FORTY-FIVE
I recognized the SOLDIER on the red bike right away. He hefted a standard-issue sword not all that different from mine as he landed and spun in a complete circle not far behind Cait and I, the wreckage of his allies' motorcycles burning in his wake. Not that he cared. Roche had a well-earned reputation for recklessness and a lack of consideration for others. He was a thrill-seeker, addicted to speed and stunts. I still didn't know how he'd made it to Third Class, but then, SOLDIER wasn't what it used to be. They'd all but forgotten honor.
"Well, hello!" Roche jeered. "Mind if I cut in?"
Cait's whiskers twitched. "Who's that?"
I frowned. "A SOLDIER. Crazy as hell, too. I should've figured he'd show up sooner or later."
"Oh, it's you!" Roche grinned. "Kunsel, my old friend!"
"We're not friends!" I reminded him.
He pulled up beside me as we drove down the tunnel. "Oh, but we are! Rivals in the sword! And now in the saddle! I'm up for a race. Just one. Think you'll be my new dance partner?"
My eyes narrowed. "Not a chance."
"Ah, so sorry!" he crowed, pulling ahead of me. "Your words fail to reach my ears, sluggish and slow as they are!"
"This lad's furniture's a wee bit loose upstairs," Cait said.
I nodded. "You're not kidding."
Roche laughed maniacally, lifted his sword, and hurled several arcs of pale, greenish-white energy toward us. I swerved the Gust right and left to avoid them and then returned the favor, sweeping my own blade forward and throwing a light blue energy bolt back at him. It struck his bike on the side, shaking him but not much else.
"Oh, lively!" he chuckled.
As I tried to catch up to Roche, we kept trading blows from afar as our continual flurries of energy flew back and forth across the tracks. It went on for another minute or so before I finally closed the distance to him and brandished my sword.
"Back off!" I yelled. "I don't have time for your games!"
He sneered. "Oh, but there's always time for a duel! I know who's at the center of your thoughts. But to reach her, you must first defeat me, the Speed Demon! Fight or flee, what's it to be?"
I slashed at him. "Bring it!"
"Yes! Yes!" Roche laughed. "A contest of wills and blades!"
He deflected my attack with a quick forehand slice, and metal rang as our weapons clashed again and again. I blocked strike after strike as we drove along, but I couldn't land any, either. We were deadlocked, at least for the moment, and I knew I'd have to come up with something a bit different to beat him. Roche was a skilled swordsman, but so was I. And I'd earned the rank of Second Class for a reason.
As we kept on fighting and driving, yellow sparks flying with every hit, I realized Roche's obsession with the duel was a potential weakness I could exploit. And I saw that I was already starting to wear him down a little. A plan started to form in my mind as our swords clashed again, but before I could put it in motion, Roche gunned his engine and raced ahead of me in a sudden burst of speed.
"Oy! What's he up tae now?" Cait shouted.
I grimaced. "Being a dumbass. More of the same shit."
"Not bad," Roche said. "You have promise and an abiding affection for your mount! But there is still more, much more! You must unleash your bike's true potential, Kunsel. Like this!"
He pulled his motorcycle up almost vertical, raised his blade above his head, and called forth a blazing storm of lightning that forked back down the tunnel toward us. I yanked the Gust hard, first to the left and then to the right, just barely dodging the assault as Roche raced his red bike right onto the wall, crowing all the while. I hit the gas just as he let loose with another barrage of electricity.
"Hang on!" I told Cait.
I shot the Gust forward as fast as I could while Roche sped back to the ground, and then it was my turn to go driving on the wall. Just as I got up to the top, I hit the boosters. Cait clung to me and let out a loud squawk as we raced upside down across the ceiling to the other wall in a split second, and right as we passed over Roche, I slashed downward with my sword, slicing a deep gash into the front of his motorcycle that left a bright line of fire where I'd struck.
"Impressive!" he said as I brought the Gust back to the tracks. "I do believe this round is yours. I may have to find myself a different dance partner to truly test myself, however. A far stronger blade to duel. Until we meet again, my dear old friend!"
Then Roche veered away and drove back up the tunnel toward the plate, cackling to himself the whole time. As for me, I ignored him and sped onward, glad the battle was finally over but also afraid it had cost me too much time. We didn't have any to lose.
"Ye did it, Kunsel!" Cait cheered.
I nodded. "Yeah. Wouldn't get too excited, though. Reinforcements probably aren't that far behind. And we're almost to Sector 7. It's gonna get a lot tougher once we're in there."
He sighed. "I know, laddie. It gets bumpy from here."
The exit to Sector 7 was only a minute or so away, but it felt like an eternity. The red lights of the Corkscrew Tunnel flashed by as we raced down the tracks. I was bent low over the front of the Gust, my mind on Jessie and the pillar as I drove. She was probably near the top by now, I figured. It was a long and dangerous climb, but I knew I could make it. I had to. I wasn't going to lose her again.
"Drop your weapons and surrender or we'll open fire!" the soldier said. "We won't allow you to destroy the pillar!"
I snorted. "We the ones tryin' to save it, asshole!"
There was a whole platoon of 'em here on the twelfth floor. They'd been waitin' for us, no doubt. Set in place to keep anyone from reachin' the top. But that meant that if Jessie an' I could get past 'em, we' be able to get the resta the way up to the platform without a fight. There musta been two dozen of 'em all told, though, guns raised an' ready. They had us pinned down behind a paira concrete columns between the topa the last flighta stairs an' the next set.
"Enough of your Avalanche lies!" the soldier snarled.
"Shut up!" I fired a burst at 'em, then ducked back behind cover as they shot back. "Can't really drop this thing, in case ya hadn't noticed! I don't take orders from Shinra dogs, neither!"
That idiot guard yelled to the others. "Take 'em out!"
They all opened up then, shootin' our way, but Jessie an' I kept still behind the columns, our own weapons ready. We'd hafta make a break for it, but with alla them troops there, gettin' to the stairs wasn't gonna be easy. There was a good chance one or both of us'd get hurt or worse on the way if we tried, an' I couldn't let that happen.
Too many good people had already died, an' I wasn't gonna let it be for nothin'. None of the watch had made it past the eleventh floor, but I could still hear 'em fightin' below us, the few of 'em that was left. They'd gotten me an' Jessie this far with their lives, blood, an' sweat. So we had to keep movin', for their sakes an' ours.
"Barret!" Jessie whispered after the soldiers had stopped firin' for a moment. "I've got an idea!"
Her gun in one hand, she reached into her belt pouch an' took out one of her smoke bombs, then winked at me. I grinned back, seein' jus' what she had in mind and lettin' her know I understood. Jessie nodded as she lifted the little white ball, an' I hefted my gun-arm to show her I was ready. Soon as them guards started reloadin' their guns, I spun out an' shot another streama bullets their way.
At the same time, Jessie tossed the smoke bomb, and as soon as the blast went up, coverin' the area an' hidin' us from the soldiers, we both ran for the stairs, shouts an' gunshots chasin' us the whole way. We got there in one piece, though, and sped up 'em fast as we could. But as we did, I heard that guard captain givin' orders again.
"Follow 'em!" he shouted. "You six stay here and hold this position. And get one of those damn choppers up here! Everyone else, with me! We're taking out those Avalanche scum! Move it!"
Seemed to take forever, but Jessie an' I reached the thirteenth floor only 'bout a minute or so later. Place was good an' empty, and we could see out over the railin' across the slums when we got there. Next flighta steps was on the same side but a little farther down, an' I started to run that way. I was jus' 'bout halfway there when I suddenly realized Jessie wasn't followin' me. I stopped an' turned 'round to see her lookin' back the way we'd come, her eyes on the stairs.
"Jessie!" I called to her. "What's the holdup?"
She slapped another clip into her gun. "Go on ahead, Barret. These guys'll catch up soon. They're already on the stairs, and that chopper of theirs won't be far behind them."
I stared at her. "You can't take on all that!"
"Now don't you forget about these babies," Jessie smirked, reachin' into her belt pouch an' takin' out one of her purple grenades. "I've got a few surprises for our friends back there."
"But there's still too many of 'em!" I argued.
She frowned at me. "This isn't a discussion! Let me do this, Barret. I need to do this. They're almost here."
I sighed. "Awright. But be careful, ya hear?"
"I will," Jessie promised. "And I'll catch up to you soon. You have to secure the console, Barret. Keep Shinra away from it 'till I can get there and shut it down. Understand?"
I nodded. "Will do. An' when this is over… we'll talk, awright?"
She smiled. "Deal. Now move your ass!"
Liftin' her gun in a little wave, Jessie darted to the other side of the floor an' put her back to one of the columns. I watched her go for jus' a moment, feelin' kinda strange without really knowin' why. Like I wasn't gonna see her again. Didn't make any damn sense. Parta me wanted to stay with her and help her spring her little trap, but I had to go on. She was right, an' if I let Shinra get to the console, it was over. An' I couldn't allow that. Jessie was makin' her stand, an' I had to go up top an' do the same. So I turned an' ran up the stairs.
The sounds of gunfire and screams were a lot louder when Cloud, Aerith, and I finally got to the base of the pillar. A crowd of bystanders was there as well, anxiously watching the whole thing and murmuring to themselves. Then I gasped as I heard a familiar voice shouting at the top, and my eyes widened when I looked up.
"That's Barret!" I said.
He was on the service platform, just a little speck from here, firing at a passing helicopter. "What you got, assholes?"
Just then, there was more shouting, closer to us, and my gaze went to the third floor in time to see Wedge yelling and shooting at a pair of Shinra soldiers. He dropped one, but fell back as the other clipped him. Wedge cried out, staggering into the railing behind him, and although he took out the other soldier, he wasn't fast enough. The grenade sailed through the air and exploded right in front of Wedge, tearing apart the rail and hurling him off the pillar to land not twenty feet in front of us, smoke rising from his still-burning clothes.
"Wedge!" Cloud and I yelled.
We ran to him, and while Cloud patted out the flames, Aerith and I looked him over. There didn't seem to be anything broken, but he was bruised and bleeding. The fall had knocked Wedge out, but he came to after a moment, blinking when he saw us.
"Cloud…" he said. "Shinra's trying to take out the pillar! Barret and the others are in there! You've gotta help 'em!"
Cloud nodded. "I'm on it."
Wedge tried to get up but only managed a pained grunt. "I'm going with you, Cloud! I can still fight! Those soldiers up there were shooting at me, and Biggs, he—"
"No!" Cloud shook his head. "Stay here, Wedge."
"But I—" he protested.
Cloud looked at Aerith. "Take care of him. I'm going up!"
"Right," she nodded. "I'll get him patched up."
I helped Wedge sit up. "Cloud and I'll handle it. I need you to start getting everyone out of here. Save as many people as you can as fast as you can, Wedge. We're counting on you."
He gave me a thumbs up. "Alright. Just leave it to me!"
"Aerith," I glanced at her. "My bar's in the middle of town. Seventh Heaven. A little girl's in there. Her name's Marlene. Would you find her and take her someplace safe?"
She took my shoulder. "I will, Tifa. I promise. Now go!"
Cloud tossed her a set of keys. To the Hardy, I realized. "Here. Just in case you two need a quick getaway."
"Good idea," Aerith caught them. "Thanks!"
I let him pull me to my feet, and then we raced to the pillar, Cloud just a step ahead of me. We flew up the steps and onto the first floor. It was empty aside from the bodies. There were a lot of them, and I knew too many. They had been customers, friends, and acquaintances… and now they were gone. But they had taken a lot of the enemy with them. And I swore that their sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.
More of the same greeted us on the second floor, and I realized the sounds of battle above us had fallen silent aside from Barret's yelling, at least that I could hear. Was everyone else… dead? I pushed the thought from my mind right away, knowing it wouldn't do any good, but anger filled my heart and fueled my determination. But I still faltered as soon as we reached the third floor.
"Biggs!" I shouted, running over to him.
He was alive but badly hurt, sitting with his back to the inner pillar and one hand over his stomach, where he'd been shot. A bunch of dead soldiers lay around him, riddled with bullet holes, and his gun lay next to him. I understood then what Wedge had been trying to tell us. Biggs had tried to protect him from those soldiers.
He glanced up at us. "'Bout time you two showed up. I… I cleared the path for ya. Did my part, at least."
"Oh, Biggs…" I murmured, kneeling in front of him.
"Now don't you… go messing up those pretty eyes of yours… with tears," he said, giving me a small smile.
In spite of the circumstances, I felt a little blush cover my cheeks at the compliment. Then I reached into my pocket and took out a potion. When I tried to give it to him, though, he gently pushed my hand away from him. What was he thinking?
"Don't… worry about me," Biggs said. "Just help Barret."
Cloud crouched down next to him. "We'll see to him, but we're not just gonna leave you, Biggs. You're hurt."
He smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Cloud. Is Wedge—?"
"He'll bounce back," Cloud told him.
"Good to know. Could've used… a little extra padding myself. But I don't have any regrets. You've gotta get going, both of you. We're outta time. It's… pretty bad up there."
I held his hand. "Try not to talk."
Cloud stood up and looked at me. "Tifa. We can't stay."
"I know, it's just…" I sighed. Then, as I gazed at Biggs, I knew what I had to do. "Wait! You go on ahead, Cloud. I'll take care of Biggs, then catch up to you once I get him out of the pillar."
"You sure?" Cloud asked.
I was. "Yeah. If Aerith's right, and we've done all this before, then I probably went with you. So the right thing for me to do now, to change how it goes, is to stay here with Biggs."
He nodded. "Good luck."
"You too, Cloud," I said. "Jessie's up there somewhere. Go save her. You're the only one who can."
"I will," he swore.
Biggs clasped his hand. "Thanks, Cloud. You're a… good man. But you know… those kids at the Leaf House… you've got a lot in common with 'em. More than you realize…"
"It won't be for nothing," he promised.
"Knew…. I could count on you," Biggs murmured.
Cloud carefully let him go, then took the Restore materia from his mythril bangle and tossed it to me. I caught it easily as he raced toward the stairs and climbed further up the pillar. Pulling my gaze away as he quickly sped out of sight above us, I turned my attention to Biggs. I put the materia into my own bangle and called upon its magic. As a galaxy of green sparkles surrounded him for a moment, the bleeding stopped and his injuries started to heal a bit.
I looked anxiously at him. "How's that?"
"Better, thanks," Biggs said, his voice a little stronger. "Still feel like I got kicked in the gut by a wild chocobo, but I think I'll live. Dunno if I can move too well yet, though."
"You let me worry about that," I told him.
After having Biggs drink the potion too, I slid an arm around him and helped him to his feet. I'd gotten him stabilized for now, but he still wasn't in good shape at all and would need plenty of rest and care once this was over—things I was going to make sure he got. Healing potions and spells help in a pinch, but they can only do so much. I had learned that from my sensei Zangan years ago.
Biggs chuckled. "Not in any position to argue. What was that about this stuff happening before, though?"
"Deja-vu with a kick," I answered. "I'll explain later."
"Hey, Tif… thanks for staying," he said as we got moving.
I smiled. "You're welcome. And I still owe you a drink, by the way. So don't you even think you're getting out of it."
Biggs laughed. "Wouldn't hear of it."
The exit leading to Sector 7 was just ahead of us, and I gunned the engine. But as the Gust shot forward like a bullet and we sped through what should've been an ID sensor net, I felt a rumbling underneath us, and the whole tunnel began to shake and explode. Heidegger's trap had gone off, and the way out was about to be sealed.
"It's all comin' down, lad!" Cait yelled.
I shook my head. "Not on us!"
As flames roared around us and the walls and ceiling blew apart, I punched the boosters, and the Gust raced even faster, a blinding streak of green and silver cutting through the firestorm. Debris fell all around us as we swerved left and right to avoid it and wove our way toward the exit to Sector 7 as it began to collapse.
Cait clung to me. "Oh, I cannae look!"
"Just hang on!" I told him.
Keeping my eyes ahead of us, I drove straight for it as heat washed over us and thunder filled our ears. The gap got smaller and smaller as we got closer and the tunnel started caving in on itself, tons of concrete and metal tumbling down behind us and ahead of us, and with a yell, I pushed the Gust as fast as it could go. We flew forward, fire blazing out of the exhaust pipes, and shot through the exit at the last second just as it exploded in a haze of flame and smoke.
"Talk aboot a close call!" Cait exclaimed. "We made it!"
I switched off the boosters. "Too close. But you're right, Cait. We're in Sector 7. I just hope we're not too late."
He patted my shoulder. "Ye got us this far, laddie."
"Yeah," I said. Then I pointed at the pillar, rising up in the distance past the train station. "Look. The battle's still going on. That means we still have time to stop this."
"Then we'd best hurry," Cait said.
Nodding, I drove the Gust off the tracks and onto the winding dirt road that ran along the platform and went on past it toward the Sector 7 pillar and the undercity itself. I could see the helicopters circling and bright orange bursts of gunfire bursting in the night as my eyes drifted up toward the top, where Jessie surely was.
Gunning the engine, I charged down the road, which was empty as could be. Considering the circumstances, I wasn't surprised. Hopefully that meant people were getting out of town and out of Sector 7. If they had any sense, they would be. The more that left now, the more lives it would save if the plate did come down. When I finally got to the pillar, I saw a crowd there, but that wasn't what made my eyes widen in shock as I brought the Gust to a stop near the stairs.
"Aerith?" I called to her. "What are you doing here?"
Her jaw dropped. "Kunsel! Oh, are you a welcome sight! We could really use your help right now!"
I got off the bike. "But Jessie—"
"Is in the best hands you could ever ask for," Aerith finished. "She'll be okay, I promise. My friends are up there, and they'll stop at nothing to protect her. And one's a SOLDIER like you."
"I don't know…" I sighed.
Just then, while the bruised heavyset guy in the red bandanna was urging people to head toward the gate on the other side of the area and head to Sector 6, one of the choppers flew low over town, hovering just long enough to offload a battalion of grunts. Then the helicopter began to rise while the sounds of screams and energy blasts erupted from the streets not far away and fire lit up the night.
"No!" Aerith yelled. "Kunsel, come on! We've gotta stop them! You came here to save Jessie, but those people need us. I can't save them by myself. And there's someone in there I have to find. I promised a friend that I would. Please, Kunsel. I need you!"
"Lead the way," I told her, drawing my sword.
The other guy pointed down the road. "Bar's in the center of town, Aerith! You can't miss it! Just follow the main road."
She waved at him. "Thanks, Wedge!"
"Cait," I said. "Can you disable the console from here?"
He was sitting on the Gust. "Nae, lad. I cannae do it remotely, but I can cause some interference, make it a wee bit tougher for the Turks to mess aroond with it. Ahn that ought tae give Jessie time tae to shut that bugger down before it's tae late."
I nodded. "Get on it. I'll be back soon."
"Ye got it!" Cait bounced, twitching his whiskers.
Sword in hand, I took off after Aerith, running toward town as fast as I could. We'd been friends for a long time, although I hadn't actually seen her in years, and I trusted her. I didn't know who these friends of hers were, but she did, and she believed in them. And that was enough for me. Besides, I knew Jessie, and she would've been the first to tell me to go and save others before herself.
My choice made, I rushed into the heart of Sector 7.
