Final Fantasy: Crossover Chapter 4 "Why don't we just take the Highwind?" asked Cid. "City's too tight for that behemoth. Even with your piloting, Cid." A cab pulled up. Jim ran to the driver's door, yanked it open, and threw the driver out. "Sorry about this, pal, but we need to borrow it. I'll put gas in it for you." They all climbed into the taxi and peeled out. Soon, they had approached the area where the man was seen. He was still standing there. Jim stopped the cab. "So what do we do now?" asked Tifa. "I've got an idea. Here's what we're gonna do. I want you guys to sneak around behind him, around that corner onto McArthur Boulevard. I'm gonna try to run him over with this cab." Cloud shook his head. "Are you sure that's wise?" "No, but it's all I've got right now." "All right, we'll do it." They all clambered out of the cab and snuck around the block, cutting through the alleys. Jim gunned the motor on the taxi and peeled out, headed straight for Sephiroth. Just before Jim made impact, Sephiroth jumped, and landed on the hood. Jim swerved to either direction to try to throw him off, but to no avail. Sephiroth pulled his Masamune blade and prepared to strike. Jim then jumped out of the cab, which careened around the street and smashed into the side of a building at over fifty miles an hour. The others ran over to him. "Are you all right?" asked Tifa. Jim stood up and shook his head. "I think so. Just a couple scrapes. I'll be fine. I think we've got bigger problems, though." Jim looked up to see Sephiroth hanging by one hand from a lamppost. He let go, and jumped down. "Well, well. We meet again, Cloud." "What are you doing here?" asked Cloud, weapon drawn. "I might ask you the same question. I was brought here by some strange force many years ago. For ten years, I was in some kind of suspended animation in some kind of lab. The horrid place reminded me too much of Hojo's laboratory, so when I woke up, I escaped, and came looking for you, Cloud." "Look, pal. I dunno what you're doing here, but you can't go around just wasting everyone you meet. It's not very nice, to say the least. When the cops catch your sorry ass, they're gonna lock you in a cell and throw away the key," warned Jim. "Now do all of us a favor and take whatever you used to get here and use it to get lost, pronto." During this tirade, Jim waved the yoshiyuki wildly around, narrowly missing his comrades. Cid smacked him upside the head. "Will you watch what the hell you're swingin' that damn thing at? You chopped off my cigarette with that thing!" Jim turned around, and narrowly missed slicing Cloud with the blade. "Sorry. I'm not used to handling these big swords." Sephiroth merely laughed. Jim thought for a moment. "Describe it." Sephiroth pondered, then replied, "It was like a flash of light. Ball lightning, I believe is the term you would use." Cloud, Tifa, and Cid looked at each other in amazement. "That was like the thing that brought us here yesterday," said Cloud. "It seems we have a common goal. We both want to get back home. We can't accomplish it alone, and I have grown weak from my materia going bad. Some strange phenomenon on this planet prevents me from using my materia." Jim knew why, but he also knew that it would not be wise to say the conditions were the same for them. This way, he had the upper hand. "Well, guys. What do you say? We can't let him terrorize my world like this, and he'll never be able to get along here now. His mug is all over the news by now. Doubtless it's gone worldwide." Now it was Sephiroth's turn to look confused. "What are you talking about? I was just released from suspended animation a few hours ago. I just got here. I haven't killed anyone." Cloud glared at him. "Liar. Do you seriously expect us to believe that? After all you did in our world?" Jim stepped forward. "Hold on. I can tell if he's lying or not. Repeat what you just said." Sephiroth repeated his former statement. Jim closed his eyes and concentrated. Then he opened his eyes and turned to the group. "He speaks the truth." Cloud and Tifa looked at him, mouths agape. "How do you know?" "I'm a partial empath. I have the ability to scan someone's mind and read their feelings. I can't read specific thoughts, though. Just generalizations. Love, hate, deception, sadness. That sort of thing. I read honesty coming from him, along with a sense of distrust. I sense the same feeling of suspicion from you four, as well." Cid walked over to Jim. "You're saying that he's telling the truth? He didn't kill anyone?" "That's right. What we're dealing with is a double. A copy of Sephiroth. Possibly a clone. And I think I know the lab he's talking about. It's about twenty miles north of here on the eighty-four. They've been in the news a lot lately for genetics research. I think the name was Metrochem, or something like that. I think we'll find our answers there." "Then are we agreed? We go to this lab?" asked Cid. "As far as I see, it's the only lead we have," said Cloud. "Then let's go. How are we supposed to get there? It's too far to walk, and the Highwind's still back at the TV station. Doubtless the place is swarming with cops by now," said Jim. "Well, you said it's only twenty miles. We'd better get walking, then." "WHAT? You want to walk twenty miles? It'll take all day!" "It's our only option. There aren't any other taxis here." Cid turned around. "What about those?" He pointed in the direction of a Chevrolet dealership, full of brand-new cars. Jim shook his head. "I'd spend the rest of my life in jail. No way." Sephiroth turned to Jim. "Then we'll buy one. I've got plenty of gil. How much will one of those vans cost?" Jim thought for a moment. "About twenty thousand dollars or so. Gil isn't a valid form of currency here." Cloud turned to Jim. "How many dollars do you have?" Jim pulled out his wallet and thumbed through it. "I have forty bucks on me. Might be enough to rent it for one day. Wait a sec...I have a platinum card...it has a hundred-thousand dollar limit...I'll just use that...then sell it right afterwards..." They all nodded in agreement, and Jim walked into the dealership. When they got there, no one was around. The place looked like it was evacuated in a pretty big hurry. "There's no one here. I guess we'll just have to take one." He walked to a desk, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote the salesmen a note, saying he was buying a van, and left his card number on the desk with the note. They walked out to the lot, picked a nice nondescript model from the lot, and drove off. A short time later, they arrived at Metrochem Laboratories. The six of them walked in cautiously. The sight they saw shocked them. The entire building was torn apart. Files lay strewn everywhere, computer equipment lying broken on the floor, along with file cabinets, desks, chairs, and refuse cans. Overhead lights flickered on and off, and hung loosely from their mounts in the ceiling, casting a dull glow on the white walls, which were stained in blood. A trail of blood also ran from the front door into the main research facility. The doors to the research lab were torn from their hinges, and lay on the floor. Inside the lab, conditions were similar to the rest of the lab. Overturned tables, broken glass, wrecked computers, and ripped- out lights were everywhere. As Jim carefully walked in, broken glass crunched under the soles of his sneakers. "Looks like a tornado went through here..." The sight sent a chill up Cloud and Tifa's spines. "Looks like the Shinra labs..." said Cloud. The two of them both turned to Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked at the both of them. "I'm telling you, I didn't do any of this. When I escaped, I snuck out in the middle of the night." Jim was looking around the lab. He managed to find a computer that was relatively undamaged. He soon had it up and running, and was trying to look through the files. "Hey, guys. I think I'm on to something. I found a terminal that wasn't busted, and I'm in the company records. The whole thing's security locked, though. That's easily bypsassed.."he pressed the keys frantically, in a semmingly random order. Soon, the encryption software was disabled, and they had free access to the files. Most were typical medical research experiments. Soon, however, he blundered on a file called, Alien Analysis and Reproduction Experiment No. 1. Jim immediately opened the file, and found the whole story on what had happened to Sephiroth. "According to this file, they found Sephiroth's body about five miles north of here, embedded in some strange crystalline substance. They brought him here, and ran several batteries of tests. Most didn't work, because they couldn't break the crystal Sephiroth was encased in. Once they had broken it, they took all kinds of tissue samples. Listen to this. 'Subject's tissue exhibits strange radioactive properties unlike any previously documented. Further research will be necessary.'" They all looked at Sephiroth. Jim continued to read the report. "It says here, five years ago, they attempted to clone your tissue, and make a duplicate of you to learn from. Apparently, they thought you were dead." He scrolled down through the document, and paused on a spot dated three days previous. "Look at this. 'Original subject disappeared early this morning, possibly a result of theft. Cloned subject exhibiting extremely aggressive behavior. Further research is necessary. Propose casing cloned subject in a containment area.' That was just three days ago. Apparently, last night, your clone broke out and went on a rampage. He's out, and he's pissed. And from what I've seen, he wants Cloud's head on a silver platter." He ran over to a table and grabbed a computer disk. He inserted the disk into the machine and pressed "Save." Then he put the disk into his pocket and shut off the computer. "We've got to find him, before he causes any more needless suffering," said Tifa. "Yeah! Let's go kick his ass!" yelled Yuffie. "For once, I agree with her. Let's go nail the little %&*%!" chimed Cid. Jim shook his head. "That's not gonna be as easy as you think. Remember that we don't know where he is, or where he's going. Sephiroth, any ideas? Where would you go if you wanted Cloud's head on a stick, and didn't know where to find him?" "The first thing I would do would be to go to his hometown, Nibelheim," said Sephiroth. "That's not an option. There aren't any towns here named Nibelheim. Cloud, according to him, that's your hometown. Tell me what it's like. Terrain, population, that kind of stuff." Cloud thought for a moment. "Nibelheim is right on the Nibel mountains. They're the tallest mountains on the western continent, where we come from. It's basically just a small town." "I think I have an idea where he might be headed. Only problem is, there're about a thousand little mountain towns in this country alone." Tifa sighed. "Looks like we're stuck." "He'll turn up. First thing he'll do, is head for a mountain town with a name that's real close to Nibelheim. Next thing he'll do is probably slaughter everyone in the town until he finds Cloud. When he doesn't find him, he'll kill everyone and move on." Helicopters were heard approaching outside. "Those sound like Shin-ra helicopters," said Sephiroth. Cid shook his head. "No, they're not even close. Shin-ra choppers have a higher pitch to their blades. I've never heard anything like that before." Jim recognized it. "It's a civilian model. Probably a news chopper. We'd better get out of here, before we're seen." They all ran out of the building and into the waiting van. Soon, they were headed back down the interstate for the Highwind. "Hey, look there! Some goofball in a Chevy van is headed straight for the city! Movin' at a pretty good clip, too! Hey, Charlie?" said an attractive newswoman. "Yeah boss?" answered the pilot. "Follow that van. I want a close up." "Sure thing, Patty." The chopper veered around and began to follow the van. Cid tugged on Jim's sleeve. "Jim! Step on it, we got company!" "All right, I'm gonna see what this hunk of junk can do!" Jim mashed the pedal to the floorboards. The van surged ahead, with the engine shrieking in protest. "Once we're in the city, we should be able to lose 'em." Cid suddenly stood up and smacked his forehead. "Damn! Why didn't I think of this before? I can call the Highwind to pick us up!" "Will that work while we're moving?" asked Jim. "Hell, yeah! She'll pace the van while we climb on!" Cid pulled a remote from his pocket and pushed a button. On the other side of the city, the Highwind began to move from it's spot over the station and head for the van. Soon, it had arrived, and swung around to pace the van, directly on top of it. The following helicopter swerved out of the way just before it was to be smashed by the massive airship. Cid screamed. "Stop the $%^& van!" Jim slammed on the brakes. The Highwind was able to stop with the van, but Cid was still standing up, and he was thrown forward. He got up cussing out anything and everything that came to mind. "Cid," said Jim, "you got a foul mouth." They all climbed aboard the Highwind, and Cid headed away from the city, back to Jim's neighborhood. "It's not safe for us here anymore. We'll have to leave for a while. Get what you came with, and load up the ship." They all disembarked, while the Highwind floated above the street in Jim's neighborhood. The other residents gawked in awe at the massive airship, while Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Cid, and Jim all ran into the house, grabbing their supplies, and rushing back to the Highwind. Jim came out with a small stereo and an armload of CDs, as well as a couple suitcases. Cloud's Yoshiyuki was strapped to his back. "Make sure you get everything, because once we leave, there's no turning back," said Cloud as Jim walked past him, on the way to his new quarters in the Highwind II. "Hey, guys. I'm going to need to make a stop at Super Auto. I need some parts for my Plymouth." Cid looked at him. "What for?" "I want to get some extra parts for the 'Cuda. I'm taking her along." "All right. But make it quick. I don't want to have to wait for yer sorry ass," said Cid. Shera heard him, and whacked him upside the head. "Stop that!" After they had loaded the airship with all their belongings, Cid took off. After a few minutes, they wound up at Super Auto. Surprisingly, it was still open. Not busy, but open. The Highwind landed in the empty parking lot, and Jim walked in, with Cid accompanying him. As soon as Jim walked in, a man in coveralls ran up to him. Another walked up with a tray of donuts. "Jim! How's our favorite customer?" asked the man in the coveralls. Cid looked at him. "I spend a lot of time here," Jim answered. "Hey guys. I need a few things. Let's see...I'll need a spare set of wheels, those fifteen-inch billets will do nicely. Gimme a set of BFGoodrich T/A's on them, wouldja? Uhh, gimme a set of those gas-charged shocks, a set of springs, brake pads, brake rotors, a couple gallons of coolant, a case of Kendall oil, and a few replacement gaskets. Oh, I'm gonna need a full set of belts and hoses, too." Cid stared wide-eyed at Jim. "You could build a whole other car with that much stuff!" Jim looked at him. "With what we have planned, I may have to." A bunch of clerks showed up with several carts full of auto parts. Jim handed him his credit card. "You know what to do with this, I'm sure. Cid, come on and help me load this stuff into the Highwind." The man smiled. "Sure thing, bud. Anytime." The two of them each walked out, pulling three carts a piece. Yuffie walked out and stared in awe at all the auto parts the two had purchased. "What are you gonna do with all that? Jim was walking around the cockpit, still a bit in awe by the airship's amazing power and technology. Cid was piloting, while Cloud and Tifa stood by the railing. Shera and Aeris were playing in the back corner. Yuffie, however, was nowhere to be seen. Jim walked out of the cockpit, into the massive cargo bay of the ship. Yuffie was keeled over a railing, face as green as her shirt. Jim walked over to her, softly, and put his hand on her shoulder. "You feeling all right, Yuf?" Yuffie just glared at him. He backed off, and went to his room. He noted that it was bigger than his first apartment, so he was right at home. He shut the door, sat down on his bed, and thought. He thought about a lot of things. He thought about the Sephiroth-clone, and where it'd strike next. He thought of Angela, and how she died. He thought about all the others whose loved ones have perished so far, and how many more were to follow before this clone was stopped. He was disturbed from his meditation by a knock on the door. It was Yuffie. "Can I come in?" asked her muffled voice from the outside. Without thinking, he responded, "Sure. Door's open." Yuffie opened the door, and walked inside, closing it behind her. She was still a little green, but not as bad as before, he noted. "Can I help you, or something?" "Jim, you've lived here for a pretty long time, haven't you?" "All my life, why?" "I was wondering...since I'm going to be spending the rest of my life here, if it was a nice place to live?" Jim turned to her. "We're gonna get you home. Don't worry. We'll find a way to get you back. All of you. I promise." Yuffie smiled, then sighed. "Thanks, Jim. I know you can't do it, but it's nice to hear from someone who doesn't still treat me like a little kid." "Well, you are a lot younger than them." Yuffie pondered this for a moment. "How young do you think I am?" Uhh...oh boy. I hate it when women ask me that..., Jim thought, anxiously. "Well?" Yuffie was growing impatient. "Uhh...I dunno...nineteen or twenty, based on your behavior.." Yuffie looked at him with a stare that reminded Jim of the saying, "If looks could kill..." "Uh..did I say something wrong?" Yuffie slapped him hard in the face, and Jim reeled from the hit. She then stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Jim just stood there in shock. "What? What did I say?" Damn, I REALLY hate it when they ask me that... Jim walked out of his room, with a huge red handprint on his face. Cloud was wandering around the cargo area and saw him. "What happened to you?" "Yuffie asked me how old I thought she was...I said I thought she was about nineteen or so. Then I got this." He pointed to his cheek. "How old is she, anyway?" "I'm not sure. I never asked, but from the way she acts, it sounds about right." "Wise decision..." Jim walked back up to the cockpit to see Tifa piloting the Highwind, while Cid lounged by the window, smoking a cigarette. "Are you sure it's a good idea to--" Jim was interrupted by Cid running over and shushing him. "Keep your fool mouth shut, ya moron. You don't want to get on her bad side, or she'll whack you one but good...speakin' of which, how'd that get there?" Cid pointed to the hand-mark on Jim's face. "Don't ask, " he replied. "Don't tell... least, not in front of them." He motioned towards Shera and Aeris. "So why is Tifa flying the ship, anyway?" "I needed a break." Tifa yelled over to Cid. "Hey, Cid! This is easy! It practically flies itself!" Cid whispered in Jim's ear. "It is flying itself...I put on the autopilot before I gave her the wheel." Jim stifled a laugh, then whispered back, "Cid, you're one mean, little old man." Then he walked over to where Shera and Aeris were playing, and sat down on the floor with them. "How are you guys getting along so far?" Shera looked up. "I'm fine. I'm glad the Highwind II is holding up as well as it is. She's perfect." "I'm fine, mister," said Aeris, in her slightly squeaky voice. She paused for a moment. "Mister?" "Yes, Aeris?" asked Jim. "Please don't be mad. It wasn't her fault." Jim looked at her strangely. "Huh? What are you talking about? Don't be mad at who?" Jim was genuinely concerned. "She wanted to visit you, but she couldn't find you. So she went back home." Jim was beginning to become agitated. "Who?" Aeris shook her head. "Don't know. Pretty lady." Jim stood up and scratched his head. "Pretty lady? I know a lot of pretty ladies...some of whom are here right now..." Tifa and Shera blushed. "Who could she be talking about?" he wondered, when Cloud walked back up to him. "Who could who be talking about?" "Your daughter told me not to be mad, because someone wanted to see me, but couldn't find me. She said it was a pretty lady. What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud shrugged. "Beats me. I don't have a clue." Jim looked at him in mock disgust. "Oh, well you're a lot of help." Cid looked out the window to see a vast mountain range. "I think we're here." He took the wheel from Tifa and reset the pilot to manual. As they approached the mountains, they were greeted by a welcoming committee of sorts. A squadron of jets were circling around the Highwind. Just then, the radio came to life. "Attention, unidentified aricraft. You are in violation of US Military airspace. Leave at once, or you will be fired upon. Repeat, unidentified aircraft, you are in violation of US military airspace. Leave now or we will be forced to open fire." Jim walked over to Cid. "Better do what they say. The US Army doesn't joke around. We've gotten our warning. We'd better do as they say." Jim picked up the radio. "Roger, US attack squadron. We are retreating. Please hold your fire." He looked at Cid. "Get us out of here. We must be over an air base or something." Cid slowly maneuvered the Highwind north, and slowly accelerated away. The fighters followed for a short distance, then left, and the Highwind was left to find a suitable landing spot. Jim was poring over maps while Cid looked on the ground. "Here! This is where we have to go. This is his next target, I'm sure of it." Cloud and the others all walked over. Sephiroth also joined them from his private quarters, disturbed from his sleep by the other aircraft. "Yes. We must go there. That is where he will be. If he is not already there." They landed the ship about a couple miles south of the town, and they all filed out, in full battle gear. It was a short walk to the town. When they got there, the place looked like a ghost town. Stores had their windows boarded, and there was nobody on the roads, save for a couple of police cruisers. One of the cops stopped in front of the group of oddly-dressed civilians and got out of his car. "Hey. You people shouldn't be out here in the open. There's some maniac loose around here, and he's tearing up everything that ain't bolted down." Cloud walked up to him. "Where is he now?" The officer looked at him sternly. "He's a bit north of here, according to the last reports. So you folks'll want to go south." Cloud smiled. "Thank you, officer. We'll keep that in mind." They all ran off to the north. The cop just stared at them in bewilderment. "Fools go where angels fear to tread...God help them. I'm not going after 'em. It ain't worth twenty-one thousand a year." The policeman got back in his car and continued his patrol. On the north side of town, they stopped for a moment to get their bearings. Up ahead of them, they could see that the Sephiroth-clone had definitely been there. Trees were ripped from the ground, roots and all. Cars were demolished, and the windows of buildings were shattered. Blood was smeared on the buildings and street. "He's been here," said Cloud. Jim and Cid both looked at him. "Thanks for the update!" they both yelled in unison. As if to answer a call, a man in a black cape, with stark white hair and glowing eyes walked out of one building. His cape and boots were both stained with blood. "Well, well. If it isn't my old war-buddy," said the Sephiroth-clone. "I'm not your buddy," replied Cloud, with his weapon drawn. The rest of the team all drew their weapons as well. Cloud charged the clone, who deftly dodged the blow and sliced Cloud's back in return. Cloud screamed in agony as Jim swung the Yoshiyuki at the clone. "Batter up!" He missed wildly, and the clone clocked him in the back of the head with the butt of his Masamune. "You are not the one I want. He is." The clone thrust a finger toward Cloud, who was just now staggering to his feet. "He will pay for his traitorism with his life. And so will all of you, eventually." The entire group all ganged up on the clone and started slashing. The clone, clearly outmatched, threw everyone back. All of them tumbled end-over-end, slamming into various obstacles. Then it fled toward the mountains. Jim ran after him for a moment, then stopped. "We can't let him get away! We need something to follow him in..." He looked around, and spied a police depot, with a pair of freshly- cleaned police cruisers parked out front. "Man, I'm gonna go to prison for this..." He walked over to the gate, and slashed the lock with his sword. The lock split in half, and he barely had the gate open before he was dashing inside. He climbed into one of the cars and went for the ignition, when he realized there weren't any keys. He dropped the visor, and they handily fell to his lap. "Come on! We can follow him in this!" They all clambered into the car, except Shera and Aeris, who agreed to wait back at the Highwind. Jim started the cruiser and peeled out of the lot, sirens wailing. Within a few minutes, he had caught up to the clone, who was flying along the road. Upon sight, Jim nailed the accelerator to the floor, causing the car to almost fly down the road. Cloud started to climb out of the window. "What the hell are you doing?! You're gonna get yourself killed!" screamed Jim. "I know what I'm doing. Get behind him, and don't swerve." He climbed the rest of the way out onto the hood of the car, weapon in hand. He yelled something to the clone, but with the wind rushing, it was difficult to tell what he was saying. The clone looked back at him, and slowed down a little. Yuffie leaned out the window, Conformer in hand. As she drew back to launch the weapon, the car was jolted by a rock in the road. Yuffie was caught off balance, and she dropped her weapon in the street. Cloud was also knocked down, and slid partway off the hood. He grabbed the edge, and carefully pulled himself back up. The clone sped up to a pace that the sedan couldn't match, and flew off up the road. Cloud carefully climbed back into the car, while Jim continued pursuit. They rounded a blind bend, and there he was, just standing in the middle of the road. His sword was drawn, and he was ready to strike. Jim cranked the wheel hard left, and sent the sedan into a slide, in an attempt to avoid the clone. As he swerved, the Sephiroth-clone slashed the right-side tires, sending the vehicle out of control, spinning out on the mountain highway. "I can't get it under control! We're gonna go over the cliff! Jump!" All four doors opened at once, and Jim, Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Yuffie and Sephiroth all leapt out of the car, just as it crashed through the guardrail and flew over the cliff, exploding on the rocks five hundred feet below. The six of them slowly dragged themselves to their feet. The clone just stood there, with an odd look on his face. "Very impressive...too bad we didn't get it on tape." The clone just stood there. The rest of them did so as well, each waiting for the other to move. The clone raised his hands, holding a green orb. "Meet your doom. Ultima!" The orb glowed brightly, energy waves circling him. Then, suddenly, the orb exploded, shattering itself into a million shards. The clone collapsed, exhausted. The rest of them moved in on it, weapons raised. Then the clone looked up at them, laughed, and disappeared. Jim stared for a moment. "He's gone...where'd he go?" "I don't know...but he'll turn up soon enough," said Cloud "That's what I'm afraid of..," replied Jim. Lemme know what you think! Email me at jrebholz@usa.net!