10 Countdown....1

Rufus came into the room. He had a smug look on his face. He thought he had finally caught the people that had caused him so many problems. He was even blaming the problems that were going in the world on them. He knew that the company was causing the planet to deteriorate, but he didn't care. He wanted to give Barrett and Tifa some good news if you called it good news.

"Well, today is your lucky day. You have the privilege of being the watching as we save the planet, but might not be here to see it though." Barrett was tired of this speaking circle around them. He just wanted him to get on with it.

"What the hell are you talking about? Just spit it out!"

"Well, today is your last day! So enjoy it while you can."

"What da ya mean?" Rufus looked at him with a grin. Barrett knew that he was up to something, but he had no idea what it could be.

"You're going die. We needed a scapegoat, and even though we caused this problem. We necessary couldn't tell the people. And see we have you, you might as well take the blame." Barrett was livid. He had once complimented this man. Now he regrets that he even thought this man had a conscience. He wanted to beat his ass, but he couldn't even get close when the guard came in.

"Oh, before you leave on your little trip. I just wanted to let you know that planet up the sky. Well, it's called Meteor. And it's supposed to destroy the planet, but that won't happen. We will take care of that. Someone has to clean up the mess you made." He couldn't help making smart remarks. He was so ruthless and evil. Barret and Tifa knew he was a bad choice for president when picked. He was getting to leave when he said.

"Well, I hate goodbye. So how about have a nice trip." Rufus laughed, and the guard went to bind Tifa and Barrett's arms. Rufus left this gathering to go back to the room to keep an eye on the sky. They had the megadeath laser up the moment the Meteor caused an issue. He would destroy this planet in the sky and earn the trust of the people. And Cloud and his team won't be a problem since they were about to die. And the team leader had lost his mind. Just him thinking about it made him smile a little.

Meanwhile, Barret and Tifa were being escorted to the area where they suppose to be executed. They enter a big room. There were chairs in neat rows. They wonder what the heck this was all for. Then a lady came from out the corner. She was laughing as they came in.

"Hey, lovelies. You remember me, Scarlet." Scarlet was one of Rufus's women for hire. She basically did all his work. So he didn't have to get his hands dirty. She wasn't a woman you wanted to bring home to your mother and father. Maybe your bother, if he liked those kinds of women.

"Well, today I'm going to make you famous. This room here is going to televise your execution. All the people of this planet are going to watch the ones who destroy the planet die." Barrett and Tifa were not surprised by the tricks that Shrina pulled. They would do anything to keep the focus from them, even if that meant killing the ones trying to save this world. First, it was Sephiroth, then Cloud, and now his team. Who was next? Then Scarlet escorted Tifa and Barrett's to their separate chambers. She took Tifa first and Barrett behind. She shoved Tifa into the room. Turn around wanted to what will happen next.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Well, this lovely room is called a gas chamber. The people are to watch you die a slow death. So take this time to ponder the life you lived. Because in a few, it will all be over." She laughed as the guard locked her into the seat. They left the room to take care of the next member. Tifa could only sit and pray to wait for something to happen. Tifa didn't know as she sat there, Scarlet had dropped the key to the room. Clayton was watching as all of this was going on. There was nothing he could do since his avatar was in place, and Cloud didn't even know his name or who he was, for that matter. He just hoped that Cloud's team would pull through so that they could save him.

Barrett was waiting for what was about to happen to him. He saw Scarlet walked into the room when the alarm went off.

"Warning! Warning! Weapon is approaching! All men's to their station! Repeating! Weapon is approaching!" Barrett was wondering what weapon was. Then he remembered the creature that came out of the Crater. So this is the thing that is coming towards the dock. After the people in the room heard the room, they scrambled out there like babies. It was just Scarlet and Barrett. Then a strangle look moggle who been sitting there. Walked up to Scarlet.

"So everyone has left you. So how does it feel?" Before she had a chance to answer, she passed out laughing. Barrett smelled it and was laughing gas. The moggle spins around, and it turned out to be the spy, Cait Sith. It looks like Shrina turned on him, and now he wanted to help the team escape. Before he could help Barrett, he had to get rid of the guard surrounding him. Now he could release Barrett from his bindings, and they tried to find Tifa and save her.

"Why are you saving me? Aren't you apart of Shrina?'

"Not anymore. They had been lying to me. So yall are all I have left. So enough about that, let's go find Tifa." So they left the room and with Scarlet lying on the floor. Then Cait Sith decided to hang behind just in case any other people come. He told Barrett to go ahead and find Tifa. Clayton was happy that Cait Sith finally saw who Shrina was and got with the game. Barrett left the room and went looking for Tifa. He found the door and tried to open it. The dang door was locked. So knock on it to get Tifa's attention.

Up in Rufus's office, people were going crazy all over the place. But Rufus just stood in front of the window like nothing was wrong. One of his henchmen came up behind, letting him know the situation outside.

"What is it?" Rufus wanted only the specifics of what was going on. The henchmen were babbling on about something when Rufus interrupted.

"All I want to know is, can we handle it?"

"I believe we can, sir. Just give us the orders." So in Rufus giving them the orders, other men ran in.

"Sir, the cannon is up and ready." Rufus gave the command, and then the men ran back to their station. They got the cannon on its target and were ready to aim. One man ran back, and Rufus gave them the ok to shoot. They shot the cannon. The shot flew out and with flames following behind and as it disappeared into the distance. We see a blast coming across the water. They waited. Rufus wanted to know it was killed. His henchmen gave a nodded that meant they probably did. One of his men spotted the weapon coming at them at a breakneck speed. Almost the speed of a cheetah. They didn't have time to reload the cannon. So they had to use another means of power to tried and stop this weapon. While use gunpower to slow down the weapon, they were readying the cannon for the next shot. But the manpower they were using wasn't enough to take down the weapon. They were getting crush by this weapon.

Meanwhile, Tifa was in the room waiting to be saved. Then the gas came on, she struggling trying not to breathe in the gas. She then notices something shiny on the floor; it's the key. She stretches out her left and put on foot on the keep and pulled it up her. She pulls it just enough that she can reach it. She takes the key to unlock herself. Now trying to figure how to out of the room. She hears Barrett on the side, telling her the door is lock and he can't get in. So now she has to figure how to get out of this room.

"Hey, I know it's a bad time to mentions this, but you want to hurry. The weapon is on its way here." Well, damn, Tifa is thinking to herself. She can't karate chop the door open, and she can't seem to find any other way out of here. So what's she supposed to do? Clayton is praying that they can hurry this up; he only has 3:49:15. He needed to talk to Henry about his chances of completing the game. Henry wasn't even sure himself if Clayton could complete the game in the time they had left.

"Clayton, I know what you want to ask me. Right now, I can't give you a straight answer. I can tell you right now with the time you have left is not possible. So what do you want to do?" Clayton didn't know what to do. He knew had to finish. He used to give up halfway, and now he had the chance to finish something. Just thinking about it made him proud of himself. But he knew that when time ran out, he would be stuck in the game. But at least he wasn't alone; he had Henry. But he asked Henry for a favor.

"Henry, can the game allow me to go home and leave a message for my parents?" Henry checks with the system and the system allowed it but gave him 5 minutes. So Henry opened the portal and set the timer for 5 minutes. Then Clayton went up to Henry.

"Hey, man, hang tight. I will be back." Henry watches as Clayton enters through the portal. He's able to watch as he enters his room. It seems that his parents are waiting in his room. But they don't him coming from out of the TV.

"Every time I come up here, you always on that damn system. I have enough." Clayton didn't want to get into another with his parents about his playing games. He turns around to walk to his Playstation. His dad had his hand on the power button.

"NO!" Clayton yells. Then he noticed that the little blue light was off. He felled to his knees and sat in silence. Henry, Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, and the rest were gone. What had his dad done? He wasn't sure if the game saved or his he would have to start all over. Clayton was devasted. His parents didn't understand what he had been through. The things he had experienced. This quest had changed him. He no longer was the boy that they knew. But now Henry would think he tricked him, and how was he going to explain this. As he sat there, he noticed that the tv was still on, but he didn't know that Henry saw it all.

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It's not over yet. Stay tuned. Please leave comments and suggestions. Till then. Later!