Final Fantasy VII – Atop the Rotting Pizza

Chapter I

It was just before dusk, and the assignment had just been ordered. President Shinra had just affirmed the task that had been circulating in rumor for the majority of the day. One of Don Corneo's men had let slip inside the building what was to be confidential between he, the president, and his department executives. AVALANCHE was going to be destroyed tonight, and the Ancient would be in their hands.

A plan concocted no doubt by the president and his two closest associates: Scarlet, the head of Weapons Research and Development, and Heidegger, the head of Peace Preservation and Public Safety Maintenance, had been passed on to Tseng of the Turks a mere half an hour ago. Although the other important people of the company may not have agreed with it, their opinion didn't change the decision. In fact, Reeve, the head of Urban Development, had fought the president even after the Turks had flown off via helicopter to perform the task.

AVALANCHE was a terrorist group, first and foremost. As with all terrorist groups, they claimed they had a noble cause, but the deaths of innocent people still made them a terrorist group. The destruction of two Mako reactors in Midgar led to the deaths of many. AVALANCHE claimed that sucking Mako out of the planet and using it to power the city was killing the planet, but the president hadn't seen any proof of this. As far as he was concerned, the planet was on its way to hell anyways. What he knew was that Mako was energy produced by the planet, and that it could be harnessed to benefit mankind. People paid money for electricity, and Mako provided electricity. Thus, President Shinra made money. There were no competitors, and he had become so wealthy and powerful over the years that his company became the sole government body in most of the world, and had the only army as well. With the exception of a small rebellion in distant Wutai a few years earlier, AVALANCHE was the only worry he'd had in a long time. Professor Hojo, the company's top scientist, had assured him that mining and processing Mako was no threat to the planet, and the president believed him implicitly.

There the president stood, standing at the window of the 70th floor or ShinRa Tower, in the center of Midgar, above the sector plates. He was overlooking the Sector 7 plate, which very soon would be in ruin. Don Corneo, a gentleman of leisure who resided in the Sector 6 Wall Market, under the plate, had given the company valuable information that AVALANCHE's headquarters was in the Sector 7 slums, also under the plate. The only way the president could be sure to eliminate every member of the group was simple: blow up the pillar supporting the plate, so that it would fall and crush every inhabitant of the slums. The upper class of citizens living above the plate had already been evacuated, and the president merely awaited the report that the Turks were in position. Then he would be standing at the window of the 70th floor, overlooking what used to be the Sector 7 plate.


The loud hum of the motor and even louder whir of the blades coupled with the cool breeze that blasted into his face as he stood at the edge of the helicopter door, speeding toward the Sector 7 pillar made it hard for Reno to hear his best friend and partner's voice. He knew already what he had said though. He would be there shortly, and be faced with the task of destroying the Sector 7 pillar, killing hundreds of innocents. The lump in the pit of his stomach made it hard for him to not think of what he must do. He was a Turk though, and he was paid, well in fact, to not care. It was his job to do all the dirty jobs that Shin-Ra Inc. liked to keep unknown. Normally this involved eliminating threats, and putting down terrorists that got what they deserved. The deaths of innocents for the sake of eliminating an entire terrorist group weighed heavily on his conscience, and he knew he'd be going to hell for it. Although, he figured he was probably already on his way there anyways.

About a dozen heligunner machines had already been deployed around the pillar to ensure there would be no opposition, although according to Tseng, AVALANCHE already knew what was going to happen. Tseng's knowledge and wisdom scared even the president, he thought as he gazed upon the back of his boss' long, black hair. He knew almost nothing about his boss, other than he must be from Wutai, as the shape of his eyes and color of his skin gave away. He had a birthmark in the center oh his forehead, often reminding him of a third eye, which only added to the idea that Tseng knew far too much more than he ought to have. Reno's best friend, the pilot of the helicopter, was a tall bald man with a goatee and many earrings. Rude was just as intimidating as Tseng, but him for his stoicism and size, rather than Tseng's chilling aura. Rude always wore sunglasses, which only added to his unreadable visage, as his eyes were impossible to see behind them.

Within minutes they arrived at the pillar. Before Reno noticed any hint of a problem though, the helicopter was hit by bullets. Reno was immediately alert, pushing his own sunglasses up onto his forehead and unclasping his electromagnetic rod from his belt. A large black man, just as tall as Rude and built like a house, was firing at them with a machine gun that was seemingly grafted onto his right arm where his hand should have been. This must be Barret Wallace, the leader of AVALANCHE according to confidential reports.

"Reno, try and make this fast, we'll distract him for a bit. Jump!" Tseng commanded him, and Reno quickly complied. Rude swept over Barret's head, and Reno dove out the door, landing ten feet below on the platform at the top of the pillar. Barret's back was turned, as his gaze had followed the fleeing helicopter and he must have not seen Reno dive out. This was perfect for him. He raised his rod, and moved to prod him in the kidney, sending a high voltage of electricity through his body, capable of knocking him unconscious.

However, this did not happen. As Reno moved in, a man with spiky blond hair dressed in a SOLDIER uniform wielding an enormous buster sword, and a brunette armed with nothing save for a black miniskirt and white tank top reached the top of the stairs and warned Barret of Reno's sneak attack, and Barret quickly spun around and backed away, holding his gun-arm toward Reno. Without asking questions, he fired. Reno was ready for this though, and dove to the side, rolled back to his feet and sprinted past the three AVALANCHE members. He ducked behind the pillar, which rose up through the center of the platform, and reached the Pillar Release System computer built into the side of it. He quickly put a key in and broke the key after turning it, disposing of the half in his hand. As Barret adjusted his position to take aim again, Reno held out his rod and muttered the incantation for a pyramid spell courtesy of the Contain materia in his rod. Instantly, before Barret could fire, he was trapped inside a translucent yellow pyramid.

Reno turned back to the computer and input a code as the two others charged toward him. He lazily raised a hand to motion to them to stop. "You're too late, once I push this button…" He told them, and before they could say anything, he hit it. "That's all folks! Mission accomplished."

The girl cried out, "We have to disarm it! Cloud! Barret! Please!" Barret pounded and shot at the interior of the pyramid, but no sound came out. The pyramid didn't even crack.

"I can't have you do that. No one gets in the way of Reno of the Turks…" He drawled, and braced himself as he saw the blond, Cloud, charge at him with his sword in the air.


Tseng arrived in the Sector 5 slums right above Aerith's house. He and Rude had followed her from Sector 7 while she rescued a little girl. Tseng calculated he would bring her to her house, and it seemed as though his suspicions were correct. Rude had let him down from the helicopter before she got there, and taken off again, allowing Tseng ample time to find a spot in her large garden to hide and wait to attack. Within minutes, she arrived, with the young girl as well. Tseng waited for her to open the door, and then as she did, he sprang up, vaulted over the fence and landed feet away from her. Aerith jumped and turned abruptly toward him. She told the young girl to go into the house and she closed the door afterward, and then held her staff in a defensive position.

"I'm not going to run this time, Tseng," the Ancient told him. Tseng merely laughed off this comment however, knowing all too well how this would end.

"Then you surrender yourself to me, Aerith. I've been trying to get you for years. I wish you'd have done this a long time ago. It would have saved time, and perhaps we could have gotten to know each other on better terms," He told her, his voice soft, yet direct and powerful.

"I'll fight you! You're not going to take me now! Not when you're killing all those people in Sector 7!" She exclaimed to him, raising her staff higher, ready to attack.

"You'll lose," He said simply to her. He then advanced on her, and she brought the staff down hard. Tseng caught the end of it before it could hit him though, and wrenched it out of her hands. Aerith stumbled forward as he did this, and he swung it around in a sweeping motion, slamming it against her legs and knocking her to the ground. He used the momentum he had and brought the staff around again and brought the tip down, inches away from her face and stopped it. "Don't move, or I'm afraid I'll be forced to harm you. I can tell you truthfully that that is not my wish." Aerith stared at him coldly, but didn't object. Tseng pulled a pistol slowly from a shoulder holster under his jacket, and Aerith's eyes grew wide. He knew she was scared, and was happy she didn't seem to make any attempt to fight back. However, Tseng wasn't about to shoot her. He aimed the pistol skyward and fired one shot, signaling for Rude to pick them up. The helicopters rotors came within earshot in seconds, and Tseng holstered his pistol, and lowered the staff. He extended a hand to help her up.

She took his hand, and got to her feet. "Please, let me speak with Marlene and my mother for a moment first, then I will come without a fight, I swear," She begged, and the sincerity in her voice was easy for someone like Tseng to pick up on. He thought for a moment, realizing there was nowhere she could go without Rude seeing her, and permitted this. A few minutes later, Aerith emerged from the house, and Tseng led her to the helicopter. They boarded it, and Tseng still held onto her weapon, and moments later, Rude had taken off, prepared to pick up Reno before the plate blew. They'd fly back to headquarters, deliver the Ancient to Professor Hojo, and call it a day.


Reno had never had a fight like this before. He couldn't tell if he was having fun or panicking. He was swinging his rod faster than he'd thought he possibly could while defending himself from Cloud's expert swordsmanship. The large buster sword was too big for Cloud to swing quicker than Reno could block, but it didn't change the fact that he was losing. Reno had seen Cloud once before, at the Sector 5 church, helping the Ancient escape from him before he could kidnap her.

When Cloud had first charged at him, Reno had narrowly evaded the attack, and sprinted toward the unarmed girl, whom he found out was named Tifa. He raised his rod, but before he could swing at her, she back flip-kicked him in the jaw, sending him backwards. "So she was a brawler," he had thought to himself, and kept that in mind as he quickly regained his composure. She swung a hard left hook at him, but he managed to bat it away with his right arm, and drove the end of his rod into her stomach, activating the electricity and sending her writhing backwards, convulsing in shock. He quickly turned back around to find Cloud on top of him, and he brought the sword down, slicing Reno's arm open, leaving a bloody gash in his right bicep.

Reno retaliated, swinging wildly at Cloud, hoping to knock him off his feet long enough for Reno to escape. He had expected Tseng and Rude to be back by now, but he couldn't even hear the whir of helicopter blades yet. Cloud blocked Reno's attack, and parried it off to the side, then kicked him in his unguarded chest, sending Reno reeling backwards. He steadied himself quickly, and prepared for the next flurry of blows, but instead of attack, Cloud slung his sword over his back, and extended his arms, calling out an ice spell.

Reno felt the cold overcome him. Shards of ice seemed to be stabbing at him at all sides, and the cold sapped all his breath out. It was gone as quick as it had come, and Reno found himself lying on the ground. Looking up slowly, he saw the dizzying image of Cloud slicing through the pyramid that encased Barret. He knew he had to escape soon, or else he'd be killed. They'd try to make him disarm the bomb, but he wouldn't be able to, as he'd broken the key in half while still inside the keyhole specifically so it couldn't be disarmed. Rather than attack Reno, however, Barret tended to Tifa, making sure she was okay. Reno didn't think he'd shocked her with enough voltage to kill her, but he knew that what he'd given her would have been enough to take out a full-grown tiger. Cloud however, turned his attention back to him, and Reno knew he'd have to escape.

Climbing back to his feet, Reno could hear the telltale sound of the helicopter circling below him, and knew if he could only distract AVALANCHE long enough, he could jump over the railing, and catch onto the helicopter below for a smooth getaway. Cloud charged him again, but Reno had no intention of engaging him again. He inverted his rod, and sprayed gas out the end from a concentration of a Seal material. Whether or not it put Cloud to sleep, he didn't know. But the thick gas provided enough cover for him to turn and run to the edge. "It's time," He said to AVALANCHE as he grabbed onto the railing and prepared to jump.

It happened so fast. The helicopter moved into position below him, and just as he vaulted over the guardrail, the sound of gunfire rang in his ears. Five or six bullets hit him in the middle of his jump, and he fell. The bulletproof vest he wore beneath his Turk uniform defended him against most, but a few stray bullets hit him in the arms and legs. Losing all balance as he lost his wind, he plummeted downward, right past the helicopter. "I can't reach it," was the last thing he thought as he lost consciousness, and he felt a firm vice clamp around his wrist.


Tseng pulled the unconscious and severely beaten form of his partner into the helicopter, and laid him out on the seat in back as Rude raised the altitude above the platform, where Tseng could get a clear view of Cloud, Barret, and a recovering Tifa. It appeared as though Cloud was attempting to disarm the bomb. "That's right," he told Cloud. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."

"Please, stop it!" Tifa begged him.

"Ha ha ha," he laughed, "Only a Shinra Executive can set up or disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."

"Shut yer hole!" Barret roared, and he opened fire on the leader of the Turks. Tseng stepped back into the helicopter, out of harms way, and grabbed Aerith's arm, wrenching her back out into view with him.

"I wouldn't try that," he said, "You might make me injure our special guest."

"Aerith!" Tifa gasped.

"Oh, you two know each other? How nice you two should see each other one last time. You should thank me," spat Tseng. He was through with these terrorists, and ready to leave and collect his pay.

"What are you gonna do with Aerith?" asked Cloud, finally speaking, and interrupting Tseng's thoughts.

"I haven't decided," Tseng lied, now with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient. It's taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the president."

Aerith piped up, yelling to Tifa, "Tifa, don't worry! She's alright!" Tseng slapped Aerith in a burst of anger. These… children were starting to piss him off. He signaled to Rude to fly off, but he was currently in the back examining Reno.

"Aerith!" Tifa exclaimed again, clearly appalled that she'd just been slapped.

"Hurry and get out!" Aerith replied to her, causing Tseng to push her back inside the helicopter, out of the eyesight of AVALANCHE.

"Ha ha ha," he laughed despite himself. He saw Rude out of the corner of his eye moving back up to the pilot's seat and grip the controls. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?" The helicopter flew away, and Tseng moved to sit down in the back next to Reno, examining his partner's wounds himself. He was glad he'd never have to see them again. AVALANCHE would be done for, and he finally had possession of the last Ancient. Finally, he could rest knowing there was no job being left unattended to at the end of the day. He was cheering up already.


President Shinra stood at the window of the 70th floor of Shinra Tower, overlooking the Sector 7 plate. A moment before, all had been silent. With no warning, a fire erupted and the sound of metal grinding and crushing as it fell swept through all of Midgar, even reaching the president in his sky-high retreat. He watched with a gleam of satisfaction at the destruction before him, and the death of AVALANCHE.