--The Beginning--
January 8, 2008
The Eastern Continent, Midgar
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The fabric of her sweet, innocent, little girl's dreams were torn—ripped apart by what she misconceived to be thunder at first. She sprang up in her bed, pink silk sheets falling away from her tiny form. The shadows in the room seemed to move before her eyes, making her skin crawl.
She had the creeping sensation that she was being watched. She was not alone. She gripped the end of the bed sheets and held them to her chest. Her breathing was shaky and frightened.
"Who—Who's there?" she called out in a meek little voice.
A woman stepped into the moonlight. The girl released the sheets and breathed a sigh of relief.
"You scared me!" she hissed.
"Hush now, baby." The woman said, "It's time to go."
"What? Now?" the little girl protested, but the woman had already pulled her from her bed.
"Yes. There isn't much time." She turned to the little girl and handed her a few heavy, gray cloths. "Cover yourself in these. It's quite chilly outside."
The little girl did as she was told, pulling the cloths over her nightgown and dark hair. Her attention was drawn to the window as a bright spark of orange light lit up the pitch night sky. The booming sound that followed caused her to jump. The light had descended upon the city below, exploding amongst the residences and buildings.
"Let's go!" The woman ordered the little girl, grabbing her delicate wrist and pulling her from the room. She'd also covered herself in gray cloths. The little girl wondered when she'd taken the time to do so.
"Wait!" she cried out, stopping, "Let me get Pepper!"
The young woman waited while the girl snatched her beloved toy from the bed and clutch it against her chest. She gave a flash of a smile. There wasn't time for much else. She held onto the girl's hand and pulled.
The little girl followed the woman's lead, creeping down the dimly lit hallways of the mansion, pressing their backs against the wall as a group of soldiers passed at the junction in front of them. The woman continued to pull on the little girl's wrist, leading her towards the rear exit of the mansion.
"Where are we going?" the little girl asked, the fright in her voice causing her words to quiver.
"Somewhere safe." The woman turned to face the little girl, rust-hued eyes friendly yet worried, "Stay close to me and don't look back, no matter what, ok?"
The little girl nodded. The woman responded with a slight smile, then turned and continued through the doors and into the mansion's spacious gardens. In the distance was a tall, ivy-covered wall that was of the same coral stucco material as the mansion itself. The top of the wall was lined with barbed wire.
As they crept across the garden, passing lush orchids and colorful hibiscus and leafy ferns, two soldiers whom the little girl didn't recognized stopped them in their tracks. They were armed with naught but a pair of nightsticks.
"Halt!" One of them said, holding his hand out and pressing against the woman's chest to stop her.
She didn't hesitate to act. With one swift movement, she grasped the soldier's wrist and jerked it violently to the side where it twisted unnaturally. The man only had a few moments to scream and, as the little girl's doe eyes grew wide in shock, the woman's foot met his gut with such force that he was sent sprawling on his back into a rosebush.
The second soldier gasped in surprise, reaching into his belt to withdraw his nightstick, but the woman was fast. She hit him with a roundhouse kick to his face and a second drop kick that knocked him unconscious on the ground. She relieved him of his nightstick, tossing it into the fish pond where it sank to the bottom.
She stole a quick glance back at the little girl, who was gazing up at her as if she were a complete stranger. She sighed, regretting that the girl had to see her act in such a way.
"Come on!" she ordered, yanking the girl from her trance and taking her to the wall.
"I need you to climb." She said to the little girl, squatting to meet her eye to eye. "Can you do that for me?"
"I—I think so." The little girl replied, trembling, "What about the wire?"
"I'll be right behind you and I'll take care of it." The woman said, "Go quickly!"
And the little girl obeyed, using the thick ivy as footholds for her climb. The young woman followed beside her, encouraging her the entire way. When they reached the top of the wall, the woman acted fast. She pulled a pair of wire cutters from her pocket and snipped the barbed wire in half. Then, using her gloved hands, she pulled apart the wire, freeing up a small space which they would be able to pass through.
"Go!" She ordered the girl, ignoring the obvious and bloody injuries to her hands.
The little girl looked down. It was a big drop. She shrieked and gripped the top of the wall with white knuckle intensity. The woman looked at her with wild eyes.
"What? What's wrong?"
"It's… so high!" The girl wailed.
"I'll go first, then I'll catch you." The young woman gave a slight nod, then jumped from the top of the wall onto the ground below. She turned and looked up at the girl. "Jump!"
"I can't!" The girl whined, tears streaming from her face.
"Come on, baby! I'll catch you! I swear!" she held her arms outstretched, "You trust me, don't you?"
The girl nodded. The nearby sounds of explosions and gunfire and people screaming continued to flood the background. The little girl held her breath and silently counted to three. Before she even reached the number 3, a large explosion rocked the mansion. It was like a cannonball had been fired through the roof, leaving fire in its wake. The force of the explosion was so strong, it sent the little girl flying from the top of the wall.
The young woman acted fast, wheeling backward on her heels to break the girl's fall. The tiny little body crashed into her arms and they both fell back onto the pavement below. The woman felt the wind rush out of her lungs as her back collided with the earth, pinned between that and the little girl's body.
"Are you okay?" the little girl asked quietly, heaving her body off of the young woman's.
"I'm… fine…" she replied, standing shakily and breathing heavily. "Let's… keep going…"
As they navigated the streets, the true extent of the chaos that was unfolding around Midgar was revealed. While the city had never exactly been clean and neat, the order that had once stood was now in complete disarray.
Men, women, and children alike ran through the streets. People were crying and screaming and bleeding and holding onto one another tightly. Some people were even carrying their injured loved ones on their backs as they fled from their homes.
A lot of the residences that had once stood proud on the streets had been reduced to piles of rubble and, in worse cases, ash. A fire blazed in the distance, growing in intensity. The little girl's eyes grew wide and she could feel the heat rising in the cold, wintery street. The woman's gentle tugging on her arm pulled her away from the scene.
It was then that the little girl began to weep. Her steps were slow and dragging. The woman turned to look at her and the little girl collapsed onto her knees, sobbing. The woman gave her a sympathetic look, her own eyes tearing up at the sight. But there was no time for sorrow. No time for sadness. If they stopped now…
The girl clutched the beloved toy against her breast. "Why? Why is this happening?"
"I don't know." The woman said honestly, "But I know that your parents would want you to survive. They'd want you to do everything you can to carry on!"
The little girl blinked away the tears and gazed up into the woman's eyes. The truth and the hope that sparkled behind those russet orbs renewed her spirits. She sucked in a breath, frowned, and nodded matter-of-factly. The woman smiled and extended her hand for the little girl to take.
"That's my girl." She said, pulling the little one closer to her side.
The streets of southern Midgar, by the water, were dark and damp; An ice cold rain had begun to fall. Thunder echoed in the distance, indicating an approaching storm, competing with the explosions and gunfire that could be heard from central Midgar. The cobblestone paths were cluttered with garbage and street urchins searching for refuge. Soldiers dressed in full black uniform were tramping through the area, guns and riot shields in hand.
In the shadows of the pitch black sidewalks, the little girl and the young woman slinked along in the shadows, keeping out of sight of the soldiers as they passed. The chaos was a little quieter here, not that this area of Midgar had fared well either. In fact, it appeared that this had been the original starting point of the attack. It seemed as though the destruction that had ravaged the mansion had already passed through here.
Houses and buildings had been laid to waste. Fires were burning amongst the piles of garbage that lined the sidewalks. Corpses littered the streets, left behind like useless waste. The young woman did her best to keep the little girl's innocent eyes from falling upon the heavy sight of death that lay all around.
The little girl couldn't help but look about curiously as the crowds scrambled by frantically. Most were ignored, but one was stopped in his tracks by a soldier who had fallen out of formation. The soldier stopped the man by pointing the long barrel of his shotgun at the man's chest.
"You there!" the soldier barked at the man, who was dressed in black clothes with a red insignia printed on the sleeve of his shirt.
"What?" the man shouted back in a manner that was less than respectful.
"Are you a refugee?" The soldier asked, "The camps are in Sector 5! Get your ass over there!"
"Screw you!" The man reached into the waistband of his pants and came back with a gun pointed at the soldier's head.
The flash of the gun was blinding, the bang resonating in the air. To the surprise of the onlooker, and the man dressed in black, the soldier had grabbed the man's arm and sent the bullet into the air. He began laughing, mocking the man. There was another loud bang, this time from the soldier's shotgun. It was over just like that-- a flash of white light, the sound of bone shattering, a spent shell falling to the ground, and finally of blood and tissue splattering everywhere.
The young woman noticed the girl jump and gasp. Her smaller companion had witnessed the murder. She drew the child to her, offering the cloak as a shield for frightened eyes. She had to look away herself; the sight was unnerving.
"Don't look at it." she hissed.
But as they slipped into a dark alley, fleeing the scene, the curious child glanced back once more, appalled but intrigued by the first glimpse of death. The poor man's body shuddered once more on the ground before ceasing to move at all.
The escapees managed to elude the remaining patrolling soldiers, finally arriving at the water. It appeared that there was someone here waiting for them, as though he'd been expecting them. A burly, dark man sat inside of a small, wooden boat that was bobbing up and down in the calm waves. He seemed to recognize them as they approached.
"Ronni." The dark man said amicably, addressing the woman, "You made it."
The woman responded with a shout and removed her cloak. Her long, crimson hair fell loose around her shoulders. She smiled at the dark boatman, approaching him quickly.
"Barret, I am glad to see you made it here in one piece." she embraced her comrade. "You have to take her to the Northern Continent, Barret. Right away. Don't look back." Ronni said in reference to the little girl.
"What about you?" Barret asked, "I ain't leavin' you here."
Ronni smiled. "I'll be fine. Sephiroth and The Remnants have bigger things to worry about."
"What's that?" Barret wondered.
"The Crimson Archangels."
"Those #! bunch of punks?" the dark man cursed.
"The very same. I don't like 'em too much myself, but they may be able to help us."
"I don't trust 'em. Buncha #! sneaky punks!"
Ronni chuckled. "Save your anger for those who really deserve it, B." she knelt down and squinted to get a better look at her pint-sized companion.
"How are you, Marlene?" she asked, smiling at the young girl.
"I'm okay." a meek voice replied from beneath the folds of cloth.
"Listen, you've gotta go now, okay?" Ronni continued, "I need you to be brave. Can you do that?"
Marlene nodded.
"Great." she glanced quickly up at Barret. "This is my good friend, Barret. He's going to take you somewhere safe."
"Will you be there, too?" the girl asked worriedly.
"I'll meet up with you two later." Ronni touched her face affectionately.
"You promise?" Marlene pressed.
Ronni wasn't quick to respond at first. Marlene tried again.
"Promise me, Ronni! You're the only family I have left."
"I promise." Ronni finally said as she smoothed a hand across the back of the young girl's head. "Now go on. Get in the boat."
Marlene did as she was told. Barret hoisted the small girl into the boat gently.
"Be safe." Ronni said, blinking away tears.
"You be safe, too, kid." Barret said, embracing the young woman. "Your ass had better get to the hideout cave alive, y'hear me?"
Ronni chuckled. "Just take good care of this little girl. She might be the key to everything in the end."
Barret mock saluted his friend. "Aye, aye, captain." he stepped into the boat once more. "Ready Marlene?"
The young girl looked up at the boatman. "I'm ready."
Ronni watched from the shore as the dark man and the youngster paddled away in the small boat, headed for a safer place. She prayed inwardly to the gods to watch over her friends; They would need it.
The redhead stared out into the distance just long enough to see the boat fade into the night, swallowed up by the pitch black. Then, with a pounding heart and an attempt to build up her nerves, she headed back towards the central streets.
"Odin help us all." she muttered to no one in particular.
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The battle, which had been dubbed The Fall of the Eastern Continent, raged on for days, weeks. Endless nights of screams and people dying and fires burning and bombs going off haunted Ronni's dreams. She sometimes regretted her decision to remain on the forsaken continent, wishing she could be with Marlene and her friends somewhere safe.
But now, Ronni wandered the streets alone, trying to stay out of the sights of the patrolling soldiers. They'd been patrolling the entire time, weeding out their foes. There had been many executions; people had been shot to death in the streets for allegedly conspiring against the government. Amidst all the terror, she had to stay strong. She had to remind herself why she hadn't gone with Barret when he'd come almost 2 weeks ago. She had decided to stay behind instead of retreating because she had someone that she cared about whom she needed to evacuate before she could leave the continent. The only family she had left was her cousin. They'd lost all their remaining loved ones in this senseless war.
She was walking along a deserted road, kicking her feet as she went, hands stuffed in her pockets. The sound of approaching footsteps caused her entire body to tense up. If the soldiers caught her now, they'd surely stop to interrogate her. And if they recognized her, they'd probably take her into custody and bring her back to the mansion where she'd be questioned, and likely tortured, into giving information about Marlene.
She couldn't allow that to happen. Acting fast, she ducked inside of an abandoned establishment: a rundown, empty bar. She slipped through the door, allowing it to close quietly behind her. She watched from behind a partially broken and filthy window as a squad of soldiers passed through the street. She was in the middle of breathing a sigh of relief when she felt a cold, sharpness against her throat.
"Don't fuckin' move." A low voice grumbled in her ear, causing her skin to pucker with goose pimples.
Ronni held her arms up. "I'm not armed."
"I can see that," the male voice continued (he smelled of fish), "What are you doing here?"
"I was just… I didn't want the soldiers to find me, so I hid. Here."
"Who are you?" the man whirled her around while at the same time repositioning his knife so that it's tip was now pointed at the base of her throat.
"I'm just a citizen… trying to get away."
"Jensen!" another, familiar voice called out.
The man's green eyes turned from Ronni for only a second. It was all the time she needed to turn the tables. She managed to relieve the man of his weapon and strike him hard across the face with the back of her hand. The pain radiated from her knuckles.
"Ronni!"
"Oh, gods!" Ronni smiled as she recognized the owner of the familiar voice. "Philion!"
The young, black-haired man embraced her, chiding the first man for attacking her prematurely.
"Ronni! You're alive!" he breathed, eying her to make sure she was all right.
"I'm all right, Phil." She sighed, "Who the hell is this?" she gestured to the man who'd attacked her.
"My name…" the man stood up, wiping a small trickle of blood from his mouth, "Is Kyle."
"Well, Kyle." Ronni handed the blade back to the man, "I apologize for this misunderstanding." She smiled warmly at Philion, "If you run with this guy right here then you're all right with me."
Kyle scoffed. "Whatever."
"Ronni, I am so glad to see that you're all right!" Philion continued.
"Me, too, Phil…" she made a face, "Wait a minute, what are you doing here?"
"Wha—"
"Weren't you in Edge?" Ronni's voice grew high pitched and frantic suddenly, "I thought you were supposed to stay there and look after things! What are you doing in Midgar, Phil? What happened?"
"Calm down, Ronni." Philion grabbed his friend's shoulders.
"Yeah, quit spazzing out." Kyle muttered as he wiped down the blade of his knife with a cloth.
Philion shot him a look. "It's not safe in Edge anymore, Ronni. The soldiers began their intrusion at 0800 hours yesterday morning—"
"No!" Ronni screeched, "I have to get there! I have to get there now!"
"Ronni…" Philion began delicately.
But she pushed his arms away from her and ran out the door the way she'd came in.
"Ronni!"
"Crazy bitch." Kyle muttered, rolling his eyes as Philion followed her.
"Ronni! You can't go to Edge now! It's not safe there!" Philion called out to her as she marched down the street.
"I have to! I need to get her out of there!"
"Who?"
Before Ronni got a chance to answer him, a silent bullet, marked only by a high velocity whizzing sound, hit Philion in the chest. Right at his heart. Ronni instinctively fell to the ground and began scrambling for cover. She watched through tear-filled eyes as Philion's body crumpled to the ground, one of his hands clutching his oozing chest.
"Phil!" she breathed, "Fuck!"
She looked high, scanning the tops of tall buildings for sharpshooters. A signal she recognized, made by holding a mirror to reflect the light of the sun, appeared at the top of one building. If there was one sharpshooter here, there was definitely another. She needed to get far away from here.
Staying low, and keeping close to the buildings and houses, Ronni sprinted without looking back. She heard the gravel behind her cracking and splattering pebbles behind her, broken from the force of the sharpshooter's bullets as he followed her movements.
Ronni didn't look back once, knowing far too well what would happen to her if she hesitated even once. She rounded the corner of the last building on the street, ending up on a crowded main road that was congested by the steady flow of slow-moving citizens. She held back her tears as she made her way through the crowd, excusing herself politely as she pushed by bodies who were moving in the opposite direction.
From the top of a building overlooking a crowded street, a man who was armed with a sniper rifle sat awaiting his signal. A flash of reflected light caught his eye and he smiled. Time to get to work. He lowered his shades on his face so he could get a better look at the crowd below.
When he spotted the girl, he recognized her immediately. He never forgot a target, especially one as beautiful and important as she. He stared down the scope, taking aim, careful to avoid the crowd surrounding her. The crosshair met its mark and the man gently squeezed down on the trigger…
Ronni continued pushing through the crowd, looking behind her and above her, not really sure if there was another sharpshooter waiting for her. She heard the brief whizzing of another bullet before it caught the person standing to her left in the throat. She shrieked as the man reached out, sputtering as he choked on his own blood. He reached for Ronni desperately, splattering her with blood.
"Ugh!" she cried out in disgust.
She didn't have time to dodge the next shot as it came down on her so quickly. The bullet caught her in her chest, right beside her heart. She fell to her knees and pressed her hand against the wound. When she pulled her hand away, it was covered in fresh, warm blood. She sighed, fully expecting another shot that would kill her instantly.
The sharpshooter grinned mischievously. "Target is down." He said into his headpiece, "I repeat, target is down." He then set the rifle down on the rooftop beside him. A voice in the headpiece crackled: "I hear you, 72. You know your orders."
A second shot was fired into the redhead's skull.
Before this shot hit its mark, Ronni managed to utter a single phrase: "Marlene, Tifa… I'm sorry…"
A/N: I realize this is quite the long prologue. I had a much shorter version that I wasn't quite as happy with so I posted this one. So until next time... Thanks for reading!
