Chương 9: Chapter 9 - Nevada
Mojave Desert, Nevada,
"Since the coordinates are here, I assumed that the secret facility would be here too," Aerith slowly said, looking in the four directions, "But there is nothing there!!"
Tifa leaned forward, looking around, "The sudden change in height is troubling. I am used to seeing things from a much closer point."
She fixed her eyes on the scorpion, taking out her wand, making a firm gesture, and the passing scorpion turned, changing into binoculars.
She threw them to Cloud, "Cloud if you don't mind?"
"Yes," Cloud caught the binoculars with some resistance since he knew it was the scorpion. He sighed, summoning the Keyblade before turning it into a broomstick.
He rose from the ground when Aerith used magic to veil his presence and refract the light to temporarily turn him invisible.
Cloud rose in the air using the binoculars, looking in four directions before he stopped, "There it is."
There was a facility with around two large buildings and numerous satellites. He removed the binoculars, "So much protection. It will be troublesome to infiltrate and come out before it's time for breakfast."
"Hm? We can try that," Cloud lowered the broom, landing in front of Tifa and Aerith, pointing towards the south-west, "That way. There is a facility there, but it would be hard to infiltrate the facility and come out before it's time for breakfast."
"We can be late," Aerith rested the tip of her wand on her chin, "Let's see. Which spell could help us hasten."
She removed the invisibility spell from Cloud so they could see him again before looking towards South West.
"If only we could have used Apparition," Aerith pressed her lips, "Do you have any plan? Mr. Soldier?"
"Few, Tifa?"
"How about transforming into a bird or something like that?" Tifa questioned, "Even a scorpion. I doubt that invisibility would work?"
"I don't know. We don't know about their technological level, but a light speed system is being made, so let's assume it's more than Shinra?"
"We can't go straight in, the invisibility spell won't erase our presence, and if they have thermal radars, we are dead. If they have good cameras, then we are dead too. If they can create Light Speed Engine, then we can't judge their tech with the same standard as being ten or twenty years ahead of the non-magical world," Cloud furrowed his brows. Every plan that he came up with was shot down by the voices of SOLDIER in his head.
"We can always go back to Hogwarts and search in the Library. Just…I doubt that we'd find anything important since the Wizards don't think much of Human Technology," Tifa pressed her lips.
"Fufufu," Aerith grinned smugly, "I think I have an idea that should work."
"What?" Tifa leaned back, curiously looking at Aerith.
"Remember how our place used to have Mako Reactors, and they provided electricity for all districts?"
"You don't mean to blast their energy source? Right?" Tifa thought for a moment, taking the binoculars from Cloud, searching for one, "Did you find any?"
"Even if we do, they must have backup power. Without the schematics, we can't develop a plan to infiltrate it."
"Oh, right," Aerith puffed her cheeks, slumping her shoulder in defeat, "Is it just me, or is it harder to infiltrate?"
"I am starting to understand why someone would go through the trouble of recruiting from outside this place," Tifa's hand dropped to her side, "I doubt it's possible for one or two people to do with finesse unless they have an organization behind them."
"No, it could be done," Cloud took a step back, "We can do this since we have three days. Rather than targeting the Reactor that provides them with electricity, we should target the electrical lines."
"Oh! Yes! We can force electricity through them and destroy them. Even if they have a backup power-"
"No, we are doing nothing like that," Cloud heard the plan that a few voices said aloud. And he had to agree it was better.
"Let's do this," Cloud told them the plan, and they agreed to it.
"Amazing, that's much sneakier," Tifa chuckled, "Also, we should get a few things."
"That'd be a problem," Aerith sighed, "We don't even know which country we are in, what currency they used, or if we will get the items we need anywhere in this desert. Going back to Hogwarts…that won't do."
Cloud smiled, which was almost a smirk, and he summoned the Keyblade and threw it forward, watching it turn into a heavy bike. It was a combination of polished black metal over brushed gold mechanics. On either side of the front tires, there is an expandable compartment.
"It's a form you designed?"
"No, it's the form it took on its own," Cloud sat down, gesturing with his head, "Get on."
"Right," Tifa put her fingers together, looking towards him in embarrassment, "Um…."
"I'll sit in the front!" Aerith stood in front of the bike, trying to sit, but couldn't.
Cloud helped her sit down, her back stuck against his before he slowly pushed her other leg outwards, helping her sit, "Better?"
Aerith's nodded with a face flushed red, but Cloud didn't seem to notice that or act like he didn't. He turned to look over his shoulder, "Tifa?"
"Yes, Cloud," Tifa sat down behind him, resting her hands on his shoulder and maintaining their distance.
"Hold me tightly since I will drive fast," Cloud suggested.
"Right," Tifa wrapped her hands around his waist, inching closer, resting her head on his shoulder, "This fine?"
Cloud glanced away in embarrassment, leaning forward to hold the bike's handle, "Yes, it's enough."
Aerith grinned, looking at the night sky, pointing to where she felt civilization was, "That way, Cloud!"
Cloud smiled and started Fenrir, throttling, rushing through the desert, and it didn't take long before it went from 0 to 250, rising higher.
"Wait, Cloud! Not so …fast?" Aerith was sitting in the front, so she thought that all the sand and dust would hit her face first, but it didn't happen.
"I magically enchanted it. It's a barrier, but it doesn't stop the air but everything else. So we might feel the air against us, but the dust or sand, even attacks or projectiles are stopped," Cloud roared as his voice reached them.
"I didn't see any!" Tifa tightly held onto him, shouting.
"Since I transfigure it from the Keyblade, it's on the inside!"
"Oh!" Aerith looked up before turning her eyes to the front, leaning back into Cloud's arms with a smile. Tifa's hand on her back, her fingers are holding him so tightly.
She put another barrier in front of them to reduce the wind resistance, allowing Fenrir to effortlessly reach its maximum speed and cross it. If she had to judge, then it was probably moving at half the speed of sound.
"I have gotten better at arithmetics," Aerith tilted her head, chuckling.
Cloud moved faster, in the direction that Aerith pointed out. He wasn't even sure how she knew where they had to go.
Still, he believed her and moved in that direction at insane speeds. He couldn't be sure, but a quick estimate would be that they had traveled more than 200 km before reaching their destination.
"It's a good thing it's night, the roads were free, and we shouldn't have brought too much attention," Cloud watched the shining city, covered in lights.
"We have been here for about half an hour, that means it's about seven o'clock in Hogwarts," Tifa looked up, "If we eat something from here and miss breakfast, we should have about an hour and a half. If we miss classes…."
"Someone might try to find us, and it would become something huge since they might guess we went to the flower field near Hagrid House…and that would lead to…." Aerith sighed.
"Right, they might think we got lost in the Forbidden Forest, and then, we'd be under the strict gaze," Cloud narrowed his eyes, "An hour and forty-five minutes. It should still be night during lunchtime, so that would be the best time for action, and that would mean we must do everything we can right now."
"Alright, first, let's go inside the city and try to mingle so we don't stand out. Since we didn't find any monsters, I doubt a battle gear would look normal," Aerith thought, "Since the clothes are part of transfiguration, I need to remove them before doing it again. So let's make sure what we need."
"Let's find someone we can ask this information from."
"No need, Cloud, leave this to me," Aerith closed her eyes, putting her hands together, and a warm summer air surrounded them even though it was cold at night.
He could hear the whispers in the wind, the voices, as if they were speaking to her, to Aerith. The whimpers in his ear that he couldn't understand, but he was sure that she could.
She knew exactly what the roads beneath them, the city in the distance, were saying to her.
He watched her, trying to hear what the winds were saying but to no avail. He felt a palm on his arm, turning his eyes towards Tifa, who smiled at him, seemingly reassuring him.
Cloud lightly nodded, and then in a few minutes, Aerith opened her eyes, raised her wand, and circled between them. The human transfiguration allowed them to keep their adult forms disappeared before being replaced by another. This time, they were changing their clothes with them.
Aerith breathed in, and then she covered her mouth, much like Tifa, wearing the dresses they had when they had teleported. At the same time, Cloud was wearing a suit, a navy blue jacket, a much lighter shirt, and black pants.
He loosened his tie, "Didn't you find anything better?"
Aerith watched him with stars in her eyes, "So handsome."
Tifa raised her eyes, adjusting her dress, glancing towards Cloud, "I have to agree with her. Aerith, what did you find?"
"Right," Aerith blinked at them, "It seems this place is famous for its Casinos."
"Huh…" Cloud looked towards the city, towards the green board that said.
[Welcome to Las Vegas.]
"Huh," his tone changed, and a much more schadenfreude tone took its place, "Can you do it without the wand?"
"Of course, I can!" Aerith naughtily grinned, and Tifa shook her head, "Well, then Casino it is. Be careful of time."
Cloud thought for a moment, getting back on Fenrir, "Let's go."
"No, not on that, not in these clothes, not with this hair," Aerith caressed her hair, "Drive slowly, and then when we are in the city, we will see if we can find a car that matches our status."
"Our status?" Tifa confusedly asked.
"Of course, someone with money," Aerith blinked mischievously, "This is what we will do."
And so, shortly, they found themselves on route to the nearest Casino. Cloud looked around at men and women coming and going, and when then he looked at one who came out of a luxurious car and passed from behind him.
Once they were a few steps away, Tifa looked over her shoulder, turning her eyes towards Cloud, "What did you do?"
Cloud took out a wallet, one that wasn't his; seeing through the notes and cards he had, "Hm. Just a car won't be enough, we need money, and we need to fabricate some money."
He looked around to find something when his eyes landed on a tree and the numerous leaves, "That should do."
"Nope, that won't work. We'd have to change the numbers, Cloud," Aerith observed two notes, "We would have to create every other one differently."
"No, we already have those," Cloud took out a hundred dollar note and raised his palm that faced the tree and the leaves. A few leaves came into his hand, "Here, transfigure these. A hundred dollars should be enough to start with."
"Right," Aerith took a deep breath, using transfiguration on one, looking at the three other leaves, "What about these?"
"Licenses, right?" Tifa smiled, putting the license in front of Aerith, "We might need identity proof."
"Good, but I don't think I have time to study, so I'd need to borrow some strength," Aerith took the card, and a green stream covered her hand, turning the leaves in her other hand into cards for all three of them one after the other.
Cloud placed the note and card back, using his telekinesis to drop the wallet on the guy's head as he walked the side path.
Tifa rolled her eyes at him, pulling him forward, "Let's get out of here. We have to use all this before the effect is reversed."
"Just need the car," Cloud didn't like any when he stopped and looked at the dark grey car of the guy whose wallet he stole, "That should be good enough?"
"Yes," She waved her wand, "Repello Muggletum."
Cloud took the Keyblade, using his power to shapeshift, creating a replica of the car, albeit it looked more friendly with the modifications.
Cloud opened the door and sat inside, waiting for the two of them to enter, turning the keys, "To where."
Aerith puffed her cheek, "Would it have been too much to open the door for us?"
"Yes."
Aerith puffed her cheeks even more, "Fine! Take a right."
Tifa leaned forward, "Cloud, you could have just taken the money from that guy since we are in a hurry?"
Cloud drove the car, turning the air conditioner, "Could have. Though you would have disliked it."
Tifa nibbled on her lip, "I thought it was something like that…I am good at magic, but I agree that both you and Aerith are in a different league. I can't be of much use, and if me being here is creating a hurdle…."
"Tifa," Cloud looked at her through the mirror, "My, Cloud Strife's pride wouldn't allow it. You remind me of that. I can't do this without you. So even if you are useless, stay."
"Cloud…"
"No! No! No!" Aerith crossed her hands to make an x sign, "That is not what you should say! Tell her that she isn't useless or things like those! Can't you be kind for once, Cloud?!"
Cloud glanced towards her, then turned his gaze towards the road without giving her a reaction.
Tifa crisscrossed her fingers, holding a warm smile and a flush on her cheek, "I'll stay, even if I am useless."
Aerith pouted, "You are too easy, Tifa; no wonder Cloud doesn't care about you."
Tifa lowered her head in embarrassment, peering at Cloud's expression, but it didn't change. Instead, his eyes drew her, fixed on a goal that only he could see, and her embarrassment faded away as a joyful smile appeared on her lips.
She was watching him when the car stopped in front of a casino, "Are you two ready for the show?"
"You have to ask?"
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực