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Cloud has always managed to be one step ahead of death. He has fallen from great heights, faced more monsters than he can count, been impaled on the sword of the world’s greatest warrior, and survived mako poisoning twice. Death is always snapping at his heels, and he knows that, any day now, it might catch him. However, he did not expect that it would find him stuck on a rocket and launched into a meteor.
The plan had been to break in, grab the huge materia and go. Shera was fixing the autopilot, so they thought they would have time. That had gone out the window when the engines fired up unexpectedly early and Palmer’s sickly, high-pitched giggle sounded over the radio.
“They told me they fixed the autopilot, so I laaaaaunched it!” he had trilled in a sing-song voice.
That had resulted in Cid launching a string of insults into the microphone, while Cloud and Tifa scrambled for the door. But, after slamming his shoulder into unyielding metal for a third time, Cloud has to concede that they are going up with the rocket whether they like it or not.
“It’s locked for take-off,” Cid growls behind them, confirming his fears.
Cloud turns to find him mashing computer keys and muttering curses. “Can’t you disable the autopilot?”
“Whaddya think I’m tryin’ to do?!” Cid spits back.
“You’ve always wanted to go to space, haven’t you Cid? Now you get to fulfil your dream!” Palmer taunts through the speakers. “Meanwhile Shinra get to destroy Meteor and dispose of Avalanche at the same time!”
Two birds with one stone, Cloud supposes he can’t fault their logic.
Cid slams his fist down on the control panel. “GODDAMMIT! YOU SON OF A -”
“Cid!” Tifa interrupts. “Is there nothing we can do?”
“Not a damn thing! That asshole’s gone outta his way to lock the system.”
Palmer lets out another malicious giggle before singing, “Prepare for lift off!”
All three of them are knocked off their feet as the jets fire up with a deafening blast, shaking the rocket violently.
Luckily for Cid, he topples into the pilot seat behind him and manages to strap himself in. “Shit! You kids better hold onto somethin’!”
Cloud just manages to catch Tifa as she flies past him. He pulls her close, swerving so that his body cushions hers when they crash into the wall. But once the rocket is free of its supports, the force with which it hurtles upwards throws them both to the floor and pins them there. Cloud grits his teeth, it’s like being crushed under the boot of an invisible giant. He turns his head to Tifa, lying on her back beside him, eyes clamped shut in a fearful frown. Her head is cushioned by his palm, but he can’t move a muscle to comfort her.
It feels like a lifetime before the force releases them. But as soon as they leave the Planet’s atmosphere, it’s gone. Suddenly, Cloud feels as though he’s submerged in water, he cracks an eye open and flails in bewilderment upon finding himself floating inches above the floor.
“I finally made it… into outer space…” Cid whispers in awe, levitating out of his seat to touch the window above the control panel.
Tifa hesitantly pushes herself upright, her fear dispelled by wonder. But when Cloud attempts to follow her lead, he travels further than intended. Tifa catches his arm before he goes too far, and the pair bump into each other mid-air.
“S-sorry,” Cloud mumbles.
They twist around each other, flailing their limbs to get some momentum and find something to grab onto. It would be laughable, if they weren’t facing their imminent demise. Eventually, Cloud finds a handle on the wall and guides Tifa to it.
“Are you ok?” he asks, once they are both upright again.
“I think so,” she replies softly, anxiety in her large ruby eyes. “What should we do now?”
“Course is set for collision with Meteor,” Cid cuts in, “Doubt I can change it, but I’ll try.”
Tifa shakes her head sadly. “No. This rocket could destroy Meteor. Who are we to put our own lives before everyone else’s?”
Cloud stares at her long and hard. She’s right. But acknowledging that he can’t save her from this makes his heart constrict painfully in his chest.
“So… this is the end.”
“Hey, you’re too young to give up so easily!” Cid berates them. “There’s an escape pod on this rusty old can. Doubt they’ve done any maintenance on it… but it might still work...”
“Really?!” Tifa gasps, flashing a hopeful smile.
“Could have said something sooner,” Cloud grumbles. “Let’s go then.”
“What about the huge materia?” Tifa asks.
Cloud hesitates, conflicted. He just wants to get Tifa off this rocket. He’s kicking himself for even asking her on this mission, knowing the risks. But he always feels calmer with her around.
“We’ve got time, right?” she asks Cid.
“Sure, if we’re quick.”
“Ok,” Cloud agrees, “Cid, do you know where it might be?”
“It’ll be at the head of the rocket for sure. Follow me.” Cid pushes himself to a ladder at the side of the cockpit, grabs a rung and launches himself up it.
“I’ll wait here,” Tifa tells him, propelling herself gracefully over to the window, the orange glow of Meteor sweeping over her complexion.
“Ok, we won't be long,” Cloud assures her, and pushes off after Cid.
It turns out they need an authorisation code to open the vault containing the huge materia, and with Cid’s shoddy memory, it takes them a frustrating amount of time to guess the four-digit number. But they get it eventually, and Cloud pockets the heavy crystal.
He leads the way back down to the cockpit, where he’s surprised to find Tifa mid-somersault. She revolves slowly, her back an elegant arch, long hair suspended around her. Her eyes are closed, features serene.
“Space suits you,” he tells her, with the shadow of a smile.
Tifa startles, manoeuvring herself back upright quickly. She ducks her head. “Oh, um... thanks.”
Cid sighs at his back. “Let’s go, before you lovebirds make me hurl.”
Cloud cringes internally and glares at Cid’s retreating form.
They float through the cylindrical tube that is the main body of the rocket. It’s lined with pipes and dials and tanks, all looking pretty rusty and filling Cloud with concern regarding the state of their escape pod. Then a spark catches his eye, on one of the tanks ahead.
“Wait!” He grabs Tifa’s ankle and yanks her back to his side. But Cid is already next to it. The oxygen tank explodes, throwing him into the opposite wall and pinning him there.
“Cid!”
They both rush over to see a large, jagged piece of metal has cut through his shoulder into the wall behind him. Tifa hisses at the wound, and flashes concerned eyes at Cloud.
“Don’t worry ‘bout me. Get your asses in the damn escape pod!” Cid groans.
“It’s ok Cid, we’ll get you out,” Tifa assures him, before bracing her legs against the wall and preparing to pull the debris free. Cloud does the same on the other side, and they pull with all their might. But even with their combined strength, the shard barely moves.
Cid cries out in agony. “STOP! You fuckers! Damn it, that HURTS! Just leave me.”
“We’re not leaving you, Cid,” Cloud declares through clenched teeth, as they try again.
“It’s ironic really,” Cid pants, “All the crap I gave Shera, for making me abort the space launch. And now look at me! Pinned by the same tank she said was broken. All these years, I blamed her for ruining my dream...”
Tifa places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “Then let’s get you out of here, so you can apologise to her yourself.”
Cid chews on his quivering lip, glassy eyed. He nods.
“Apology accepted.”
They spin around to see Shera’s head poking out of a hatch behind them.
“Shera?! You fucking idiot! What are you still doing on here?!”
Tifa winces at his instant regression.
“I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong with the launch,” she explains, propelling herself over to them. “I was about to use the escape pod, when I realised you were all on board.”
“It still works?” Cid perks up.
“According to my calculations.”
“Then I'm sure it will.”
Shera looks shocked. “Thank you, Sir.”
He casts his eyes down shamefully. “…I’m sorry Shera…. I ain’t been fair to you.”
“It’s fine.”
“No.” He grabs her arm. “I’ve been a complete asshole. And you didn’t deserve it.”
Shera gives him a warm smile, and he returns it slowly, as though something has just dawned on him.
Tifa raises a subtle eyebrow at Cloud, making his mouth twitch into a smirk.
Shera clears her throat, awkwardly. “Right, let’s get this off you.”
With all three of them pulling on it, they manage to wrench the debris free, causing a string of profanities to tumble from Cid’s mouth. Shera tears strips from her lab coat, tying the first tightly around his shoulder, and using the other to create a makeshift sling for his arm.
“Ok, that should do until we land,” she announces, adjusting her oversized glasses. “The escape pod is this way. Please hurry!”
They follow her back to the hatch she emerged from, Cloud giving Cid a helpful push start. Inside they find a cramped spherical space, with four built in seats and a small round window opposite the hatch.
Shera occupies herself with settling Cid into a chair and strapping him in. He grumbles that he can do it himself, but his face is ashen and the protests are feeble.
Tifa heads straight for the window, gazing out with wide eyes and a slackened jaw. Starlight makes her skin luminescent and highlights her ebony locks with an ethereal glow.
“Cloud, look at this!” she whispers, “You can’t see Meteor from this one.”
He has to lean in close to share her view through the small window, but Tifa doesn’t seem to mind. He stares down at the Planet, fascinated by its relative size. It makes it seem vulnerable, floating alone amongst a vast expanse of stars, small pinpricks of light in the never-ending, all-consuming darkness.
“All those times we looked up at the stars,” Tifa utters wistfully, “Who would have thought we’d get this close?”
When he turns to smile at her, he’s shocked to find their faces mere inches apart. But he doesn’t pull back, and neither does she. There’s a magnetism in her gaze, a softness that pulls him in, the stars reflected in the ruby depths of her eyes.
“Better strap in motherfuckers, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!” Cid interrupts their trance. The pair jump away from each other, like they’ve been zapped with lighting.
Blushing furiously, Cloud pulls himself into a seat, jamming his sword behind his calves. The straps are more like a harness, and it takes him a second to work it out.
“You good?” he asks Tifa, eyeing hers to ensure she’s secure.
Tifa nods, “Yeah, I think so.”
“Ejecting escape pod,” Shera announces, typing instructions into a locking mechanism above the hatch. A siren sounds three times, and she quickly buckles in next to Cid. Then with a clunk, the pod is launched away from the main shuttle.
“I can’t believe it,” Cid murmurs, staring out the window from his seat. “I actually made it into outer space.” The corner of his mouth quirks into an awed smile.
It feels like they’re gliding through the sea of stars forever, rotating slowly, occasionally getting glimpses of Meteor, a vengeful God looming over them. Then it sounds as though another part of the pod detaches, propelling them closer to the Planet’s atmosphere. That’s when the G force kicks in. Gravity takes hold of them and, suddenly, they’re hurtling down through the sky.
“Hold on to yer hats folks!”
The pod vibrates violently. A loud crack thunders as they hit some debris, sending them spinning at a stomach-churning speed. All at once, chaos erupts around them. Cloud feels a rapid increase in temperature and is alarmed to see flames outside the window. The metalwork groans and creaks with the force, making him wonder if the structure will hold. Alarms go off, electrics spark, and the smell of smoke fills the air. He grits his teeth and tries not to retch. If he thought he’d experienced bad motion sickness before, it was nothing compared to this.
“The parachute should deploy at any moment!” Shera calls over the commotion.
“Should? Whaddya mean should?!” Cid bellows back.
“Well, we hit something. I don’t know what damage that may have done!”
That is not what Cloud wanted to hear.
A hand grabs onto his in a vice grip, and he turns to see Tifa staring at him, eyes laden with fearful resignation. It can’t end like this. Not after everything they’ve been through, everything they fought for. But these are forces beyond his control, there’s nothing he can do to protect her, nothing he can say to comfort her. So he wraps his hand around hers and holds her gaze. If he’s going to die now, he wants her face to be the last thing he sees.
With a sickening lurch, their speed slows dramatically. The parachute must have worked. But no one breathes a sigh of relief. They are still trapped in a burning pod, with electrics going haywire.
“Brace for impact!” Shera instructs.
The crash is deafening, and a huge wave erupts outside the window, as though a bomb hit the water’s surface. The pod rocks dramatically for a moment.
“We’re in the goddamn ocean?!” Cid cries.
Cloud unbuckles himself quickly. “We better get out fast!”
Tifa seems to be shell-shocked, fumbling with her fastenings to the point where Cloud pushes her hands away to help her out of them.
Meanwhile, Shera tries to release the door on the hatch, but recoils when it sparks. “The electrics have malfunctioned!”
“The window then.” Cloud grabs his sword and tries to thrust it at the reinforced glass. But he doesn’t have the space to put enough force into it.
Tifa places a hand on his arm. “Let me try.”
She moves into her fighting stance and inhales slowly, then with a cry she strikes the glass with brute force, quick and hard. She releases a pained breath and repeats, hitting the same spot consistently. Eventually, blood marks her target.
“Tifa…” Cloud protests, but she ignores him.
He’s about to intervene, unable to watch her harm herself any longer. But the glass begins to crack, and then it finally breaks open and the sea water comes flooding in.
It rushes in so quickly that it throws them all backwards, but Tifa takes the brunt of the force. Cloud tries to catch her, but he can’t stay upright in the barrage of water and she cracks her head against the metal wall.
“Tifa!” he chokes out, spitting saltwater, struggling to breathe, to regain some footing against the relentless waves crashing over his head. When he pulls her into his arms she's limp. He pushes her wet hair back from her face and shakes her gently, but she’s out cold.
“Cloud!”
He looks around wildly to see Cid and Shera have pulled themselves to the side of the window, which is already submerged. The water has become menacingly still, but it’s rising quickly, creeping over his shoulders. He starts wading over with Tifa but feels a resistance. She must be caught on something. He curses under his breath.
“Just go!” Cloud shouts back, locking eyes with Shera. “Get him out of here.”
She nods and ducks under the water to pull herself through the opening.
“You better be right behind us,” Cid shoots back. Then Shera’s hand breaks the surface, reaching back for him, and he allows her to pull him under and out of the pod.
Holding Tifa’s face above the surface, Cloud ducks down to discover that her foot is jammed into a gap where the metalwork has splintered on impact. He reaches down to tug at her calf but it’s stuck tight. He comes up for air, having to tread water to reach it, meaning that Tifa is now fully underwater.
“Shit!”
Diving back under, he swims down and frantically unties her shoelace. It doesn’t come easily, but with a bit of jiggling he finally slides her foot free. He resurfaces to the tiny pocket of remaining air, almost kissing the ceiling as he sucks it in, then he grabs Tifa and swims for the opening.
Carefully, he pulls her out of the pod and begins their ascent, kicking frantically for the surface. They have sunk so low that he is really fighting for air, forcing his burning limbs to keep moving, though they have turned to lead. When they finally break the surface, he desperately sucks in a lung full of air before frantically pulling Tifa's mouth to his ear. She's not breathing.
“Cloud, over here!” He whips around to see Shera standing on a small spit of land, with Cid sprawled on the ground at her feet. He moves to Tifa's back and hooks his arms under hers, pulling her backwards to the island, careful to avoid the parachute floating nearby.
When he reaches the rock, Shera helps him haul Tifa onto it.
Cid pushes himself up weakly. “Shit! Is she -?”
“No.” Cloud cuts him off, before bending to check her pulse. She can’t be. He won't let her. Her pulse is weak but it's there.
He begins CPR, trying to remember his training. He's only vaguely aware of Cid and Shera watching in horror, as he tries to resuscitate the most important person in the world to him.
“Tifa. Please,” he pleads between pumping her chest and filling her lungs with air. The seconds tick by so slowly. He can hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Finally, she coughs up sea water and Cloud sits back on his heels, feeling like crying with relief. She looks up at him blearily, eyes a dark burgundy. He dimly hears a cheer from Cid, a sigh of relief from Shera, but they’re muffled. All Cloud wants to listen to is Tifa’s breathing.
“Hey,” he offers softly.
“Hey,” she rasps.
“You need to stop doing this to me,” he tells her feebly.
Tifa chuckles, though it makes her cough. “Payback.”
He gives her a wry smile. Thinking about it, Tifa has probably escaped death just as often as he has, and it won't be catching either of them today.
"Outer space..." Cid murmurs, "You were worth it."
The pilot lays back in the sand, cradling his injured arm. But he smiles when the familiar hum of the Highwind approaches.
The four of them gaze up at Meteor, all their hopes now riding on the rocket they left behind.
"So long, Shinra No.26," Cid laments.
They shield their eyes as the rocket finds its target, and a bright explosion fills the sky.