Chapter 1

Cloud Strife, former Soldier first class, choked on thick smog as a train thundered through Midgar's under tunnels. He was a fish out of water, instead of a firearm, on his back was a heavy broadsword. Its blade was forty-two inches long and at least three inches thick. While his uniform was the black and purple mesh jumpsuit reserved for elite first rankers of the Soldier force. No matter how little loyalty he held to either side, a strong armour remained essential.

'Station approaching!' An activist yelled. 'About one mile left before we slow for station one!'

'Awright, everyone be ready!' Barret called and ducked into a recess on top of the train.

For three minutes the bumpy ride continued before a hideous screech excreted from the rails. A final puff of energy twinged steam spewed from the locomotive before all activity ceased. The group prepared their assault in silence, eyes fixed upon two guards that patrolled the platform. The leader threw his left arm up and two point-men began the attack an instant later.

The first warrior sported a dark green outfit which ended just below the figure's knees, tucked into a pair of brown boots. Cloud watched the ally slide up to the edge of the platform, hidden in the space between the rails and the under tray of the carriage. The activist waited for the first guard to walk on by before he leapt up from the blind spot.

The thick baton in his right hand smashed against the centre of the guard's skull. A hideous crack filled the air as it dislodged from the tip of his spine. Dazed and confused the guard staggered around, the fighter thrashed the club into his enemy's windpipe. The sentry sank to his knees and tried to breathe as his face grew purple around the jawline. The effort met with failure and he collapsed into a lifeless heap.

Behind the man came the click of a rifle. Cloud watched as the barrel of the gun was pointed from a distance. He shook his head at what he saw. The fighter should have hauled the guard down to the rails, rather than leave himself open for a capture at the other end. His ally sank to his knees, placed his hands on his head and interlocked the fingers.

As the guard slithered along the platform, the second fighter appeared without sound from the crawl space between each car. Unlike her comrade, she wore dull grey armour that blended into the mechanical surroundings. Her eyes were trained on the enemy, while she clutched a pair of knives, the silvered blades held with a reverse grip so they pointed towards her own body. As the careless guard reached for a pair of handcuffs, she pounced, flicked her knives the other way around and held the blades an inch from his throat. The figure gave a yelp of terror before she ripped through his jugular and sprayed blood across her ally's back. Cloud was impressed! She was much more focused and controlled. More than that, her first strike was deadly. No pause for quarter offered.

'You could have made him mess up the platform instead of me!' The idiot said as he clambered back to his feet.

'And you better look out when in a fight!' Their leader said, 'these lot ain't jus' some raw cadets.'

'You don't have to worry about Soldier.' Cloud said and vaulted from the train to join them. 'It's not likely that Shinra will have them patrolling the reactors.'

'That's cuz all the others are distractin' them suckers! The big fight in Sector Two is all that they's be caring about!'

'It's only a good ploy if we are quick enough to exploit it.'

The leader's eyes narrowed. 'Jus' becuz you were once a Soldier don't make you leader. But you's right, we's better move out!'

The group darted for the edge of the platform, as they departed Cloud realised he didn't even know their names. It summed up how he felt about the mission. This was not a mission to lay his life on the for, unlike the battles he had undertaken for the conglomerate. There was an irony in that; one of their former elite had turned traitor. He imagined former comrades driven by a wish for his death.

He shook his mind clear and walked to the corpses. A rough search through their pockets revealed a couple of tiny curative items. To his disappointment, they carried no money or weapons that were of any use. Search complete, he made for the exit when a light from the platform roof flashed. With a curse he realised the general alarm had gone off. He darted free of the station and turned back to face the archway. A pair of guards ran along the line with assertion and speed, the signal box that had housed them stood on the horizon and he grinned, Shinra had been more intelligent than he anticipated. He slid against the wall, out of sight of the entrance door. Calm, he drew in a deep breath and held it, his heart beat slowed, and the silence grew.

The guards fell for the ruse and rushed free onto the street. They looked on ahead, confused, when the sound of metal cutting the air caught their attention. It proved too late, the huge blade completed a semi-circular arc, both heads fell to the cobbled road outside the station a mere heartbeat afterwards. Their killer glanced back and saw that the station had fallen into silence, with no other guards in sight. Satisfied there was no further threat, he threw the sword over his shoulder and the two holes in the blade slotted over magnetic orbs fashioned into the back of his suit to secure the weapon and free his arms.

He drank in the image of Sector One. Like everywhere else in Midgar, it was an imposing vision, colossal girders sprang up from deep beneath the cobbled roads. A constant banging sounded in the distance, as if ten thousand iron mongers smelted simultaneously. The sky was hazy as Mako driven smog suffocated the northern part of the metropolis.

'Huh?' The sound of his thick boots had roused a green clothed terrorist who turned to face Cloud, 'So you're the new guy eh?' The joker announced and offered his hand. Cloud ignored it. 'Heh... You're really serious about things aren't you? Don't say too much. We don't even know your name.'

'Cloud.'

'Cloud eh? Well my name's Biggs, that there is...'

'Do me a favour. Save your breath. I don't care what your names are, I am here for this mission, after that I am done.'

'Hey man! What kind of attitude is that? Want some quick cash before you go back to Soldier?'

Cloud's eyes narrowed. 'If I were going to go back to Soldier, you'd either be dead, or shackled to the back of a truck and dragged in my wake.'

Ahead, the woman fighter turned to him. 'Let's save the brawling for the inside of the reactor right? Getting the mission done is what matters isn't it?'

'Save your breath Jessie, guy isn't worth it.'

She threw her gaze back at the small computer screen, the ambivalence threw her nerves all over the place.

With the issue of comradeship buried, Cloud kept his eyes focused on the huge iron gate that stood between the high concrete walls of the reactor. It reminded him of a prison, not an energy plant. The main cooling tower rose way above his head, he craned his neck to view the tip. Once at full stretch he gave up and guessed the height to be at least two hundred feet.

'Where's Wedge?' Jessie said.

Biggs chuckled. "How could you misplace a fat git like him?'

Jessie rolled her eyes, while Cloud ignored the whole conversation. He began to feel the mission would be a disaster. He had been the only one to cut off a rear assault, now he found two of the main techs joked in the street about one of their own.

'Heh... Well anyway, you know what he does best right?' Biggs continued. 'He's up on the roof of the train station, scanning the distance.'

Before Cloud could ponder the ploy's success, the leader stormed into view from the right hand road. As the figure was surrounded by the light of the lamps, Cloud found himself taking a long look at the man. Unlike many of the populace, the figure was dark skinned, with a stubbly beard formed along the line of his chin. His hair had been cut razor sharp in the style of a marine. The figure's biceps bulged with the veins visible to the naked eye. It was as if the fighter had eaten steroids for breakfast.

As unusual a look that was, it was not what made the man so eye catching. It was the right arm, where one expected a fist to hang, was instead a large six barrelled mini-gun. Cloud also took in the image of a long bullet-belt coiled around the man's body, it was an awesome and terrifying sight.

"What the hell did I tell you lot? Stupid idiots are gonna get us busted! Don' move in a large group!'

Jessie blushed. 'I am still trying to figure a way in, the gate lock is easy with my ice breakers, that floor is the problem.' She said and pointed at an illuminated square that covered almost the entire pavement in front of the gate.

'Wha's that all abou'?'

'That's a security hot plate Barret, Soldier boy would know more about it.' Biggs said.

'How abou' it? Why's it so important?'

'You enjoy fighting an army?' Cloud said, 'Like the idea of battling Shinra guards, Turks and Soldier in one fell swoop? Well if you do, step right up. That plate is connected to a security line that is priority 1-A. I remember when some drunk clot staggered on one at four in the morning. You've never seen so many pissed off members of the militia.'

Barret swore, then said, 'how's we gonna ge' 'round it?'

Cloud smiled. 'Find a way to get the breaker into the slot without touching the pad. While you all think of something, I am going to check on your wide boy.' Before they could protest, he slipped away from the street.

The wind howled as it streamed over the buildings in the sector. Wedge was terrified by the noise, while the darkness felt like it crushed him. But the fat man shook his head and focused, his vision trained down the scope of his rifle.

Cloud almost burst into laughter as he saw the man, who could not have been any less convincing a sniper. He wore an ill fitting yellow armour that exposed flabs of flesh. A thick leather belt was strapped over one shoulder and held a trio of grenades. Numerous ammo clips were on his main belt that doubled as a way of keeping the denim trousers from falling down. Even the western bandana looked ridiculous.

'What do you see?' He said as he slipped beside the man.

Wedge yelped in surprise then pointed at a distant spire. 'There's a guard watching from there, he's got full vision.'

'Let me look.' Cloud commanded then stared down the scope at the glass tower on the horizon. A solitary man sat with his feet on a console that was wedged against the circular glass. Numerous dials, switches and buttons appeared to blip and the figure's eyes were fixed on a wall of monitors set just above the terminals.

'Knocking him off is not the problem, just got to be sure that if we do, the movement on the ground is held off enough to prevent me getting locked out.' Wedge said.

Cloud eyed the man. He knew they would have around a fifteen second window. Too little time to get the man down should the card entry and shot not be synchronised. 'Can you get down in twenty seconds or less?' Wedge nodded at his question. 'Then knock him off, once you shoot knock this to the street.' He placed an empty vial on the lip of the roof. 'Don't wait up, as soon as this is moved, you run for the gate. Do not miss the cut!' He darted from the sniper and felt, rather than saw, the man slip into position for the shot, he did not look back.

'...He's not one of us, the guy will betray us!' Biggs said.

Barret shrugged. 'The guy's no' done it so far. Son of a bitch might later, but we's gotta keep the train goin'! Plus she gave the guy a good report, we can trust her.'

As Cloud walked from the stairwell he was aware of who the topic of conversation was. He did not care, all he wanted was for this farce to be over so he could cash in and move onto the next mission. He walked over to the trio and stood before them. 'Your sniper is set, once he has taken the shot, he'll drop a vial from the roof, when it hits the floor we open the gate.'

'I ain't gonna tell you again! You might be some big Soldier man, but I am the leader!' Barret said, 'this missions' goin' my way, if you don' like it then ge' outta 'ere! But you's gonna kiss goodbye to your money.'

Cloud rolled his eyes, there was no time for this. 'I am not interested in your leader nonsense, I care only for this mission's success. Now, if you want to wind up in a prison cell as a failure then be my guest and carry on your macho approach. But unlike you, I know these reactors and the best ways in.'

'Awright then, you give us your big plan!'

'The plate is too sensitive to simply cover and walk on. Barret, you and I can easily hoist Jessie off the ground using a rope looped over that street-lamp.' He announced and pointed to a fixture some four feet from the security panel. 'Biggs then pushes her like a pendulum until she is close enough to the card slot, she thrusts it home, the gate opens.'

Silence ruled before everyone began to laugh, he stood motionless as the crew lost all their focus. He had had enough, the whole thing was a complete nonsense, if they wanted to be brash then they would, but he would not be part of it. He turned his heels and walked towards the station, if he followed the train lines, he would reach the inner plate and a way out. They could enjoy their ride to the prison without him.

A thick arm planted on his collar and spun him around, his eyes stared straight into Barret's. The face was devoid of the humour that had been there just seconds earlier, by his side the two aides stood stock still. Not knowing if the pressure of the situation was about to blow up worse than the reactor would.

'You walkin' out? Gonna jus' leave us to go right along alone?' Barret said, 'Who d'ya think you're dealin' wit'?! Avalanche ain't about being an army, we's gotta save th' planet!'

'Are you done? You want this mission to work? Then you think serious or you fail.'

'Listen! We ain't gonna jus' be like Shinra! We want to take them down. You in or you out?'

'Are you going to execute a simple plan or laugh your way to jail?'

'Enough, let's bury this.' Jessie cut in, 'the plan sounds like it will work. We laughed at how an ex-Soldier would come up with something so childish. It caught us out.'

'I served in Wutai, simple but effective, it won us the war.' He turned to Barret, 'strike while the iron is hot, you in?'

Barret smiled and raised his right fist into the air. 'Let's ge' th' party started!'

Wedge lay tight on the rooftop, his eyes stared into the distance. A dot formed in the centre of the scope, trained where the bullet would travel. Below he watched Barret raise his left arm, the signal for the mission to go green. He took short breaths, his heart rate quickened as he envisioned the shot's aftermath. He placed his chunky finger on the trigger and prepared to fire. The tiny air-stream that was spewed from the fan underneath the barrel faded to the right by about one degree. Coolly he calculated the shot in his mind, aware he'd have only a split second to shoot again should the first slug fail to find the target.

He refused to be cowed by thoughts of failure and pulled the trigger. The weapon recoiled under his armpit, though the barrel spewed no sound as the slug flew from inside. Wedge kept his eyes on the enemy and watched as the target was punched backwards, a hole in the centre of his skull. He felt exultant as he rose to his feet, yet a sudden downer came upon him, this was only the beginning. He kicked the vial off the edge of the roof and rushed down to join the others.

Cloud listened intently and as soon as shattered glass inched through his ear drums he called for the plan to start. Barret was the anchor, the rope coiled tight around his back and he crouched at an angle of forty-five degrees. In front of him, Cloud mirrored the position and they each began to pull backwards. Jessie inched from the floor and gestured for them to continue. He watched her, aware that they would soon have to maintain a level height whilst the rope was subjected to swinging forces and weight. One slip from either would send a distress call across Midgar. He refused to let the thought unsettle him and anchored his legs in one place.

Biggs took three running steps towards his hanging ally and pushed with both hands. Jessie swung for a few feet and came back towards him. He braced his palms to control the back-swing, before he shoved again. Four times the move was repeated before Jessie was confident enough to wrap her palm around an iron bar and held herself above the panel. She pulled out the transparent card and slotted it home, a green light surrounded the panel and gas pistons sounded.

The light from the ground died and she was set down. Avalanche gathered their movements and rushed through the opening. Cloud began to count seconds as he stood at the gap and looked to the street beyond. From the stairwell Wedge appeared and tried to run. His bulky frame rendered him far slower than any of the others. The pistons sounded again and gears began to warm up. Wedge rushed as hard as he could, his feet pounded over the darkened security plate. With a desperate leap he flung himself into the air and skidded on his belly across the threshold. As he came to a halt against a metal pipe, the gate ground into life and closed behind them.

'Well we are inside.' Cloud said.

'Yeah and we's not gonna jus' go out the same way we came in. Wedge, use tha' stuff of Jessie's and ge' the main gate to Sector Eight open. We's gonna ta' the train to Sector Seven. Everyone else follow me!' At his command Avalanche ran towards the reactor's main entrance.

If the tower seemed imposing on the street, up close Cloud truly understood the nature of the beast. At surface level it stretched over two hundred feet into the air. But, he glanced below and was chilled by how deep the reactor clawed. His eyes stopped trying to digest the image once it got past the service levels between the plates. As he attempted to draw his vision back from the edge, his pupils drank in the hypnotic display from the ground below. A black curtain of darkness had draped across the scene, distant lights from houses and streets in the slums punctuated it, as if they were stars in the night sky. It crafted the illusion that he stared at Earth from heaven. He felt dizzy and imagined falling into it.

He forced himself to look to the mission ahead, aside from Wedge, the others had turned and gone into the reactor. As a location, the Shinra had thought of everything. Thanks to Midgar being split into eight sectors there was always going to be space between on the upper levels, so the rulers placed reactors in the gaps. The only way to reach to them was a bridge that crossed between the sectors, while another formed a t-shape to the entrance. He rushed along the bridge and through the main doors, the environment changed immediately. Where there had been a subtle breeze and delicate sense of life above the world. Here, the air felt dense, hot and pressed against him. He ignored the sensation and walked along the concrete corridor to a small set of stairs. The rest of the group waited at the top.

'You keep preaching about being quick, then take forever.' Biggs said.

'We's not go' time for that. This place's gonna explode when we's through!' Barret said.

'Which is something I wanted to ask about.' Cloud said, 'how do we pull that off? A reactor this size would need an explosive the like not seen since the war.'

Jessie smiled. 'It would if all you wanted to do was drop a bomb and run away. We're a little more intelligent than that; this whole tower has dozens of air ducts that take pressure away from the cooling tower. Strap a bomb to a panel inside that and it'll explode, the flash launching a chain reaction that will feed through the entire thing.'

'Not a bad plan, but where do we set the charge?'

'Jessie knows all abou' it!' Barret cut in, 'Meantime we's gotta do thi'! The planet is full of mako energy, people use it everyday. Thanks to these bloodsuckers all th' energy is being stolen from our world!'

Cloud rolled his eyes. Barret had preached all along the train, he did not need it here! 'I did not sign up for this to get some lecture. Let's hurry.'

Barret's face flushed crimson. 'Tha's it! Yo' ass coming wit' me from now on!'

He felt like laughing. But, with Barret at his side it might shut the man up. With everyone prepared for the mission ahead, he took point and walked to a huge sliding gate that stood at the end of the corridor. Before he had chance to think about the mechanism, Jessie slipped by his side and inserted another of her transparent cards into a slot. Seconds later the doors slid backwards.

Beyond was a sinister looking industrial morass. The floor had changed from greyed concrete to a criss crossing form of wired mesh that appeared fragile. Only as he saw the thick bars that braced them did he understand how no one had fallen through to the mako pools many metres below them.

'You sa' you's been inside a reactor before?' Barret said.

'Many times; just not for a long while.'

Barret seemed to take in his words before he shook them off and changed the subject. 'We need to get down the elevator. From there, we go on further.'

Silence filled the room as the pair began the walk through the open level of the reactor. The echoes of his footsteps disturbed him; it suggested the place was empty and he did not trust it! One did not get away with knocking off security; no doubt, somewhere inside this mechanical maze, another set of men waited.

As if to prove his silent theory right, a klaxon sounded. In front of them he saw a narrow line of light within the thick elevator door fill with shadow. He darted forward, and detached his sword from its magnetic sheath. The others followed suit with their weapons and he nodded approval. They had learned he was he smartest man in the room when it came to a battle.

A loud ping filled the air and the doors opened. No one advanced at first, until a wall of slugs was peppered from rifles of guards within. He dived to his left and executed a roll that carried him back to his feet behind a pillar. He forced calm and thought through what moves he had before he rushed round the left side of the pillar and into the sanctuary of another in front.

A quick glance back showed him that Barret looked on as Cloud drew the unit's attention to him. He continued to supply the distraction and watched Barret duck behind a thick pipe. As his arm was aimed through a small gap in pipes that granted him cover, Cloud ducked into cover of his own. He smiled as the ruse worked. The Shinra guards had been so focused on taking him out that none had seen the danger until it was too late. One man took three shots in his right leg; Cloud winced as he saw the shin, kneecaps and thigh all punctured. The guard screamed and fell to his back, while confused comrades spun around and fired blind, their own bullets clashed with the pipe. None saw the black man lie on his stomach to avoid any drilling through the cover and into his body.

A repeated sound of clanging disturbed the air and the guards turned to see a grenade bounce at their feet. The guards saw their lives flash in front of them, before one brave comrade threw his gun aside and dived atop the projectile. His body was blown into pieces and shielded his fellow men from danger.

Despite the second chance, they were all too shocked to take the lifeline that had been offered them. From their left, Cloud re-emerged and attacked. The giant blade collided with the temple of one man and spewed blood across the lift. A figure tried to use his rifle as club, but the wooden butt was smashed to shards by the heavy blade. Cloud headbutted the figure and thrust his weapon through the enemy's chest.

Behind him the other two members entered the fray. Jessie twirled her blades through the air, their edges sliced sinew and chopped through flesh. Two guards fell to her deadly dancing style, before the brash Biggs followed up with some ferocious clubbing. His baton smashed one man's temple like a hollow egg, before he backhanded the weapon across the last guard's face and sent him into the gunfire from Barret's arm. As the silence descended once again, Cloud cleaned his sword and sheathed it on his back. The others gathered their breath before they too holstered what weapons they had.

'That tells me we'd better hurry.' Cloud suggested.

'No time to mess abou! Biggs; keep yo' eyes on th' doors back there. Jessie, you's comin' with us!' The trio darted onto the elevator towards the lower levels without further word.