This is supposed to be the final chapter.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes. I'm dead tired.
Chapter 25:
Mei woke up on her living room's floor, head pounding and buzzing, a vile stench hitting her nostrils, and her blurred vision way to bright. She felt like her brain was assaulted by her senses. Her vision cleared slowly and the memory of the previous night was gradually returning to her. She recalled getting drunk with Reno, which was highly unlikely, and seeing she was alone it made the memory even more improbable. But then Mei noticed two significantly piles of puke, cringing at the solid, or rather liquid, proof of last night's events. Impossible as it was, Mei could swear her throbbing head was getting even worst, as the ringing voices became unbearable. When Mei heard a voice calling her name, she began to fear for he sanity, before she realized someone was banging on her door. She managed to utter a weak 'coming', and struggled to her feet.
Mei opened the door to someone that looked awfully a lot like Cloud, but could not actually be him. Cloud could not possibly look so undilutedly vicious, glowing in the sort of violence Sephiroth radiated on the battlefield, and oozing the vengeance she had only ever witnessed on Wutainese fighters.
"You're shit-faced drunk." The man said in a voice that was not quite how Mei remembered Cloud's voice to be.
"I think I successfully passed to the stage of hangover." Mei argued dryly.
The SOLDIER-like-Cloud, grabbed her by the arm less than gently, and dragged her in the direction of her shower. Before Mei managed to open her mouth to protest, she was hit by ice cold water, after being shoved into her shower stall unceremoniously, still fully dressed. "Make yourself decent. I'll be waiting outside." He barked.
After a moment of shock, Mei adjusted the water temperature and began peeling off her clothes, wondering who the fuck manhandled her like a caveman. She cleaned herself from any remains of vomit, and brushed her teeth, before wrapping herself in a towel, and heading to her bedroom. Mei quickly dressed, and marched to the living room where the SOLDIER was pacing restlessly. Mei squinted her eyes, Cloud definitely did not have a buster sword, but it was unmistakably him.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Mei lashed out at him.
"I'm leaving Shinra." Cloud declared.
"What? When?" Mei cried out.
"Now. Are you coming with me?" Cloud asked, staring at her with severity that made him look far too old.
Mei gaped. "What happened?"
"They executed Zack, before sunrise." Cloud answered flatly. "Court-martialed for betrayal."
Mei was stunned to silence. Her mouth was loosely open but nothing came out. Cloud took one step towards her. "Pack your shit. And let's mosey."
Mei nodded mindlessly and walked to her room, shoving some clothes into her bag. Her brain functions were slowly returning as she put on Vincent's necklace and threw some ammo in her bag. She was back to her old Turk self when she headed back to Cloud. "I need one hour."
Cloud nodded. "I'll see you in the parking lot."
They both left the apartment, and Mei's brain was already on overdrive. Their defection was hurried and unplanned, which was against everything she was taught, but then they have the element of surprise. The longer they plotted, the bigger the chance that anyone would find out. Mei strutted to her office, locking the door behind her. She logged into her bank account, transferring nearly all of her money to her mother's account, the rest she would withdraw cash from the ATM in the lobby. Then she walked nonchalantly into the archive of the Urban Development department, smiling confidently to the infantry man guarding the entrance, and quickly searched for the building plans of the biggest Mako reactors and the main Shinra buildings. Mei was not sure what guided her to make copies of the architectural and structural drawings, but somehow she knew it would come in handy. Mei neatly folded the papers, waved the guard goodbye and went to meet Cloud on the parking lot.
Mei divided the cash she withdrew between her pockets and her bag, and took the helmet Cloud gave her. "Since when do you wear a helmet?" Mei raised an eyebrow.
"Our hair is pretty distinguishable..." Cloud replied dryly, putting his helmet on. Mei did the same, and mounted the motorcycle behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. With a load roar of the engine, the left the Shinra headquarters behind.
Cloud led the way, and although Mei was unaware of their destination, she felt utterly calm about the whole ordeal. She tackled the problem of contacting her mother and letting her know she was fine, without endangering any of them. There were a few ways, each risky in a different way and so far she was displeased with all of them. Mei sighed deeply, watching the terrain changing quickly around them, as Cloud was riding illegally fast for what Mei assumed was slightly over four hours. The sun was beginning to set and the wind blew wildly, making her chilly to the bones, her body aching from so many hours of riding.
Cloud stopped his motorcycle in a dusty yard, in front of a modest looking inn. No questions were asked when they paid for the room, and they silently climbed the stairs, entering the humble space. Cloud went straight to the bathroom while Mei went to stand by the window, watching the empty street with Turk vigilance. Cloud returned, looking somewhat relieved and they looked at each other for a long moment.
"Do we have a plan, Cloud?" Mei asked tiredly.
"We have a short-term plan, yes." Cloud replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Tomorrow with dawn we'll head to Fort Condor." Cloud said, kicking off his boots. "We will buy tickets for a ship, but we won't board it."
Mei hummed her approval. "They never do check their passengers in that port. If it goes smoothly, it will through whoever tries to follow us off track."
"I will contact a friend. We will stay in the mountain area and keep a low profile, until we receive an answer." Cloud said cryptically.
"A friend? How are you going to do that without exposing yourself?" Mei inquired suspiciously.
"We are childhood friends, we have our own secret language." Cloud smiled wolfishly at her.
"But how is she going to deliver her message to you?" Mei pressed, "None of knows for sure where we will be in 24 hours!"
"It's going to be something big. We'll just have to get our hands on a newspaper every few days." Cloud smirked.
Mei narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly are you getting us into?"
There was a pregnant pause, and by no means Mei was prepared for that answer. "Avalanche."
"What?!" Mei exclaimed, "There is no way you manage to plan all that this morning."
"No. It started roughly when we visited Nibelheim. I was beginning to have my doubts around that time...especially after a long talk I had with that friend about SOLDIER, and Shinra in general." Cloud paused, looking at Mei with eyes glowing with Mako and rage. "And then you showed me the research you did about the negative impact of the Mako reactors, and you were confident enough in your conclusions to move your family to Kalm."
"You should have gotten your mother out too." Mei said softly.
Cloud shock his head. "She would not hear about moving. You know how stubborn she can be."
Mei let out a forced chuckle.
"What happened to Sephiroth got me thinking of an escape plan. What happened to Zack...made me realize I want revenge." Cloud stated, glancing at the buster sword.
"This is why you got the motorcycle." Mei thought out loud.
"Yeah. In any formal records, this motorcycle does not exist. It can't be traced and it's designed for long distance rides in various road conditions." Cloud confirmed.
"I don't recall you being that clever in the past." Mei remarked.
"I learned from the best." Cloud grinned at her.
Mei huffed. "I'm afraid I was completely unprepared for this scenario."
Cloud motioned to her bag. "What did you bring?"
"Clothes, ammo, I got Materia in my necklace." Mei shrugged.
"And what was the folder you were carrying?" Cloud questioned.
"Oh that. Building plans for Shinra facilities." Mei replied offhandedly.
Cloud gawked at her for a long moment. When he recovered he appeared awe-struck. "This is out entry-ticket to Avalanche."
"Hmm. I can see how can it benefit a terrorist group." Mei mused.
Cloud winced at her terminology. "You don't have to join if you are not comfortable with the concept. You can just go into hiding. Gaia is a big place."
Mei pondered for a while. Going against Shinra, the organization she belong to almost her entire life, was a foreign idea that she was yet to fully consider. "I honestly can't comprehend what happened. I can't give you my decision at the moment."
Cloud nodded in understanding. "Let's get some rest."
They took turns on the shower, Cloud going first, while Mei kept watching out of the window. She had a lot to think of, a lot to wrapped her mind around, a lot of decisions to make. Unfortunately, Mei realized that thinking proved to be hard when she was feeling so much. Scared, angry, trapped, insecure, betrayed, heartbroken. It was useless to seek for rational resolutions when there was a huge whole just in the middle of her chest, that despite all of her other emotions, felt absolutely empty.
Cloud emerged from the bathroom and Mei gathered her clothes and took a shower. Her actions were mechanical, automatic, as her mind was light years away, disconnected from her physical being. She got dressed, still in a dissociative daze, and stepped into the room feeling abnormally numb. Her eyes locked on Cloud, sitting on the floor, and leaning against the bed, holding the buster sword, and it took her a few moments to understand what she was seeing. Cloud's expression was pained and his eyes seemed to glisten more than usual. He was holding onto the sword like he was holding onto Zack's memory and suddenly he was the little kid she used to tutor.
Mei felt herself moving, and kneeling beside Cloud, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She made her decision. "They took a away Sephiroth from me." Mei's voice wavered. "And then Vincent left. And now Zack..." Mei said softly. "But not you. I'm going to hang on to you until my last breath. Whatever it is, we're in it together."
Cloud gave her a broken smile, covering her hand with his own. They sat side by side for a while and then wordlessly they went to sleep. They left the inn with dawn, heading south to Fort Condor. Cloud led the way confidently, and Mei allowed herself to relax and learned to enjoy the fast-paced ride. All was going well until Mei heard a distinct sound that can only be one thing – a helicopter. Cloud caught on the noise as well, going off the main road, and heading towards a nearby forest that would shield them from the aerial view. But they were not fast enough. The Helicopter was close enough to be recognized as Shinra's and by the reckless piloting and the numerous violations of aviation conventions, Mei assumed it was Reno in the cockpit.
"Stop your vehicle." The helicopter's speakers blasted.
Cloud accelerated, and reached for his weapon. For a reason she could not name, Mei grabbed his sword arm and said. "Don't. Pull aside."
Cloud turned his head to glare at her, and protest, but the look she was giving him convinced him to obey her. He stopped the motorcycle, and the helicopter landed nearby. Reno and Cissnei jumped out, walking towards them with a cheerful expression, and carrying a heavy-looking bag. Mei sighed deeply, her fingers itching to draw her gun.
"Don't shoot, yo. We come in peace." Reno shouted from afar.
Mei arched her eyebrow and glanced at Cloud, who seemed equally suspicious and ready for battle. "How did you find us?" Mei asked flatly.
Cissnei chuckled. "Reno bugged you."
Mei narrowed her eyes at Reno. "You piece of shit, this is why you got me drunk."
Reno raised his hands in surrender. "We were worried about you, I had to do it. Give me your gun."
Mei did not move for a long moment. Reno extended his hand, and very slowly Mei handed it to him. Reno took out one of the bullet, giving it a slight shake that indicated it was hollow inside, except for the tracking device. He threw it on the ground, a few feet away from them, then pulled out his gun and shot it, blowing it to pieces. "I bugged Cloud's motorcycle too, but for some reason it didn't work."
"Why?" Mei inquired weakly.
"We thought that...with everything that happened...you might desert." Cissnei replied.
"So you came to stop me?" Mei cocked a challenging eyebrow. Cissnei and Reno had no chance against Cloud and her.
"No. we came to make sure you're well equipped." Reno answered with a grin, grabbing the big brown bag and placing it before Mei, who stared at him with growing confusion. "How fortunate that Tseng just scheduled us to a mission in Junon, and that we packed some extras, huh?"
"I can't believe you're doing it." Mei uttered meekly.
"Me neither." Cissnei remarked, and Reno confirmed with a nod.
"We thought we owe you that, because you always had ours backs even if you're a condescending, snarky, misanthropic bitch." Reno explained. "But next time we meet, we're on opposite sides, yo."
"Understood." Mei confirmed. She shook Reno's hand and Cissnei actually gave her a hug, and then they left as abruptly as they came and Mei and Cloud were left with a huge kitbag filled with who-knows-what. It was certainly as heavy as it looked, but they had no time to check its content. They improvised and managed to attach the bag to the motorcycle, continuing their journey south. They arrived to Fort Condor in twilight and bought tickets to the ship traveling that night to Goganga. It just seemed appropriate.
With nightfall they headed north-east to the mountain area near the city, after Mei bought herself a hair dye, deciding to get rid of her distinguish green hair. She also got herself a tight-fitting leather suit to fight the chill while riding in the coldest hours. Cloud helped her dye her hair in a deserted barn, and she washed the remaining dye in a small brook coming straight from the snowy peaks, the water freezing her fingers and scalp. Considering the challenging conditions, it came up rather well, as much as she could see looking at reflection at the bottom of a shiny pot. They went to sleep on a blanket, spread on a pile of hay, in a pastoral atmosphere that made everything feel unreal.
"You have some really strange friends, Mei." Cloud said jokingly, before they both surrendered to sleep.
That night Nibelheim burned.
So this story was originally supposed to end here.
But if you ask me to write a few more chapters so the end would be less gloom, I might oblige :)