Chapter 11
Cloud, Tifa and Aerith eventually found a way out of the sewers and hurriedly ran towards the latter's home to get Cloud's sword and for Aerith to change clothes. Tifa was getting restless because they know that the falling of the plate was already imminent and she couldn't stop thinking about Marlene.
"If we can catch the train we can get there on time." Tifa said as they continued to run towards the train station after coming from Aerith's house, they managed to sneak in and get everything they needed while Elmyra was still sleeping.
When they got to Sector 7, they saw a crowd of people gathered by a fence while they were all looking up, the three of them heard gun fire above. Tifa immediately knew what was going on and turned to Aerith and asked for her help.
"Aerith, please take Marlene somewhere safe as soon as you can!" Aerith didn't say another word and just nodded before she hurriedly ran towards the direction of the bar while Cloud and Tifa were already on their way towards the main pillar that supports the plate above. But on their way, they both saw Barret releasing a barrage of bullets above and fighting along with him was Wedge, Tifa screamed when the latter lost his balance and fell off the tower and landed near them.
"WEDGE!" Tifa exclaimed while she ran towards him then knelt on his side with Cloud beside her doing the same.
"Wedge! Are you alright?" Cloud asked with his eyes hardening. Wedge gave him a weak smile.
"Cloud... You... Remembered my name..." He grimaced. "I'm sorry I wasn't... Any help..." He trailed off then spoke again. "I was hoping that I... Could get to invite...you to... A karaoke contest..." He said weakly that had Cloud raising his eyebrow.
That was so random. The blond thought. Then he grabbed Wedge's hand and held it to his chest that greatly surprised the man.
"Let's sing to our hearts content and see who's going to win." He said with eyes full of determination while he nodded his head once. If it wasn't for the situation, TIfa would have laughed out loud at that weird exchange. Wedge smiled brightly beofre he grimaced again then Cloud stood up.
"I'm going to help Barret." He said then ran to help Barret above. Tifa turned to the crowd.
"Hurry up and get away as far as you can from here! It's dangerous! GET OUT OF SECTOR 7 NOW!" She was trembling as her emotions were taking over, she looked down at Wedge who was breathing heavily. "I'll be right back..." She said then she followed Cloud to go above. Along the way, they found Jessie and Biggs, bady wounded and lying on the ground.
"Jessie! Biggs!" Tifa exclaimed and she didn't know whom to go first, Cloud went over to Biggs to check on him.
"Cloud... You still... Don't care about the planet...?"
"Not interested." He said flatly.
"Yeah..." Bigss laughed then grimaced from his side wound. "Still haven't changed. But I'm glad to have met you... Mr. SOLDIER 1st class... And you're still a man-whore..." He smiled weakly while Cloud chuckled.
"You're wounded. Just rest." Cloud said before he stood up. Tifa on the other hand is checking on Jessie who was having a coughing fit.
"Jessie... You're going to be fine..." TIfa reassured but she too wasn't convincing herself, Jessie was horribly wounded.
"Because... Of us... Many people... This is... punishment..." Then she coughed again.
"Don't talk and just rest. We're going to help Barret." Tifa said while Jessie nodded her head.
"Wait...!" Jessie stopped her when Tifa stood up and gave her a bag that was on her side, Tifa looked inside and saw that it was her clothes.
"Thank you Jessie..." Jessie was like that, she always thought of what others needed ahead of time and that's what everybody liked about her. Tifa hurriedly changed, hidden at a wall. Cloud ran ahead of Tifa while the latter followed later after changing to her normal clothes, she pulled on her gloves while she ran ahead, they reached the top where Barret was cursing to his hearts content, and the subject of his verbal abuse was none other than the red head, Reno, from a helicopter above them. Cloud's blood boiled like lava and started to pull out his buster sword.
"About fuckin' time you got 'ere!" Barret yelled at the two while Cloud glared at him.
"Don't take it out on us." Cloud said in monotone while stil in a fighting stance. Just then , The red head jumped out of the said helicopter while he stared at Cloud with a cocky grin on his face.
"Well, well, well, if it isn'-"
"Shut the fuck up!"
"How dare you talk to me that way yo!"
"Just who do you think you are?" Cloud yelled back, Barret wanted to roll his eyes.
"I'm Reno, and I'm a Turk, and I'm here to..." He didn't finish his sentence and ran over the control panel where he violently slammed a button then laughed while he threw his head back. "Mission accomplished yo!" He said then went running towards the helicopter again and jumped up the rope, then he looked down at Cloud and stuck his tongue out that had Cloud's eye to twitch.
"We have to disarm it now!" TIfa yelled at her two companions but Reno went back down again.
What an idiot. Cloud thought.
"I can't let you do that, even if you are a very beautiful woman, I can't let you have your way baby." He said while smirking at Tifa, Cloud's vision went black at the red head's statement.
"Don't you DARE go near Tifa!" He spat the Reno who held both his hands up in surrender.
"Whoa! Easy there sister-" He was cut off when Cloud charged at him and swung his sword at the red head's direction, who evaded it with ease. Then Reno pulled out his night stick and began to attack to blond by swinging it and charging it's electricity before pushing it towards the blond but Cloud got away before he was electrocuted. Reno back flipped then looked at his watch. "Whoops, sorry, party's over!" Then he started running back up at the helicopter ropes then climbed up.
"Fucker!" Cloud yelled at the red head who just cackled when he finally reached the top. Tifa hurriedly went over the controls to check if she could disarm it.
"I can't! I don't know how to disarm this!" She exclaimed with Barret already beside her.
"IT'S A FUCKIN' TIME BOMB?!" He yelled with saliva spraying all over the control panel which had Cloud closing his eyes while he slowly wiped his face from the wet sensation, he happened to bend down to carefully check on the controls when Barret decided to have a spray fest, hitting the side of his face completely. Just then, another person in a suit with shoulder lenght black hair appeared from the helicopter with a wry smile on his face.
"You can't just disarm that bomb, even if you try..." He said flatly then a familiar lady in pink appeared beside him inside the helicopter. Tifa gasped.
"AERITH!"
"What are you going to do with Aerith?!" Cloud asked angrily at the Turk who just chuckled.
"Oh, I don't really know, But we were ordered to get our hands at the last remaining ancient." Cloud was confused about what he just said.
"Tifa! Don't worry! She's safe!" Aerith yelled before the man in the suit slapped her face that had Cloud's blood boiling.
"Aerith!" Cloud yelled again when they heard an explosion happen and the plate started to tremble, the helicopter was already making it's way out.
"We have to go now!" Tifa yelled at the too but they were too late, Cloud made his way towards Tifa and hugged her tight while they both fell back, Barret on the other hand covered himself as much as he can.
"FUCK!" Barret yelled on top of his lungs as the plate shook violently. Tifa couldn't help her tears as she burried her face on Cloud's chest while the blond held unto her for dear life.
"I'm here Teef..." He whispered to her ear before the plate started to fall downwards. She started to sob hard while she screamed while Cloud gripped her tighter as she thought of the three people she cared about that was going to be crushed helplessly below, and the innocent people that will be killed because of them.
