Final Fantasy: Crossover Chapter 3 "Jim?" said Angela, as they sat on the beach of the Key West resort. "Yes, love?" "What are you thinking?" "I'm wishing this night would never end," he answered. He looked into her brown eyes. "Oh, Jim...that's so romantic..." she edged closer, and they embraced. "I don't want this to end, either..I don't ever want to leave you." "You won't.." he separated from her, then dug into his pocket. He pulled out a jewelry case, and opened it. Inside was a gold ring, shaped in the symbol for infinity, with a rather large diamond at the point where the figure 8 crosses. "Life may be short, but love is eternal. Angela, will you marry me?" Angela did nothing for a moment. Then she wept tears of joy. "Of course I will!" The two embraced... ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Jim was a little startled, as he awoke suddenly. He was on the floor. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. He pulled himself up and looked around. No one else was in the room, and there was no obvious evidence of anyone else being there. He shrugged, and stumbled to the bathroom. When he got there, the door was locked. "Hey, who's in there?!" "It's me, Tifa. Who is that?" "It's me, Jim. How long are you going to be?" "I dunno. Just a few minutes." Just then, the doors to the other rooms opened up. Cloud and Cid walked out of one, and Shera walked out of another, with Aeris, bleary-eyed, in tow. Yuffie was nowhere to be seen. "Tifa!" yelled Jim. "You're starting to get a line out here." "All right, already! Gimme a break, I just got in here!" The water shut off. A minute or so later, Tifa walked out wearing Jim's bathrobe. "Ack! Uh, excuse me." She walked into Jim's bedroom and locked the door. About an hour later, they had all wandered downstairs to breakfast, except Cid, who was now looking around the garage, and Yuffie, who was still asleep. Most were just sipping on coffee, while Jim was fixing himself a few eggs. "Hey Jim, I'm gonna take a look around, try to get familiar with the area," said Cloud, ratehr matter-of-factly. Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it guys. Probably just the paperboy." He opened the door to find a little balding man in his late thirties. "That's one ugly kid," quipped Cid. Shera whacked him upside the head. "OW! It was just a joke." "Hey, neighbor!" Jim groaned. "Hello, Mr. Nymzicki. What's up?" "I need to borrow your lawnmower. Mine broke." "Uh, OK. It's in the tool shed out back. Combo's two-two-one-five." "Hey, who're your freinds? Why don't you introduce them?" "Well, all right. You were bound to run into them sooner or later. Come on in. Guys, come here." The crowd of people gathered a little closer. Jim proceeded to introduce everyone who was there. "These people from work?" inquired Mr. Nymzicki. "No, they're, uh, relatives. Distant relatives." Mr. Nymzicki walked up to Tifa. "Hey, you look just like Jim's old girlfreind. What was her name? Annie? Adriane?" Jim stared at him coldly. "Angela." "Right, that's it. Say, what happened to her? You two break up or something?" "I don't think that's any of your business. Now could you please just take the mower and leave?!" The man looked at Jim oddly, then nodded. "All right, all right. You don't have to get grouchy..." and with that, he walked out the door. "Who was that?" asked Tifa. "That," said Jim, "was my nosy neighbor, Fred Nymzicki. He looks for any excuse to pry into other people's lives." "No, not him. That girl he was talking about." "Oh." Jim looked somewhat sullen. "She was going to be my wife. And Tifa, you do bear a striking resemblance to her. She..." He paused for a moment. "...was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She was the most important thing in the world to me." Cloud looked confused. "What do you mean 'was'?" "She...died two years ago." "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." "No, that's...that's all right," he said, not really convincingly. "Is this her?" asked Cid, inquiring about a photograph he saw on a table. "Yeah." Jim walked over and picked up the photo. He showed it to Tifa. Tifa gasped at the amazing similarity. "We could've been twins." Jim nodded his head. "I know. She was a little shorter than you, but not so much that anyone would really notice." He cleared his throat. "But that's in the past." He took the photo and placed it on the table. "So who wants breakfast?" Just then, Yuffie stumbled down the stairs, holding her head with one hand, the other gripped on the banister for stability. "Ugh...I feel like shit.." Shera shot an evil glance at Yuffie. It practically turned her blood to ice, and sent a chill down her spine. "What?" "Watch your mouth! There are children present!" She stormed over to Yuffie and grabbed her by the ear. "It's bad enough that I have to have Cid cussing all the time, but I don't need you doing it too, understand, kid?" "OW! Hey, cut it out! All right, already! Just leggo!" Shera released her grip, and Yuffie rubbed her ear, still in some pain. Cid grabbed the remote control for the TV and turned it on, catching the local broadcasters in the middle of a weather report. "And we're expecting sunny skies today, with a high in the mid-seventies. Then expect another clear night with a low in the upper fifties, with more of the same for the rest of the week. Looks like it's gonna be a good week to take a break, Donna." "Yes, it does, Rich. In other news, the strange phenomenon that occurred yesterday is still baffling scientists. Some say it may have been a surge of freak ball lightning. Whatever it was, it happened here, on this stretch of interstate eighty-four, between Sharpsville and Canon. There is still no official explanation, but some eyewitnesses claim it to be aliens from another planet. We'll go live to Bruce Bryson, who is on location at the spot of the phenomenon. Bruce, can you hear us?" The camera switched to the piece of road that the Highwind had landed beside yesterday. "Yes, Donna. I can hear you perfectly. As you can see here by these indentations in the ground, that something struck the earth here with great force. Whatever it was, there's no sign of it anywhere. So far, the only possible eyewitness we have hasn't come forward. All we know about this mystery man is that he drives an orange Plymouth Barracuda. Anyone with information is asked to call the NewsChannel hotline at 555-NEWS. That's all for now, back to you Donna." The camera switched back to the newsdesk. The anchorwoman was grabbing a paper from offscreen. "Thanks, Bruce. This just in--A man has been seen wandering the streets of Peyton, and has severely injured or killed at least twenty people. Citizens are asked to stay inside at all costs. The man is believed to be in his late twenties. He is over six feet tall, with green eyes and white hair. He is also wearing a long black cape and is carrying a large sword. Authorities are asking citizens to avoid him with extreme prejudice. If you see him, run away as fast as you can and call the police--" Shouting is heard off screen. "Hey! This is a closed--oh, my God...it's you..." The next thing they saw was the anchorwoman being run through with a huge sword. Cloud recognized it immediately, but didn't believe it. "It can't be. It just can't be him." Jim looked confused. "Who?" Cid butted in. "Only your worst nightmare, kid." The man walked in front of the camera and spoke. "I know you're here. Come out and face me, or I will destroy this world. And this time, I will not fail!" The picture went to static. Jim shut off the TV. "All right. Explanation time. Who is that maniac, and what is he talking about?" Cloud began to relate the story of Shinra, and Sephiroth, and their epic battle. As he continued, Jim's eyes began to widen, until they looked as though to pop out of their sockets. When he was finished, Jim looked panicked, and so did the rest of the group. "God, that's some story. So what do we do?" "Simple," said Cloud. "We stop him. Again." Jim groaned and shook his head. "I shoulda stayed in bed..." "You'll have to help us, Jim. We don't know anything around here." "I'm no fighter. I'm a mechanic, and a lousy one at that. I don't know anything about fighting." "Do you have a better suggestion?" asked Yuffie. "I can take you to the TV studio, but that's it. I'm staying out of this." "Coward! You woudn't fight for your own people?" Yuffie glared at Jim. "It's not that. It's just that I hate violence. Someone always gets hurt. And besides, you shouldn't have too much trouble with him here." Cloud interjected. "But our materia's useless! It doesn't work!" "Same with your opponent. The field's still even. And besides, you outnumber him five to one." "We'll still need all the help we can get. Will you help us, yes or no?" Jim rolled his head. "How do I let myself get into these situations? All right, I'll help. But I don't know what I can do." "Great. We'll need you. Tifa, Yuffie, Cid. Come on!" Jim stopped on his way out the door. "Shera, keep the doors locked. Don't let anyone in. If something happens, go to the basement and stay there." Shera nodded her head in understanding, then Jim ran next door and rang the bell furiously. Mr. Nymzicki soon answered it. "Hey neighbor! What can I do for you?" "Fred, I need to borrow your van for a little while." "What for?" "Me and my freinds here are going into town and the Plymouth is too small for everyone." Mr. Nymzicki handed him the keys. "OK, here you go. Just put some gas in it, OK?" Jim was already running to the van. "All right!" he yelled as he jumped in the van, along with TIfa, Cloud, Yuffie, and Cid, and the van tore off. "We need to go back to the Highwind first to get our weapons," said Cloud. "All right, will do." Jim cranked the wheel hard right, and the van's tires screamed in protest as it flew through the intersection. Within minutes, they had reached the Highwind. They all ran inside. Soon they came out. Cloud was brandishing his Buster Sword, a monstrously sized two-handed broadsword with a pair of empty slots for materia. Yuffie came out with her Conformer, while Cid walked out with a spear. Tifa had her gloves on, and a pair of steel-toed boots. Jim came out with a rather odd-looking assortment of body armor and Cloud's Yoshiyuki blade. "I feel like an idiot with this shit on." "It'll keep you safe. You're not as strong as us, remember?" Jim shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you're right. I still feel like an idiot." "All right, since we're already at the Highwind, we may as well use it to get to the studio," said Cloud. Cid jumped up. "Hell, yeah. Why didn't we think of this before?" "Uh, if it isn't too much trouble, I'd rather take the van...I hate flying..." Cloud grabbed her arm. "Will you cut it out and suck it in already?!" Yuffie looked at him, surprised. She said nothing else, and got in the Highwind, along with everyone else. Soon after, the Highwind's mighty turbines started, and the ship was airborne again and heading for the TV studio. Tifa walked up to Jim and tapped him on the shoulder with one hand. "Jim?" "Yes, Tifa?" he replied. "Could I speak to you in private for a minute?" "Uhh...sure." He followed her below decks. "Jim, what were you doing last night?" "What do you mean?" asked Jim "Why did you come into my room while I was sleeping?" Jim looked at her oddly. "What are you talking about? I didn't go into your room. I just went into mine and went to sleep. "Jim, you climbed into the bed I was sleeping in. You didn't see me?" Jim shook his head. "No. It was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing...wait a second...did you, by any chance, push me onto the floor last night?" Tifa looked at him. "When I woke up, I saw you sleeping there, and I was startled...so I shoved you off the bed." "There are better ways to get my attention. You could have just tapped my shoulder." "Sorry. I was scared. I didn't remember who you were, or what you were doing." "How about we split up the rooms a little better when we get back, OK?" suggested Jim. "I think that would be a good idea,"affirmed Tifa. The intercom crackled to life. "Hey you two, we're at the TV station. Get on up here," said Cid from the bridge. "Well, Tifa. Looks like it's showtime." "Right. You ready?" "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." The two of them walked back to the cockpit. Jim looked out the window and saw a building with a satellite dish on the roof, and smoke coming from one of its windows. "That's got to be it. I don't know what else it could be. Cid, I think I saw a rope ladder in the back. We'll use that to get in. Get as close as you dare to the roof, and then take off once we're in the studio." "Hey, no way! I'm comin' with you!" "Then who's gonna pilot the ship?" asked Jim. "I'll put on the automatic pilot. She'll hold here while we take care of business." "All right," said Cloud. "Set the auto-pilot and let's go." They all walked to the aft of the Highwind, and dropped the rope ladder over the side. One by one, they all climbed down to the roof of the building. Jim looked around for a way in. "There! Cloud, uh, since you're stronger, take Cid and go down those stairs If he's still here, he'll expect you to come that way.. Yuffie, Tifa and me will go down here, through this skylight. That way we can box him in if he tries to make a run for it." Cloud looked shocked. "Sounds like a good plan. OK, Cid, come with me. Yuffie, Tifa, go with Jim. Jim, take care of them." He nodded his head. "I will." Cloud and Cid bashed the door down and ran down the stairs, while Jim picked the lock on the skylight and climbed down. Once he was down, he helped Tifa to the floor. Yuffie jumped from where she was and landed smartly on her feet. "This way, I think. I went on a tour of this place a few years ago. I think the studio's in this direction." He walked toward the studio. Tifa and Yuffie followed him. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. "I think we're going in the right direction." Tifa looked at him. "Why do you say that?" "Look." He pointed ahead of him. The studio doors were barely hanging from their hinges, and a trail of blood led inside. "Looks like a truck hit these doors. No human could do this." "This is no ordinary human we're dealing with," answered Yuffie. Jim looked at her. "Thanks for the bulletin..." They all walked inside the news studio. There were broken cables and smashed equipment everywhere. Still at the newsdesk was the anchorwoman who they had all seen get slaughtered. Jim carefully walked over to her slumped form and checked for signs of life. "No pulse. She's dead." "I still don't know how he could do this," muttered Tifa. "What? Murder innocent people? Simple. This guy's a psychopath. He doesn't understand what we consider right and wrong. He lives by his own twisted code of ethics and morals. In his mind, there's nothing wrong with going on a killing spree like this--wait. There's someone else here. Get ready!" The three of them took up defensive stances and stood back-to-back-to-back. "Keep your eyes open!" shouted Tifa. "He could still be here!" A small man peeked up from under a pile of twisted circuit boards and sheetmetal. Yuffie saw him first. "There he is!" The man screamed, and tried to run, but he was stopped by Tifa, who picked him up by his shirt collar. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" The man cowered in front of Tifa and started talking. "M-my name's Lomax. B-Bernie Lomax. I'm a c-camaraman. I didn't do any of this, I swear!" "Put him down, Tifa." "Only if he promises not to run off," said Tifa. "I-I won't go anywhere, just don't kill me like that other guy!" They all looked at him. Jim walked over to him. "What did he look like?" The man tried to think. "Well, he was really tall, with white hair and green eyes. He was wearing this long black cape. He didn't have any fangs, or I would've called him Dracula." "Do you know where he went?" "He said something about finding a high wind or something. That's all I know, I swear!" Jim nodded. "All right. I want you to get out of the city now. As long as you're here, you're in danger. Take as many people with you as you can. Understand?" "Yeah yeah, sure sure. I'm not sticking around this nuthouse any longer!" The camaraman took off running. "He said Sephiroth was looking for the Highwind..." said Jim. At that point, Cloud and Cid burst into the room, weapons drawn. "Where is the little $%^$! I'll tear him limb from limb!" "He's gone, Cid. And I think I know what he's after." Cid looked astonished, and then annoyed. "Well, what?" "Cid, he wants the Highwind," said Tifa. Now Cid looked even more annoyed. "Well, he can't have it. I built it myself, so it's mine." Cloud walked over to Jim. "Do you know where he went?" "No, I don't. I've got an idea, though. Follow me." Jim ran out of the room. The others followed him to a control center. A wall of TV monitors showed various parts of the city. Below, lights blinked on and off on a large control panel. On another wall, a bank of video recorders sat ready to go the instant news began to happen. "This is the station's control room. There are remote cameras all over the city. Normally, they use 'em to give traffic reports. We're gonna use 'em to find Sephiroth." He jumped into a seat in front of the control panel, and started pressing buttons. One of the cameras began to move in a wide arc. He began looking around at all the monitors. "Keep your eyes open. These cameras cover the whole city. He can't go anywhere without being seen by these. Consequently, he can't hide from us for long." "I don't see him anywhere," whined Yuffie. "Are you sure this is gonna work?" "No," Jim replied, "but it's the safest way to track him. Wait a sec--I think I see him." Jim punched a few more buttons on the panel. One monitor zoomed in on a street corner. A man with long white hair and a black cape was standing alone. "I know where that is. Come on!" The group rushed out of the building and onto the street. Jim hailed a cab. Lemme know what you think! Email me at jrebholz@usa.net!