The clashing of blades filled the air as Cloud and I fought, our eyes locked on each other. We circled one another warily in the middle of a large, grassy field just outside Rocket Town a day after making our way off Mt. Nibel. Sweat poured off our bodies as we spun and slashed, and my heart was pounding in my chest. But I felt good.
While the others had gone into town to have a look around, Cloud and I had come out here to do a little sparring. It was a nice day, warm for late winter, and the afternoon sun shone brightly overhead. I wasn't using any of my suit's abilities, and we had both put our materia aside. It was just us and our own skills and resourcefulness.
After I'd first joined Cloud and the others on this journey, I'd asked him to help me keep up my training. I'd learned a lot from Kunsel back in Wall Market while preparing for the tournament, but I wanted to get even better and not lose all the progress I'd made. Cloud had agreed, so we'd sparred together whenever we could during our journey. He was a great teacher, always patient but pushing me hard so I'd go farther, and I knew it was because of him that I was growing so much as a fighter. If I was gonna stop Jenova, I had to be the best I could.
"Keep at it, Jessie," Cloud said, blocking a low backhand slash with Buster as he deflected a high jab from my other blaze talon with Force Stealer. "Always think at least ten steps ahead. Know what you're gonna do before you do it. And watch your surroundings."
"Words to live by!" I flashed him a grin as I spun away and quickly cut at him again from the other side.
Cloud was just as fast, though, easily parrying the blow and slicing at me at the same time. I barely got my other talon up in time to block. And so it went, both of us trying to get past one another's defenses and both of us keeping the other out. As strong as Cloud was, it wasn't easy for me to keep deflecting his heavy blows, but somehow I managed as I darted around him in the grassy field. I swept my blaze talons across in a tight forward arc, one high and one low only for Cloud to whip Force Stealer around in an instant and knock them aside.
Then he lightly tapped Buster's blunt edge against my side before I could recover. "Too slow, Jessie. Keep trying."
"Thought I was," I panted, falling back a few steps.
"You're faster than this," Cloud's baby blue eyes met my cinnamon browns. "Don't think you are. Know you are."
I readied my weapons. "Yeah. I can do this."
"Then stop trying to hit me and hit me," he replied.
"If you insist," I fired back.
Then I rushed at him, eager to meet his challenge. My blaze talons flashed, their orange glow bright in the afternoon sun, and I slashed at him again and again, spinning and ducking and dodging and switching back and forth between high and low strikes. But I must've been a little too eager because he blocked every one and then sent me staggering to the ground with the flat of Force Stealer's purple blade. As I rolled over onto my back, I found Buster hovering over my heart.
"Better," Cloud quipped. "But you're still dead."
I panted for breath. "Damn... got ahead of myself, I guess."
He nodded. "Fight with your head, not your heart."
"Right," I agreed. He relaxed and backed up as I got to my feet and moved into position. "Ready for more, SOLDIER boy?"
"Bring it," Cloud beckoned to me.
I attacked more cautiously this time as an idea formed in my mind. There was no way I could overpower Cloud—he was simply too strong for me to do that—so I knew that I'd have to be a little unconventional to beat him. As we circled each other and fought, our weapons clashing against one another, I kept moving until the sun was at my back. Then I gave Cloud an opening. He took it just as I'd known he would, Buster coming in low to slap lightly against my forearm.
Although it only stung a little, I gasped, winced in more pain than I actually felt, and doubled over as I dropped my weapon and fell back a few steps. I held my arm where he'd whacked it and readied myself to move. And sure enough, Cloud bought my little performance. His eyes went wide, and he rushed over, dropping own weapons in the process. So sweet, so worried for me, and so vulnerable.
"Jessie!" Cloud hurried to my side. "I'm so sorry! I—"
As soon as he was close enough, I sprang into action, dropping the act and hitting him with a high spinning kick to the chest that sent him flying backward. And then, not wasting a second, I dove into a forward roll, grabbed my fallen weapon, lit it, and pounced on Cloud before he could even get up. He just lay there on his back, stunned, looking up at me with both of my blaze talons crossed over his neck.
I flashed him a cheeky grin. "Psych!"
"What...?" he stared at me in disbelief. "A trick?"
"Gotcha!" I winked.
Cloud chuckled. "You're one hell of an actress, Jessie. I thought you really were hurt. You must've been a legend on stage."
"Aw, thanks," I laughed. "Do I win?"
He nodded. "Yeah. This time. But you still tricked me."
I switched off my weapons and gave him a steamy smile. "Bet I can make it up to you, though. If you let me."
"What did you have in mind?" Cloud asked.
Putting my talons back in their holsters as I kept straddling him, I leaned forward, laid my hands on his shoulders, and lightly pressed my lips against his. Cloud responded nicely, wrapping his arms around my waist. It felt wonderful to be so close again, and for a moment, he and I just laid there together, sharing soft, tender kisses.
"How was that?" I giggled when we finally came up for air.
He smiled faintly. "You're forgiven."
I laid contentedly in his arms. "Music to my ears."
"So, are we... back?" he wondered.
"Soon, Cloud," I assured him. "Just a little longer. I wasn't trying to tease you just now, by the way. More like give you a little something to tide you over. And me. I promise we'll get there."
Cloud caressed my cheek. "Our date?"
"Yeah," I sighed longingly at his touch. Then I whispered in his ear. "And that night, you can have me all you want."
"Don't plan on getting much sleep, then," he quipped.
I wasn't. "You either, SOLDIER boy."
I hadn't forgotten for a moment about what was happening to me, about the transformation I was slowly going through, but I didn't want to keep Cloud away, either. I needed him. His strength and care helped me hold onto myself and keep the dark, malicious edge hovering in the back of my mind at bay. He was my anchor, keeping me sane even if he didn't even know he was doing it. I didn't plan on telling him about all I'd learned about myself in the dream, though, not yet. There would be time for that later. Our date would be a night just for us.
"Hey, guys!" Tifa's voice called to us. "We found—oh, my..."
I looked to my left and saw her staring wide-eyed at us, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Hi, Tifa! How's it going?"
She blinked. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's fine," I grinned. "We were just snuggling."
Cloud face went a little pink. "I, uh..."
Yuffie just rolled her eyes as she stood there with Tifa and Vincent. "Yeesh! Grownups! The things you guys do..."
"We, uh... we were training," Cloud tried to explain.
"With your tongues?" she teased.
I laughed as I finally got off Cloud and stood up. "Well, things did get a little heated after our sparring session..."
Tifa smirked. "More than a little, by my guess."
"So, what did you find out?" Cloud cleared his throat and got up in a hurry. "Is there a pilot who can fly us back south to meet up with the others? We've gotta get the keystone before Shinra does."
She nodded. "Apparently the one to talk to is someone people here call the Captain. He was a test pilot for Shinra before they canceled the space program. Something about a failed launch."
"That would explain the rocket," he pointed past us.
We all looked at it, just as we'd done when we'd first gotten in sight of the town that morning. It towered over the area from where it sat on the launchpad at the northern end. But instead of standing up straight, the rocket leaned precariously to the right, its metal hull rusting in the sun. Definitely a launch that hadn't gotten off the ground.
Yuffie shuddered. "Looks like it's gonna fall over any second."
"I wonder what happened?" Tifa murmured.
"We won't find out standing here," Cloud shrugged. "Let's head on into town, everyone. Was there anything else?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, the Captain has his own plane. He keeps it at his house next to the airfield. Maybe we should check it out first before we talk to him and see if it works."
"Good idea," he agreed. "He might be there, too. Let's go."
We all headed back to town and found the Captain's house without much difficulty. As Tifa had said, it was sitting by the airfield. It looked nice enough, a sizable but simple home with a white picket fence and a sloping, shingled roof. Instead of going to the front door, Cloud led us quietly along the side of the house. Just behind the backyard, the fence opened out onto a small runway, and there, parked at its far end, was a sleek red airplane just big enough to hold a few passengers.
"Tiny Bronco," I read, gazing at the two tail fins.
Cloud smirked. "Pretty cool. This'll do."
Tifa pointed at the pontoons encasing the landing gear. "Looks like it can land on the water as well as the ground. That could be handy. So where's the Captain? Maybe he'll let us borrow it."
"Why not just take it?" Yuffie suggested. "He's with Shinra, and it's been too long since I've had the chance to annoy them."
Cloud shook his head. "No, Yuffie. We're not stealing it."
I nodded. "Cloud's right. How would that make us any better than Shinra if we did that? Let's find the Captain and ask him if he'll help us. Besides, I don't think any of us knows how to fly anyway."
"Can I help you?" a voice asked from behind us.
The others and I turned to see a woman maybe in her late twenties or early thirties making her way toward us across the large backyard as we stood outside the fence near the runway. She had her long, dark red hair pulled back in a high ponytail, and she wore a white lab coat over her yellow blouse and brown slacks. Her hazel eyes looked curiously at us from behind a pair of neat round glasses.
"We were just looking at the plane," Cloud explained.
"I see," she said. "Well, were you interested in chartering a flight? It wouldn't be free, of course, but the Captain's a fair man and his fees are quite reasonable. He, um... does take some getting used to, however. If you'd like to speak with him, you can find him in the rocket. He's there just about every day, actually. I'm Shera, by the way."
I smiled. "Jessie. Nice to meet ya!"
After Cloud, Tifa, and the others had introduced themselves, Shera pursed her lips in thought. "Hmm... so you're not with Shinra, then. I thought the space program was finally starting up again. The Captain's been waiting years for that. And to be honest, so have I."
My eyes suddenly widened. "Say, has he ever been to Midgar?"
"Yes, actually," Shera nodded. "It was about a year ago. He'd gotten a message from Palmer—that's the head of the space program—asking him to go there for a meeting. The Captain was all excited, but he came back very upset. Apparently, Palmer had only wanted an update on the status of the rocket and how its repairs were going."
"You know, I think I actually met him," I realized, smiling fondly at the memory. "I used to live in Midgar, you see. We crossed paths at the aviation museum in Sector 7. He noticed me admiring that huge mural of the airship, and we talked a little. He also helped me out that day, got me out of a real fix. It'll be good to see him again."
Shera chuckled. "Really? How nice! Now that you mention it... the Captain did tell me about a girl he'd met there, a fellow engineer by the sound of it. He mentioned she'd taken a look inside some of the planes there in the museum, if you know what I mean."
I grinned sheepishly. "Guilty as charged! I love taking things apart to see how they work and putting them together again."
"No harm in that, as long as it's done carefully," Shera agreed. "But anyway, the Captain's been so restless all morning because we got word that President Rufus is due to arrive tomorrow."
"Rufus!?" Cloud frowned. "What time?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Early in the afternoon. At 1:00, to be exact. It seems you have a few issues with him yourself."
Tifa nodded. "You could say that."
"I won't ask what they are," Shera said, "but you're welcome to stop by again and visit if you wish. I live here, too, and enjoy having guests. I'd best be going now, but remember, if you'd like to talk to the Captain, go see him in the rocket. It isn't far from here."
It wasn't hard to find the rocket with its four booster engines since it loomed over half the town like a rusting monument, leaning heavily against the tall metal support struts. The launchpad was just down the street past the airfield. After climbing up a high ladder, we entered the midsection of the rocket and a short stretch of corridor. Standing near a closed door a bit to our left with his back to us was the Captain. Even from this angle, I recognized him almost at once.
That same sandy hair held back by a pair of flight goggles that had a pack of cigarettes tucked snugly into the side. He wore a blue bomber jacket, brown leather gloves, khaki pants, and tough work boots. Just as I remembered. At the moment, the Captain was working intently on an open panel in the bulkhead by the door and hadn't heard us come in at first. But then he paused, looked up, and turned around.
"Eh?" he blinked. "What are y'all doin' here?"
I grinned. "Hey there! Been a long time, Captain! Remember me? I was at the aviation museum in Midgar a year ago, same as you. We met there and talked about that awesome airship of yours."
The Captain rubbed his chin. "Hmm... a year ago, you say? I don't think I... hang on a sec, now I recognize you! Well, whaddya know! So you finally made it way out here. Good seein' ya again. Never did catch your name, though. As for me, I'm Cid. Cid Highwind!"
"Jessie Rasberry!" I shook his hand.
Cloud introduced himself and the others. "Cloud Strife. That's Tifa Lockhart, Yuffie Kisaragi, and Vincent Valentine. We were hoping you could fly us south in that plane of yours so we can link up with the rest of our friends. Shera told us we'd find you here."
Cid nodded. "I expect she did. As for the flight, no can do. If it had been any other day, I might've been able to help ya. But with President Rufus comin' here tomorrow, I ain't goin' nowhere. He's young and still has a head full of dreams. Just what we need! New blood and all that. I bet he's gonna restart the space program! Gotta be!"
I had my doubts about that but kept them to myself. "I hope you're right, Cid. Can you tell us about the rocket?"
"Sure thing," he said. "You're pretty sharp, Jessie. So anyway, during the war with Wutai, Shinra developed a lot of advanced technology. It's a mako company these days, but back then they focused on weapons. It was around that time that they built a rocket engine. I can't tell ya how exciting it was! I mean, outer space, right? Goin' way up there an' seein' the great big black with all them shinin' stars..."
"You know, since leaving Midgar and really seeing the open sky for the first time since I was a kid, I've wondered sometimes what it might be like to actually go up there," I said softly.
Cid smiled. "Ain't nothin' like it, I can tell ya. Been my dream to go my whole life. We were all so excited at the thought of it, and as Shinra put more and more money into the project, more prototypes got made. I heard one malfunctioned and crash landed somewhere in the Midgar slums. Some glitch with the guidance system."
Cloud raised his eyebrows. "So that's how that rocket wound up in Aerith's old church. I've always wondered about it."
"We'll have to tell her when we see her again," Tifa nodded.
"Yeah," he agreed. Then he looked at Cid. "Go on. What happened after that? This rocket got made sometime later?"
Cid nodded. "That's right. Shinra No. 26. Once it was done, Shinra picked their best pilot—that'd be yours truly, of course—to fly her into space. So we finally get to the day of the launch. Everythin' was comin' together, and our dreams were about to come true..."
"Obviously things didn't work out," Vincent noted.
Cid kicked the bulkhead. "No shit! It's all Shera's fault! If she hadn't acted like such a dumbass about that fuckin' oxygen tank, Shinra never would've backed out after the launch got screwed up! She's the smartest woman I know, but that day... damn! Shinra gave up space exploration after tellin' me it was the future and gettin' my hopes up!"
I frowned. "What'd she do?"
"Go ask her if you want the details," he grunted. "It ain't somethin' I like to discuss. When Shinra started to make shitloads of money from mako energy, that was it for my dreams of goin' to space. They were all just a moneymaker for those greedy bastards!"
"I'm sorry, Cid," I sighed.
He gestured around him. "Look at this thing, Jessie. I was gonna be the first man in space with it. But every day, it tilts a little more, rustin' away just like me. At this rate, I don't know which'll happen first—this rocket fallin' over or me gettin' the hell outta this town. Talkin' with the new president is my last hope. He's gotta listen..."
Cloud looked as doubtful as I felt but knew better than to say it. He changed the subject instead. "Well, since you aren't able to fly us south, could we borrow your plane and do it ourselves?"
"You outta your goddamn mind!?" Cid growled. "Tiny Bronco's my baby and the only way into the sky I've got left ever since Shinra seized my airship. I can't let you have her, no way!"
"It's alright," I assured him. "We didn't mean to upset you, Cid. But maybe there's another way you could help us. I was thinking of making a few upgrades to my gear while we're in town, and I was wondering if there's a workshop around here I could use for a few hours."
Cid scratched his stubbled chin and nodded. "Yeah. I've got myself a bunch of tools in the hangar behind Tiny Bronco. Knock yourself out, Jessie. Just put everything back when you're done."
"Will do," I promised. "Thanks!"
"Weapon upgrades?" Cloud asked once we went outside.
I nodded. "Yep! Vincent gave me the idea. This'll be great! But let's go see Shera again first. I want to know what happened with the launch that day and why Cid's still so mad at her."
"So do I," Tifa agreed.
"He's a cranky old guy, isn't he?" Yuffie quipped.
Cloud shrugged as we made our way through town. "Not that old. He doesn't look much more than thirty."
"Well, you know what I mean," she shrugged her shoulders.
Shera invited us in once we'd returned to the house, and she didn't really seem surprised when I asked her about the launch. After making us some nice sweet tea, she joined us at the kitchen table, sitting down in between me and Tifa. I didn't need to be an actress to see the subject of the launch was a hard one for her to talk about. She held tightly onto her glass to steady herself, clearly nervous.
"It's alright, Shera," Tifa assured her with a gentle smile. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to. We understand."
"Thank you, Tifa," she said. "Did Cid agree to help you?"
Cloud shook his head. "No. He doesn't want to leave with Rufus on the way here. I guess I understand, but..."
Shera nodded. "I'm not surprised. And I hope he's right about him, for both of us. But my instincts tell me this new president isn't coming here for the space program. It was all so sudden. About the launch... it was my mistake that destroyed Cid's dreams."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I was conducting a final inspection on the rocket's oxygen tanks," she explained. "Thoroughly, of course. But there wasn't much time left. Cid came down to the engine room to explain it to me and ordered me to go faster. I'd finished checking most of the tanks by then, but the last one troubled me, so I kept at it. Number eight..."
Tifa sipped her tea. "Was something wrong with it?"
"Not that I could see," Shera replied. "But I wasn't satisfied with the readings I got from it. So I ran more tests. Cid didn't think it would be a problem, but I don't like leaving things to chance. And I wanted very much to make the launch a success and help him achieve his goal. So I stayed aboard even though I was supposed to leave."
"Did Cid know?" I wondered.
She shook her head. "Not at first. I kept checking that oxygen tank even while the countdown was going on. When the alarms began to go off and he finally realized I was still on board, he pleaded with me over the intercom to get out before it was too late. The heat from the engine would've incinerated me during liftoff if I stayed. But I didn't mind. As long as Cid's flight would be successful and he would be safe, I was fine with dying. He... he means a lot to me, always has."
I thought I understood. "You love him."
"He's rough around the edges for sure, but underneath all that, he's a good man," Shera agreed, the faintest hint of a fond smile on her face. "That day, Cid used the emergency override to shut down the engines, aborting the launch to save my life. He'd never admit it, but he showed everyone what was truly important to him. I never wanted him to do it and sacrifice his dreams for me, but he did. So I don't care what people say. I'll always be there for him, just as he was for me."
We talked for a while longer, and once we'd finished our tea, I told Shera about Cid's offer to let me use his tools to upgrade my gear. With a knowing smile, she led me outside to their private hangar behind the Tiny Bronco while Cloud and the others left to get rooms at the Shildra Inn just down the street. Cid's equipment was all neatly stored, and the hangar had plenty of space. I thanked Shera and got to work, spending the next several hours carefully modding my blaze talons after making a trip to the weapon shop to pick up some materials.
Vincent's suggestion to me the other night had been for me to add gun barrels, triggers, and firing mechanisms to my blaze talons to turn them into hybrid weapons capable of easily striking at enemies both up close and at a distance with no down time between switching tactics. It was something I really liked. But instead of using bullets for the ammo, I hit on the idea of charged plasma bolts instead.
I'd studied and tested many different kinds of weapons and ammo during my Shinra days, and from experience, I knew that plasma bolts were very effective against organic targets and the thinner metals used to build most mechs. They also dissipated quickly when hitting thicker surfaces such as doors and walls instead of punching through them the way bullets typically would. And with a few modifications, the built-in power systems already on my blaze talons could provide all the energy needed to fire and recharge the new plasma guns.
It was late in the afternoon by the time I had finished and the new guns had enough power for me to test them. They didn't need physical ammo because the bolts were energy-based, and I could also adjust the power flow to vary the rate of fire and how many shots I'd get before I'd have to recharge them. Luckily for us, plasma-based guns were another project Shinra had pushed to the back burner with everything that had happened lately, which was why none of their troopers had them. They were still experimental and not ready for general use.
After carefully putting all of Cid's tools back where he'd kept them, I left the hangar with my newly upgraded weapons and returned to the weapon shop. There was an indoor firing range in the back behind the store where people could come and fire off a few rounds at the hanging targets that had been set up in a long row. When I walked in, I spotted Vincent there as well doing some practice of his own.
"Jessie," he nodded.
I smiled. "Hey, Vince! Looks like we had the same idea."
He glanced at my upgraded weapons, then at Cerberus, which was held loosely in his hand. "So it would seem."
"Yep!" I laughed. "These babies really pack a punch!"
"Show me," Vincent said.
After drawing and switching on my blaze talons, I settled carefully into position, took aim at the target, and fired the new plasma guns I'd built into them. The bright, fiery orange energy bolts flew out from the barrels in a brilliant flash, the sound of the blasts higher pitched than it would've been for metal bullets. I also noticed a slight visual distortion surrounding the bolts, probably from the intense heat of the plasma as it expanded the nearby air. They struck in and just around the bullseye seconds later, leaving only smoking holes behind.
"Impressive," Vincent remarked.
I smirked and made a sweeping little bow. "Thanks! And for giving me the idea, too. I'd never have thought of it if it wasn't for you, Vince. I could mod Cerberus for you, too, if you want."
He shook his head. "Another time, perhaps. You've worked enough for one day. Better to get used to your new weapons."
"You've got a point," I admitted. "I'll definitely need them. But you have a lot more experience with this sort of thing than I do. And I'd be crazy to pass that up. So if you've got any ideas or suggestions for how I can get even better with my guns, I'm all ears!"
"I'll show you what I can, Jessie," Vincent nodded.
So I spent another two hours at the firing range learning from him, anything he could teach me to help me improve my skills. He said little about himself, but that didn't really surprise me. Vincent wasn't all that different from Cloud, really. Just older and more experienced. He came off as cold and indifferent to those who didn't know him very well, but I could tell it was just his way. He did care, even if he didn't really say it much, and it made me glad to count him as a friend.
It was getting dark outside by the time we were finished. I still had the portable battle simulator Kunsel had gotten for me in Wall Market, and Vincent agreed to give me some advanced lessons in it later. But as we went to the inn, we didn't have any idea then that I'd have to put my new weapons to the test a lot sooner than we expected.