Chapter 74: Chapter 72: The Northern Crater
Everybody was already in the conference room and were prepared for the meeting. "We've got an anonymous message that they are being held in a pretty major base of Deepground. It was an SOS and the sender sent it multiple times, they must have infiltrated it." Lazard showed them the the message.
"Then we should attack at once." Alexandra squinted her eyes and was impatient to destroy the place immediately. "We'll be sending everyone in in 15 minutes. The mission will be search and destroy. Rescue all the hostages and leave no survivors, do you understand?" Ramiel looked at everyone and they nodded.
"Tifa, Aerith, Cloud, Zack, you guys secure the survivors. Everyone else is on me, Alexandra and I will be locating the base first and then we will commence with the raid." Ramiel explained the plan and they prepared.
Everyone left the premise, but Alexandra stayed and looked at Ramiel. "Hopefully it's true, we need to get rid of Hojo and Deepground so we can finally have a peace of mind." Alexandra went up to him and hugged him from behind, sighing contently. Wishing that they will be able to destroy them once and for all.
"This is probably a hit, it was from an SOS that came from our side. We haven't gotten a false report about Deepground all of these years. It's highly likely that we will be able to get them." Ramiel hoped and they prepped themselves too.
After a few minutes, everyone was ready and they all looked at each other with a nod. "Ifalna, Aerith, carry everyone and we will go to the source of the message." Ramiel ordered and he flew to the skies with Alexandra.
They arrived at the approximate area where the message came from and Ramiel saw that they were at the northern crater. "So they are here at the northern crater... When we checked here. The organization might still be too small to notice." He frowned and Alexandra patted him on the back.
"It's fine, we got them now." She concentrated and looked for clues that they left. The message was still relatively recent. So they were able to find tracks of tires and footprints that led to a cave. And they looked fresh. the snow haven't covered them up yet.
The surroundings also matched with the landscapes and landmarks of the message. So the twins came back to the squad and they bent light to cloak themselves from sight. Ramiel then controlled their Makos so their energy signatures would be invisible as well.
They began infiltrating the place and started going deeper and deeper inside the place. "How deep is this place?" Aerith was surprised at how deep it was as they have already went a couple of kilometers deep.
"We're close." Alexandra could feel people now and she was tempted to just break everything. "I'll locate the place where the kidnapped people are being held. Be prepared to go ballistic, they'll notice us once I do this." Ramiel closed his eyes and sent a pulse of Mako around.
It quickly travelled through the place and he knew where the hostages were. "Everyone, just be careful about the right side of the base, tons of people are there." Ramiel informed everyone and he kicked down the blast door in front of them that was barring entrance.
Ifalna, Vincent, and Aerith quickly cleared out everyone in the room with magic and bullets. Dispatching the enemies with efficiency and speed. They were elite spec-op soldiers by now after all.
"Don't throw out fire spells in this place. We'll compromise the integrity of the base." Vincent warned them and they started to spread out. The teens and Ifalna went to the west wing of the place while the others cleared out everything else.
Alarms started blaring, the intruders getting detected by the facility. "Come on kids, let's go!" Ifalna hurried the teens. Deepground might do something to the hostages and one of their main objectives might get compromised.
"Cloud! Zack! Take care of the walls!" Tifa ordered, she had the most physical strength out of them, but she can't just bust through all of them. Concerned about the integrity and foundation of the base.
The two nodded and they began Slicing through the metal walls like butter with impeccable timing. Heading in first, slashing the obstacles in a way that they won't get snagged and be bogged down.
After tearing down through dozens of metal walls. They saw the people that were stored and some inside capsules. Signs of mutations on them. Yuffie was one of them, the exceptional specimens with great potential were being experimented on while the others would be sacrifice to trick the planet and get Omega.
Yuffie was about to get augmented with unspeakable horrors, but the gang's immediate response saved her from that fate and Tifa noticed her. "Y-Yuffie!?" Tifa went wide eyed and the others knew the tomboy daughter of Godo that's skilled in her ninja ways.
"Let's break them out of here immediately!" Zack started rounding them up while the others stood guard. After a few minutes, Azul who was responsible for the kidnapping operations appeared and was bulkier now.
"Tch, so you've found us?" Azul prepared to enter his mutated form that was like Vincent's, but it was a little different. He started calling for reinforcements and they were in a standoff.
"Zack, you're the one who deals the least collateral damage. Go in and take care of that guy's ugly mug." Aerith hissed as she remembered that the Tsviets ambushed Ifalna and Vincent.
Zack nodded and he fired up his swords with magic. "Hmph, what is that pipsqueak gonna do?" Azul looked at Zack that had a slim body like Cloud. Having a swimmer's physique. "I'll show you what you'll get bub."
His swords started heating up and the room's temperature began to increase, almost blistering. Ifalna tapped her staff on the floor and covered their front with ice. "Come on kids, we need to get them out of here. Aerith, go and levitate them to safety. I'll stay here if they need support."
The hostages were bunched up like sardines as Aerith lifted her staff and gestured for them to fly. She was escorted by Cloud and they began moving out of the base.
Azul gritted his teeth and was frustrated that they were able to escape with all his hard work. But he can't do anything with Zack in front of him, eyeing him like a hawk. He began firing his massive artillery gun on him, but with a swing of Zack's sword, the ammunition melted and dropped down on the ground as molten slag.
"That won't work on me man. How about you use that brawn of yours meathead. Fight like how you look like." Zack taunted him and Azul growled. He transformed his hands into clawed hands that had fur on them. Showing great control of his mutations from Hojo's experiment.
"You'll regret your words kid!" Azul coated his arms with fire as well, protecting his clawed hands that were bigger now. He threw a punch at Zack's head, intent on tearing his head off his shoulders. The puppy dodged by bending backwards and kicked Azul's arm upwards, staggering him.
"What!?" Azul didn't expect Zack's amazing flexibility that Ramiel and Alexandra trained everyone to do. Zack didn't hesitate on the opening and stabbed his two swords at his chest. Azul reeled in his shock and was able to block with his other hand. Though he cried out in pain as the swords pierced his magic and arm easily.
The blood in his hand boiled intensely and Zack smirked, a steam explosion occurred inside of Azul's arm and it exploded into a bloody pulp. "Argh!" Azul screamed in pain as he backed off. Glaring at Zack who was looking down on him.
"You! YOU'LL REGRET THIS!" Azul began leaking a lot of Mako and regenerated. Blue fur began growing on his body and his physique ballooned. Growing larger and larger by the second. "What are you doing Zack? Finish him off, we don't wait for people to transform here." Tifa squinted her eyes at Zack who was watching.
Ifalna nodded and gave a thumbs up to Tifa. Zack pointed his swords on the top of his head and spun like a top. He manipulated wind to make him go even faster and he looked like a black drill with a burning drillbit.
Zack lunged at Azul as the ground melted and got torn by the vacuum blades he emitted while spinning. The large man who turned into a giant wolf howled and a thick barrier appeared in front of him. His specialty was brute strength and defense after all.
Azul's barrier and Zack clashed against each other, destroying the room with shockwaves and stray magic. Zack's immense control and compound magic rapidly pierced the barrier and Azul was forced to dodge. He growled at Zack and cursed inside his mind, thinking that he was in deep trouble.
"Wow, your shield is pretty solid. But can it block this?" He reinforced his legs and was like a speed demon. Immediately arriving at the wolf's back, he slashed Azul's tendons on the back legs and the wolf cried out.
Zack tore through all of his major tendons and the large beast fell down on the ground. Waiting to regenerate his wounds. "You should be able to walk the talk bub." Zack looked at his eyes and raised his sword to decapitate him.
A gunshot was heard and Zack dodged, Rosso. The red themed Tsviet with conjoined blades appeared and clicked her tongue. "Zack, kill him. I'll deal with this woman who's wearing a fancy nappy." Tifa looked at Rosso's exposed abdomen and upper thighs that were begging to be stabbed or something.
Rosso glared at Tifa. "I'll slice off those huge tits of yours girl!" She lunged at Tifa who was pissed. She was proud of the body that she honed after all. Tifa put her glaive in her hand and blocked the quick attacks.
Zack shook his head and was sure that the woman was dead meat. "Man, your friend is stupid. Tifa works on her training and bodybuilding to the limit. Saying she has to compete or something. Don't worry though, she'll be having a companion." Zack stabbed his sword on Azul's head who hasn't completely regenerated and his head exploded.
"Ew, damn. I think some brains hit me on the face. I should've raised a barrier." Zack wiped his face off immediately and went to Ifalna who was watching Tifa's battle.
Tifa calculated the woman's every move and parried her blades easily. Studying her enemy and dismantling their fighting style in her head simultaneously. But she had enough and thought that her movement was too unrefined and lacking.
"You will not give me satisfaction in this fight. I thought the Tsviets would be challenging." Tifa sighed and Rosso got even angrier. She danced around with her blade and released an onslaught of slashes at Tifa who began redirecting them with her bare hand. Not even using her gauntlets and greaves.
"Why!? Why can't I hit you!?" Rosso gritted her teeth and was getting more and more desperate. Seeing Azul die, she was sure that they could take care of her if Zack and Ifalna chimes in on the fight.
"Because you are weak, you lack motivation." Tifa caught her blade between two fingers and Rosso couldn't take it back. She then realized that the girl in front of her was drastically stronger than her. Tifa grasped the handle in the middle and yanked her. She then punched Rosso in the midsection, blowing a hole through her.
Rosso coughed up blood and Tifa dodged it, looking at her blood with disdain. "I should be massaging Ramiel-nii right now to make him relax, but you guys just had to butt in. Thank you though, I will have more time to spend with him when we're done with you." Tifa kicked her on the chest.
Zack and Ifalna winced, hearing her chest cave in with an audible crack as the woman slumped down on a wall after leaving an imprint on it. They noticed that Tifa was in a foul mood. "L-let's go?" Zack got nervous, seeing her glowing red eyes just like Alexandra's.
"Ah, yeah. Let's help Aerith and Cloud." Tifa calmed down, toning down her focus.
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The twins and their team went deeper into the lair of Hojo and Ramiel stopped in front of a metal door. Sensing the Mako of Hojo that was inside. "He's right in there." He squinted his eyes and Alexandra swung her sword to cut down the door.
She raised a brow when a barrier blocked the initial strike that was pretty weak for Alexandra's standard. "I guess I'll hit a bit harder then." Alexandra swung harder and the doors slid down. A clean diagonal cut appearing on it as the two halves separated.
"My, my. It seems I have a visitor?" Hojo smirked at them and wasn't nervous at all, making Ramiel suspicious. So he raised his hand quickly and stopped Hojo from moving even a millimeter with his telekinesis.
"You've been a pain in our ass for too long Hojo, any last words?" Ramiel squinted his eyes. "Yes of course~ I would like to take you with me." The scientist laughed and a countdown appeared on the monitor of his computer of 1 second. 'BARRIER!' Ramiel sent a telepathic message to the rescue team and they used all they could immediately to protect everyone.
The superhumans frowned and immediately created a barrier. The facility exploded instantly, consumed by devastating explosions. The cave system and underground based collapsed, burying everyone in tons of rubble.
Ramiel and Alexandra quickly went to the rescue team and they busted themselves out of the underground base.
"Damn, that was expected. But I would've thought that he wouldn't accept his death that easily and tried to monologue like a crazy bitch." Vincent commented and sighed.
"At least we saved everyone inside. There are thousands of people." Ramiel looked at the hostages and did a quick count. He then saw Yuffie who was being tended to by Tifa. He furrowed his brows and immediately went to the pre-teen.
"Yuffie, you alright? What the hell are you doing here?" It then clicked into his mind, Yuffie would never get kidnapped by Deepground. She was in Wutai that is impenetrable. "Y-you damned reckless kid." Ramiel pinched her cheeks and stretched them,
"Owsh! Thath hurtsh!" Yuffie tried prying his hands off, but she couldn't of course. "This stupid girl, she was the one who messaged us." Ramiel sighed, but he couldn't help to gave a small smile at Yuffie's successful ninja mission to infiltrate them.
Yuffie rubbed her cheeks, she then gave a peace sign when she saw him smile a bit. "Hehe~ aren't I amazing?" Yuffie gave a wide grin and thought that she must be the most successful ninja in Wutai. Aiding them in bringing down a major base.
"Amazing, yeah. But you're getting grounded in Wutai for this." Alexandra flicked her on the forehead and Yuffie's head bounced backward from the force and she immediately rolled on the ground, clutching her forehead.
"Come on, let's return to Midgar." Ramiel contacted Scarlet and Lazard to send in Bismarck as they would need a pretty big vessel for all the people.
The battleship quickly arrived and they began loading the people. Though Ramiel was frowning and brooding. Tifa and Alexandra noticed, so the two walked up to him and tapped him on the back.
"What's wrong?" Alexandra asked and Ramiel sighed. "It's too easy. I know it, he of course couldn't survive that explosion and tons of rubble. But I feel it, this isn't over."
Tifa and Alexandra looked at each other and nodded. Some of the Tsviets were missing in action, a lot less troops were there. Something didn't sit right with the conclusion of their raid.
"Ramiel-nii, at least Hojo is done for. He won't be able to create more of those abominations and the Tsviets can be hunted down pretty easily. They aren't as smart as Hojo, they'll slip up soon." Tifa tried easing him. "I hope you're right."
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At the south, nearby the temple of the ancients. One of Hojo's bases there. "Hmmm, it seems they've found the holding site at the northern crater." Hojo squinted his eyes and thought it was a shame that they lost a lot of people.
"You leave me no choice then. I guess I will have to use another method." Hojo looked at the mutated clones who took in Jenova cells with the genome absorbing method of Project G.
"Kukuku, if they taint the lifestream. The weapons will appear and cause mass destruction! They are after all, created to fight Jenova. Then Omega shall rise after the mess they create." Hojo cackled and would wait patiently to have enough Jenova clones to taint the lifestream.
The gang only took care of one of his clones that were made with project G. Because of their property to completely copy genomes. It was basically a perfect match. And he didn't put much resources in to the plan to kidnap tons of people. Because it was high risk, hauling people to one location can and would be traced eventually after all.
"Guhahaha! Perfect! We will wait until the time is ripe, understood?" Hojo looked at Weiss and Nero. A little girl who is also one of the Tsviets were there. She had a special ability to dive into a network by using the synaptic net dive.
Along with Weiss, they can use their brains that were imbued with pure Mako to gain access to one's mind and information like a virus. Able to also hack into computers and data, their creation was inspired by the tech of Shinra to rummage around minds for interrogation.
And the two were important for Hojo's plans, especially when the protomateria is unattainable. So they were transported their for safekeeping. Hojo cackled and rubbed his hands in his base. Waiting patiently for the Jenova clones to multiply in order to hatch his plan
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