Final Saga

Chapter two

Avalanche First strike

A/N: I am skipping some dialog from the beginning of the game since I am lazy and since I did not believe it to be important enough to waste the space as it only severed to give out a few names and show how much of a jerk Cloud is. I would also like to apologize for the shortness of this and the last chapter. I will try to make them longer in the future, but for now, I believe shorter chapters work better. I am doing this so each chapter can be focused on certain people and not having to jump around too much.

The former Solder Cloud Strife has been in many mako reactors during his time working for Shinra. Although this was not one, he has been in before he did not have any trouble navigating the interior. The only thing different then before was that this time he was hired by a small group known as Avalanche to plant a bomb onto the interior of reactor to destroy it. Cloud, never one to like riding in elevators, hated this trip even more so with Barret lecturing him about the evils of Mako reactors and how it is killing the planet. The blonde-haired person was not really paying attention the man with the gun arm as he was thinking back to something he was told during his time in basic training. "No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy". Although nothing has gone wrong, yet, he knew it was only a matter of time before that changed.

There was not much in the way of guards when they exited the elevator. Although they did encounter some robots, they were no match for Clouds sword or the stream of bullets from Barret's gun arm. After a few battles they went down the ladder to the walkway leading to the reactor, but this was where their luck ran out. This was the spot where they group suffered their first causality…..their plan.

Before they were able to get off the platform and onto the bridge leading to the reactor, both Barret and Cloud had to jump for cover as a hail of bullets flew right where they were standing less then a few seconds prior. Ahead behind a barricade of sandbags were several armed guards with full automatic weapons. Barret thinking quickly grabs a fire extinguisher and throws it at the group. Cloud getting the hint hits it with a bolt spell from his lightning materia as soon as it gets into range blasting fragments on metal into the bodies of their now desist enemies. As they went to grab any items and money the fallen guards may have had, Cloud was the first to notice….each and every enemy looked the same. It was not just because they had the same color style uniforms for such duties. The truth was, each of them were identical right down to hair and eye color and even facial features matched up. Although Cloud was the first to notice, Barret was the first to say anything

Barret: What is up with them? Are they part of some Shinra cloning project?

Cloud: I am not sure. I know they were working on something like this, but they canceled it after of the Genesis incident. Well lost all data along with the death of anybody involved with the project was the true reason.

Barret: We are almost at the reactor… let's move on so we can get out before we find any new surprises Shinra has cooked up.

Cloud: You're right… let's mosey.

Barret: Could you have said that any more whimper!?

Fortunately, there were no more surprises between them and the reactor. Cloud was the one who placed the explosives after a brief argument with Barret. It looked like the hard part was over and all was left was to leave before the explosives took out the reactor and whoever was still in the building, but that was when fate intervened and a alarm sounded. Nether of the two knew the reason, or who was to blame. All they did know was they needed to get out before additional security arrived. A sound echoed throughout the room as if a large heavy robot was walking along the bridge. Cloud believed it was a robot Shinra called a "guard scorpion" He saw how wrong he was as the unknown machine that dropped down from a higher platform that was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was humanoid in appearance and around twice Barret's height. It was mostly black in color with some gray highlights around the joints. The only weapons that can be seen on the Robot are two Uzi's one on each of it's hands. Before Cloud launched an attack, a voice spoke out from a unseen speaker on the Shinra controlled mech.

Mech: I see my toy impresses you. In case you are wondering, ShinRa calls this, the AG-03X. As for me, I am Alexander and I shall be your executioner today.

The battle was a tough one, as no matter how many round Barret used or how many strikes with the over sized sword cloud dished out, the Mech would continue to fight back with ether the guns in its hands or a kick from one of its feet. It was not looking good for the two as their supply of health recovery items were almost depleted. It was at this point shrapnel from the battle damaged a water pipe spraying the mech with water. It was not a big deal or so Alexander thought, since the Mech's circuitry was protected, but it was not properly shielded electrically as the water acted as a conduit for, Clouds bolt spell damaging the Mech forcing Alex to flee the battle. Before he did, he said one thing, which was "You may have gotten the better of me this time, but I will be back and I will be the one to kill you". In his haste to leave the battle, he dropped a newer stronger weapon for Barret although happy for the upgrade in firepower was unable to venture a guess as to why it had such an item in the first place.

It was at this point as Cloud noticed the time bomb planed there before the battle shows they only have thirty minutes before it was to detonate. The trip back through the reactor was more difficult then before since security was on alert and thus they were forced into a lot more battles. Although it was a narrow escape, they managed to make it out of reactor just before it went off in a massive fireball visible to everybody who was living on the upper part or Midgar at that moment in time.

Biggs: That should keep the planet going... at least a little longer.

Wedge: Yeah.

Barret: ………

Jessie: OK! Now everyone get back.

The bomb set by the only female in the group blew up the locked gate allowing them passage out of the tunnel, which they used to protect themselves from the blast. Cloud's group went through.

Barret: All right, now let's get out of here. Rendezvous at Sector 8 Station!

Split up and get on the train!

Cloud: H, hey!

Barret: If it's about your money, save it 'til we're back at the hideout.

Cloud moves on. On his way, he met the flower girl.

Flower Girl: Excuse me. What happened?

Cloud: Nothing… hey, listen... …………Don't see many flowers around here.

Flower Girl: Oh, these? Do you like them? They're only a gil...?

Cloud: *buys one*

Flower Girl: Oh, thank you! (Took out a flower) Here you are!

After that, Cloud moves on. Suddenly, Shinra Soldiers surrounded him. Cloud fought off a few, but was eventually cornered on a bridge above some train tracks. Cloud took the only choice he had at the time, jumping off the bridge and onto the train, which was passing underneath to help him with his escape.

Omake 1:

As guards surrounded Cloud, leaving him backed up against the railings of the bridge, he was unable to hear the train that was supposed to be passing by about now.

Guard 1: Any last words?

Cloud: Could you hold off on trying to kill me…..the train is running late.

Guard 1: Why should we do that when we can kill you now?

Cloud: It's in the script that I jump onto the train and you should know how mad He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can get if we deviate from the script.

Guard 1: You mean Voldemort?

Cloud: No, some one much scarier then he is. *in a hushed tone* The author.

Guard 1: Oh shi-!

Guard 2: We're screwed now!!

The guards grew scared quickly and ran away as fast as their legs could take them

Cloud: Wimps! What could that blowhard author do to us anyways?

Cloud did not have a chance to blink as KOS-MOS, T-elos, and Omega landed in front of him. His only response was to faint

Lesson of the day: NEVER Piss off the Author.