Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Unknown Ally ❯ Chapter 13: The Gunslinger Returns. ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 13: The Gunslinger Returns.

`We're under attack!' cried Reno. Deep Ground soldiers poured into the courtyard and began firing at the Turks. Vincent drew his pistol and fired while the young scientist he was protecting dashed into her room.

Deep Ground charged the building and a hail of bullets shot through the doors and windows. Vincent rolled out of the way and against the wall. He growled in frustration.

Damn this suit! Not wasting any time, he dove into his room and wrenched open the chest that Tifa and Cloud had sent to him. Inside the chest were his cloak, his claw and his beloved gun Cerberus. He heard the hail of bullets outside and narrowed his crimson eyes.

Enough of this. He tore off his suit, ripping the cloth right off his body, revealing the black leather bodysuit he kept on beneath. Discarding the pathetic handgun that was the Turks' customised firearm, he grabbed his cloak and threw it over his shoulders, quickly fastening it into place. He picked up his claw and slipped it on, wincing as the spikes that held it in place latched back onto his flesh. Flexing his fingers, he felt the comfortable weight of the claw and nodded. Pulling the red headband from the pocket of his bodysuit, he tied it around his head and strapped his holster back around his waist and right thigh. He picked up his weapon and gazed at it briefly. He swiftly loaded the gun and felt the familiar weight once more.

Bullets shot through the window of his room, cracking the glass in place and Vincent narrowed his eyes, tensing his body.

`You know what to do, Cerberus,' he murmured to his weapon.

~*~

Isolda fired at the soldiers, dodging the shots as she dove behind a wall. She glanced at Reno and Rude who were trying to avoid being hit by the barrage of bullets.

`Where's Tseng and Elena?' she called over the storm of shots.

`On the other side,' replied Reno. `Hey, where's Hunter?'

Isolda frowned and was about to answer when a loud crash diverted their attention. Isolda and the Turks stared as a red-cloaked man joined the fray in an explosion of glass. Rude's eyes went wide in disbelief.

`Holy shit!' he whispered.

`It's him! It's Vincent Valentine!' cried Reno. Isolda stared as the gunman fired at the Deep Ground soldiers, his long hair and cloak streaming out behind him as he braced himself for a landing. The gunslinger drove his feet into the head of a Deep Ground soldier, effectively breaking his neck and turned to face the others that were charging him. With a flourish, he reloaded and fired into the oncoming wave. The Turks and the young scientist shook off their trance and a volley of shots pierced the necks, chests and backs of the soldiers. Isolda charged into the fray and whipped her leg in a vicious arc. Reno and Rude winced as the spike of her heel cut into the throat of a soldier and the enemy landed with a heavy thud, blood gouting from the wound and pouring into the earth.

`Jesus!' whistled Reno. `I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that.'

Rude nodded in agreement. The Turks fired at the enemy and winced again as Isolda's spiked heels pierced the chest of another soldier, effectively breaking his ribs. She rode him like a surfboard until she barrelled into the oncoming wave. She whipped out a knife she'd stuck in her coat and whirled around, her blade held out. One of the soldiers fell dead, clutching his throat while another ran off with a deep gash in his torso.

Vincent whirled around, lashing out with his claw at a Deep Ground lieutenant and fired at a commander simultaneously. Both fell dead and the crimson-clad gunman shook off the blood that was dripping from his talons.

`Robotic Assault Units!' shouted Reno. Vincent turned to see Reno, Rude and the silver-haired scientist firing at the hulking robot that was lumbering towards the building. The unit fired at them, the trio's bullets bouncing off its tough metal plating. It stopped and the cannon mounted on it, began to glow with a golden light. Vincent's eyes widened in recognition.

`GET DOWN!' Isolda screamed at the pair. The warning came too late. The unit fired. Isolda hurled herself at the two Turks, effectively throwing them off their feet and out of the way as a searing beam struck the ground where they'd been standing just a second ago. They scrambled to their feet as the gunslinger charged the huge robot.

`Get inside!' Isolda said. `The president needs your protection!'

`What about you?' cried Reno.

What about you?' cried Reno.

`Don't worry about me,' snarled the scientist. `GO!'

The Turks fled and the silver-haired scientist rushed to help Tseng and Elena get out of the battlefield. Vincent glanced to the side as a silver and violet blur came rushing past. He saw Isolda running to the two remaining Turks and helping them to their feet. But the distraction cost him as the unit fired another beam of light, bowling the gunslinger off his feet. Vincent shouted in pain and fired at the thing as he hit the ground hard. He snarled as he rolled back to his feet, his body battered by the blast.

Isolda was steering the two Turks into the building when she heard the crimson-clad warrior snarl. She whirled around and saw Vincent rolling to his feet and leaping into the air, his cloak moving as though it was alive.

`Come on!' urged Tseng, tugging at the scientist's arm. `We gotta get inside before it fires again.'

Isolda ignored him, watching the gunman fire at the robotic unit. Sparks flew from the thing, but it only seemed to speed up its attack program. A hail of bullets was sent towards Vincent who did his best to dodge the barrage of high-calibre rounds. Isolda glanced to the side and saw a group of Deep Ground soldiers surging through the gates and into the courtyard.

`Come on!' Tseng gritted through his teeth, tugging harder at her arm. She turned to Tseng and Elena who'd barely escaped the fray with a bullet wound to the arm.

`Get to Reno and Rude and protect Rufus!' she said. `I'll be fine.'

`Are you crazy?!' yelled Elena. `You're gonna get yourself killed!'

`I said I'll be fine!' she snapped. `Go, now!'

`We're not leaving without you,' said Tseng. `Now come on!'

Isolda whirled her head towards the courtyard as gunfire rang out. She saw the gunman try to get around the unit so he could take down the troops, but the robot followed his every move. Isolda cursed under her breath and turned back to Tseng and Elena.

`I'm sorry about this,' she said. She wrenched her arm out of Tseng's grip and whipped her leg in a vicious arc, careful not to use her spikes. The two Turks went flying through the door and Isolda punched the door mechanism hard. The door slid shut and locked in place. Using the spike on her heels, she sabotaged the mechanism. Sparks flew and the panel sizzled out. There was no way they were going to be able to use that door again.

Isolda drew her gun from inside her coat and ran into the oncoming wave, firing at the troops and downing them as quickly as she could.

Vincent saw the scientist rush into the line of soldiers and found himself staring as she leaped into the air and planted both her feet into the chest of the commander. A burst of blood spurted from where her spikes had pierced the Deep Ground soldier's heart and he fell dead. The assault unit fired again, but this time he'd heard the shot coming. He leaped into the air and landed on the unit. Bullets wouldn't destroy it, so he had no choice but to take drastic measures.

He crossed his arms over his face and lowered his head, calling on the power that flowed within him. He was engulfed in an orb of black and purple light and he felt his features contort and lengthen. His arms grew twice as long and layers upon layers of muscle piled on top of each other, increasing his strength sevenfold. He let his head fall back and let loose a bestial roar.

Isolda whirled towards the sound and stared as the orb of light faded and revealed what appeared to be a purple wolf. It was tall as a grown man and bore a long tangled mane of the brightest white. It had a tattered red cloak wrapped around its waist and its glowing eyes were fixed on the robotic assault unit.

The unit fired again and the demon leaped into the air and hurled fireballs at the robot in a formidable aerial attack. It seemed to have an effect for the unit faltered in its pursuit of the beast. The beast landed on the unit and, with a burst of strength, slammed a large ball of fire into the robot. The assault unit faltered and collapsed in a heap. The wolf-beast leaped off the robot as the unit exploded into flames and the demon landed in the middle of the soldiers. Wasting no time, the beast clawed its way through the mass as though the soldiers were nothing but paper dolls. The survivors fled from the demon and a silence fell over the courtyard.

Its job done, the beast crossed its arms over its face and the same orb of black and purple light consumed it. A few moments later, the crimson-clad gunslinger stood in the aftermath of the battle, still a little battered from the robot's blast.

Vincent heard the sound of heels behind him and turned to see Isolda standing just a foot away. She looked him up and down silently, her expression one of disbelief. She fixed her eyes on his and she searched the crimson depths. Her eyes widened slightly, her lips parted in shock.

`Hunter?' she whispered. `Hunter Ephraim?'

The gunman met her gaze. There was no way he going to try and lie his way out. He'd blown his cover. Now he had no choice but to terminate his mission and get out of there before anyone else saw him.

But it seemed he didn't need to lie.

`There was never a Hunter Ephraim,' she said, realisation dawning on her beautiful face. `He was a mask. A mask you wore for five months.'

She looked at him, betrayal clearly written on her face. For some odd reason, he felt bad for lying to her. Vincent shook off the feeling and met her gaze, silently sizing her up. If she went for her gun, he would have no choice. What they'd had between them meant nothing. She was still ShinRa and that made her a threat.

`You were spying on ShinRa! You were right there and I didn't see it.'

Before Vincent could say anything, his phone rang. He fished into his pocket and flipped it open, raising it to his ear.

`Yeah?'

`Vincent! Thank God!' Reeve cried with relief. `I've been trying to get through for the past half hour.'

`Sorry, I guess I didn't hear it.'

`What happened?'

`Deep Ground just attacked the ShinRa building,' explained the gunman.

`Deep Ground?!' Reeve's voice rose in shock. `I thought the last pockets were destroyed.'

`Guess there's more of them than we thought. I had no choice but to blow my cover.'

`Very well. I'm in the Shadowfox on the outskirts. Get here as soon as you can. I'll be anxious to hear what you've found out.'

`Right.'

`You better get out of there before you're seen.'

`Took the words right out of my mouth.'

Despite the situation, Reeve laughed. `I have a habit of doing that. Get here in one piece. I'll be waiting for you.'

Reeve hung up and Vincent shut his phone before pocketing it. He looked at Isolda and saw she'd shaken herself out of her trance and was reaching into her coat. Vincent narrowed his eyes and aimed Cerberus at her head. She froze.

`Don't even try it,' he growled. Isolda took her hand out and looked at him, hurt and confused.

`Why would you point a weapon at a friend?' she asked. Vincent looked at her, slowly holstering his weapon.

`Hunter was your friend,' he said, his voice flat. `Not me.' With that, he took off, leaving the scientist behind.