Chapter 8: Ipsen’s ShinRa; Beautiful Song

After descending through the torturous depths of Post Midgar the team came to a halt. Barret and Tifa had lived here for quite a while, but this looked nothing like the Midgar they knew. This was more like a graveyard, a monument to what once stood. The metal stuck out of the ground like twisted pikes blockaded their way. Slabs of concrete made walls that were once pathways, and pathways existed where there were walls. Mountains of blackened trash and waste surrounded the path to the horizon, where the pillar support tower was holding up the plate. In the mud, footsteps lay scattered about, non-human footsteps. Pipes that were originally underground suck across the road as bridges, higher than a bus. Midgar was no more, a tortured, violent wasteland has take its place.

The ker-cawwing had been following AVALANCHE through the hours as they progressed through the destroyed sectors and into the downed ShinRa tower. Papers were scattered across the dusty and dirty floor. Dead people still sat in their chairs and lied on the ground. Pieces of the roof and upper floors had collapsed and blocked many passages. Muddy footprints still lined the linoleum. Part of the tower had so much stress on it that it bent sideways. The ShinRa HQ was now upside down, sideways, and upside right. The scene seemed unreal.

Cloud was the first to break the silence. "All right Cait, where’s this key?"

Cait Sith jumped, startled, and came up with a reply. "P-probably on the 60th floor."

"With this place, the 60th floor could be the 60th basement floor. Upside down." Vincent said.

"You wouldn’t have a prob with that vamp." Yuffie quickly chirped.

"Vincent’s gotta point thou. This isn’t the same ShinRa tower we knew." Red XIII replied.

"Well, lets take the %^&*ing elevator and if it takes us down, there we go." Cid said as he climbed over some obstacles to get to the elevator.

The others shrugged as they tried to get to Cid. Cid opened the elevator door by pressing the up button. "Power still on." He walked in, followed by 7 other people. Needless to say, it was crowded. Someone managed to press 60. The elevator made a startling noise and started their rapids ascend. (or descend, according to Cid’s theory.) Dust fell from the ceiling as it went down.

** *

DING! As soon as the doors opened, all of AVALANCHE fell- on their heads. The room was indeed upside down.

"Cid, you’re theory worked!" Tifa said as she dusted herself off.

"Was their any doubt." He re-lit his cigarette.

All the others managed to get to their feet.

"There it is!" Cait Sith cried. He was pointing to a small card flashing on the floor…err…roof. The little cat dived for it and picked it up. "Got it! Now let’s get out of here!"

"Bout time. This place is freaky." Barret said as he glanced around.

Somewhere, a door opened and through the pale light came three tonberrys, all carrying the legendary chef knives.

"SHIT! TONBERRYS!" Cid yelled.

"Crap. These things are as tough as shit to fight." Cloud said.

"Mayhap it be wisest to run?" Red XIII looked at his fellow team.

"Yea…what Red said." Yuffie said nervously. The tonberrys were approaching at normal tonberry speed.

"EAT LEAD!" Barret shouted. He fired into the mass of tonberrys. All it seems to do is attract him towards him. All three, still at tonberry speed, advanced towards the ex-leader of AVALANCHE. "oh shit…"

"Barret! That’s it! Run around and fire. We’ll get to the elevator. Vincent will be your back up!" Cloud yelled.

"Gotcha!" Vincent smiled as he swiveled the death penalty on his trigger finger. He let loose a blast into the mass of tonberrys as he provided cover for Barret. Everyone managed to get into the elevator after some exercise. The tonberrys did not.

** *

DING! The elvator door opened and once again the AVALANCHE team members fell onto their faces.

"Ouch! Shit! That’s getting annoying real fast!" Cid said as he once again tried to keep a light on his cigarette. All of them stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. A creature was blocking their exit.

"Ker-Cawwwww!" The beast screeched. It then let loose a mighty roar. It stepped into the brownish light coming through the dusty windows. A large, real large, brownish dog with two slobbering sets of jaws. The upper mouth screeched the ker-caw again as the second bigger one roared.

"A cerebus?" Red XIII said shocked.

"A what?" Tifa asked.

"Gawd! GROSSNESS!" Yuffie shivered.

"Well whatever it is, its about to taste my blade." Cloud ran over, wielding the Ultima Weapon in his hands. His sword fell unto the beast, but instead of making a huge gash, it caused a small scratch. "What the?!"

"There’s some kind of field around the tower. Power is switched. I found that out with the tonberrys." Vincent replied.

"So use our weaker weapons?" Yuffie asked.

"Yea woman!" Barret had his assault gun equipped already.

"Alright! Buster Sword time!" Cloud switched his Ultima Sword for the Buster Sword and let loose nothing but astonishing blows to the beast. Yuffie threw her hawkeye at it and Tifa pummeled the cerebus with her leather glove. Barret and Vincent continued blasting with the assault gun and pistol. Red mauled with his claws, but wearing a simple comb. The cerebus managed to get in a few hits, but those were minor and easily cured. But AVALANCHE had successfully made another kill. The cerebus lay dead on the floor and then vanished into thin air.

"Lets get outa here while the goings good." Barret said. The others hastily agreed.

** *

The team managed to get back to the truck safely. But on their way out barrages of Mako creatures attacked them. Malboros, Hectaeyes, even super large and super new Abadons. It seemed that Midgar came to life with countless amounts of monsters after the teams’ assault on the torn up ShinRa tower. Where did these monsters come from? They were tough and new, but with the help of their materia they managed to get through.

The truck drove away in a hurry as the swarm of creatures rushed after them. AVALANCHE sat on their non-cushioned seats and sighed. Inhaling and exhaling, breathing heavily.

"Dayumn man! I never remember Midgar being that tough!" Barret finally said.

"I know what you mean, but those monsters weren’t native." Cloud said.

"You think it was the mako?" Red asked Cloud.

"Could be, what with the reactors down." He replied.

The car came to a sudden jolt. All of AVALANCHE fell onto the floor of the truck.

"Damn it man! I’m getting really sick of this!" Cid said. The third cigarette put out today after a fall.

Tifa got up and looked through the little window that separated them and the front cab. "What’s wrong?!" They suddenly heard singing. Not just any singing, but beautiful singing. It was to a tune they had never heard before. Tifa looked through the window to see a little girl in front of the vehicle.

"~ Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark, For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart, To weave by picking up the pieces that remain, Melodies of life - love's lost refrain. Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why. We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye. And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told? Let them ring out loud till they unfold. In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me. Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name. A voice from the past, joining yours and mine. Adding up the layers of harmony. And so it goes, on and on. Melodies of life, To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond. ~"

The truck drivers didn’t move, just sitting and staring. Tifa soon felt herself getting relaxed. What was this beautiful song? She glanced back to see everyone in the back was in the same trance, except for Cloud who mysteriously fell asleep.