As they walked back down the mountain road towards the Highwind, nobody said much. They were all thinking. Yuffie was still thinking about when, or if, they would ever get home. Jim was contemplating how his life had gone from peace and relative serenity to the chaos it had become. Cid just wanted to get back to his baby. Cloud's face was frozen in an expression of raw hatred. Hatred towards the newest Sephiroth clone...and how it had already slaughtered hundreds of people He wondered how many more would be killed before he was stopped for good. Tifa, on the other hand, was trying to absorb the situation. She was having difficulty figuring out how people could do such senseless things as mess with nature. She became disgusted with the scientists at Metrochem. They reminded her too much of the Shinra..just the thought of the Shinra ran a chill up her spine. She folded her arms across her chest, trying to close those thoughts out of her mind, trying to think of a way to stop the Sephiroth clone withoug the use of their materia. We had grown too dependent on them, she thought. Zangan always taught me never to rely too much on anything...how could I forget that? Sephiroth was silent. His face was expressionless. He appeared to be totally detached from the situation, but no one could ever know the battle that he was fighting in his mind...memories of the Shinra, memories of Professors Gast, and Hojo...and Jenova...A chill ran up his spine, breaking his cold countenance for a moment. It quickly returned to its former, expressionless state. Within the hour, they had arrived back at the town. It was deserted, as before. Shera was waiting for them to return in the town square. As soon as she saw them, she ran to Cid, embracing him. "Thank God you're all right! I was worried sick about you," she said. Cid put his arms around her, returning the embrace. "Thanks..." Shera reluctantly let go of Cid, and stepped back. "Did you get him?" Cloud lowered his head. "He got away..." "Where do you think he'll turn up next?" asked Jim. Sephiroth shook his head. "There's no telling what he'll do now. He may try to summon Meteor again." Cloud jerked his head up. "What?! If he does, then this whole planet is doomed!" Jim stopped him. "Wait a second...does he need one of these materia things to summon this Meteor thing?" Cloud nodded his head. "Yes. Why?" "Are you really that stupid? Don't you remember that your materia don't work here?" "I dunno...that Ultima came pretty close.." said Yuffie. "Maybe only the most powerful ones work..." Jim walked over to Yuffie. "For all our sakes, I hope you're dead wrong." ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Back on the Highwind, they were more able to think clearly. "Can you think of anywhere he might go, Sephiroth?" Sephiroth shook his head. "I would tell you if I could think of anything. But I can't." Jim thought of something. "Where would someone go in your world if they summoned Meteor?" "The northern continent. Near the northern pole." "Then that's where we're headed." The Highwind's massive engines powered up, and they were off for the Arctic. "Hey, Jim," asked Cid. "You got any ideas as to how we wound up here?" Jim thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't have a clue. Why?" "I was thinking, if we knew how we got here, we might be able to reverse the process." "That sounds like a good plan, but how are we going to do that?" "I don't know, but I intend to find out." The two of them stared in silence out the window, looking at the passing landscape as it changed slowly from the rolling green hills of Colorado to the white forests of the Canadian wilderness. "It's pretty cold out there, so you guys had better put on some snow gear." They all looked around. "Snow gear?" said Cid. "We don't have any." Jim smacked his forehead. "Now we're gonna have to go all the way back and get some..." Cloud cut him off. "We're not going anywhere. We'll just have to rough it." "Easy for you to say. It's thirty below zero out there. You'll freeze in a matter of seconds with no protection." Cloud stared at him coldly. "I'm willing to take that risk." "You're crazy! You're willing to get us all killed?!" Cloud continued to stare at him. "Whatever it takes..." Cloud started for the hatch, when Jim stopped him. "I'm not gonna let you jeopardize yourself or anyone else. Now get over there and siddown!" The rest of the crew stared, astonished at Jim. They had never seen anyone talk to Cloud like that. No one alive, anyway. Cloud backed down, and sat in his chair, surprised. "Cid, we gotta go back. We don't have any snow gear. Hopefully, we can stop at an outpost somewhere, and get some. I think we flew over one on our way up." "Yeah, I think I know what you're talking about. I'll bring her around and we'll go back." They turned around, and went back to the outpost. It had everything they needed, except a staff. When they walked in, they found everyone inside killed. Clearly, the clone had been there, as well. They collected the supplies they needed, and returned to where they were. Cid landed the Highwind, and they all walked out, all wearing heavy parkas and snow suits. "Even with these suits, we won't be able to stay out here long. Tifa, Cloud and me will stay out for the first patrol. The rest of you , follow us in the Highwind. After a few minutes, we'll switch, and Yuffie, Cid, and Sephiroth will patrol. All right? Let's go!" Jim started to walk off, with Cloud and Tifa following him. The rest re-entered the Highwind, and followed them. "God, there's nothing in this wasteland..just snow and ice...he can't be here," said Jim over the wind. "He's nearby. I can feel his presence," said Cloud. Tifa looked at him. "Are you sure?" "I'm positive. He's here." "Then we'd better get a move on. We won't be able to stay out here for long," said Jim, as he picked up his pace. Cloud and Tifa followed suit, with Cloud leading the way now. They arrived at a cave, and Cloud wasted no time going inside. "In here." Jim breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We'll be given some shelter from the cold in here." They all filed inside the cavern, with Cloud leading the way. Tifa lit up a flashlight she had wisely brought along, and walked next to Cloud, holding his hand. Jim followed a step or two behind. "Man, this cave goes on forever,"said Jim, after they had been wandering around for several minutes. "Where does it lead, anyway?" "It leads to the clone, that's where," said Cloud. Jim decided not to press any further. Soon, they came to an open room, with three tunnels. "Which one do we take?" asked Tifa. "We better split up. Each of us will take a path," said Cloud. Jim shook his head. "Uh-uh. There's safety in numbers, Cloud. We can't just split up. The clone could be here. If he finds us each alone, he'll make short work of us all, and none of us will know until it's too late." Tifa nodded. "I agree. We should stay close." Cloud grudgingly agreed, and they all went down into the center tunnel. They spent nearly an hour wandering around te dark caverns, until they came to another clearing. They recognized it immediately as the one they started from. "We've been going around in circles!" yelled Jim. "We just left here...There's where we went in. It obviously isn't this tunnel, so it must be that one." He pointed to the rightmost tunnel. They agreed, and all of them walked to it, and entered. They spent what seemed like forever inside that tunnel, which was growing more and more cramped by the foot. Finally, they reached a point where the tunnel had gotten too small to even crawl through. "That's it. We have to turn back. He's not here. He couldn't be here. There's nowhere for him to go." "We'd better get back to the surface. The others are probably worried sick about us," said Tifa. Cloud grudgingly consented, and they headed back out of the cave. As they emerged into the bleak wilderness, they were all knocked off their feet by the harsh winds. They staggered to their feet, and walked over to the awaiting Highwind. As they entered, Cid and Shera ran up to them. "Where the hell have you three been?! We were about to go after ya!" said Cid. Shera chimed in. "We were worried that something had happened to you." "All we found were a couple of dead ends. No clone, no nothing!" said Jim. "This is turning into a wild-goose chase! At this rate, we'll never find him." Cloud walked over to Jim. "We'll find him. Don't worry about that." "I'm more worried that he'll find us first." "He won't find us. Not with this camouflage we're gettin' from this damn snowstorm," said Cid. Shera smacked him. "If I told you once, I told you a thousand times...stop that swearing in front of the kids!" Cid hung his head like a scolded puppy. "Sorry..." "Cid, you better land soon. Ice is starting to build up on the props. If it gets too bad, we're gonna come down hard and fast, and it ain't gonna be pretty." "I suppose you're right. I'll land her right here, and we'll wait here till the storm blows over." Cid pulled a few levers, and the Highwind slowly settled into the snow. The massive propellers slowly spun to a halt, and the giant ship was silent, save for the fierce winds blowing outside. "Better keep those heaters running, too, or else it's gonna get mighty cold. Try to conserve power. We don't know how long this storm is gonna last." Cid pushed a few more buttons, and looked at some readouts. "The main engines are still idling, so they'll provide for our heat." "Put heat to the cockpit and crew quarters. That'll be most vital. Shut every other part of the ship down. We'll have to conserve fuel. These arctic ice storms can last for several days at a time." Cid looked at him, then looked out the cockpit window. Snow had already begun to build up outside the craft, and was halfway up the huge glass. "Try to stay outta the cargo bays. It's gonna get real cold there." They all scoured the ship, digging up every spare blanket they could find, and wrapping themselves in them. They had all begun to huddle together in the cockpit, poring over maps, trying to think of where the Sephiroth clone could possibly be headed. "What say we try to do our thinking someplace a little warmer?" said Cloud. Cid nodded his head in agreement, and tried to start the engines. Nothing happened. "Cid, what's wrong?" asked Jim. "The damn props are jammed! Probably iced over completely!" yelled Cid. Jim started putting on his snow gear. "I'll climb up and clear off the ice by hand." Jim walked out of the cockpit, and out the door to the top of the ship. He was almost knocked over completely by the harsh winds. As soon as he regained his footing, he crawled over to one of the massive propellers and started hacking away at the ice buildup on the shaft and blades. "CID! Start number one!" The massive propeller groaned, and began to spin, slowly at first, then faster. Jim walked over to the other two, and began chipping away at them, as well. When he was done, he climbed back down into the cockpit. "OK, Cid. They're all clear. Now let's get outta here." Cid shoved the throttle fully forward, and the props shrieked in response. Slowly, the ship lifted out of the drift it had created, and was moving forward, out of the storm. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** They had landed the Highwind near a border town in southern Canada, and here, they collected themselves. "Damn!" Cloud yelled as he threw the maps to the ground. "He's not anywhere! He hasn't shown up anyplace for days. Now what are we going to do?" Sephiroth just brushed out his hair. "Haven't got the slightest idea now. I would have done something at this point. It seems my double has a mind of his own, if you will." Cid stood up. Apparently, he had a thought. "We should split up and look for him. Since he's not coming forward on his own, we're going to have to look for him ourselves. Try to flush him out." "You sure that's gonna work?" asked Jim. "No, but it's all I could come up with." "Any other ideas?" Jim started to say something...then froze. Something had stopped him. Something he could not define...then it hit him. He knew exactly where to go. "I know exactly where to go." The rest looked at him. "Well, then. Where?" asked Tifa impatiently. Jim started poring through maps, until he found his destination. "Here." He pointed to the eastern US. "New York City. He's there." Cloud stared at him. "How do you know?" "You're going to have to trust me on this one," said Jim, coldly. "He is in New York." "All right, then, we'll go to New York...wherever that is. Point the way, Jim." The Highwind lifted off, and they were off to the Big Apple. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** They landed the ship just outside of the city, and Jim, Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie took the Cuda into the metropolis, leaving Cid behind to keep Shera and Aeris safe. Sephiroth, as usual, chose to stay behind to help guard the Highwind. They didn't get far when they ran into their first problem. Specifically, New York City traffic. "I don't think I've ever seen this many cars at once in my life!" said Yuffie, as she stared out of the window at the city. "Neither have I. This is bad, even for New York...what's going on up there, a parade?" Jim honked the horn. "Come on, move it!" Cloud merely sat in the backseat, with his arms crossed, scowling. "Can't you just drive around?" Jim turned in his seat. "Where would I go? There's cars on our right, cars in front, and cars behind, and a concrete barrier to the left." Cloud continued to scowl. Tifa also wasn't happy with the situation. She was beginning to turn a little green. "These fumes are making me sick..." "So open a win--no...that probably wouldn't help, would it?" said Jim. "I'll put on the air conditioning. That might help to evacuate some of the fumes." "Thank you," said Tifa. Jim rolled down his window, and leaned out the side. "What in the hell is going on up there?" He got out of the car and tried to get a better look. "I don't see any reason as to why this is all backed up...it's not even rush hour." Yuffie leaned over in her seat. "You're not kidding! I could walk faster than this!" Jim got back into the car and scowled. "Come on!" He honked the horn again. Surprisingly, at that point, the traffic began to move. "Huh. Why didn't I do that in the first place?" They motored on to downtown Manhattan. Once in the city, they parked the car and walked. After about an hour, they had made it into Chinatown. There, they wandered around until they had come to an old antique shop nestled into a street corner. When they entered, it was obvious that the Sephiroth-clone had been there. The entire shop was a complete mess. Aritfacts were laying on the ground everywhere, and tables were overturned. Cloud drew his sword. Tifa put up her dukes, and Yuffie got to a ready position. Jim stood still, looking carefully around. "There's still someone here," he said, coldly. He walked forward, cautiously, into the back room. There, he found an old man, cowering in the corner. "Hurt me do not, please! I mean no harm to you!" the old man yelled. "Relax, guys. It's just an old man." Jim walked over to the man. "We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help. Have you seen a man in a black cape come through here?" The man nodded. "Seen him I have. He was here. Destroyed many things, he did. Looking for something, he was." Tifa walked over to him. "Did he say what he was looking for?" "I do not know. He said something, but I could not hear." Police sirens blared outside. Jim moaned. "Great, the boys in blue. We'd better go. The last thing we need to deal with right now is the NYPD. They're gonna come in here, see the place like this and think we did it." Jim started out to the front of the store, when he saw two cruisers parked right outside. "Can't go this way. Old man, is there a back way out of here?" "Yes. This way." The old man led them out of a back door, into an alley. "Go. I will not be able to hold them for long." Jim nodded. "Thanks for your help." The four took off down the alley. "We're being led on a wild-goose-chase, here," said Yuffie. "We're never gonna find him at this rate." "We'll find him," said Cloud. "And when we do, I'm going to personally destroy him, once and for all." The party wandered slowly, and watchfully, into a dark alley. As they looked around, the sky above them darkened, and thunder began to roll through the clouds. A bright flash of light illuminated the aley, blinding the four of them. When the light subsided, the Sephiroth-clone stood before them, hands at his hips, his Masamune blade sheathed on his back. The four of them drew their weapons, on ly to watch the clone laugh maniacally. "Fools!", he yelled. "You cannot harm me with those things! I am invincible!" Then he drew his blade and charged Cloud, who barely parried in time, and struck out a blow of his own. He aimed for the clone's head, which was easily dodged. The clone then swung his blade at Tifa. This time, the sword connected, slicing her diagonaly across her chest. Tifa let out a blood-curdling scream, and collapsed. The clone saw this as his opportunity to get away, and did so. "I'll see you where the sinners go, if you dare to follow me!" he yelled as he disappeared. Cloud was te first to rush to her unconcious form. She had lost a great deal of blood, and the color had drained from her face. Cloud pulled a small green flask from his pocket, and bit the cap off. He propped her head up, and poured the contents over her lips. Jim stared in awe as the X-potion went to work. A bright green aura surrounded Tifa's body, and when it had dissipated, all traces of the wound were gone. She stirred slowly, and blinked her eyes to clear her vision. "Uhh....did he--?" she asked weakly. "Yeah...took off as soon as he sliced you," answered Cloud. Jim still stood in shock. "How did she do that?" Cloud held up the now-empty flask. "These potions will cure all your wounds in a matter of seconds. But they can't bring you back from the dead, and we only have a few left." "What did he mean when he said,' where the sinners go'?" asked Yuffie. "I think he meant Las Vegas. People in this country call it 'Sin City'," said Jim. "Lots of gambling, as well as a few other things that I would prefer not to mention. But why on earth would he want to go there?" "I don't know. But I intend to find out," said Cloud. The four picked their way slowly back to the Cuda, being careful to tak eside-streets and alleys whenever possible, to avoid being seen. When they got to it, they drove back to the Highwind, and lifted off. Jim walked into the cockpit, and instructed Cid where to fly next, and he obeyed his instructions expertly. Then Jim trudged off to his quarters, for some much-needed rest. "This trip'll take a few hours, so you guys better get some shut-eye. I put her on auto for now, so I can take a snooze, too. I haven't had a good night's rest in days." Cid barely muttered the last part, as he slumped in a chair and fell asleep almost immediately. Shera walked over to him, and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then sat down in front of the controls. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** At a secret military installation in Nevada, buried deep within a mountain, a scientist worked on a machine. The man was pale, and thin, with long, greasy black hair, and dark glasses. "It's all finished," the man said. "Now let's see if it works." The scientist walked slowly to a control panel and pulled a lever. The tip of the machine glowed bright white, and engulfed teh entire lab in brilliance. A panel in the ceiling slid open, and the machine shot out a column of the same white light. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** On board the Highwind, Yuffie had walked down to find Jim occupying her usual spot on the engine room floor. Unlike what she was usually doing there, he was passed out, sleeping. I kinda feel sorry for him, she thought. Too bad he had to get caught up in all this craziness. I'll help him to his quarters. With that thought, she bent over and picked him up, struggling over his weight. Then she carried him to his quarters, and laid him carefully on the bed. Just as she had closed the door behind her, warning klaxons started going off, and she rushed into the cockpit. Cid was wide awake, and frantically trying to get his ship back under control. "Dammit, not again!" he yelled. By now, everyone had rushed to the cockpit, except for Jim, who was out cold in his bed. A beam of light shot out from seemingly nowhere, and struck the ship, hard. Then, in an instant, the Highwind II disappeared over the cornfields of Iowa. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Let me know what you think! Email me at jrebholz@usa.net