The Highwind
A slim and muscular figure with blond and spikey hair he was, a blueish hue shimmering in his eyes, a remainder of exposure to mako - something every SOLDIER was exposed to in order to increase strength, agility and the ability to endure. It was a tradeoff, as everyone who underwent those procedures had to deal with a degree of declining health in the long term. Then, Mako as it was called, was a substance found below the planetary surface, used to be extracted by some for profit (which created a planetary crisis not so long ago) and others considering it to be something to be left alone and studied at best. So our figure stood there, in silence, arms crossed. His eyes blinked and his head bowed upwards, looking through an oval shaped and broken window, where some sharp glass fragments remained on.
Cloud Strife looked up to the stars on the clear night sky, from the former bridge of the airship Highwind. Nature obviously had taken over this place, as some plants were growing out of the moss on the now dark consoles next to the steering wheel. He glanced over the growth and smiled. Four years ago, the airship had crashed hard here, after the engines suddenly failed and sent the ship into a downwards spiral and making a hard landing in the shallow water of a bog.
"You and the guys really did all they could to get us down safely, back then", he said with a contemplating voice. "Its a shame she will never fly again."
Cid Highwind, a tall figure with blond hair, a lazy shave and wearing an old blue jacket, stepped up next to him and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, i am always thinking about it. Can still hear the shouts, the alarms and everyone being thrown around here. Ah, we thought about fixing her, so we were able to recover some parts of the fuselage and all the engines. We have put them in storage and tasked out some work on the frame, but the Republic has other problems now as to think about building a new intercontinental airship." A sigh, before he continued. "When all the reactors went down, it was a cold awakening for many."
He shrugged his shoulders and took looked at his watch, before he continued. "Its good to be here. Altough, no pressure, but its quite a trip back to Cosmo Canyon." He tapped the surface of a dead console and gave it an almost caring touch, smiling. "It was nice to see the old gal again. Maybe i'll see her one day taking to the skies again." Cloud unfolded his arms and nodded. "Sure. She'll fly again one day."
Cid laughed and pointed to the Bronco. "So, might be time to bust if you want to make it back for breakfast. So, get going, ... trainee!"
He squeezed himself through a duct and slid down the small hill, passing over a fence that some locals seems to have put in place - after all, the mangled remains of the wreckage still posed a certain risk, even if it was situated close to a bog that people rarely visited. Some former members of Avalanche had erected a small memorial, dedicated to everyone who died a few years ago in the incident relating to a meteor crashing down and just being stopped at the last minute by what planetologists called the lifestream together with an incantation called Holy.
"Look," Cloud pointed towards the memorial. "People even still bringing flowers here. Given all the hate we got. If you would believe some, it was us who sent the meteor."
He walked over and glanced over the small assortment. Most flowers were apparently from local gardens and brought by those living around Kalm and here in the Grasslands.
He kneeled down and picked up a few of the ones which started to rot and carried them next to some of the bushes which had started to take over the area. Since extraction of mako had stopped, plant life seemed to be more lush around here in the Grasslands - or maybe, it was just his imagination. While walking back, something that grew close to the base of the memorial catched his eye and made him smile.
"They were always her favorite. I wonder, if Marlene or Elmyra has planted them for her." He kneeled down, touched the yellow flower and continued to smile while he was contemplating some memories from the past. He hadn't felt her presence for a long time, which he somehow did in the beginning, something that was fading away with the years. Sometimes he was still feeling the loss in his gut, when her face was smiling down from the cupboard. He returned to the moment, looked at one of the delicate flowers and gave one of them a gentle stroke. He bend down, smiled and whispered: "If you can listen and have learned talking to her ... Tifa and me are alright. You are still with us, in our hearts."
He gave the bell another gentle stroke. "It was quite a piece of action we had back then and wouldn't want to miss a piece of it. Wallmarket Warriors!" He looked at the flower and stood up.
Cid gave the flowerbed a look and scratched himself behind the head. "Yeah. We had a good run back then. Wished we could've done more for her. But man...", he lowered his voice to and almost sounded like Barret. "We gave that lunatic and his Jenova a proper role call." Both laughed at the friendly imitation of a missing friend. "And think about it for a moment: From flight school to fighting some demigods, now we are talking career development."
Cloud smiled and nodded, turning his back on the small patch of flowers. Both headed back to the Bronco. Cid jumped into the pilot seat and began the prestart sequence by flipping some switches. Both engines started up and the propellers slowly began turning. Gras bend down gently under the constantly increasing airflow, when one of the flowerheads next to the memorial bobbed a bit, as if it was struck by an invisible hand. It shook itself again, when a glowing green orb, like a firefly, dropped out and hovered a second in the air. It beelined after Cloud, who was still walking around the plane and checking the landing gear. The small orb spun itself around his leg and vanished in the seam of his shirt. There it pulsated a few times more and as if it had exhausted itself, its glow fainted. Cloud shivered, as he felt a warm touch in the cool breeze of this night. He turned around and gave the wreckage one last look before settling himself down in the copilots seat, fastening his seatbelt and put on the headset. He looked over to Cid, who was still busy doing some preflight checks and making a brief announcement on the radio for any other plane around on where they are going. He listened to some chatter that came back and gave Cloud a thumbs up. "Looks like we got the airspace all for ourselfs tonight. Its just a Gelnika heading towards Junon, but it won't cross us. Next stop, Cosmo Canyon!"
He pushed the levers forward, the Bronco lifted up, turned and took to the sky. Some turbulences shook the plane while it glided through the clouds, before it settled into a gentle flight. The wind brushed the outside of the plane, while Cloud was still peering into the stars above him and some memories started to flood back, which gave him a deep inner warmth. He glanced over to Cid, who had just grabbed a bottle of water and seemed to have his own thoughts, as he was starring at the picture of an old rocket.
Pirates and seafarers of the old times called the early hours of the day the nautical twilight. Stars would slowly fade away during that time, with an every growing sliver of red on the horizon, heralding the beginning of a new day. The Bronco was in the air for hours, and it was a rather uneventful flight. Cloud stretched himself, studied again the electronic map to his right. It confirmed the Bronco still on correct course. They had passed the ocean with some tailwind, the jungles of Gongaga were left behind and the landscape changed from jungle into barren plateaus and deep canyons. The lights of Cosmo Canyon came in sight, situated on a plateau between two chasms. It was the home of planetologists and those who wanted to learn from them, curious visitors and tourists, and also those who like to seek a drink and a place at a bar. In short, its a place where you would find all kinds of people.
"Enough adventure for a lifetime", Cloud thought when looking at this place. The barely illuminated airstrip came in sight. "See anything?" Cid asked while going in a wide circle around the airfield. Cloud shook his head, after glancing over the dark and empty airstrip. "Thank you for flying Bronco Airlines" he grinned when the plane hit the rocky strip and came to a halt. Cloud unbelted himself, grabbed his backpack and climbed out of the plane. "It was nice seeing you again, Cid." This earned him a broad smile. "Yeah, time to hang around is short those days. Anyways, time for me to head home. Give me a shout if you need a lift or want to help with some shipments again. Can always use an extra hand." He gave a thumbs up. "And best regards to Tifa. Maybe i'll pop in those days for a drink." Cloud nodded, then grabbed and held his hand briefly, before jumping out of the plane. Behind him, the door closed and the Bronco rolled back to the airfield. Half a minute later, it ascended into the sky. The sound of the engines turned into a whisper, then Cloud was alone. He shouldered his bag and began his walk back to Cosmo Canyon, where Tifa was probably was getting up, ready to meet with the Calisthenics Group she had set up. While he was walking down the dusty airstrip, with the early dawn above him, the feeling of inner warmth grew stronger again, together with a hint of nostalgia. His feet started to carry him automatically towards Cosmo Canyon while still being lost in some thoughts, which somehow derailed towards his final confrontation with Sephiroth. "Sword without scratches, after all those beats" he thought, as he remembered the warm touch of one hand dragging him, then another, the one of Tifa. "Kweh!" He turned his head, and as far as a Chocobo can express displeasure, she looked at him without much pleasure. Cloud grabbed into his bag and threw some greens, which earned him a slightly happier response. He ruffled the feathers at her neck and smiled when he felt his Chocobo rubbing against his hand. "We will come back tomorrow morning. We got some work cut out for us."
Tifa had indeed already started the day. She had just jumped out of her hammock in the small house they occupied. It wasn't much, but something to call home. A living area with a kitchen and space to hang around, a bedroom with a hammock large enough for a couple and terraced balcony with a stunning view over the vale. She gave it a look and saw Nanaki dozing next to the observatory tower. He didn't move yet, but would soon, as he always took part in the morning excercise. Cloud was also supposed to come back today, so she took the gear with the datapad and the Mako Detector. While she was running the local version of the Seventh Heaven's Pub, there was also some work for the planetologists to be done. Part of that work would be to monitor the Mako Springs here around Cosmo Canyon. During the past years, their strength had increased, but it varied. The recovery of the lifestream was the subject of current interest here, but access to all the springs remained dangerous. Aggressive fauna was still emerging and posing a threat to travelers. This meant, that there were always requests for patrols along the common routes which visitors and pilgrims took to check if there was something in the sand that needed to be taken care of. "And plenty of work for the both of us."