even more. He could no longer tell them apart or even begin to count. The feeling of dread in his belly began to grow exponentially, taking leaps and bounds. “I don't think they are allies.”

 

Tseng was silent for a moment before responding. “An attack from Tifa?”

 

Reeve shook his head, although the Turk couldn't see him. He hadn't for one moment considered that possibility. Tifa was dangerous but not exactly smart or even that well-liked. There was no way she could amass such an army that would give him shivers of trepidation. Neither did he think that the dark-haired girl was capable of controlling monsters, for if his fears were accurate, the beings approaching were not of human origin.

 

“No, this is something much worse. Probably of the same that attacked Gongaga. Is Elena with you?”

 

“No, sir,” Tseng answered, although Reeve had long ago told the Turk to drop the sir part. The Wutaiian and he were the same age; there was no need for such titles. It made the executive uncomfortable to hear someone like Tseng to call him sir.

 

Reeve gasped a moment as a bright orange light suddenly began to fill the sky. Fire exploded in great plumes over the city. His earlier assessment had been correct. The creatures were enemies. They had already begun their attack. It seemed their dream of peace was just that… a dream.

 

“Call her and stick together,” ordered the executive, amber eyes locked on the view from his window as his hand twitched at his side, a knife sliding easily into grasp. Ever since the call from Tifa, he had taken it upon himself to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice, unconcerned with leaving Neo ShinRa behind. Reno was far more important… “It's going to be bloody. They've already begun to attack.”

 

“What about you? Is Archer still with you?” Tseng had suggested that Reeve not be alone because of Tifa's threats. Because of that, the President now had an unofficial bodyguard in the form of his best friend.

 

Reeve winced when he saw another explosion. The largest of the blobs hovered high in the sky. It wore a fluttering black cloak and a pair of wings sprouted from its shoulders, bright red and glistening as if bathed in blood. From the distance he couldn't make out much else other than the glint of metal off of the monster's face and body. It was not an enemy he recognized. Had another of Hojo's manical experiments escaped their notice?

 

“Reeve?” Tseng's voice cut through his thoughts once more.

 

The executive sighed and moved away from the window, quickly passing through his house to get to the guest room as he continued to converse with Tseng. “Yes, he is. We are going to go to the roof. I'm going to try and stop them.”

 

“On your own?” the Turk questioned incredulously. “Should I call Cloud?”

 

Reeve closed his eyes and paused for a moment, considering the pros and cons of contacting the blond. “Knowing him, he already has realized that we are under attack, but it's best to call him and let him know, so that Aeris can be protected. She has been rather ill lately.”

 

“Yes, Mr. President. Will do, sir.” The Turk ended the phone call, with Reeve wincing once more at the use of `sir' before he slipped the PHS back into his pocket. For a moment, he wondered if he even wanted to head ShinRa anymore… it certainly hadn't been his dream job or aspiration in life, to head a mega corporation.

 

He took another few steps and found himself standing outside the door to the guest bedroom. It was closed tightly as Archer preferred it. He was picky when it came to how he slept. The executive pounded on the door for a few moments, but no one answered. Knowing his friend to be a deep sleeper, Reeve invited himself inside.

 

It was completely dark. Kyle couldn't sleep unless there was silence and pitch blackness. Reeve reached for the lamp that he knew was on the small table near to the door and switched it on. The soft amber light flooded the room in a gentle glow, and he was able to see Archer lying on the bed, seemingly dead to the world.

 

The axe-wielding engineer was lying flat on his back, spread-eagled, as if he had just fallen onto the bed and stayed where he fell, falling asleep instantly. He hadn't even bothered to crawl beneath the covers. Reeve chuckled at his friend's strangeness before making his way further into the room.

 

He could hear the sound of explosions and distant rumbling getting closer and occasionally he would catch a dim flash from the curtains of the window. Their attackers had certainly not come unprepared or unarmed. This had been a planned assault; there was nothing random about it.

 

The executive stood beside the edge of the bed and reached down, grabbing Archer's shoulders and shaking him. His body rattled but he did not stir. The dark-haired man slept HARD.

 

“Kyle!” he called out, hoping that the engineer would just wake up. Of course, considering the situation, nothing was going to be easy. Archer appeared to have not even heard him. He snorted softly and turned his head to the side as if trying to get away from a nuisance without bothering to awaken.

 

Sighing exasperatedly, Reeve tightened his grip on the man's shoulders and raised him a bit off the bed, shaking him violently as he called out the amethyst-eyed man's name. The headboard clattered loudly against the wall. With a start, Kyle's eyes flew open, and he glared at Reeve.

 

“Damn, Tuesti,” grumbled the other dark-haired man as Reeve released his shoulders and let him fall back to the bed. “What is it?”

 

The executive opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the sound of an explosion and a resulting fierce rattle of the building they were in. Reeve, unprepared for the violent shaking lost his balance and toppled to the floor as Archer shot to a sitting position, eyes wide. The executive's head struck the side of a bookshelf, and he hissed in pain, bright sparks filling his vision. That particular bookcase was solid oak and extremely heavy.

 

“What the hell is going on?” the axe-wielder demanded as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up. He offered a hand down to the fallen executive and hauled him to his feet.

 

“Midgar is under attack,” Reeve answered dully as he allowed Archer to help him at the same time rubbing his head where a knot was already beginning to form. He was going to have a serious migraine in a short while, he just knew it. He looked up and blinked, vision a little blurry and spotted.

 

The axe-wielder's mouth dropped open in surprise as he ran to the window and threw back the thick curtains. The orange glow of fire and explosions bathed his face and vision, causing him to gasp in surprise.

 

“Who?”

 

The executive shook his head. “I honestly don't know, but we need to get to the roof if we hope to build up a defense and attack.”

 

Archer nodded in understanding and hurriedly dressed, slipping on his Aegis Bracelet and grabbing his Labrys. (1) With a head bob to the executive, who was already prepared for battle, the two dark-headed men ran out the door.

 

* * * *

 

Electrical energy raced through the recesses of her mind as if from the top of a mountain. Storm clouds gathered above her and a voice boomed from all around. The words were unclear and detached… not really understandable. It was a dream, but she wasn't sure why she dreamed of thunder and lightning.

 

White and yellow fire streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds and voices boomed on the wind. The fierce rush of air rustled through her clothing and hair, whipping it about her body. Though chilly, it was fresh and clear of pollution unlike the air in Midgar.

 

“… Come…. know…. your destiny…” The words were disjointed, but they spoke to her very soul.

 

Elena strained to understand, but it was like trying to read a ShinRa memo. The words just made no sense. She frowned in confusion and narrowed her eyes.

 

A fierce rumble echoed through the sky, and a brilliant flash of light struck the top of the tallest mountain. The air seemed to gather at that point, coalescing into a swirling mass that was beginning to collapse in upon itself. Lightning struck the conical whirlwind and began to join in the spin, becoming a twirl of light and air.

 

A being began to form ever so slowly as the clouds coalesced into a frightening cap above and the ground rumbled below. A hand, wizened with age but still strong and sure, gripped a large staff, elegantly decorated. Flowing robes of white began to take shape, billowing in the fierce wind.

 

The intensity of the words began to increase. They amplified and echoed all around her, pounding within her mind.

 

“Learn… say… and call… who am I?”

 

“I…” Her voice trailed off, the answer unknown to her. She mouth gaped as she watched the mass of whirling air still coalescing. A loud clap of thunder boomed around her.

 

“Elena!”

 

With a gasp, she sat up in the bed, heart racing. She burst out of her dream with all the subtlety of a bull horn. Her sweaty hands had been clutching at the sheets, and she struggled to release her stern grip as she blinked trying to clear her vision.

 

“Midgar is under attack!” came the voice that had rocketed her from her dream once more. She turned widened eyes to the doorway to see Tseng standing there, dressed for combat and already to go. His twin katanas were strapped about his back and his hair was pulled neatly into a tight ponytail so that it wouldn't get in his vision.

 

The Turks lived in a complex of small apartment-like buildings near to the Neo-ShinRa office. They still maintained their home in Kalm, using it as a relaxion and vacation spot, often times on the weekends when they were `off' work. Tseng was actually her next-door-neighbor, lucky for her. Of course, Elena, Tseng, and Reno weren't the only Turks to have stayed with Reeve. There were a few others, though they mostly did intelligence and monster disposal. The protection of the president was left up to his friends.

 

She nodded to show her understanding, and he left from the doorway. Breathing a small sigh of relief, Elena struggled to get her thoughts together. That strange dream had shaken her. Not that it had scared her… it wasn't exactly frightening… it was more like the discovery of something new and exciting.

 

It was then that Tseng's words sank in, and she bolted from the bed, sheets nearly tangling up in her legs. Midgar was under attack!?! She hurriedly threw on her clothes and located her gun, searching for spare ammo. Figuring out her dream would have to wait for another time.

 

She tugged on her shoes quickly and dashed out the door. She rounded the corner and down the stairs at the end of the hall. She could already hear Tseng's cycle roaring to life. But then just as abruptly as she heard the loud purr, another sound distracted her.

 

There was a crash of glass and then suddenly a great weight barreled into her from the side just as she passed the doorway to the kitchen. With a great oof, she crashed to the ground with a heavy body on top of her. Her mind instantly registered enemy, and she fought back with a vengeance. The smell of unwashed monster filtered through her subconscious.

 

Elena quickly twisted her body and kicked upwards with a foot at the same time that she reached for the small gun tucked into the small of her book. Her eyes dimly registered grey feathers, a beak and wings. It was a Needle Kiss, a lower end monster but still rather annoying. Dirty talons scraped at her body. She was forced to continually wiggle around to avoid getting scratched. Even so, she still suffered a slash across the back of her arm.

 

She brought up a knee fiercely, and the bird screeched in response. Her fingers closed around the handle of the gun, and she whipped it out, not wasting in time in bringing it around, aiming and firing. With a slight crack, the gun fired a bullet straight into the heart of the Needle Kiss. It had no time to even squawk in pain. The weight abruptly collapsed on top of her, and she grunted in an unwomanly fashion. The creature absolutely reeked.

 

“Elena, what the hell are you… Elena!” Tseng's voice cut through the fog of nausea that was beginning to build over her. The damn bird was heavy.

 

“Get it off!” she demanded, pushing up at the monster. It moved but just barely. One of the back legs was jabbing into her thigh, and it was painful.

 

She didn't hear him respond, instead recognizing the sound of his feet moving across the wood floor towards her. She could hear the sound of glass crinkling beneath his feet. In its attempt to careen through the window, the Needle Kiss had attracted some of the glass with it. She could feel a few shards digging into her back.

 

Tseng moved to her side and started to heave on the giant beast. She added her own strength and within seconds the corpse was rolled off of her. Elena wrinkled her nose as she glared at the monster and took the hand that Tseng was offering. She rose to her feet and surveyed the damage.

 

“Feh!” she snorted, checking her gun over and deciding whether or not she needed to change the clip. “Who's going to pay for my damn window?”

 

Tseng shook his head at his subordinate and waved an off-hand. The corpse of the Needle Kiss suddenly began to shrink into itself until it was one-eighth its original size and easy for disposal. Elena reached down and picked up the disgusting creature before taking it to the kitchen and throwing it into the trash can there.

 

Eying her broken window with renewed anger, the blonde stormed back into the living room and followed Tseng out the door. Before they could take two steps beyond the entranceway, they were beset by monsters again. The little beasts had already flooded the streets of Midgar.

 

Elena started target practice, taking out the smaller frog creatures one by one as Tseng sliced and diced his way through a pair of Jemnezmy, seemingly beautiful women that always appeared with the frogs. Within seconds, the two highly skilled Turks had cleared a pathway to Tseng's cycle.

 

The Wutaiian Turk climbed onto the cycle first, sheathing his swords as he did so. Elena made to swing a leg over the seat when she happened to glance up. The blonde gasped and stiffened at what her eyes saw. Tseng turned to give her a worried glance before following the line of her sight.

 

Above them, in the spaces allowed by the tall buildings, the skies were literally swarming with monsters, some of which had never been seen in that area before. Most were flying monsters, and most of those were carrying some that could not. Creatures were falling like rain to the ground.

 

“What the hell is going on?” Elena questioned as she climbed up behind Tseng and hurriedly reloaded her gun.

 

He frowned grimly as he kick-started the cycle and the two roared through the streets. “It is almost as if the monsters have declared war…”

 

They raced through Midgar, Elena occasionally having to shoot monsters that were attacking the citizens, who had not had enough sense to hide or stay in their homes. Tseng skillfully weaved through the destruction still left over from six months prior and some newer additions.

 

However, before they could get to the Neo-ShinRa building, which by all means should have been only a short ride away, a large creature blocked their way. It was obviously another one of Hojo's experiments gone wrong, something the two Turks had come to recognize as being called the Stilva Dragon. In short, it was a genetic recombination of the Stilva native to Gaea's Cliff and the Blue Dragon. It was one of the more deadly creatures having all three skills of Trine, Dragon Breath, and Great Gale.

 

Tseng skidded the bike to a halt twenty feet away from the Stilva Dragaon and hurriedly spun the wheels to get away. The bluish-red creature had opened its mouth and was preparing to breathe on them as if it had been waiting. There was a great intake of breath even as the Wutaiian slammed the accelerator before the Dragon breathed out, hot and cold at the same time and inundated with poisonous gas. Elena had twisted her body about so that she could see and nearly screamed when she saw the grayish-blue gas headed straight for them.

 

Tseng brought up a hand to summon up a shield and managed to do so just in time, but the bike wobbled, not very controllable with just the one hand. Elena quickly turned back around and leaned under Tseng's outstretched arm, grabbing the one free handlebar. Together the two raced away from the breath.

 

Seeing an opportunity, Tseng jerked the bike into an alleyway and hit the brakes, nearly throwing off his passenger. He quickly jumped from the bike as if the monster was going to attack them in the alleyway and prepared for battle.

 

“We cannot allow that monster to run free in Midgar,” he explained crisply, checking to see what materia he had that would be of use.

 

“Yes, sir,” Elena answered just as seriously. She unclipped the smaller pistols from her belt and reached for the huge rifle that she had slung across her back. She was glad that she had the presence of mind earlier to grab her most powerful firearm.

 

“Throat first,” Tseng ordered. “We have to disable the breath and the gale.”

 

Elena nodded in understanding, and the two slowly crept to the mouth of the alleyway. The Stilva Dragon had not yet moved, as if it were guarding the path to the Neo-ShinRa headquarters. Exchanging glances, the two pressed forward.

 

They were not going to allow some foul creation of Hojo to destroy what they had been working hard to rebuild.

 

* * *

 

Reeve and Archer raced up the stairs, cursing under their breaths at the dumb luck that the elevator was out of service. Of all days for the damn machine to break down in a twelve-level building, it had to have been that day. At least both men were still in good shape, and the four-level climb wasn't that difficult.

 

(You are going to need my help.)

 

Reeve's head jerked up at the sudden words as he glared at his amethyst-eyed friend. “That's why I woke you up,” he muttered angrily in return.

 

“What?” questioned Kyle shooting Reeve a concerned look. “What are you talking about?”

 

“This is not the time to be a smartass,” the executive responded gruffly. Two more levels and they would be on the roof…

 

Archer raised an eyebrow as they huffed up another emergency stair well. “I don't…“

 

However, Kyle's words faded from his ears as suddenly a low chuckling filled his mind, accompanied by the same deep but soft voice as before.

 

(You are pretending that I do not exist once more, Mr. Tuesti. Yet, you cannot block me out anymore, especially not now when you will need me. Mabuz is no ordinary enemy.)

 

“Reeve!” Archer grabbed the executives shoulder. Reeve's eyes snapped open and he found he was already standing on the roof, with the wind violently whipping around him.

 

“You spaced out on me.”

 

“There's a voice in my head,” Reeve mumbled as he looked across and out at Midgar, his eyes locking on the form of the leader hovering over the town.

 

(He would not understand. He is ignoring his other just as you are pretending that I am a figment of your imagination.)

 

“You're a voice in my head,” Reeve argued aloud. “How am I supposed to believe you exist?”

 

Archer turned to regard him strangely. “What are you talking about?”

 

(Ask him. See what he says.)

 

The dark-haired man grabbed his friend by the shirt with an almost fierce expression on his face. “You don't hear it? You can't hear his voice?”

 

Kyle's brow furrowed in worry at the almost crazed look to Reeve's eyes. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Just then, the sound of a fierce boom and crackle distracted both men. Two pairs of eyes turned to the right and locked on the hovering form of Mabuz, as the voice in Reeve's head had referred to the leader as.

Dark storm clouds were gathering about its head and lightning was beginning to strike all around. It struck the monster but instead of harming it, electricity began to play across the skin of Mabuz. It was as if he could absorb the lightning rather than be affected by it.

 

Reeve and Archer continued to gape in surprise as all the monsters that had gathered around Mabuz - there were far too many to name or count - began to fly away as if sensing something big was coming. More lightning struck Mabuz as loud, cruel and mocking laughter echoed throughout the air.

 

(He is going to use his most powerful attack, Livewire!) the voice warned.

 

Reeve gulped and released Archer, hurriedly checking his materia as the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise from the sheer amount of energy in the air. He did still have his Barrier materia…

 

“What the hell is going on?” Archer demanded slack-jawed as his axe hung limply in his fingers. They had yet to be attacked by the many demons that were fluttering about, not that it mattered to him. They would get their turn.

 

The executive said nothing as he shook his head and hurriedly threw up a Barrier over the both of them.

 

Before Archer had a chance to question any further however, his thoughts were cut off by a sudden explosion of light followed by a violent shaking of the ground. Both men cried out from the brightness and threw up their hands in front of their faces even as they stumbled from their feet and fell to the ground. A furious wind kicked up over them, whipping their hair and clothing about their bodies as the sound of lightning crackled through the air with the intensity of a whiplash.

 

Amethyst eyes fluttered open, trying to see something but could only discern white feathers and intense light. Archer crouched on the ground, trying to regain some balance as the building beneath Reeve and he shuddered violently. There was another brutal explosion, and the two waited for the impact of Mabuz's attack.

 

After a few seconds, nothing occurred. The rumbling suddenly stopped, and a cool darkness, not unlike stepping under the shade on a hot day, fell over their body. The two men felt as if they had been taken up into the arms of an angel.

 

Reeve was the first to open his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear the spots from his eyes. What he saw made his mouth gape open in surprise, rendering the executive speechless. He slowly climbed to his feet, staring all around him in wonder.

 

“What…?” That was the most that Archer could manage to get out as he gawked at the beautiful spectacle.

 

Around them, indeed around all of Midgar, like a protective cocoon, was a pair of feathers covered in pure white wings. Behind them, the form of Alexander stood proud and silent, flexing the appendages that sprouted from his back almost reflexively. It was the Holy demi-god that had saved them, just like in the legends of old. [2]

 

Mabuz was nowhere in sight though they could hear dim sounds of the enraged cursings of many demons above them. The crackle of electricity was also recognized and each time, the wings fluctuated in response. Alexander was protecting Midgar and how he had appeared was obvious.

 

“Aeris…” Reeve murmured under his breath. The flower-girl was the only one who could have done it. Alexander was her summon. He walked to the edge of the roof and leaned on the waist-high border, looking down into the city. Most of the attacking monsters had fled before Mabuz attacked. There were few left in Midgar now, however, they were still there… waiting above to break through the protective embrace of Alexander.

 

* * * *

(1) The name of a double-headed axe.

[2] I totally stole that from Final Fantasy IX. *Snicker*