Book 3 - Rise of a Legend

Chapter 1: Bad News

The first thing Tifa noticed when she came around was the glare. The harsh glare of light that seemed to come from nowhere, yet everywhere. It burned through her eyelids and into her soul. Tifa moaned softly and turned her head away from the glare, wishing it would stop and let her sleep. It continued to burn through her, bringing her to consciousness. Opening her lips, she breathed softly. The air was warm. As she breathed, she came to realise that someone was beside her.

"…ding…"

"Huh?" came a voice.

The voice came from the person who sat beside her. Tifa flexed her fingers, and then curled them into her palms. She knew that voice. It was deep and baritone, speaking unusually softly and filled with concern and worry. She could not place his name, though. Sadness overwhelmed her. She had hoped it would be Cloud's voice that awakened her, but inside she knew that it would not be his voice. Tifa began to open her eyes—winced against the harshness of the light. "The glare…" she said quietly, aware that her voice sounded dull and unnatural in the unending light.

The person beside her spoke again. "You'll be better soon. You've been asleep for a long time."

Tifa turned her head to face the man who spoke. She had been asleep… for a long time? How long a time? Opening her eyes only a little, she could just make out the shadow of a large man sitting nearby. The bright light obscured most of his image from her, but she could see just enough to make out who he was and remember his name. Closing her eyes again, she let her head roll back to face the ceiling.

"I'm…… hungry…" she said, suddenly becoming aware of how hungry she was. She was becoming more aware about other things, too. Like how stiff and sore her body was, and how she was lying on a hard bed with nothing but a firm pillow beneath her head. Questions began to run in the mind, but she could not focus on them for long.

Beside her, she heard a faint, amused chuckle. The man quickly stopped himself from laughing further, and dropped his voice to a serious level. "Hey, why don't you ask?" Getting up off his chair, he looked at Tifa and added: "About him."

The glare faded. Tifa opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling fan and dim lights, unmoving. Then she pushed herself up by her elbows and propped herself by her hands. She shivered, feeling the air suddenly go cold. Finally she raised her head and looked at Barret. "…Because I'm scared," she said.

"Don't worry," Barret told her, his voice unusually quiet. "I don't know what happened to Cloud either." Seeing the fear in Tifa's eyes, the big man paused and scratched the back of his head. "Guess I shouldn't be telling you not to worry…" He shook his head. "None of them know if he's all right either."

Tifa looked down at her feet. "He's still… alive, right?" Barret nodded. Tifa took in a deep breath and sighed heavily. After taking a moment to swallow her fears for Cloud and push them aside, she looked up at Barret. "How long… was I asleep?"

"Lesse now……" said Barret, thinking for a moment. "Must've been about 7 days."

"What about Sephiroth?"

"You don't remember?" asked another voice. Tifa turned in the direction of the voice and saw Naruto standing there. He sighed. "Remember that huge light, in the Northern Cave? Since then, the crater's been surrounded by a huge barrier of light. Everyone knows Sephiroth sleeps in that big hole, protected by the barrier."

"We can't do a damn thing about it. We just gotta wait till he wakes up. An' on topa that, some huge monster called Weapon's been on a rampage," finished Barret.

While the two were talking, Tifa swung her legs over the side of the bed and let her feet touch the cold floor. She still wore her diamond-studded battle gloves, she noticed, although one diamond was missing on the left glove, and others were chipped. They would need replacing, though it would be cheaper to simply buy a new set of gloves. Shame—she liked this particular pair. She'd almost forgotten Barret was speaking until she heard him mention Weapon. She looked up.

"…Weapon?" she asked.

"Weapon is a defensive program for the planet. When it senses danger, the monsters awaken to cleanse the world of life. At least, that's what Aeris told me," explained Naruto.

Yes, she did recall that a little. Her memories of the events at the Northern Cave were somewhat sketchy—flashes of images she could just about put into some sensible order. She remembered the giant monsters flying out of the crater… The collapse of the crater, when the crystal holding Sephiroth fell from its nest and into the shadowy depths below… Cloud looking down at her sadly before the rain of mako broke through the nest and swallowed him up…

Tifa bit her lip. She hadn't meant to think of Cloud. But his face… his voice… his eyes… They were always there, in her mind. Try as she might, she could not close the veil to block him out, even for a second. Not that she wanted to forget him. There were other things, things more important than him, which she had to focus on… Like Weapon and Sephiroth. Cloud… He would have to wait. For now…

Closing the veil just enough to shield him from her mind, but leaving enough of his image to make sure she did not forget about him, Tifa turned to Barret. "Weapon… is protecting Sephiroth?" she asked.

Barret shook his head. "Dunno," he admitted. "But he's up here goin' around tearin' shit up. Right now Rufus's fightin' it. I hate to say it, but he's got guts." Tifa slid off the bed and stood up, brushing herself off. While she brushed herself down Barret walked slowly across the room, close to the shuttered windows. He sighed. "We shoulda been the ones to destroy it, but we ain't got no time…"

"Time…" Tifa repeated, thinking. Suddenly, she looked up. "…Hey! How about Meteor?"

Barret stopped next to the last closed window. He looked at Tifa gravely—a silent warning for her to prepare herself. Tifa came to stand beside him. After a moment's pause, Barret pressed a small button at the base of the window. There was a resounding click and the three windows began to open. The metal shutters covering the windows slid up, letting a sea of orange-yellow light flood into the room. Tifa raised her arm to cover her eyes as the warm light fell upon her face. When her eyes adjusted she gazed through the open window and looked to the sky. She gasped.

The sky she looked upon was not the same sky she saw just days before. The normally blue sky had changed into a burning hue of orange-red, making it seem as though the very sky was on fire. The moon was visible in the daytime sky, brought to light by the burning clouds, though the moon itself was just a dark disk covered in shadow in a sea of orange.

But there, directly above them, was the most terrifying sight that Tifa had ever seen in all her twenty years of life. Meteor hung high in the sky, enveloped in a shroud of flames. It was five times larger than the moon and grew bigger with each passing day. It seemed so close and so large that it made Tifa's heart shudder in fright. There was no doubt in her mind that Meteor would fall onto the planet. This was the power of the Black Materia. Its power had drawn this blazing fireball from its path and had brought it on a direct course with their planet. This was what they had fought so hard to prevent.

Fought so hard… And failed.

Tifa lowered her gaze. She could not stand to look at Meteor any longer. Meteor would fall, that was certain. Was it too late to stop it? She clutched at her shirt and felt her quickening heartbeat. Almost choking in her fear at the sight of the descending fireball, she looked at Barret. "Do we have to give up?" she asked him.

Barret looked back at her. The same fear was in his eyes. That scared Tifa, perhaps more so than the sight of Meteor above them. Even Barret, once the leader of a prominent resistance group in Midgar and who was prepared to kill Shinra soldiers for the sake of revenge on his hometown, was afraid of this. Yet, even as he looked at her, she saw him fighting that fear.

"…Dunno," the man answered finally, turning his gaze away. Tifa watched him in silence. This fear was a battle that Barret would fight alone.

"There's still hope. It's not like Meteor has collided with us yet. There's still time for a plan of action." Naruto said. He for one would not give up just because someone put a big ass roadblock in front of him.

As Tifa looked at Naruto the door behind them opened, and Rufus Shinra walked into the room. He entered alone, something that struck Tifa instantly as odd. The Shinra president rarely went anywhere without at least one of his loyal employees around.

There was an immediate rise in tension as the president entered the room. Barret stiffened, instantly on edge in the presence of the most important man in Shinra. He may have praised Rufus less than a minute ago, but that did not mean that the hatred between them was gone. In turn Rufus looked at Barret in disdain. No, Tifa thought, he was not likely to welcome them with open arms.

Rufus stopped next to the bed. After seeing that Tifa was now awake, he crossed his arms and looked at them. "I thought Cloud would show up to save you all…" he said. He sounded disappointed. "Professor Hojo wanted to check up on Cloud, too."

"What are you going to do to Cloud?" demanded Tifa.

"Sephiroth's alter ego…" muttered Rufus quietly. He shut his eyes and looked at the ground, lost in thought. "Meteor has been summoned… Essentially, it's all but over now. So, there's no need for you now." He opened his eyes. His cold blue gaze met Tifa's. "No," he added, almost sinisterly, "maybe there is an important task for you…"

As if on command, Heidegger walked into the room. He moved with a weighty swagger of self-importance, and had such a large, smug smile his beard had difficulty hiding it. He chuckled as he walked. Rufus seemed to be expecting him, for he did not react when the man entered. When Heidegger spoke it was with such a loud, booming voice that anyone on the corridors beyond would have heard him.

"President! Preparations for the public execution are complete."

Barret's jaw fell open. He snapped round to face Rufus, his face turning red in his growing rage. "Execution!?" he bellowed. "What're ya gonna get by executin' us!?" Naruto kept quiet.

A wicked smile spread on Rufus's face. He seemed amused by Barret's anger. "You are to be executed for causing this situation," he said plainly. "People are ignorant. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished."

Barret's fists shook with anger. He was almost spitting in rage—saliva flecked his lips as he struggled to find words strong enough to use against the young president. The words escaped him—there were none strong enough to pierce Rufus's arrogant armour. So he stepped back, swallowed most of his anger, and looked at Naruto.

"I take back what little praise I had for this damn jackass!" was all he could say.

Again Rufus smiled. He seemed very amused indeed by this display of sudden aggression. He ran a hand through his blond hair, brushing back the longer lengths that fell in front of his eyes. "Well," he said smoothly, letting his hand fall, "enjoy your last moments together." With that, the Shinra president left, leaving a stunned Tifa and Barret along with Naruto alone in the room with Heidegger.

Once Rufus left the room, Heidegger turned to the two former resistance members. The same wicked smile was on his face. He got a distinct pleasure out of seeing them squirm over their inevitable fate. "I'll tie your arms now," he said as he approached.

It did not take long to restrain the three of them. Barret attempted to fight back, threatening to take down any soldier who came near him. It took three soldiers to hold him down while the handcuffs were put on, and powerful restraints were tied around his arms to keep them placed firmly behind his back. Tifa and Naruto did not resist at all. They stood in silence as the soldier locked the cuffs around their wrists.

Heidegger took charge in leading the three out of the room where Tifa had been resting and down the stairs toward the execution room. Tifa, Naruto and Barret followed in an almost subdued silence, though they held their heads high in supreme defiance. A single soldier followed close behind, his rifle ready in case there was any resistance.

After descending a few floors the troupe entered the main control room. This was where Heidegger left them, moving away from the group and rejoining Rufus, who had entered just ahead of them. The man followed the president as he went to the front of the room and stopped by a large window that made up the front wall.

As she walked silently around the back of the control room, Tifa turned and glanced out of the window. Beyond the large glass pane she could see an open plain of crystal blue waters. The ocean… Tifa thought quickly. If they were by the ocean, then they were most likely in Junon. Junon was the only sea-faring town she knew of that had a Shinra base. Why were they in Junon and not Midgar, she thought to herself. Surely Rufus would have returned to Midgar, not Junon…

While she was lost in her thoughts, the soldier behind nudged her back with the butt of his rifle. Tifa turned to him defiantly, but could see nothing behind his dark visor. Turning her back on him, she hurried to catch up with Naruto and Barret.

The soldier led them on until they finally arrived at their destination. As they walked through the large double doors they were hit by the sound of chatter and high-pitched laughter, bright lights and the scent of expensive perfume. A number of chairs had been lined up in the centre of the room. A number of people holding microphones were scattered about, and there were others holding cameras. Tifa looked around in puzzlement. What was going on?

The laughter came again, cutting above the sound of the chatter. Naruto groaned. He recognised that laughter. Only one person could make piercing laughter that high-pitched and ear grating.

Scarlet.

"Ah shit," he complained.

The crowd of journalists parted as Naruto, Tifa and Barret were led into the room. Sure enough, the Shinra executive was there, smiling and laughing heartily with a couple of the journalists. Scarlet turned. There was a smug smile on her thick, red lips, and her eyes peered at them in disgust through layers of black mascara and eye shadow. Her dress was neatly pressed, her nails delicately painted. She had certainly prepared for the occasion. This was a moment she was going to enjoy.

Scarlet's eyes stopped on Tifa. The smile widened, revealing such perfectly clean teeth that Tifa felt dirty and common. She scowled back at the executive. How much she wanted to wipe that smug, arrogant smile off that old witch's face!

Scarlet looked at Tifa a moment more, before she turned to the array of journalists gathered around her. "Is everyone here?" she said, her loud voice reaching every corner of the room. She gestured to the three handcuffed prisoners. "These are the ones who brought this madness into the world!"

A number of cameras turned and swivelled round to face them. Barret looked left and right, squinting in the bright lights that were cast over them. Staring at the journalists, he said, "The hell are these people?"

"We will be broadcasting your miserable deaths live on national television," Scarlet replied, without a hint of shame. Clearly she did not care for her 'audience' to hear her describe their deaths as miserable.

One of the journalists, dressed very oddly in a tight suit that clung to his bizarrely short and round body, stepped up to Scarlet. His unusually small, hunched head made him especially odd-looking. "Scarlet," he said in a slightly high, accented voice, "why a public execution in this day and age?"

Scarlet ran a hand through her slick blonde hair as the cameras revolved to face her. After pausing for a second to create a dramatic effect, she said in a smooth, almost charming voice: "With the chaos resulting from the Meteor reports, we desperately need to rally public support… it's better that we punish somebody, anybody."

"You make me sick…" Tifa spat harshly, glaring at Scarlet. It was almost unbelievable that this woman could be so cold!

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed Scarlet, touching her lips delicately with her fingertips as she winked knowingly at the journalists. "They'll never admit it, but everyone loves this stuff!" Naruto glared at Scarlet as he said "Everyone, or just you."

Placing one hand on her hourglass hips, Scarlet spun on her high red heels and pointed at Tifa. "We'll start with this girl."

Barret raged. "If you've gotta do it---do me first!" he roared furiously. He strained his muscles against the cuffs and restraints on his arms and wrists. They did not budge. If only his gun-arm was free… Then he could shower bullets on this useless excuse for Shinra justice.

Naruto decided to but in. "No I'll go first!" Barret looked at Naruto as if he was crazy.

The ninja and AVALANCHE leader's outburst and furious attempt to break free of his shackles seemed to amuse Scarlet. Her red lips parted into a wide grin as she waved excitedly at the cameras, motioning them to turn and record what the men were doing. "Camera, this way!" she exclaimed as she waved. "Make sure you get this, the audience just eats up tearful goodbyes!"

There was nothing Naruto or Barret could do as Scarlet led Tifa away. They watched helplessly as Scarlet and a soldier led their friend to a closed door at the far end of the room. At one point Tifa turned her head and looked back at them. Her eyes were ablaze—she hadn't given up yet. Barret was relieved to see her look so confident in the face of death, but it didn't stop him feeling that he was to blame for her being in this situation.

The soldier unlocked the door, and Scarlet ushered Tifa into the room. It was small, only a box room. It contained only a single chair, with strong metal locks on the arms. Hanging down from the ceiling were a number of pipes—a gas chamber.

Tifa stopped and looked up at the pipes. They stopped directly above the chamber, ensuring that the gas, when flowing, would fall directly over the victim locked in the chair. She swallowed nervously. Seeing her pause, Scarlet shoved her hard toward the chair. Tifa staggered, but kept her balance. She spun round, glaring defiantly.

"What are you doing!?" Tifa snapped.

"This is my special gas chamber," explained Scarlet, waving her hand leisurely toward the chair and pipes. She stepped forward until she was almost nose-to-nose with the younger woman. "Take your time," she said, her voice low and sinister, "and enjoy a slow, painful death."

The soldier, previously standing by the chair, came up behind Tifa and unlocked the handcuffs that bound her wrists. Tifa locked gazes with Scarlet. Suddenly Scarlet reached out and pushed her. Tifa staggered backward. Her heel caught the hard edge of the chair and she fell into the chair, her had banging on the metal back.

While she sat there, dazed, Scarlet and the soldier each took her wrists and placed them into the locks on both arms of the chair. They flipped the metal cuffs over and they clicked into place, preventing her from leaving the chair. Tifa looked up to find Scarlet standing over her, leering down at her with her usual haughty smile.

"Stuck up bitch!!" Scarlet hissed, before giving Tifa a harsh slap across her face.

Scarlet and the soldier left the gas chamber, leaving Tifa sitting in a stunned silence. As the soldier passed, something slipped from his pocket and fell to the floor. He did not notice and left the chamber behind Scarlet, pulling the door shut behind him. The automatic lock sealed the door the moment it clicked into place. As she heard the click that signalled the door's locking, Scarlet sighed in satisfaction.

Rubbing her hands together, Scarlet faced the journalists who stood eagerly in front of her. "Well now, the show's about to begin," she announced. She laughed heartily.

All of a sudden the siren sounded, cutting in over the sound of Scarlet's irksome laughter. The emergency lights began to flash, bathing the room in a cloak of red light. Barret, his arms still in chains, looked around wildly, while the journalists stared at Scarlet in bewilderment. Before she could speak, a computerised voice boomed over the siren's wild blaze.

"Emergency! Emergency! Weapon's approaching! Attention all military personnel: take your positions!"

One of the journalists jumped and dropped his microphone. "Oh no!" he wailed, quivering with fright. "It's Weapon! Run!" The man turned and darted toward the door, almost falling over his feet in his panic.

The remaining journalists followed suit, dropping their things and fleeing for the exit as fast as they could. The cameramen, taken over by terror, left their camera behind as they tore out of the doors after their cohorts. They did not even take the time to stop the cameras from filming. Only two soldiers and the bizarre-looking journalist remained, his small head turning left and right wildly.

Scarlet, stunned by the suddenness in which the events were occurring, could only stare as the journalists fled. "Hey, hey, all of you!" she shrieked, but her voice was drowned out by the siren. Furiously she stamped her heel on the ground. "Damn! Why now?" she cursed. When she looked up she saw that the bizarre journalist stood in front of her, his unusually large microphone ready in his hand.

"How does it feel now, Scarlet?" he asked her. He leaned forward, holding his microphone close to Scarlet's face.

Scarlet smiled in approval. "Hmm, so you didn't run?" she asked. "I'm impressed." She took a deep breath, and the man leaned in closer. "How do I feel? Right now……"

With the siren roaring overhead, Scarlet was unable to hear the betraying hiss of gas as it seeped out of the top of the man's microphone. As she spoke she swooned, dizziness and lethargy suddenly overcoming her. She tried to look at the man, but he was blurred and fading in her sight. Then her eyes closed, and she saw no more.

Barret stared as Scarlet suddenly collapsed to the press room floor. At first he thought she was dead. Then he saw her chest rise and fall—she was fast asleep. "Huh!? Sleeping gas?" he said, shaking his head. He looked at the journalist.

The journalist was looking back at him. Barret stared intently at his face. There was something familiar about him—what it was, he couldn't be sure. Suddenly the man spun around, grabbing the suit and pulling it away from him in a single movement. The suit fluttered to the floor. In the journalist's place was a large round Mog, with a mechanical cat sitting on top of its head, looking at Barret through slender slit eyes and a cheerful, happy smile. Cait Sith.

"Weirdo!!"

Cait turned. Until that moment, the two soldiers guarding the door had been watching the events unfold in disbelief. They had seen Scarlet fall but did not move, uncertain as to what they should do. But as they saw Cait reveal himself they jumped up and ran toward him, their rifles ready.

Instantly Cait sprung into action. Guiding the Mog forward, he charged at full speed at the advancing soldiers. The nearest soldier skidded to a stop. He hesitated, and that was his fatal mistake. Cait barrelled forward, using the Mog's speed and weight to carry him forward. He crashed into the soldier, who cried out in surprise and pain as the Mog trampled over him. Standing on the soldier's stomach, the Mog brought its huge fists down on his head. The Shinra soldier gave a stifled groan before his head fell back. The rifle slipped from his hands.

With the first soldier down, Cait turned his attention on the second one. The next soldier was a few metres behind the first, kneeling on the ground as he took aim at the cat. Cait waved his arms frantically before darting to one side, just as the soldier fired. His quick reflexes allowed Cait to dodge the bullet, leaving it to skim the top of the Mog's head. The Mog jumped up and down madly, seemingly in pain.

While the soldier reloaded his rifle, he scanned the room for the cat. There was his fallen companion, Scarlet, the hysterical Mog, and the stunned prisoner. There was no sign of the troublesome cat anywhere. Where had he gone? He walked cautiously forward, continuing to scan the room.

A dark shadow fell from above and landed on his helmet. The soldier began to look up when something hard and heavy smashed onto his helmet. The soldier stiffened and dropped his rifle. The heavy object was smashed again onto his helmet and he fell to his knees. One more whack and the soldier tumbled forward to the ground. Cait jumped off the soldier's shoulders as he fell, spinning his microphone—actually his megaphone in disguise—in his hand. The cat looked at Barret and smiled.

"'Bout time Cait!" called Naruto as he easily stretched and broke the handcuffs that bound him.

Barret could only stare in wonder. Words escaped him—which, for Barret, was quite a first. Of all the people to rescue him, he had never thought it would be this mechanical feline. And Naruto knew this whole time! He tried to speak, but all he could do was open and close his mouth voicelessly. As he stood there, Cait climbed back onto his Mog and calmed it down before bounding over to stand behind Barret.

"I'm here to help!" said the cat. Leaning over, he used his sharp claws to unlock Barret's handcuffs and restraints. The chains fell to the floor.

Barret found his words at last. "Why you……? Ain't you part of Shinra?"

Cait scratched his head nervously. "Let's just say I'm against capital punishment. Besides…" he added, nodding his head toward the sleeping Scarlet, "I hate this broad. Come on, we gotta help Tifa. I'll keep watch at the entrance."

While Cait hopped over to the entrance, Barret ran quickly to the gas chamber doors, nearly running over Scarlet as she lay sprawled on the press room floor. Barret grabbed the door handle and pulled on it. To his surprise the door did not budge, nor did it even rattle. He pulled again, harder, but still nothing. He tugged hard and shook the handle. Nothing.

"It won't open!"

"Let me try," said Naruto as he pulled with all his might. Still the door would not budge. He tried a Rasengan against it but still the door held fast. "That's some damn door!" he exclaimed as he kicked it in anger.

"It's Weapon."

"There have been so many attacks lately. Can we handle it?"

"I believe so. Your orders?"

Rufus turned his gaze to look through the giant glass wall that was the front of Junon Shinra HQ. Beyond the wall was the sea, calm and tranquil, its colour tinted to reflect the deep orange hue that had taken over the sky since Meteor's summoning. The ocean waters seemed still with barely a ripple, giving no trace at all of Weapon's presence. But appearances were deceiving. Weapon was beneath the surface, Rufus knew. A smile tugged at his lips as he looked upon the water.

"No need to ask," was all he said.

Beside him, Heidegger grinned. "We'll give it a shot from our big cannon," he said, and turned to face the three sailors who were standing nervously behind him. As he turned the sailors stood at attention, awaiting their orders. "Open cannon doors!" Heidegger roared, making them jump. "Activate cannon. Target: Weapon!!"

At his command the sailors nodded and ran from the control room, bellowing out the orders to all those who could hear. The words spread quickly all through the room and the rest of the building. Pretty soon the main headquarters was alive with bustle and activity as employees typed furiously into their consoles, shouting commands and confirming actions as they completed them. Satisfied everything was in order, Heidegger turned back to Rufus, who was watching the events through the window.

Outside, Junon was preparing for the imminent attack. The upper town had been evacuated, leaving only Shinra soldiers who ran around preparing the city's defences. Metal plates as thick as trees rose in front of the buildings on the road facing the docks. Giant hooks held the plates in place, securing the buildings against any heavy attack. This defence would hopefully hold against Weapon.

A segment of the main road dipped and was pulled back to slide underneath one of the buildings. The resulting gap contained a hidden cannon, another one of the city's defences, which rose up from beneath to stand in its place. The cannon was pushed to its full height, settling over the road. The long metal barrel swivelled and twisted this way and that before finally settling on the ocean ahead.

The cannon seemed just a mere toy when compared to Junon's main weapon. Another cannon, it was built into the front of the Shinra HQ and made up the majority of Junon's upper levels, almost matching it in size. The powerful steel pistons that held the cannon up heaved and groaned as they strained to push the cannon up and turn so that it faced the ocean. Switches that lined the cannon's side flicked down, marking the cannon as active and ready for battle. The two giant pistons that held up the barrel groaned and released gusts of piping hot steam into the air as they lowered the colossus barrel so that it pointed into the waters ahead.

Junon was ready for battle.

"Preparations complete!" a sailor announced, running to Heidegger.

The man nodded. He did not turn but stood alongside Rufus, glancing at the young president's face to see what his orders were. Rufus's eyes were fixed on the ocean, his lips set in a thin line. A slight nod was all he gave. Heidegger raised his arm. "The cannon… Fire---!!" he shouted, and brought down his arm as the signal to fire.

The cannon fired. The shock caused the cannon to jerk backward so violently it made the entire upper section of Junon shake as though an earthquake had gone off beneath. Black smoke and red flame poured from the cannon's mouth.

The projectile, burning hot and imbued with the power of mako energy, shot rapidly through the air toward the ocean. It moved swiftly, at a steady downward angle, not once wavering or faltering from its course. A long tail of pure mako, so hot it burned white, blazed behind it, leaving a sparkling trail in its wake.

The projectile headed far into the horizon before finally hitting the water.

A loud explosion shook the ocean. A shockwave, causing by the crushing impact of the projectile, spread out across the waters. It was followed just seconds later by a second shockwave, this one in the water itself, spreading out from the point of impact and deep into the ocean. The waters it left behind were flat, without any ripple or swell. It was as though the entire ocean had been flattened where the projectile had hit. After a few tense moments the waters eased, and life returned to it, waves rippling gently beneath the scorched surface.

In the Junon control room it was as though time had come to a stop. All movement ceased as everyone's attention turned to the sea. The computers were silent, their workers abandoning their work to look up and stare through the window. Rufus and Heidegger stood side by side in silence, not saying a word to one another but simply gazing at the ocean before them.

On Junon docks, all was the same. The Shinra soldiers stationed to the docks had ceased all movement. They did not twitch nor turn. They barely even breathed, so focused were they on looking ahead. More than a hundred pairs of eyes stared hard at the ocean waters, waiting for some sign of Weapon's presence. But the ocean remained still, its waters silent and unrevealing.

After what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds tense silence, Rufus looked to Heidegger. "Did we get 'em?" he asked, his voice loud in the eerie silence.

Slowly and unsurely, Heidegger nodded. "Seems so…" he whispered. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the sirens sounded, so suddenly and so loudly that it made him and everyone else in the control room jump out of their skins. The workers leaped back to their computers, throwing on headsets and typing furiously.

"Weapon approaching!" the alarm announced.

"Speed, 50 knots!" called one of the sailors from his console.

"It's heading right toward us!" shouted another.

"It can't be!" said Heidegger, shaking his large head in disbelief. "We hit it dead on!"

Rufus said nothing. When the siren sounded he had turned his attention back to the window, looking out at the ocean before him. He knew Heidegger was wrong. It could be that Weapon had survived the blast from the mako cannon. Though he knew very little about Weapon and what it was, he knew enough to know that it was a beast that would not be destroyed easily. Even as he looked at the ocean now, he could see the far-off ripples that were the telling signs of something large moving beneath the surface. He turned to Heidegger. "How about the cannon?" he asked.

"It'll take time to reload," said Heidegger reproachfully.

"Then use regular firepower in the meantime!" Rufus commanded irritably, turning back to the window.

Heidegger nodded. "Yes sir!" He spun to face the soldiers and sailors who had gathered behind him. "Open all artillery doors!" he bellowed, his voice booming even over the deafening roar of the siren. "Target: Weapon! Don't let it land!"

Beneath the ocean's surface Weapon swam, its gargantuan body barely visible through the rippling water. The ocean's waters swelled above it like a protective mound, and the lash of its tail created a long line of bubbling white froth that wavered and flickered in its wake.

With a sudden surge Weapon rose and broke the surface. Its appearance caused the mound of water flowing over its body to split open, sending showers of large and small water droplets to fall through the air and splash back into the sea. Fins the size of a ship's sails rose and stretched up. Sunlight fell on blue-purple skin that was almost metallic in appearance. The large body of Weapon settled heavily on the water and continued to swim toward Junon.

Seeing Weapon rise, the commanders on Junon's docks gave the order for the cannons to fire. The soldiers standing on the docks looked up as the cannons above them opened fire. The firings of the cannons made the ground shake beneath their feet and their helmets rattle on their heads. Three rows of cannons either side of the main opened fire upon the approaching Weapon. Pretty soon the town was filled with the sight of fire and the deafening roar of the cannons. But each soldier held his ground, holding fast to their weapons and awaiting their orders.

The cannon-fire appeared to be doing little damage. Weapon continued to approach, even as the red-hot cannon pellets struck its body. The majority of the pellets struck the water around Weapon, hitting around it, in front of it, and even behind it. The pellets made the water a churning mass of bubbles and spray, which only served to shield Weapon further from their attack. Those that did hit their target did nothing to slow it down, exploding on its surface and barely even scratching it. Instead it seemed to swim faster, preparing to make its final approach.

Rufus stared in open-mouthed astonishment as he saw Weapon break through the cannon-fire and continue to advance. Even with all Junon's immense firepower raining down on it, the beast—if that's what it truly was—was still heading toward them. The Shinra president did not wait to marvel at this, for he was already running from the control room, with Heidegger running close behind him. Only the Shinra employees remained, shouting out even as their commanders fled the chamber.

"Speed, 70 knots!" one sailor called. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Weapon!! Closing in!!" shouted another.

"No good!!" cried a last one, pointing to the window. "It's attacking!!"

The cannons of the upper levels continued to fire. At the forefront of Junon's defences, a long line of soldiers stood on the main road, anxiously waiting for the signal to fire. One by one they looked to their commander. The commander, seeing the approaching wall of water that was Weapon's shield, raised his arm and barked out that the soldiers prepare to fire. At once the soldiers sank to their knees, raising the heavy guns and resting them on their shoulders.

The commander waited until the last soldier heard the order and was ready to fire, before shouting out another command. The soldiers then opened fire, firing at will.

The bullets from the bazookas joined the endless volley of cannon-fire, whistling in the air before exploding against the wall of water that bubbled around Weapon as it swam forward. It was a futile effort, for the bullets had as little effect as the more powerful cannon-fire that detonated on Weapon's diamond-hard surface.

Despite the shower of bullets and flame, Weapon continued to surge effortlessly through the water. Only its back and its raised fins were visible through the frothing waters, for it had ducked its head beneath the surface to protect itself against the cannon-fire.

As Weapon drew closer and closer, it became clear to the attacking soldiers that Weapon was not going to slow down or stop, but ram into Junon with the intention of crushing the cannons and stopping the assault.

The soldiers waiting on the lower levels, after seeing that Weapon was not going to be stopped, dropped their weapons and fled from the shore. One young soldier was too afraid to run with his comrades and simply dropped to the ground, hiding his face in the dirt as Weapon's shadow loomed over him.

Weapon rose up and slammed into the town. The impact caused the whole town to shake and tremble beneath its ginormous bulk. A giant wave of water fell onto the lower levels, filling the streets with water that swept through the town at an alarming rate. Spray fell over the upper levels and onto the soldiers, who were on their knees and trying to keep from being swept off the road and into the ocean below as the town trembled around them. All they could see before them was Weapon's great back as the beast, after slamming into the town, curled its body up and rolled back under the ocean. The last they saw of the beast was its main fin and tail in the air, the tail swaying as it sank beneath the water and out of sight.