Chapter One
The Reactor Assault
She rose to her feet as she suddenly realised where she was. The surroundings had escaped her for an all too brief moment as she laid her eyes upon the raw energy that leaked from the ground in a translucent green haze. She tightened her arm around the flower basket that she held by the wicker handle, drawing them closer towards her in a gesture of comfort.
The flowers in the woven basket were blooming radiantly as they attracted to the bright green orbs of light in an enigmatic magical connection. The gentle haze, so elegant and peaceful in flight, were drawn to her as though she were a conductor, a conduit of peace. Never before had she felt so radiant, so colourful and so vibrant. Aeris, the flower girl, felt the sheer power surging within her own life force, bringing her to vitality suddenly in a way that she had never experienced before. The feeling was astonishing. This dark place had a life-force calling her from beneath the streets, an almost tangible energy emanating from a place beneath the sewers of the city, below the surface of the world.
The alley was unspectacular. A lonely place, with brick built upon brick, built upon steel, defiant and unholy, a work of creation in this day and age. As she backed away from the centre of incomprehensible energy, she began to wonder if she wasn't dreaming, her mind lost in escalading darkness.
She was unsatisfied with the thought that her senses were merely being toyed with, yet there was nothing more that she could feel within the air. The precious few moments and her perception of the dancing green orbs had all but disappeared from reality, and existed now within her body as a feeling of awareness that something very magical had just happened.
Shaking off these slumbering thoughts that had swallowed her time, she turned her attention back towards the road and the light, the green mist still in her mind's eye, but slowly fading as her awareness merged back into reality. She noticed the shadows that crept up so threateningly, slowly drifting back behind her as she approached the street lights. She felt the shivers down her back as the sound of her footsteps echoed in the dark. But no matter how afraid she was of the horrible alley, the feeling evolved into something more resembling pity, as she recognised the brightness of the world up ahead.
From the gloom of the alleyway, she emerged into the fantastical city of Midgar and was immediately overwhelmed by it, as the great sights revealed themselves to her from all directions, like sudden rushes of adrenaline, carving her mind open to the magnificence and wonder of the world she lived in. Her mind had to absorb in slow stages, simply unable to digest the sheer enormity of it all.
She firstly felt the floor beneath her feet change in texture and saw that it was made of old stone forming a huge single roundabout that led away in all directions across the grand square of this sector, in a spider-like formation, laying its legs between the grand commercial buildings and providing the valuable links across the city. Strange cars blasted by her from both directions, like mechanical bullets from a gun, spouting out clouds of smoke and sparks as their noisy engines worked. Citizens crossed to and fro in between them, seemingly ignoring the danger of the heavy traffic. Shops, bars, theatres and building blocks sat on every corner in the grand square, each one marking its identity as a bright neon light, personalising themselves within the city on massive billboards and projections. Places such as the Goblin bar and the cake shop, were familiar to Aeris as places she had visited in the past. Streetlamps and huge banners added to the scale of this sector market district of Midgar, illuminating this part of the city like a bright bulb to the world, competing as the greatest city on the planet.
The walls of the Goblin bar to her immediate right and the ancient grand theatre to her left formed the alleyway where she had emerged. The theatre was a huge dark building, seemingly abandoned from the look of the outside, its ten storeys appearing almost archaic and gothic; a shell of a building lost in the modern world. A gigantic red banner draped its cloth down the entirety of the outside and advertised the world famous theatrical performance; 'Loveless'.
As Aeris examined the banner as she had done many times before, she recounted the story, the play that she had wanted to experience ever since she was a small child from the slums beneath this world of the rich. The performance presented a massive symbol of hope in her mind, reaching to her heart, and telling her that anything was possible. It was the tale of a young boy who left his home in the city to find love in the outer world. He found the woman of his dreams but discovered that she alone wasn't enough, and therefore had to depart from that world to search for more. The tale had grown on Aeris due to the similarities she felt between herself and the main character. She often wondered how it would feel to go through life to find that she didn't belong to anyone or anything. It was a disturbing, yet fascinating insight into the power of the heart.
Ahead of her, across the grand square of the district she saw the giant arch that was the very centrepiece of Midgar's population, a bulky, great white stone landmark that embraced a golden clock face displaying the standard time of the city that was the same on every pocket watch, wristwatch and antique clock within the boundaries of the city. This time was also standard for the rest of the world under the Midgar's control, and so this physical symbol was in essence, the very centre of the world for most people. At the turn of the year, the mayor himself would gather his board members and appraise the members of the public at this very centre which was, of course one of the safer areas in Midgar, policed by many soldiers. The event was a monstrous façade of humbleness, an appraisal to the loyal citizens of the rich world and the biggest shambles in the history of Midgar. If she were honest, Aeris cared little for these affairs.
Through the arch, she saw the broad, golden fountain, and some of the older children playing around it. The floor around the fountain was chequered in black and white squares, much like a chess board, and was made of solid marble. They were beautifully maintained and presented to give a proud, artistic impression of this city centrepiece. The whole area was a superb replica of a fantasy portrait rumoured to have been created over a century ago by a very famous person. The centre was all shaded now by the night sky, the subtle glow of streetlights and the green neon signs grinning brilliantly as if twinkling artificial stars.
Further in the distance, the sky-scraping buildings continued onwards like jet black mountain peaks against a starry backdrop until she saw the enormous centre building of Midgar, the incredible and awe-inspiring Shinra building set against the night sky. It was a huge colossus of a structure, seventy floors of offices, workshops and other horrors, where the great electric company pumped out power for millions of civilians and handled their worldwide affairs behind the scenes, with their huge monopoly over Mako energy. Here they controlled the entire city as it stretched out in all directions through eight vast sectors, all cramped together in a huge network of steel and stone, an architectural nightmare to the untrained eye, yet at the same time amazingly clever and complex to the creators and constructors.
On the very edges of Midgar's twenty-mile circular spread, eight incredible towers stood like candles around a devil's circle, pumping Mako steam into the air in giant gusts of blue cloud. These eight were Midgar's power supply, the lifeblood of the city. This was the artificial force that supplied Midgar with its Mako energy, the worlds most popular and efficient power source. It was through this monopoly of Mako, that the president of Shinra had become the world's most powerful man and had made his corporation the great force that it was today. He more or less controlled the entire planet, and dictated other people's affairs as he saw fit. The Shinra Corporation were the largest organisation ever to have existed and it was all because of the abundant Mako energy, sucked from beneath the planet and processed inside these arcane reactors. They continued working night and day, protected around the clock, as they lined Shinra's pockets and dropped even more untold billions into their already infinite funds.
In a neighbouring sector, the guards of the train platform were eagerly expecting the arrival of the supply train from the other side of the city. Supposedly, the train housed new automations for the Mako reactor's pumps. The higher ups had been expecting the shipment for a long time now, and Heidegger of the Shinra board had personally promised their arrival within the month. The machines that controlled the pumping stations were now wearing down with the sheer effort, after decades of generating power for the populace. How could the Shinra expect maximum output for Midgar, when they were working with such shoddy equipment? The number one Mako reactor had a long history of severe malfunction and nothing had ever been done about it. They were already a long way behind the other seven reactors. No bonus for anyone this year.
There were two guards at the station, but they didn't get on with each other. They stood a fair distance apart, refusing to chat or converse in any civil manner, but neither party knew why. Perhaps it was the boredom of this job, for there was nothing to do but stand around all day watching the trains go to and fro. What either guard wouldn't have given for some relief, a bit of action.
Behind the station was the powerful image of the huge Mako reactor, looking even larger up close than it had done from the centre of the city. It was at least a hundred metres high from the ground, with the foundations plunging down even further, deep into the earth where the complex machinery could extract the precious Mako from beneath the crust of civilisation. It was a dominating sight, but one that the guards got used to after seeing it day after day.
The guard nearest to the train tunnel suddenly heard the whistle. It was a sound that was unmistakable, and marked a final end to their boredom. The train had arrived, the last train of the day. Finally there would be some purpose to their employment. He shouted over to the other guard, who turned and shrugged.
The massive train, powered by the electric cables above, pulled into the station like a great iron beast before slowly grinding its brakes onto the rail, spraying steam into the air as the clamps hit the metal below. The thing didn't look much like a transport and was more like a streamlined passenger car roughly converted into a carrier. It was a damn old machine, and it was surprising to see such an antique still on the rails. As the speed ceased to nothing so did the noise and eventually the great iron beast halted parallel to the platform.
The guard walked to the front of the train, sighing heavily at the horrible design of the thing. He would bet that it didn't have its own power lifts, which would mean even more work for himself and his miserable comrade. Little known to him, he would never get the chance to get to lift any machinery.
As he lifted the heavy compartment door by the handle near the front of the train, he was surprised to be greeted with the cheeky smile of a young man, who then jumped out of the carriage and punched him square on the jaw, landing on top of him as they both stumbled back onto the platform. Before the guard knew what was happening, he was hoisted over the attacker's shoulder hitting the stone floor hard and slipping into unconsciousness.
Further down the train another youngster dived from a different compartment onto the platform. She focused on the remaining guard, who was running towards her. Preparing for the assault, she took up a stance and waited.
The guard approached with his baton hoisted above his head, but before he could strike a blow, he was kicked to the floor. The agile girl dived onto him and bashed him around the face with a solid gauntlet on her arm.
From a third hidden door, a fatter young man appeared. He looked immediately confused and scared by what was happening, but he quickly followed the lead of the other two as they headed over towards the platform exit, which led out near the base of the reactor.
The last person to exit from the doors of the train was a huge, broad figure of a man, his features darkened by the night of Midgar, the city of eternal shadows. He settled on the platform and glanced around at the fallen guards. He twisted his bearded face and smiled. Turning back towards the train, he looked up at an escape hatch on the roof and began to yell. "C'mon newcomer, follow me".
The hatch rose with a puff of steam and a spiky head popped out. The figure rose to his feet on top of the train and somersaulted to the platform athletically.
The bearded man looked him up and down quickly before making his departure, but there was no time to settle on his features. He saw a dark silhouette of a man, covered from head to foot in a large brown cape. His massive spiky hair and glowing blue eyes quickly became apparent, but were pondered upon for mere moments.
The spiky-haired man suddenly threw off his cape, and his less obvious features came alive, under the glow of the station lights. He was just under six-feet in height, and was not powerfully built, but the aura he presented was of a man much larger. He looked a strong and athletic character, unbeatable in will and determination. His hair was set into huge spikes drooping up and down on the top of his head and set a frame to his handsome face dominated by huge blue eyes. They glowed with a strange and unnatural light, which was unlike any of the others. He was dressed in a casual purple uniform that showed off his slim line physique that was toned and shaped like a fighter. He wore shoulder armour on his right side, but this seemed more for decoration than protection. In himself, this man was a frightening figure, tough and untamed to the world. Yet the most unsettling thing of all was the huge weapon that he carried on his back. Almost a metre and a half in length, the blade looked huge and cumbersome, far bigger than any standard blade. A Buster sword. A lot of training was required to use such a weapon, for it looked and handled like a giant meat cleaver, in the right hands however, the sword could make the wielder almost invincible, and this man, certainly believed it. Although he appeared smaller than most at first glance, there was no doubting that the man was power personified. His name was Cloud.
Walking forward, Cloud saw something shining on the floor next to the body of the unconscious guard. It was a few Gil that had fallen from the guard's pocket. Coolly and without regard, Cloud crouched and put his hand towards the money. His wage was little enough for this job. Any supplement to his pay was well received. As he grabbed the Gil and placed it in his own pocket he heard the cries ahead of him. Raising his head he saw two more station guards were running towards him and this time they were more adequately armed with machine guns. Somehow the others had managed to evade them.
He watched the two for a moment, before diving off towards a large, six foot high crate near the platform wall. He heard the guards open fire on him as he reached for the huge Buster sword with one arm. The sword gave a sharp click as the magnetic clasps on the back of his armour gave way. The blade was released and Cloud swung it over towards his chest. Looking through the holes in the wooden crate he saw the guards still running towards his position. There was no clear way past.
Reaching into the armour on his right shoulder, he pulled out three marbles and looked at them for a moment. Without looking he tossed them over his head towards the two guards. They flew quickly through the air and Cloud heard them hit the floor and roll. Too small to be noticed they were ignored by the arrogant platform defenders. Closing his eyes, Cloud heard the sudden blast and the cries of the two wounded.
He quickly ducked from behind the crate and saw the blinded men aiming their weapons towards him. They were shocked and stumbling but still very much alive. As fast as a bullet, Cloud skipped over and swung the mighty Buster sword. With one swift stroke, he knocked both guards back to the platform, dead before they even hit the ground. He swung the sword once in the air and brought it down behind his back, clasping it solidly to the heavy magnets.
When the smoke from the stun explosive had cleared, Cloud once more began to head towards the platform exit.
Once outside the station, Cloud began to realise where he was, despite the area being new to him. Cobbled streets lay in every direction, leading off towards industrial parks and mechanised factories. To his left he saw the thing itself, Mako Reactor number one, to the far north of the city of Midgar. This marked the boundary of their world, about ten miles from Shinra headquarters in the very centre. They weren't far from the population in sector eight to the west, but to the east, there was nothing but machines and power factories. He had never been here before, but he didn't like it already.
He saw three of his team mates trying to crack the code to the compound that housed the giant reactor. They would have little luck getting through that. Cloud spat on the floor as he examined the outer wall, a solid barrier, with no obvious way through into the compound beyond.
He walked over towards them slowly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were all in imminent danger. He scoffed as he saw them working away with the complicated dials and switches of a small handheld device hooked up to the gate. He watched on coldly and without emotion.
One of the men looked towards him, and smiled stupidly, admiring the sight of his newfound comrade. "Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right. I'm sorry but it's not every day you meet one in a group like AVALANCHE". The man's name was Biggs.
Cloud shrugged and looked upwards towards the reactor. He felt a sudden need for urgency.
The woman who was working on the gate stopped for a moment and turned towards the one who had spoken. "Wait a minute, Biggs… SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy?" She twisted back towards the control panel as she felt the fat nudge from her other male comrade, Wedge.
Biggs looked taken aback for the moment, but shook it off as he delivered his answer. "He was in SOLDIER, Jessie, but he quit. Now he's one of us". He looked back towards Cloud. "That's right isn't it? I didn't catch your name". He watched Cloud hopefully.
Cloud felt awkward. He didn't like the attention he was drawing to himself, and he liked all this waiting around even less. "My name is Cloud".
Biggs smiled brightly. "Cloud eh? I'm…"
"I don't care what your name's are. Once this job's over I'm out of here". He was happy that he had shut Biggs up. He didn't feel like getting all friendly and personal with anyone when they were on the brink of breaching the tightest security system on the planet. He watched as the man's eyes shot towards the gigantic Buster sword.
Biggs was filled with awe for a moment, wishing he could hold the thing. How he wished he'd had a weapon like that as a kid.
Cloud looked down the main road to his right where he saw the huge figure approach him. The man was massive, dark and deadly. He remembered him from before, the man who had given him this job with AVALANCHE. It was Barret, their leader.
They heard his booming voice as he headed closer. "Hey what are you all doing? I thought I told you never to move in a group". He came closer and glared down at them; they all looked away, except Cloud, who stood there like an impudent child. "How long till you bust the gate Jess?"
She answered him almost immediately. "Just a few seconds Barret". Sparks flew from her hands as she drove a metal tool into the control panel impatiently. It worked, and the gate grinded slowly open. It was not the main walkway, so it was not used to opening too often. The mechanism was ancient and falling apart.
Barret continued. "Great work. Meet on the bridge in front of the reactor. There's no turning back now". Barret watched as Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all enter into the industrial courtyard. He then looked at Cloud, unable to leave the eyes that glowed so fantastically. "Ex-SOLDIER eh? I don't trust ya…" He growled softly. "Come on, let's get going".
Cloud watched the man disappear into the compound. He too was dressed like some kind of freedom fighter, in slack combat trousers and a large green vest, but this man looked more serious and aggressive than the others. Cloud had noticed the gun-arm on his right stump, and he wondered how Barret had come by it. One thing was for sure; the man was expecting a lot of trouble. Maybe they were professionals after all.
He took one last look at the massive reactor, before heading into the compound.
There was no one in the courtyard, but the ceaseless drone of machines all around him gave the impression that there was. Cloud ducked and dived through the shadows as best he could, keeping low to avoid any security cameras that there might be.
He turned right as he reached a solid wall, and took a quick left when he saw the sign that warned suddenly of intruders. Cloud cursed to himself as he realised that somebody had tripped the alarms. Their quiet entrance had been foiled and the Shinra security systems were now on to them. Their one chance was to avoid being locked onto by the cameras. He knew what to expect. He had visions of automated turrets, gunning them down without a moment of hesitation, dogs and Mercs hunting them through the factories like animals.
Cloud caught a glimpse of Wedge stumbling forward into another smaller yard, which was shut off from the main compound by a small wall. This headed in the direction of the reactor, and it was probably their last milestone before they reached the outside. Silent alarms were sounding left and right in this place, presenting themselves on electronic picture boards, it was best to get out of here all together. He wasn't sure why, but Cloud strangely began to question his motives at this time, but then he realised that whatever he thought of this job, it was much too late for a retreat.
The smaller yard had housed a door that led to a narrow bridge. This bridge was long and led towards another large archway about thirty metres ahead. The bridge also turned a sharp right that led a path into the reactor itself. The bridge had a safety guard on both sides, but was only really meant for machines and maintenance men. Far below, Cloud knew there were the slums, and he suddenly felt light-headed when he again realise how far up they were.
Midgar had once been a normal city, built on ground level but thanks to a crazy population growth, the Shinra Company had built a massive circular plate, twenty miles wide to be placed one hundred metres above the old city and supported on gigantic rock pillars. The project had been epic, costing billions of Gil and years of hard labour. The results had been surprising. Whilst the upper plate grew in wealth and prestige, and was home to the upper class elite, the city beneath suffered as it deteriorated into second place. Petty fiefdoms and crime lords prospered as a controlling force beneath the new world. They controlled the people with the support of the corporation through a Shinra sub-branch known as the Turks. The lower world was the only place available to the poorer classes and became widely known as the slums. This had been long ago, but the people still knew of their origins.
Cloud could not see the slums from high up on the bridge, for a dark mist smothered the entire air. It was a light Mako cloud, spurted out from faulty ducts at the base of the reactor. The sudden realisation that they were a hundred metres above the ground made him feel quite dizzy. He shook it off quickly, trying to focus.
Wedge had gone ahead to cover the other archway, whilst the others all took the right path towards the reactor.
Cloud tried not to look down as he traced their steps towards the huge towering cylinder. The doorway was surprisingly small when he reached it, but seemed to engulf everything. He hesitated slightly as he saw Shinra's giant logo sat above the black hole of an entrance. He hadn't the best memory, but most of them that involved the Shinra left him feeling full of pain and anger.
He quickly picked up the pace and sprinted into the iron beast.
The inside of the Mako reactor was much like the yards of industry that sat around the train station in sector one. Mechanised pumps and automated drones went merrily about their business, mostly ignoring the intruders despite their loud entrance. The alarms in here were separate from the ones in the outer sections, so any indication of their presence had been left at the front door.
The inside was gigantic. Huge walls were built of solid stone, supported by steel shafts all around the edges. Looking upwards, the members of Avalanche could not see how high the Mako reactor went, but knew that it spiralled upwards about another fifty metres, pumping out excess of Mako fuel in a giant dust cloud that could be seen from miles around.
Cloud saw the others instantly, working their magic on another security fence. He didn't know the route they were heading on, but he hoped that the others did. He quickly ran up to Barret, adjusting his sword for better fit.
Barret watched him approach. He would never have admitted it, but he was glad to have an ex-member of SOLDIER on his team. He felt sure that having Cloud in AVALANCHE was essential to getting this job done. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all fine compatriots, but they weren't fighters, and he knew that he couldn't pull this off alone. However, he wasn't letting this hot shot get all the praise. He was a hired mercenary, nothing more. He knew that his own team was to be given the credit for this operation, not some crazed, ex-Shinra thug. AVALANCHE was the brain, Cloud was the added muscle.
"Is this your first time in a reactor?" Barret grunted.
Cloud looked at him as he thought. "No. I did work for Shinra, you know".
Barret looked at the man's eyes again. They were unnatural and a little creepy. He knew it was the glow of Mako he saw, a mark of the elite SOLDIER units. He spoke again. "The reactors here are full of Mako energy. People here use it every day".
Cloud shrugged.
"It's the life blood of this planet, but Shinra keeps sucking it out with these weird machines".
Cloud shrugged a second time. "So".
Barret fumed. He saw the man for what he was, he cared for nothing. "You're coming with me from now on," he growled.
Jessie laughed as she finally managed to crack the code to the gate. It slid open effortlessly, revealing another yard within the tower. "Yeah," she yelled. "I've done it".
Biggs rushed forward, knocking her out of the way. "We still have to secure the lift. Come on".
Then Cloud shot out an arm, holding him back. "Wait". Only he had noticed the trooper patrolling the yard on the inside of the gate. The rest of them were about to rush blindly out into the open space. It was obvious to Cloud that AVALANCHE weren't the fighters they professed to be. They were technological bookworms with electronic skills and a few moves up their sleeves. He would bet that they had never been in this sort of situation before, but had been led this far by Barret, who was relentless in his aims.
Barret huffed to himself in annoyance. "Damned Shinra sentries, they're all over the place".
Cloud smiled darkly. "What did you expect? For them to just let you in through the front door?"
There was no reply from any of the members. They looked clueless on how to proceed.
The ex-SOLDIER shuffled forward and let go of Biggs' arm. The courtyard was relatively larger than anything they had seen before. The elevator that Biggs was talking about was protected by a few robot sentries, which stood on one leg and kept a machine gun propped on top of their strange bodies, deterring any assault. Jessie would need to work quickly securing the lift that would take them deep down into the reactor.
Shooting his attention back to the single guard, Cloud noticed that he wasn't alone. The man was being followed by a huge guard cat that lurked in the shadows behind its master, waiting for an ample opportunity to attack. Cloud would need to take them down, or the operation would be finished.
Barret nudged his way through Biggs and Jessie, until he was sat next to Cloud, then he squatted on the ground. "What's on your mind?"
Cloud did not look at Barret, but answered him quickly. "I'll take care of the guard and his pet. I need you to clear a path through those sentries to the elevator". He glanced into Barret's face and then down towards his gun-arm. "Does that thing work?"
Barret growled and raised the metal paw upwards, revealing numerous barrels in the end of the thing. To Cloud, it looked like a powerful Gatling gun that fired armour piercing nails, rather than bullets. It wasn't advisable to get on the firing end of one. Cloud nodded to him.
From the shadows, the attack began. Cloud skipped athletically from the doorway of the courtyard and caught the guard immediately by surprise. The huge cat growled ferociously and sprung into position, after being released from its master's chain. The guard raised his gun and began to spray his bullets towards the ex-SOLDIER member. They ricocheted uselessly from the huge blade of the Buster sword. As the cat closed in for the kill, Cloud threw the huge weight of the sword over his shoulder and waited for the right time, his deep, penetrating eyes, never leaving those of the estranged beast. When the two were moments apart, Cloud yelled and swung the giant blade towards the attacker. There was an inhuman cry from the massive beast, as the blade cut down its huge mass in mid air. Cloud fell backwards from the impact, but he had managed to kill the thing.
The guard was furious. Seeing his beloved pet, slaughtered ruthlessly by the intruder, he wasted no time, in releasing a hail of bullets towards him. Cloud however, remained nimble, despite being shocked by the beast's unnatural strength.
The only cover from the firepower was behind the gigantic blade of his sword, now stained with the blood of the beast. Cloud needed to be closer. As soon as the guard had to change magazines in his weapon, Cloud raised his blade and ran towards him, sword above head. When the guard once more raised his weapon, Cloud dropped the blade to the floor and propelled himself over in a somersault. After the gigantic leap, he landed in the middle of the guard's chest, knocking him backwards into the wall and stunning him. Taking a minute to get his breath back, Cloud snatched the weapon of the fallen man and went to meet with Barret.
In the meantime, Barret had gone headfirst into battle with the machines. Covering his comrades as best he could, the big man fell into a favourable position behind some old barrels and began to fire his arm-mounted weapon. The Gatling pellets quickly cut through the soft armour of the small robots and they exploded into masses of sparks and wreckage. He rose to his feet and smiled, glad that he had seen the battle through.
The four members made rendezvous at the elevator, with the courtyard free of any obstacles. Jessie easily managed to override the security clearance for the lift and the doors slowly opened to reveal a small cabin inside.
Cloud nodded at Barret and he nodded back. Words hardly needed to be spoken between the two men.
Now was the time for the second part of the plan to come into action. Cloud threw the guards weapon over towards Biggs, who caught it gleefully.
Barret pointed towards him with the gun-arm, as Jessie skipped into the lift area behind him. "You're marking our escape. Don't fail us now".
Biggs nodded and gave a mimicking salute towards the AVALANCHE leader. "Come back in one piece, you lot!" He raised the gun and scampered over the courtyard.
The lift grinded into action as Cloud pushed the final switch at Jessie's instruction. They all suddenly felt the rush as the little chamber descended into the unknown, leading them towards their destiny.
Barret raised his hand towards the side and rested against it, as he looked straight into Cloud's brilliant eyes. For a moment he just stared at him, hardly a thought penetrating his head, but then he got to the wondering about what made this mercenary tick. He just couldn't seem to figure him out. It was like the man was a moving statue oblivious to the world around him, or AVALANCHE'S cause. He was a ghost.
Cloud saw Barret's look, but said nothing.
"Soon these reactors will drain out all the life of the planet and that will be that," Barret said suddenly.
Cloud shrugged as he had done before. Why was Barret trying to get to him like this?
The big man opened his mouth in a furious gesture. "The planet's dying, Cloud," he yelled.
"It's not my problem. The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and Robo-guards come". Cloud shook his head and glanced towards Jessie, who was keeping very quiet.
Barret was now fuming. He had turned away from Cloud, not wanting to look at the man who cared for nothing. Cloud was a loner, a brigand mercenary, who was in it for the money. Why she had spoke so highly of him, Barret could not guess. He tried his best to force his anger away, remembering that they needed to keep a clear head.
They stepped out into a world they had never seen before, deep inside of the giant Mako reactor. This was the very centre of Shinra's world domination, the heart of their monopoly. This was the place where the abundant Mako was sucked mercilessly from the very bowels of the planet.
The whole chamber was unbelievably large, much larger than any factory anywhere else in the world. Once more, the walls were built from thick stonework and steel shafts supporting the main frame. The place had obviously been built many years ago and had been upgraded many times since then. In front of them was a huge bowl-shaped structure, which looked as though it controlled the main functions of the reactor in a massive mainframe and ensured the efficient running of the entire process. This was where the reactor housed its many drones, sending them at intervals down into core to handle basic maintenance functions.
Beside the mainframe structure a pathway ran down the side and underneath the platform they were standing on. This route led down to the very core, where few humans ever ventured, unless of an emergency. Despite the safety rails and warning signs, it was not a way designed for the workers, but for the machine drones to carry out their tasks.
Barret waved Jessie and Cloud onwards, and they followed unenthusiastically. Running parallel to the downward staircase, various pipes and maintenance chutes ran from the very summit of the reactor down into the depths. Cloud guessed that these were probably rubbish pipes, used for disposing of garbage, or something like that. He was struck with awe at the sheer size of them. Epic expanses of steel surrounded the chutes, all serving some purpose or another as they continued their hard toil night and day, completely automated and away from human eyes. The entire city of Midgar was run from these creations of the Shinra, and if they were ever to break, the city would be in chaos. The thought was mind-boggling.
He was surprised at Barret's speed as he traced the steps of the AVALANCHE members down towards the ground. The journey to the bottom of the mainframe platform was long and winding, like some twisting serpent of colossal size. He was glad to finally get off the steel steps and get his feet on the solid stone ground. To his left he saw the bottom of the pipes and the huge vats of waste that they were tipping into. It looked like the leftovers of the Mako energy that had been sucked up and harvested into energy. Whatever was left over was transformed into green sludge, sliding down into these large containers. What happened after that, Cloud could not guess.
The others had already disappeared into another doorway ahead of him. He sighed and began to follow once more.
From the next huge chamber, Cloud could finally see down into the depths of the Mako reactor. Far below crossing pipes, he saw a long, thick bridge about fifty metres down. Beneath the metal bridge he could only see thick smog of blue dust, covering something that looked like an underground lake. Inching forward, towards the end of a fallen pathway, he saw huge pipes, larger than any he had seen before, running down the side of the wall, plunging their heads into the lake. Were these the Mako extractors? Was that pure Mako in the lake?
Over the broken pathway he saw Jessie waving him over, and Barret sliding down a slanting steel ladder, leading onto a pipe way down below. There was no other choice but to jump. He took a deep breath and clung onto his sword as he prepared a run up. Sprinting at full speed leapt dramatically over the gaping hole and landed on the other side. Wasting no time, he quickly swung himself onto the ladder, and began to trace it down carefully, following Jessie and Barret.
The pipe was large, but hardly made for three people. The Avalanche members tried their best to keep their balance as they strutted along the thing to a small maintenance platform hovering in the air. Jessie settled herself onto this floor way and began to smile at the others. "This is my spot," she giggled.
Barret looked down into the depths of the reactor as he rested his arm onto the platform. Planning the route in his mind, he figured that the pipes would lead them to the ladder over by the east wall. If they were careful, they would easily make it across and be able to climb down onto the bridge far below. He glanced up at Jessie and shot her a rare grin. "Don't get careless now, girl. We're not out of this yet. You know what to do, so hold position here while we get back".
Jessie looked between Barret and Cloud, and then winked. "Don't worry about me. Try not to get yourself killed!"
Leaving Jessie behind, Cloud and Barret followed each other carefully across the crossing pipe ways, trying their best not to look down. Eventually they managed to reach the ladder that led down to the bridge. Barret went first, followed by Cloud who hung effortlessly above his slower comrade. The decent was long and painful, but eventually Barret placed one foot on the steel bridge. It was narrower than he expected. Looking upwards, he saw the thick yellow pipes that they had successfully crossed, but could not spot Jessie in the darkness. The roof of the reactor was now a distant memory, completely lost to their minds as they sweated it out directly above the Mako pool.
Wasting little time, the two warriors scuttled their way along the iron bridge towards their destination at the end. As they drew closer, they could make out a small wheel fitted onto a relatively small, but complex machine. According to Barret, this looked like the very centre of the reactor. It was the brain of the entire place, the one place where everything was automated and controlled to Shinra's standards. This supercomputer was their target. If the brain was dead, the entire reactor would crumble beyond repair, as the chain reaction would send catastrophic explosions through the entire system. Reactor one would be utterly destroyed.
As Barret continued onwards towards the thing, Cloud suddenly stopped and was struck with a sudden dizzy spell. He stumbled over towards the guardrail and set his hand against it to retain some kind of balance. Strange visions suddenly blurred his consciousness as he stumbled about, but they were so obscure that he couldn't make out a single picture. What the hell was happening to him? He saw a vision of the reactor in his mind, the whole place seeming suddenly very real to him. But it wasn't the real reactor; it was a twisted version of it. It looked older and somehow smaller than the real one. Turning cogs filled his mind and he saw strange chains hanging over the long platform. He heard the voice as clear as day. "This isn't just a reactor". It was a man's voice, deep, but almost inhuman.
As Barret turned, he saw Cloud stumbling about as though he were possessed. What the hell was wrong with this guy? "Hey you ok?" It seemed to have the desired effect as the man suddenly awoke from his daze and began to focus once more. Barret shrugged.
There was nothing Cloud could say to explain his sudden lapse of normality. Perhaps the Mako was beginning to have an effect on him. "I'm fine". Opening his hand, Cloud looked down and saw an odd, green coloured rock in his hand; at least it looked like a rock. How had he picked that up? He glanced up at Barret, and then at the strange rock. As his senses awoke once more, he knew instantly what it was. This was Materia.
Barret was looking impatient. "Hey, get your spiky ass over here. We need to set this thing today".
Cloud shook his head and quickly placed the Materia in his pocket. He would contemplate it later, right now; there was a mission to complete. He tried to regain his form and sprinted over to where Barret was stood.
Barret watched him approach. "What are you waiting for? Set the bomb".
Cloud looked at the device that Jessie had handed to him earlier. "Shouldn't you do it?"
Barret shook his head and sighed. "Just set the damn thing. I've gotta make sure you don't pull nothing".
Cloud walked forward slowly and never took his eyes off the reactor brain. He felt almost as though the thing were staring at him asking him subconsciously not to blow it up. He was being crazy again. This Mako must be having more of an effect on him than he realised. He settled himself down in front of the wheel that marked the control switch for manual operation by a Shinra operative. It would have been almost impossible to tamper with unless the operator had been fully trained. The bomb was set quickly and placed just behind the wheel underneath a small blue dial. According to Barret, this was the ideal spot to start the chain reaction.
Their whole decent had been leading to planting the bomb that had taken just a few seconds to set up. All the hassle that they had encountered up until now was just a slow build up to this one point. Their mission had been accomplished, but escape was another matter.
Now would be the time to see if Barret's theories were right. In ten minutes the reactor would be a heap of dust, a forgotten remnant of this wondrous city. Cloud had just signed the destruction of a landmark and an explosion that would rock the entire world.
Barret put his hand out to Cloud shoulder as the mercenary looked strangely vulnerable for a moment. Cloud was obviously in a sudden daze at the consequences that his actions would bring.
As the alarms slowly began, an almighty roar sounded throughout the chamber, but it didn't sound human. The two AVALANCHE members heard the whirring of cogs and machinery above them as though something was coming to life in the pipe works. It was a frightening sound as though it were a mark of their impending doom, signalled by the setting of the bomb.
Barret jogged forward steadily and looked around the chamber signalling to Cloud. "Watch out. Here they come!"
The thing landed across the bridge, massive and mechanical, like a giant armoured tank of some kind. It was at least twice the height of any man and sat on eight legs in a squat whilst various turrets whirred into action on its head.
Cloud drew his sword and raised it towards the mechanical beast. He recognised the thing immediately for what it was, a crazed robotic guard scorpion that had built by the Shinra to protect various industrial sites in the eight sectors of Midgar. Cloud had never seen one this close before, but he knew what they were capable of!
The scorpion suddenly rose up on every one of its eight legs and began to run towards them at a blinding pace. As it came closer, its features became more obvious and horrific. The thing was completely mechanised but looked frighteningly real as it propelled its body forwards. This monstrosity of a design carried two main gun turrets instead of claws and had a huge life-like tail that it swung behind like a whip. It was a bright orange in colour, matching the dreaded scorpions of the outlands.
Barret screamed as he backed away, firing his weapon madly. He took quick glances towards Cloud, who just stood there in awe for a few seconds. He tried to focus his firepower towards the metal beast, but most of the Gatling pellets simply rebounded off the tough armour.
Cloud raised the blade once more and leapt behind Barret as the scorpion continued forward. He watched as the beast raised one of its turrets towards them, but he only just reacted quickly enough as the cannon fired. A short burst of bullets ricocheted off the metal surface of the platform as both Cloud and Barret dived out of the way.
"What a monster!" Barret screamed as he ducked for cover.
Cloud had closed his eyes. There were a few more tricks that he had up his sleeve yet. He stood straight against the scorpion, in full view and range, but the thing could not hit him as it blasted away. Concentrating fully, Cloud managed to bring up a ring of green energy around his body covering him from head to foot.
Barret watched in amazement as his comrade summoned up magic from the resident powers within him. Barret had seen magic used before in the world of men, but never like this. Cloud was completely smothered in the field, as though he had precise control over the entire force. Maybe this was what it took to be a member of SOLDIER.
Cloud raised both arms in front of him, channelling his energies forward towards the huge drone. Then suddenly the heavens opened up in a small portal directly above the machine, as though the gods of space were spying onto the world below watching the unfolding battle. In an instant, there was a loud crackling as a huge bolt of pure lightning energy blasted down from the portal, hitting the armour of the scorpion with a force greater than it had ever felt before.
The huge hunk of metal ceased its fire almost immediately as the bolt struck. It quivered violently a few times, before shifting its weight left and into the guardrail of the bridge. A few metal bars were sent flying into the pool of Mako twenty feet below and were immediately consumed. The scorpion continued to stumble forward in a slight daze, less unsure of its target than it had once been.
Cloud quickly realised it was going to fire once more and dived out of the way, before the barrage could hit him.
Barret took his opportunity. Jumping out from behind cover he immediately opened a barrage of fire from his gun, catching the beast full onward. This time it seemed to have more of an effect, as the scorpion sparked slightly and let out its blood-curling cry.
Both men were rocked by the crashes on the platform beneath their feet and found it difficult to keep balance as the beast stomped around. This did not stop Cloud from lunging forward with his sword. He was barely a few inches away from the monster when it swung an almighty gun-claw towards the young ex-SOLDIER. He met the blow with his Buster sword, but was knocked back by the impact, flying to the floor with a loud crash. He shook his head quickly and realised that the scorpion was eyeing him up for another blow. Without being able to think, he managed to roll with great speed to his left hand side, as the huge claw crashed through the steel and left a massive hole in the platform.
Barret was not idle. Aiming for the huge scorpion eye that sat atop of the gun turrets, he quickly powered up his weapon until a huge energy bolt formed in front of the barrels of his Gatling gun. Jessie's modification was working! Before the thing reached an overload, Barret released the bolt, sending it flying into the drone's control viewer.
There was a small explosion, as the creature was blown backwards by the impact. Flames shot from the eye and sparked into the air, falling to the ground somewhere near Cloud. The scorpion was going crazy now! At an almost unbelievable speed, it fell backwards and began to circle madly, swinging its tail at random.
Barret ducked out of the way of the flailing limb, missing it by the nearest of inches.
Cloud quickly saw his chance and rose to his feet. He raised the sword above his head and brought it crashing down on the scorpion's right arm. With the power Cloud had put into the blow, the arm was severed in an instant, flying to the ground as scrap metal, a huge gun-arm of a high calibre. He quickly swung the sword back around the other way and focused on the swinging tail as the beast circled madly, screaming with pain. Cloud saw the swinging tail and knew instantly that it was powering up a laser in the end of it. It was aiming towards Barret! Knowing he only had seconds to save the AVALANCHE leader, Cloud rolled forward and brought his sword upwards towards the shaft of the tail. The slice was not as clean, but still left a deep wound in the scorpion's main weapon.
The mechanised protector of reactor one was crippled. It moved in fits, unsure of direction or sense. Its robotic brain knew of the existence of the terrorists, but could no longer lock on to any of them. Its only hope was to barge into them without the aid of its main eye, which was not impossible considering its incredible mass.
From his current position, which was practically beneath the scorpion, Cloud could see the inner workings of the machine as a whole. With the circuitry exposed, Cloud saw his opportunity to finish the thing once and for all. He raised his sword and screamed loudly, before plunging the entire length of the heavy blade into the very centre of the robot. It screamed frantically and rose up on all eight legs, turning madly as it slowly burned from the inside. Cloud was suddenly thrown clear, sword in hand, and crashed again to the floor. With a quick flip, he was back on his feet again, contemplating the huge disintegrating wreck blocking their path on the walkway. He swung his sword above his head with ease, half expecting another assault.
Barret jogged over towards his comrade watching the mad machine for a moment or two. "I know this isn't the best time for this, but if we don't get out of here soon, we're going to go down with this place".
Cloud nodded his agreement, breathing heavily, but not managing to take his eyes of the gigantic opponent. "It's going to blow," he whispered eerily.
Both men ran quickly behind cover as the scorpion crashed around on the platform, screaming wildly in an almost lifelike manner. There was nothing else to do but wait, until the thing was finally destroyed. It would have been impossible to sneak past, as the machine was too large and was covering the entire walkway. The two would have been cut down in an instant by its wandering mass. They continued to observe as sparks and flames shot from the body, spraying the air with a flaming atmosphere, like a sky of fire raining down from the heavens.
Their prayers were finally answered as the scorpion finally barged its frame into the guardrail and the steel gave way. There was an almighty splash as the thing was sent screaming into the sea of Mako, lost forever in the stomach of the planet. There was no explosion or mad cries as the scorpion struggled for the surface. It had been lost forever under the deep blue, a lost relic of this place, never to be discovered again.
Vowing to wipe away the horror of the battle, the two men began to trace their steps back upwards into the reactor chambers, planning to meet with Jessie on the way. There was only ten minutes left now until the final detonation, ten minutes until an explosion that would make the Shinra sit up and take notice of them.
Barret looked over towards the severed arm and his brain began to work quickly. Perhaps Jessie could make some use of that. He put his foot down towards it and flicked it up into his good arm, finally managing to secure the thing to his shoulder with a bit of rag from his shirt.
As alarms sounded, and lights flickered softly in the depths of the reactor, Cloud and Barret were merely two shadows escaping from a nightmare, like two souls of hell, making their final scale into heaven. Failure would mean certain death; success would lead them to a new life in which the Shinra would sit up and take notice of their actions.
It took a good few minutes to transverse the strange crossing pipes above the Mako pit and finds the small floating platform where Jessie was waiting patiently. With little time for words, the three comrades immediately set back on their route up the twisted ladder and across the fallen pathway.
Through the doorway they looked upwards, seeing the steps that led up the massive industrial machine and through the small door that led into the elevator there. Barret led the way, quickly followed by Jessie, with Cloud covering the rear. He still saw no guards in the bowels of the reactor and guessed that Shinra's security rested firmly in the hands of the electronic gates they had cracked earlier, and the massive guardian that was now swimming in Mako.
It took a lot of effort to keep the pace, running up a seemingly endless flight of steps, but thanks to his good condition, Cloud coped quite a lot better than the two others. He said a thankful prayer to whoever was looking out for him as he reached the very top and saw a familiar bowl shaped machine.
Cloud had a little time to reflect as Jessie pushed the button on the elevator, sending them upwards into the courtyards. His mind was exhausted from battle and his body was jittery from a combat high, but he still found time to remember the mysterious Materia gem that he had found in the depths of the reactor. He wondered again how he had managed to get a hold of the thing. Had it come to him in his dream? He glanced towards Barret, as he broke off his thoughts suddenly. Did Barret now suspect something about him?
The elevator suddenly rumbled and shook them all up, igniting fear of a breakdown in the system, with them all trapped inside, but the sturdy lift kept its course well, and continued up the endless shaft.
They were thankful when the door finally opened into a well-lit courtyard. They had finally escaped that hell of a reactor, but there was still more to do.
Tired and bruised, Cloud followed Barret and Jessie into the industrial setting of the yard outside the elevator. Familiar features such as the fallen guard, locked gates and the enthusiastic Biggs greeted him on the outside, but Cloud had no patience to tolerate them. He discounted Biggs immediately and ran over to the Avalanche leader, who was busy formulating their escape route.
Barret quickly summoned up the energy to order Biggs into position, and followed him over towards the gate. He saw Cloud and Jessie follow him.
Biggs settled his focus on the gate, following the way Jessie had shown him. Her months of tutorage were shown to have paid off as he jammed the control panel with a phoney circuit and the gates slid open again as quickly as they had closed. "Run for it!" he yelled.
Wedge saw them all in an instant and began cheering manically as they sprinted over the walkway. The way ahead that he had been guarding had remained clear despite numerous alarms. The Avalanche attackers had been in the reactor, barely fifteen minutes, but Wedge was not impressed with the wait. He hated not being involved in the middle of things, but Wedge knew his role in Avalanche was hardly an active one. He could not begin to imagine what they had been through in there. He continued to yell words of encouragement as precious seconds slipped away.
In a moment of horror, he saw Jessie trip on the walkway, slamming to the steel with great force. She was quickly scooped up by Cloud however, with him hardly breaking a stride.
Ahead of him was Biggs, followed closely by Barret. They were both screaming crazily, pouring every last effort into this last escape as they sprinted blindly towards him. It was impossible for the Shinra to stop them now. The reactor was going down, one way or another, but their time had almost run out. Wedge turned quickly and headed through the doorway he had been guarding.
As Cloud and Jessie stumbled onwards to follow the others, the reactor began to spark, and was covered with a radiant electric current rolling upwards and across the huge column. The chain reaction was beginning, the explosion had occurred already!
In a few moments, Cloud's destiny was changed forever. He had assisted a dangerous group of eco-warriors and had destroyed a huge bastion of power and profit for the Shinra Corporation, perhaps the most powerful organisation ever to have existed on the planet and his former employers. He would be hunted to his death by their troops, going down in history as one of the men behind one of the world's greatest explosive disasters, but would he be remembered as one of them, or as a cold-hearted mercenary who had been in it purely for the money?
The explosion spread across the city in a huge ball of flame that was seen from miles around. The reactor did not fall, but simply exploded into oblivion, a distant memory of a once proud structure, possibly signalling the beginning of the fall of the Shinra.
Cloud had unwittingly entered onto a path that would change his life, a path of destiny. He was in a new world now, radically different from the one that he had been a part of before. This was a world where one man would make a difference that would last forever…
