CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"Die, ShinRa dogs!"
Cloud readied his sword as the AVALANCHE leader rushed towards him, katana in hand and fury in her eyes. Reno lay battered on his side, blood running from his lip as he was held down by a couple of men, grinning wickedly at the blonde as their leader came charging towards him, intent on putting him down. He bitterly recalled how he had come to this exact moment in his new life.
Having convinced Zack he was able to return to work, the man had eventually allowed him to leave the apartment after a few hours of trying to provoke some sort of response from Angeal, who continued to sit staring at his cell phone without acknowledging their presence in the apartment. Cloud had tried smile sympathetically to his friend, who just sat watching Angeal from the opposite sofa, arms crossed and a frown on his features. Cloud made his way quietly out of the room, leaving the two raven haired men to themselves. When the twelve o'clock, lunch hour bell rang, Cloud had made his way down the elevators to the cafeteria to grab something to eat and promptly been tackled to the floor by one infamous TURK.
Grinning wildly, Reno knuckled a fist into Cloud's blonde spikes as he clung onto him, Cloud grunting when he tried to get up but could not due to the TURK placing a foot on his back.
"Aha! TURKS will forever reign supreme!" Reno sniggered, before scowling at the SOLDIERS sitting at the cafeteria tables around them. He allowed the third class to get to his feet, brushing down dirt from his knees. "Yo, you're late."
"Late?" Cloud frowned, then Reno held the cell phone in front of his face.
"Orders from Tseng! I was told to bring two third classes along with me, but seeing as you got promoted so early into your training, I convinced Tseng I'd only need you, yo." Cloud read the text before nodding once, the TURK looking him up and down, "you're gonna need a weapon for this. We figured out who the kids sold that wallet too." Reno informed.
Cloud made his way towards the exit of the cafeteria, deciding he would pick up a sword from the training rooms, when he was stopped by the bald TURK, a hand holding him in place in front of his walkway. As Cloud turned to look at the tall man, a broadsword was held in front of him. He took it and nodded, Rude saying nothing as he shifted to the side to allow them to pass, Reno grinning away like a wild cat as he sprinted in front of the blonde SOLDIER to lead the way. Once they had passed through the entrance hall and out onto the stairs, Reno turned to Cloud, grinning.
"This is gonna be fun, yo."
Cloud raised an eyebrow, not really sure he was going to enjoy what the dishevelled red head called 'fun'. They boarded the sector eight train and sat in silence other than the small snickers coming from the TURK as he terrorised civilians sitting nearby them, the people knowing full well a ShinRa assassin when they saw one. Reno eventually left them alone when most of them jumped off at the next platform, despite whether it was their stop or not, just desperate to get away from the vicious seventeen year old. Reno grinned and flopped down onto the steel seat next to Cloud.
"You're gonna need all your fancy SOLDIER skills for this mission, yo." the red head informed, wiping a finger across his goggles as Cloud turned to him.
"Who has the wallet?" the blonde sighed sharply when Reno simply sneered back at him.
"Now, that would be spoiling the fun!"
Cloud rolled his eyes.
When they got off in the sector three slums, Cloud noticed the looks of pure hatred he received from the civilians as they lay in poverty and waste, the TURK seeming entirely nonchalant about the situation they were in. Cloud kept close to the older teen as he lead the way through the crowds, who shouldered and pushed past the third class as he attempted to keep up with Reno. Eventually he ran up to Reno's side, frowning.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" he asked quietly, the red head snorting as he tapped his metal baton against his shoulder.
"New residents in this slum have been having lots of fun spreading rumours about ShinRa," Reno informed, drooping an arm around Cloud's shoulders to pull him closer when the third class was nearly knocked over by a large man, "just stick with me, yo. We'll be fine. These people are piss scared of the TURKS."
"And SOLDIERS?" Cloud was unsure whether he should have asked when he received Reno's response.
"They fucking hate 'em."
Cloud came to an abrupt halt when Reno stopped, holding him steady when they stopped to stare up at the huge abandoned apartment complex. Blonde hair rippling in the sudden wind that came tumbling down the street, it seemed suddenly very, very quiet, the crowds having moved away from them. Reno was grinning characteristically, tapping his baton against his shoulder.
"Looks like we're expected." he released his hold around the third class' shoulders, "let's not keep 'em waiting, yo."
Cloud followed him in as Reno shoved open the door, the wood falling from it's hinges and crashing to the floor. So much for sneak tactics. Reno strolled into the entrance hall, finding the place empty. The walls were ripped and torn at all edges, while sudden drops in the floor where the wooden boards had rotted away threatened to plummet them into the darkness below. With every step Reno took the wood beneath them groaned with their weight, Cloud trying to keep as far away from the holes as possible. He stood waiting for Reno as the redhead leapt over the office desk and began to rummage through old paperwork and files, finding nothing of use as he opened up drawers onto the floor. Cloud thought he heard the floorboards wailing again from over by the staircase, but when he turned to examine the darkness beyond, he found nothing. His mako enhanced senses listening, he could not sense the presence of anything larger than a few rats scurrying in the walls around them. Reno made his way back over to him, holding the wallet in his hands.
"Found the wallet."
"Let's get out of here then." Cloud muttered, his broadsword drawn as he heard another creak coming from above them.
"Missing the key cards, yo." Reno gestured to the stairs, "we're gonna have to go up."
Cloud made his way forward, following behind the TURK as he slid the wallet into his jacket pocket, tapping the steel baton against his shoulder as he walked with a near constant slouch. They made their way slowly up the stairwell, Cloud hearing footsteps as they reached the first floor. He turned and searched the shadows with his blazing sapphire eyes, but found nothing but the seemingly endless emptiness. Reno was in his environment, making his way forward through the shadows, only his bright red ponytail and the flickering of the metal baton on his shoulder allowing Cloud to see where he stood as he followed close behind. They made their way up the stairs again to the second floor, finding nothing but abandoned corridors leading to dingy rooms and torn down wallpaper. Reno made no noise as they walked onward, though that feral grin stayed present on his lips, the silent hyena undeterred by the quietness. Cloud held his sword steady as he stopped every few moments, nearly tripping into holes in the floorboards, the sound of the creaking wood beneath their feet the only sign of any life in the building.
They continued this way until they reached the twenty third floor, when Cloud saw a pair of eyes within the darkness. He held his blade steady and moved forward to attack when Reno held out his arm, shaking his head as the face disappeared into the blackness once again. Cloud said nothing as Reno pressed a finger against his lips, then let out a yell.
"Yo, AVALANCHE! You gonna come greet us or what?!"
Cloud felt his heart do flips in his chest. They were taking on AVALANCHE? The eco terrorism group had not been led by Barret until much later, though he had been told by his friend of the woman who had been AVALANCHE'S leader long before him. And from what he had been told, she was not the type of woman you wanted as an enemy. He stopped as he heard a soft laugh echoing through the darkness, then suddenly the room lit up, the lights being switched on. Cloud nearly fell back as the men surrounded them, beginning to laugh lowly as the two ShinRa employees stood. On a wooden chair in the middle of the room sat a slim woman, a prominent apathetic expression on her face beneath crimson brunette locks. She did not smile as Reno held out his baton towards her, grinning cockily.
"Well well, if it isn't Elfé, leader of this rabble," the TURK mused, tilting his head slightly to the side as his tongue protruded from his lips, "to what do we owe the honour, yo?"
Elfé was silent as she examined the two teenagers before her, her eyes darkening considerably even beneath the artificial light of the apartment complex. The AVALANCHE members around them began to slowly circle around them, flanking as more men appeared from the rooms and the stairs behind them, the wood creaking loudly under the sudden weight of them all. The legendary leader replied, the laughing silencing as she held up one of her hands.
"I did not expect ShinRa to send children." Elfé muttered, causing the AVALANCHE members to chuckle lowly, Reno still grinning as Cloud kept his face solemn, "go back to your mothers, tell ShinRa to send me dogs, not pups."
Cloud ignored the jester coming from the surrounding terrorists as Reno simply sniggered lightly, drawing glares from the men around them.
"You have something that belongs to us." the red head replied cockily, "I'd appreciate it if you'd give them back before this gets messy."
Elfé did not smile at the threat. She continued her passive stare, then blinked. Reno was set upon, tackled to the ground and battered by a group of four AVALANCHE members, kicking and punching him into submission. Reno spat out blood after they backed away, wiping his lip with the sleeve of his suit.
"That wasn't very nice, yo."
"I will not show compassion to ShinRa dogs." she responded simply, ignoring the TURK as she kept her eyes on the blonde before them. "This one…is interesting." she narrowed her eyes, the men around Cloud beginning to get closer. Cloud leapt forward and slashed his sword through the wood, nearly cutting open a couple of AVALANCHE members as he drove them back from the fallen TURK. Reno smirked and nodded in appreciation as he got up to one knee, wiping his lip.
"How old are you, SOLDIER?" the woman questioned, holding onto the pommel of her katana as Cloud turned his sapphire gaze to her, "to be so naïve, protecting a ShinRa assassin."
"It matters not." Cloud replied lowly, still holding onto his sword, "I wont let you hurt my friends."
Elfé frowned considerably.
"ShinRa dogs do not have honour. They have no loyalty, no compassion. They are nothing but murderous parasites, draining the planet of it's life." she replied, her voice steady as the men slowed their circling, coming to a halt as their leader abruptly stood, "you would give aid to such cause?"
"I'd lay my life down for SOLDIER." the blonde third class stood steady as Reno pulled himself to his feet, running a hand through his hair as the bruises upon his face slowly began to show as dark red, blackening in the middles.
Elfé slowly removed her blade from it's sheath, her men backing away as she did so, sparks flying as she withdrew it completely and held it in the air before the blonde.
"So be it…" she whispered, her eyes suddenly widening, blazing with the fury of a thousand dragons, "die, ShinRa dogs!"
Cloud and Reno leapt to the side as the blade slashed down on them, Reno falling to the right and nearly sliding down the staircases as he head butted into a couple of AVALANCHE members, throwing them out of his way. "Cloud, you hold her off! I'll get the key cards!" the TURK avoided a punch coming in his direction, twisting out of the way and slamming his baton into the back of the man's head, then making his way up the stairs, promptly followed by around forty terrorists.
Cloud landed to the left on one knee, holding his sword up above his head as Elfé's blade collided with his own, sparks flying from the metal as it ground together. Cloud bit down on his lip, pushing back the weapon from his own as the AVALANCHE leader's true strength shown through, the materia embedded in her arm giving her the same power as a first class SOLDIER. Elfé grimaced as he pushed her attack back, leaping away from her blade as it hacked into the wall behind him, slashing clean through the concrete and wood. Cloud landed behind her and swung his sword, sending a blur of grey power towards her. Elfé dodged with ease, rushing towards him at full speed. Cloud slashed his broadsword upward through the floorboards, large splinters flying into the air and causing the woman to skid to a halt to cover her face. Cloud took the opportunity and lunged towards her, slashing his blade down on her own. Elfé blocked his attack, snarling at the surrounding AVALANCHE members.
"What're you doing just standing there?! Go find the other one!" they raced past them as the blades released sparks, Cloud's eyes narrowing as she pushed him back across the floorboards slightly. The blonde dove his foot into the ground, shoving back against her, not hearing the wood wailing beneath them. The two fell through the floor as it gave way beneath them, crashing down a few floors as they went straight through wood. Cloud landed on his feet, while the AVALANCHE leader landed on her back, letting out a cry of agony as a large splinter went through her thigh. Elfé pulled herself up with ease, ignoring the blood which began to pour from the wound, she clenched a hand down into the wood and yanked it out, causing gore to spray out. She ground down her teeth, biting her lower lip as she readied for Cloud's next attack.
"Run."
Elfé's eyes widened as Cloud lowered his blade, ignoring the shouts of protest coming from five floors above them, the men beginning to race down to rescue their leader.
"I told you to find the other one!" Elfé shouted angrily to her men, causing them to stop and turn back, realising their leader did not require their help. She turned her cold glare back to the third class, her sword held steady before her, "what did you just say?"
"Run. I will say you can escaped before I could apprehend you." Cloud told her, the woman narrowing her eyes at this.
"And why would you do that, dog?"
"I have no quarrel with you, Elfé." Cloud noticed how she narrowed her eyes tighter as she heard him address her by name, "we came for the key cards, not you."
"I would rather die than flee a battle with ShinRa scum!" rushing forward again, the AVALANCHE leader slammed her katana down on Cloud's broadsword, the blonde holding steady. However as the materia in her arms glistened with power, the woman believing she would be the victor, Cloud's eyes blazed sapphire with mako. He pushed with all his might, sending Elfé flying six foot in the air. He leapt up after her, slashing his sword down repeatedly. The brunette tried to cut away the strikes but was caught by the last blur of grey, falling back onto her back once more. She groaned as she hit the floorboards, the wood creaking beneath her as it threatened to give way. Cloud's entire body was glowing a light blue aura, the power in him growing by the second. Elfé stared at him in disbelief, pulling herself up as he made no attempt to get closer to her. She staggered to the side slightly, the wound in her thigh beginning to make her limp.
"What kind of monster are you?" she murmured lowly, eyes narrowed into slits as the blonde lowered his sword again.
"The one who does not want to keep fighting." he replied, "the one Hojo created, just like you."
Elfé hearing a shout come from the floors above as three men went flying down the space between the stairs, colliding with the floor below with a heavy thud.
"Cloud! I got the key cards!"
Elfé visibly scowled, Cloud approaching her with heavy steps, the floorboards wailing beneath their weight.
"I will deal with ShinRa, but I need you alive for the final battle." Cloud murmured to her, the woman staring at him in confusion.
"You are one of us?" she questioned, Cloud nodding.
"Fuhito is using you, Elfé. He plans on using the Zirconiade materia in your arm to destroy the planet."
"What…?" she suddenly snarled, "Fuhito helped me! He wants to save the planet! He-"
"He wants to wipe out every living human on this planet." Cloud replied, the woman shaking her head, "I know you don't believe me, daughter of Veld, but please, stay alive until I need your aid."
"I will never help you." she hissed, though her eyes widened slightly at the sound of the man Veld's name. The blonde turned as he heard Reno's footsteps rushing down the stairs. Elfé began to back away, then turned and ran down the stairs, disappearing from sight. Cloud was steady where he stood, waiting for the TURK to come charging down.
Reno rushed towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling.
"What're you doing standing there?! They're right behind me! Run!"
Reno dragged Cloud along behind them as the apartment complex began to shudder, then shake violently as they rushed down the stairs, missing steps as they sought to escape as quickly as possible. Cloud noticed the explosives planted on the desk at the side of the entrance as they dived out of the doors, the count down nearly over. They ran out onto the empty street, being thrown to the ground when the building burst into flames, the explosion shaking Gaia herself as the skies lit up with red. Smoke began to billow out of the destroyed apartment complex, the sound of terrified screams all around them causing Cloud to pull himself to his feet. He helped Reno to his feet, avoiding the crowds that began to gather and watch from a distance at the burning building, stumbling into an alleyway before both teenagers fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, the smoke still very much present in their lungs.
"Did you…get… the key cards…?" Cloud panted, coughing into his hands as he dropped his sword. Reno smirked as he gasped for air, a laugh escaping him as he held up the two plastic black cards, the red diamond of ShinRa confirming them to being the cards which belonged to one Reeve Tuesti. Cloud leaned back, holding his head with his hands as Reno coughed again, spitting out murk from his body.
AN ;; Cloud making plans already? Seems Sephiroth's not the only one who's been plotting for future conquests. I'll have Veld appear sometime later, as I've made Reno the second in command of the Midgar TURKS, but Veld will be second command of another branch. Tseng is overall leader of the TURKS, though. Different from the official storylines, but this is a fanfiction after all. (and i've never played Before Crisis, so i'm working on literally nothing here).
Please enjoy, both Sephiroth and Cloud will be appearing in the next chapter.