Vincent raised an eyebrow in his direction, "I thought we were fighting for our lives." Cloud shrugged carelessly, "That too." Vincent chuckled and soon the two of them were outright laughing. The laughter died away as the reactor came into view.
The reactor looked exactly the same as Cloud remembered it. The metal paneling was old and dirty, although Cloud had figured a few year's difference probably wouldn't change that. Supply and return pipes stuck out haphazardly, as if the whole structure was constructed in a hurry. Then again, the construction teams probably hadn't been anxious to stay on Mt. Nibel any longer than they had to. The rocky terrain surrounding them was by no means graceful, but the dark, jagged rocks were arranged in crystalline patterns that could be both mysterious and beautiful, if viewed with the correct about of optimism. In contrast, the metal building looked out of place.
'...like it doesn't belong here,' Cloud thought absently. The thought seemed vaguely strange to him. He had grown up in Nibelheim after all, he was well used to the reactor by that time. In fact, it probably would have been stranger if the reactor hadn't been there. Still, he couldn't help thinking that the reactor didn't belong.
Vincent and Cloud approached the reactor carefully, on guard. They had been attacked by some monsters on the way up, but nothing that had caused any particular damage. There was no guarantee of what lay within the reactor however. Cloud wasn't sure exactly when the Mass Soldier Desertion Incident was supposed to happen, but it certainly hadn't happened yet. For all he knew, Jenova might not even be there.
For the first time, Cloud noticed the decay that was slowly creeping into the surroundings. No plants grew near the reactor and the crystal shape of the rocks were distorted and misaligned. Of course, Cloud had noticed the same decay in Midgar, but he had figured the natural mako in the pools was enough to stop the corruption.
'Look at what Shinra is doing to the planet... Revolting, isn't it...' The quiet thought passed through Cloud's mind almost unnoticed. "If only there was no Shinra..." Some part of Cloud reacted to the last thought curiously. Hadn't he just been working in Shinra a few days ago? He wasn't aiming to destroy Shinra, just the corruption inside.
As terrible as it made him feel, some days he thought it would be easier if they just bombed the Shinra headquarters. Of course, all the innocent lives that would be wiped out as collateral always stopped him. 'But if they're Shinra,' he thought to himself, 'how innocent can they be?' The thought made him feel sick and guilty for even considering it. Like most unpleasant thoughts, it stayed buried in the back of his mind, quiet and subtle, but impossible to forget.
The caves that led up to the reactor were just as decrepit as Cloud remembered them. Broken pipe and lengths of sheet metal littered the jagged rock floor. He wasn't sure how long the reactor had been in Nibelheim, most of his life, at very least. Surely there must have been a time when it was in better repair? Parts of the piping didn't seem to lead anywhere; it struck Cloud as a waste of resources. But then, it was Shinra. At the height of their power, they had the resources to burn.
The two men entered the main chamber from the side, walking past rows of sealed pods. The sight of the experiments inside sent Cloud's stomach into a painful twist that left him feeling slightly nauseous. Seeing the experiments here was more than enough to remind him of the experiments that had made him stronger. The plan to destroy Shinra rose to his mind unbidden. What had Shinra ever done that actually helped humanity? The world would be better off without them.
'After all,' Cloud thought, 'it's my responsibility to protect the planet.'
A/N: Unfortunately, I update faster than I write and I'm out of pre-written chapters. I'm still going to try and update every other sunday, but the chapters might be a little short and raw.
