Chapter 5 Mako Reactor 1
(Location: Midgar airspace Planet Gaia)
Ruby and Jaune stood quiet on the back seat of their ride.
The curiosity was too much for them. The duo gazed out of the window and looked down. They were able to see the entire city of Midgar from their position up so high.
The Arc and the Rose were flying on a Shinra helicopter as it was heading to their destination. There, they would do their first job for the Power Company.
Though, they still didn't know where exactly they would be working. It was the only thing that had them worried, entering at the enemy's stronghold without knowing where they'd end up. One thing was for sure, it wasn't Shinra HQ.
Just as Aerith said, the building itself must have heavy security, so the chances they would be going to their headquarters were very slim.
If not the HQ, that leaves one of the eight Mako reactors responsible for powering the whole city. Either way, they were still going into enemy territory without any back up or an escape plan. That in it of itself was a frightening concept.
As long as they do the job, their motives shouldn't be uncovered. The blond had the reactors map along with other items in his and Ruby's pouches; potions, hi-potions, phoenix down, and a few other useful gadgets.
Rude and Reno were in the front, piloting the air vehicle with comfort.
The Turks kept their eyes glued the front. They were almost there, and they could see the massive construct towering in the distance.
"This is strange. Why bother hiring mercenaries when they have plenty of guards, bio-weapons, and mechanical weapons to guard all of Shinra," Jaune wondered before shaking off his doubts.
"Regardless, we have to go through with this. They have nothing on us, because we came from a different world. That means there shouldn't be any information on us anywhere. As long as we keep our cool and play it safe, nothing bad will happen," Jaune nodded his head as he went over the plan in his head.
While Jaune was lost in his thoughts, the red headed Turk looked over and gazed at the silver eyed girl behind him.
She actually beat him in a one on one fight, and she had no intention of killing him throughout the whole ordeal. It was the same for Reno, it was just a match, nothing serious but he still fought to win.
Ruby is her name and she said she's seventeen, and she was already a well-known mercenary with great potential. He had never seen anyone fight the way she fights.
The male's name was Jaune, nineteen a normal age to be able to fight, and even more likely to be in this line of work. However, Reno hadn't seen him fight yet, so he couldn't tell if the kid had it in him.
Jaune was pretending like he didn't see it, but he caught the red headed Turk occasionally staring at him and at the petite.
Jaune was hoping that he didn't regret going through with this plan, because the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how damn crazy it all was. The Arc then thought of Aerith, hoping that she was all right, and that she wasn't worrying over them.
Though, Jaune did wonder why Reno accepted his proposal in the first place.
Shortly after the battle in the church, Jaune entered the restaurant where Reno usually ate.
"Was this a coincidence or fate at play? The place Reno requested to meet me, it the same one Aerith brought Ruby and I to when we first arrived on this world. The food here is pretty delicious. I guess that he has some good taste."
The two guards accompanying him stayed behind, standing at the front of the restaurant instead of the same table. It seemed like he gave them orders to leave him alone.
It was hard to know if the Turk would accept his proposal. Even if Ruby beat him, it didn't guarantee that everything would work out in their favor.
His plan was simple, find one the reactors and get anything he could on it. That meant, studying their work methods, learning shift times, and memorizing the structure of the Mako Reactor to best learn how to take one down.
He already has the maps for all of the Reactors, and now he needed a ticket in to infiltrate the organization. Of course, they planned on entering the Reactor legally.
The Arc walked over to the table where the Turk was eating and saw that he seemed to enjoying the meal.
Jaune took a shallow breath and made sure he was in a calm state of mind. He knew that everything from here on out will determine what course of action they'll take next.
If this plan didn't pan out, the blond knight would have go to with plan B or C, which meant, infiltrate the place at any means necessary. Plan B was the stealthy approach, and plan C was the gun blazing method, both of which are crimes.
"Have a seat, I won't bite. Well, not at the moment because this meal is occupying it," Reno said as he waved him over.
The blond did as he was told, getting seated on the opposite side of the table before he stared the Turk in the eye.
"Your girlfriend is pretty good. I'll give her some credit where credit is due," Reno said before taking another bite of his food.
"I told you she's not...you know what? Never mind. Are you going to accept my proposal?" Jaune asked with a serious expression.
"Here's a quick question. Why do you want to work for Shinra?" Reno asked as he pointed his spoon at Jaune and took a bite of his bread.
"I realize if we work for the Power Company, we can earn a whole lot more Gil than doing cheap jobs in the slums."
"Just the answer I was expecting. I'm sure you two would've been a great addition to Shinra, but the answer is still no."
"Why not? Ruby beat you fair and square, and I believe we agreed even before the fight started," Jaune questioned as he frowned a bit.
"Hey, I said I won't agree to your terms whether she wins or not. You have to understand a big company like Shinra doesn't hire extra hands when we already have enough manpower at our disposal. Not to mention, it will ruin our reputation if word gets out that we hired people from the slums. Sorry kid, looks like you will have to stick to the petty jobs down her."
"Ruby is currently fixing your weapon. The least you can do is get us a job in return. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it pays well," Jaune said as he crossed his arms.
"She'd better be fixing it! She's the one who broke the damned thing, and like I said before, I can't do that for you kids. Look at me, I'm just a loyal dog, I bark when told, and I bite when ordered, I don't call the shots. If you want a job at the big leagues, you will have to ask someone at the top of the food chain. Though, I doubt they will allow it for same the reasons I already mentioned. We're done, now get lost and let me eat."
Jaune glared at the Turk while thinking, "So much for doing things the easy way."
Since this fell through, that only leaves them with the hard way, infiltrating one of the reactors through stealth or force.
However, Jaune and Ruby knew they couldn't do that on their own. They needed more people, and time.
Maybe if they knew where to find Avalanche, it would've made things easier for the Hunters of Gaia.
Suddenly, a ring tone was heard of somewhere on Reno. The fancy catchy music played for a bit while Reno sighed and stop eating.
The Turk then took his mobile phone from his coat pocket and said, "Yeah? What? You can't be serious! Well…one of them is right here. Huh? Why? Yeah, yeah, forget I said anything….."
The Arc didn't want to stay, but something in his gut told him to stick around. Mainly, it was Reno's confused expression that kept the blond knight from walking off.
"You sure? No…It's nothing, I just don't see the point. They're just kids. I-Okay, all right, I'll do it. I don't see the point, but I'll do as told. If the boss allows it, I don't have a say in it, I only obey. No need to give me one of your rants," Reno rolled his eyes as he ended the call looking angry.
"Asshole. That old war relic Heidegger always pisses me off."
"I guess I should better get going. Don't want to continue ruining your meal-" Jaune nodded his head and pushed his chair back.
"Hold it, not so fast. You have one hell of a lucky streak. Honestly, I didn't see this coming. That just now, was one of the top dogs of Shinra. They were asking me to look for any additional help. Part of a security protocol on all Mako reactors. I've been asked to hire you and your girlfriend for your services."
"For real?" that was quite the shock for the Huntsman and the timing is very convenient.
"Surprised? I know, me too. I don't have a clue why, though. It's pretty convenient if you ask me. You two must have gotten pretty popular to get their attention. You do know you can't back down now that it's official?"
"I do, I'll let Ruby know," Jane said as he stood up.
"As soon as she finishes with my weapon, we'll be heading out. The chopper is already waiting."
Jaune nodded as he was about to leave before he got stopped by the Turk.
"One more thing, it will be for the best if you stop hanging around that florist," Reno said, pointing his silverware at him again.
"Aerith's is both my and Ruby's friend, and I'm sure she gets to decide who she wants to spend her time with. You don't get to tell her what to do, or me, or anybody for that matter."
"Just a friendly warning, pal. Being around her will only put you in a whole lot of trouble, just saying. Got it memorized? Good, now get out of here."
"I really have a bad feeling about this," Jaune thought as is foot tapped against the floor of the helicopter.
It didn't feel right, it was too easy, and had Jaune a bit unhinged. He was so sure they'd be doing things the hard way, and his gut reaction hadn't proven him wrong yet.
The whole thing happened so fast, and right at the most opportune time. The way Jaune saw it, if something looked like it was too good to be true, it probably was.
When things started, Reno made it clear it was a no go, and now here they are, flying towards what might be one of their central targets, the Mako reactors.
Someone at the top wanted them to have the job. That's why Jaune strange feelings weren't going away.
"It has to be a trap, or maybe I'm being paranoid. Shinra didn't know a thing about our plans, so if we play it cool and keep our heads on a swivel, it's all good."
The Arc remained calm, turning to Ruby who was looking like her usual self as he thought, "How does she do it?"
The reaper has a tendency to be calm even in the most dangerous situations. The blond could use some of that right about now.
There was need to panic considering where they were going, Jaune thought before he shook his head and mumbled, "Yeah right, talk about heading to the belly of the beast."
The Huntsman and Huntress gazed again at the window to see the giant building that is the Shinra Power Company.
The chopper obviously went flew over the HQ and headed in the direction of one of the Mako reactors, just as they suspected it would.
Within a few minutes, they found themselves hovering over a heliport. Reno readied to land the vehicle while Rude pressed a couple of buttons.
Jaune and Ruby gazed out the window, seeing where they were with a look of awe present in their expressions. It was a big place, fumes of Mako shot out the top, and it looked like it was built to be a maze.
"Probably to confuse terrorist and spies that sneak in. Hospitals and government buildings did the same back on Remnant," Jaune thought as his eyes drifted to see the number one painted in black.
"This has to be the first Mako reactor," Ruby mumbled.
The chopper made a safe landing on the heliport, and the two Turks kept the engine on before waving at some men from the outside.
The side hatch on the helicopter was opened by one of the security guards before the two teenagers got up and exited the vehicle.
Reno gave them a wave and a small smile, the sliding-door was closed, and the chopper took off.
"I gotta hand it to that girl. She did a one hell of a job on my weapon. She even put in couple of upgrades. Very nice," Reno said as he saw that the rods could be connected into a polearm now.
Rude gazed at the red head with a raised eyebrow.
"Something wrong partner?" Reno asked while lifting a brow.
"You were smiling at them. You're not the type to get along with people so easily," Rude commented.
"How about, you, keep your mouth shut, ya?" Reno grunted.
They resumed piloting the aircraft before Reno took one last glance at the two teens.
This couldn't be a coincidence. Heidegger hiring them just when that blond asked to work for them.
"Something was not right," Reno mumbled. He had a feeling something was wrong. However, there was nothing he could do. His job is to obey orders.
"Heidegger is up to something. Better tell the boss and let him know."
Jaune and Ruby were now facing a couple of guards as a new figure appeared.
A large man approached the crowd. He was in his late fifties with black hair, thick beard, and black eyes. The man wore a big black coat with yellow buttons on the middle and on each side of his chest. Lastly, he had long black pants, black shoes, and weapons on his back.
The sight of this guy was intimidating, but it was enough for the Arc and the Rose to know that this guy has to be the one in charge.
It was hard to keep a calm demeanor around this guy, and Jaune could tell he was Military. He had seen enough of the type back at Atlas.
The silver eyed petite already got bad vibes from him. She didn't know who he was, and she didn't trust him further than she could throw him, and with Aura, she could throw the guy pretty far.
"Welcome to Mako Reactor No.1. I am Heidegger, head of Shinra's Public Security. You two must be the mercenaries I've heard so much about."
"Jaune Arc, nice to meet you sir," Jaune gave the same salute he saw some of the other Shinra employees give him as they passed by.
"Ruby Rose, same," Ruby copied her partner.
"You're young but talented. However, that doesn't make your youth doesn't make much of a difference. Age is nothing but a number. I am quite curious to know where you learn to fight." Heidegger asked while lifting a brow.
"Our families used to be part of a roaming Monster Hunting Troupe. They went around killing monsters for Gil, so we were taught at a young age about how to fight and win," Jaune said as he looked at Ruby.
Before they came, they made sure to prepare several cover stories. Where they learned to fight was pretty easy since they were monsters in this world. It wasn't even a lie, they…well Ruby was raised up to fight monsters, and Jaune had two years of firsthand experience.
"I see, and where are you parents?" Heidegger asked.
"Dead, sir. They were killed by a Behemoth pack. We happened to escape, ended up in Midgar, and now here we are, looking for work," Ruby said as she channeled the facts her parents might have actually been killed by Salem or her forces.
"I see, that explains something. SOLDIERS are trained before they reach their teens, and from what I was told, you two aren't far off from their level of prowess. Even with Materia aiding you in combat, your skills are impressive."
"Thank you, sir," Jaune and Ruby gave another phony salute.
"Now, before we get into any details regarding your job. Let me give you a tour of this facility so you can get familiar with your surroundings."
Both nodded before following the tall man. A couple of guards were behind them, marching with a confident stride.
Jaune's bad feeling was getting worse. He was sure that he spotted the high ranking Shinra Officer keeping an eye on them, proof that they didn't have the slightest bit of trust towards them.
Heidegger talked a good game, but of course, Jaune could easily see through it. He was just using them as mere tools. To him, Mercenaries are nothing more than weapons to be use by others, and all for the sake of money. Whether they prove to be useful or not it didn't matter. If they pull one wrong move, he would definitely have them eliminated.
The facility was bigger than they thought. They definitely needed a tour of the place. There were so many floors that their feet ached just thinking about the climb.
Good thing there was an elevator. When they went up, the elevator doors opened, and they stepped into the kind of place they were hoping to see.
Heavy security, guards, dogs that resemble cats, and even large machines, it was an incredible sight for both Ruby and Jaune seeing it up close and personal. This was proof Shinra takes priority in militaristic powers.
Maybe it was because that this is one of the Mako reactors that powers Midgar, but they could be hiding something more sinister beneath the surface.
After looking around enough, the two Hunters came to a conclusion that there's no way they could pull this off alone. People infiltrating this place, good luck with all the security and cameras. Terrorists want to attack, that would be even crazier. They'd get killed by the guards and army of robotic sweepers before reaching the reactor room.
Heidegger showed them everywhere except for the core of the Reactor. Not only did this show he didn't trust them, but they learned that nobody asides security personnel should know where the reactor core is.
Not that they would blame him. They were mercenaries, just guests not fully affiliated with the Power Company.
They continued the tour and realized just how big this place really was. If it weren't for the General next to them, they would easily get lost.
The more the Arc thought about it, the more insane he found their plan to force themselves in. No matter how strong they've, become they would have had a lot of trouble handling the sizable militant force, and need to up their ninja game to think of getting past the crazy amount of security measures.
Finding the reactor's core room wasn't a problem since the blond has the map. Getting there will be the impossible part of the mission, and since this was one of the eight reactors they needed to shut down, they finally understood how dangerous this all was.
Doing all eight Mako Reactors seemed impossible, especially since Shinra was capable of waging war on another nation. Jaune was optimistic, not stupid. There's no way they could take on an entire army by themselves. They'd have to find help and fight smarter, not harder.
Well, they would if they can make it out of here without screwing up.
As the tour continued, both of the Hunters knew they were getting into more than they can chew on. More surveillance cameras along with sentry rays. If any intruder tries to come through here, they'll bite the dust long before getting anywhere close to the core. Lasers that become fully armed plasma barriers, and rows of mechanical machines that looked like they could wipe out a large pack of Grimm with ease.
Lastly, they went to the interior of the reactor, reaching the upper floor that opened out into railings that overlooked the city.
It was an educating tour to see how the reactors work firsthand. Jaune just wanted to leave already before he breaks his calm composure.
"This concludes the tour. Now I'm sure you must have questions, but first, I will get straight to the point. Your job will be to aid the security team in guarding the facility. We also hold drills and protocols that need to be follow at all costs. You will participate in those drills to get familiar with how we do things around here. You will be given a communicator each, if there's a breach or we see anything out of the ordinary, you will be contacted immediately. The same protocols are to be applied in reverse if you see or notice something off. Don't hesitate to contact for back up. I don't care how strong you think you are, if you believe you don't have what it takes to handle the threat, make the call. Our top priority is to maintain the reactor safety and to keep it working properly so that we can continue to provide the citizens of Midgar with power. Any questions?"
"Uh...I know we'll be here until it gets dark. Are we going to get a lunch break?" asked Ruby.
"One of the officers will come later and bring you food. As for your pay, you will receive ten thousand Gil each. If you do a good job, I'll thrown in another five thousand for a total of fifteen thousand."
The Huntsman and Huntress were in awe. That has to be the biggest amount of Gil they have ever earned from their previous jobs. Heck, Jane spent 4 months looking through trash before he got a paycheck that big…and he gave it away to support a honest reporter.
"I hope, Ruby doesn't find out about that," Jaune felt a sweat drop from his brow.
They weren't doing this for the money, however. They knew full well what their real mission was.
"Any other questions?" Heidegger asked as he put his hands behind his back.
"None sir. We will make sure the facility stays safe and secure" replied Jaune.
"Good. You will be notified when the drill begins. That will be all for now. If you excuse me, I have other business to attend."
Heidegger passed them by before he walked close to one of the security officers and whispered, "Keep an eye on them. Let me know of every single move they make."
The guard nodded before giving the Shinra Salute.
"So, ten thousand gil not bad huh?" asked the Arc.
"Fifteen if we do a good job. I hope it doesn't get boring," Ruby sighed, knowing that this will be their longest job ever.
The blond rolled his eyes, "Great, now I feel like it's going to get boring. Why would we ever want things to be boring? Thanks, Ruby," Jaune commented with a great deal of sarcasm in his voice.
The red reaper giggled before she said, "You can't blame me for that. I love action, the thrill of it all just gets your blood pumping. It's…just part of me. You know what I mean?"
"I can see where you're coming from. We didn't want to be Hunters because it was boring," Jaune chuckled too.
So, they got in easily enough, now came the hard part. Scouting the place while thinking of a plan.
For starters, they had to figure out how they were going to get to the reactor without alerting every single security unit in the facility.
Maybe he should have thought this plan more before rushing in.
"Welp…Too late now," Jaune looked on at their surroundings, pieces together what he saw on the map with what he was observing at the moment.
He knew Ruby supported him, so he planned to see this through to the end.
It's a good thing he spent hours without sleep memorizing the floor plans. It was exactly possible to a peek at the reactor map without the surveillance cameras or a stray guard catching him.
There were plenty of those roadblocks, and to top it off, they weren't allowed to to leave their guarding post.
The next few hours became torture for both the Hunters.
It was so boring. There was nothing to do but stare at their surroundings. Not a thing happened during their shift on watch.
With naught but the wind and silence, they scouted out over their positions and did their jobs.
As the stared out at Midgar from a catwalk, Jaune and Ruby couldn't help but think, "At least there's a pretty view of the city from our positions."
From their high up positions, they couldn't help but admit, even with all the Reactors sucking the life out of the planet, Midgar looked really beautiful now.
"Now, if only they can do something about the slums, like give them a full makeover so the place can look just as good," Jaune commented.
"Yeah, but what are the odds of that," Ruby rolled her eyes.
She was right, Shinra wouldn't lift a finger to reconstruct the slums. No, they were too busy focusing more on the people that have all the money. The middle and upper class are the ones with all of Shinra's privileges.
"I guess they think, better spent money on the higher plates than on the poor slums," Jaune shook his head in disappointment.
"Yeah, right now, they still have power, food and water. But if the reactors are taken down then…" Ruby shivered as she thought of all the lives that they might end up making suffer.
Jaune did so as well, but he forced himself to shake off the thought. Either they wait and do nothing or just go for it, and fight with all of their might.
However, one false move, and it'll all be over. The thought of failing this world too was plaguing the blond knight just as badly as the red reaper. Their failure in saving Atlas and Mantle may never stop haunting them.
The Huntsman and Huntress radios went off before their superior notified them that they were going to move to the train station.
Ruby was more than glad that they finally doing something other than standing around and looking at the nice view.
They reported and confirmed their position before they walked down towards the Reactor 1 train station.
The duo was still surprised to learn that there was a train and tracks that led to the reactors. Though it made sense that they needed something to haul away the reactors byproducts, it seemed like a pretty big oversight from the security team. It was an easy way in. Jaune wondered if the train might be a good entrance strategy.
They thought that since they were still scouting the place, they should at least look the part. So, they followed Shinra's orders to earn their stay and their money.
After getting called over, the Hunters assumed that they might see some action and get to show off a little to impress the higher ups. That way they can take some of the suspicion off of them.
Boy, did they assume they wrong. When they got there, the Hunters were at the very least to say, disappointed.
It was just a simulation in case the facility faced an emergency. Things like a reactor meltdown or an attack.
They barely got to do anything. It was mostly just move around and pointing their weapons while taking orders. Pretending there was something going on, empty action to say the least.
Ruby was seconds from falling asleep because of the boredom, and even Jaune couldn't help but yawn every now and then.
After the drill came to an end, they went back to their spot in the upper levels of the reactor interior.
It wouldn't be long before the silver eyed petite will start whining, "Sooooo boooring!"
"Yep, right on time," Jaune chuckled.
At noon an officer arrived, bringing some food for the two Hunters before telling them how long they had to eat it.
Ruby was so hungry and eager to eat she asked, "What's for lunch?"
The officer said it was from the cafeteria at Shinra's main building, "Steak, potatoes, asparagus, and some honey cakes. Tomorrow we're having chicken breasts, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Chocolate chip cookies will be the desert portion of that meal."
"Soo…Shinra-cookies, they any good?" Ruby asked as she scarfed down her meal.
"Oh, they're damn good. Sometimes the boys fight for em," The Shinra employee replied before waving goodbye.
"Look at this stuff, it looks like prime meat. So much marbling and everything looks cooked to perfect," Jaune commented as he took a bite.
"Dang it, these rich jerks, getting to eat num…mum…food like this every day," Ruby cried a bit.
Yeah, even Jaune had to admit, it tasted so damn good. He knew that this kind quality of food could only be afforded by the rich.
Guess they were lucky they didn't have to spend their own Gil on a lot of food because they hunted for most of their meals.
The hours went by, and the teens were still in their position, watching as the sun was lowering while admiring the beautiful scenery of it all, and then, before they knew it, it got dark.
With all the lights on, the Mako spewing from the top of the reactor, and the slight glowing city in the distance, the reactor looked livelier than ever at night.
Jaune was currently polishing Crocea Mors while the reaper was checking on her ammo. She ran out of dust rounds a while back so now she was using the standard ammunition they use in this world, and has to say, it's not that bad.
It was pretty strong stuff, so it had the prestigious Ruby's stamp of approval.
The gravity dust stored on the Arc's shield was also gone, he guessed that he'd have to get used to it, or at least find some way to replicate the Remnant tech with Materia.
However, it wasn't as important at the moment, especially since they have Materia and can cast magic.
The blond went to a nearby security officer, asking him about the time before heading back to the petite's side.
"Please tell me it's almost over?" Ruby asked with her famous puppy dog pout.
"No such luck. We'll be stuck here for a few more hours," Jaune replied as he made sure not to look at her silver eyes. God he was such a sucker for that look.
Ruby gave a long and exaggerated sigh. She didn't know how longer she could take being this bored.
"Are we really doing this? You know…." Ruby's eyes pointed to the reactor.
"I...I don't know, not yet," Jaune shook his head.
"Why not? Us being here is part of your plan to take out the reactor. You know where the core is because you memorized the contents of the map, right? So all we have to do is go there and blow it up," Ruby said with a discreet whisper.
"That's easier said than done. You know what we're up against. I'm starting to think this whole thing was a bad idea," Jaune ran his hands through his hair.
Ruby shook her finger before saying, "We just have to come up with a plan. Let's pool our ideas together. I'm sure we can think of something."
Jaune gave a smile as he looked at her, "She's always being the positive light in my life, that's the Ruby I knows and care so much about…as a friend of course," Jaune thought while trying not to blush.
"Sooo, before we think of something to blow this place to kingdom come, are you going to tell me what you're keeping from me?"
The blond knight's eyes blinked as he stared at the petite reaper.
There was an obvious look of concern in her silver eyes, so Jaune understood that she actually figured him out. No, she was able to read him like a book because she knows him that well.
"I, it's true I am keeping something from you. You know I'll will never lie to you…it's just that…I'm not even sure I believe it," Jaune rubbed the back of his head.
"Jaune, we died. I'm ready to believe anything," Ruby said with a serious expression.
"Well…It happened last night, and I was planning to tell you after all of…this. I swear."
"No biggie, I'm not angry, silly. I'm just concerned. You haven't really been yourself lately. Not to mention that time I found you reading a book on cooking at 4 in the morning...upside down."
"I had another Cinder dream," Jaune said as Ruby paused.
"Ahem…That's it? Join the club. I've almost had enough of how many times l woke up screaming because of her, and then you will come over to calm me down, then I will cry…and…well you know how it goes. I'm glad you chose to tell me. You remember our promise?"
"We won't keep secrets from each other and to talk about our problems, no matter what. For the sake of keeping our friendship strong, I will never forget." Jaune smiled at her.
She giggled as her cheeks got a little red, good old Jaune always being his true self.
"It wasn't the dream that scared me. It's what happened after I woke up. She was there, Ruby, Cinder was there."
"Nah, that's one of those things. What was it called? Um…a dream within a dream thingy."
"It was no dream, she was there, I saw her, felt her. After the nightmare, I got up and just dunked my head in the kitchen sink, and I was wide awake. The moment I turned, there she was, Cinder was standing right next to me, and worse yet, I felt her grab me…"
His serious tone made her turned pale. Jaune would never joke about something like this.
Cinder Fall had become someone that the two will never forget. She was the one that scarred them for life. They failed everyone and Remnant and died because of her.
Even to this day, Fall Maiden still haunts them in their dreams.
"But that couldn't be…How could she even get here?" Ruby questioned.
Honestly, Ruby doesn't remember what happened after the Fall Maiden killed Jaune. The silver-eyed reaper was at the brink of death, and her heart was seconds away from its last beat.
It was the first time in Ruby's life that she felt such unbridled fury. It was the angriest she has ever been at anyone.
The Huntress came to the conclusion she must have used her silver eyes before passing on, and it seemed to very effective on her, almost like she was more Grimm than human.
Ruby wanted to deny what Jaune was saying, and that the blond knight had to be wrong. However, when she studied his expression, she knew that he was dead serious.
Besides, Jaune would never lie to her. For as long as she knew him, the Arc has always been honest and upright person.
The petite took a step back, the fear was evident on her expression, but when he took a hold of her shoulders, she snapped out of it and said, "She's not here…."
"I know what you think, it's crazy. I saw what I saw."
"She's not here…." she repeated her voice quivering.
"We have to face the facts Ruby. I don't know how, but there is the chance Cinder could have been sent to this world just like us."
"Why? Why would Aerith's mom even bring that horrible woman here?! Doesn't she know she'll be putting this world in even greater danger with her around?! That doesn't make sense, why send someone that wants to destroy us when we're supposed to save it."
"I don't know, I wish I was wrong, and that I go back to believing she was a hallucination. But I can't, not after...She said something that had nothing to do with anything in my memories. It was just one word, reunion."
"Reunion?" Ruby showed a confused expression.
"I don't know what it means or what the hell she could be talking about," Jaune paused as he looked at Ruby's expression. He then sighed and said, "Maybe we should put this conversation on hold. I know how upset you can get when it comes to this topic."
"I'm already upset…argh…let's just focus on what's in front of us," Ruby said while trying not to tear up.
After taking a few breaths and calming herself down, Ruby changed the topic back to the reactor before saying," It's your call. If you want us to act now that we're here, I'm with you all the way, Jaune. We might never get another chance you know. It's not every day Shinra will hire us."
"That's true. Okay, this is what we're going to do-"
The blond was interrupted by the sound of a loud alarm. Both thought the drill was over hours ago and knew they wouldn't do another one without saying something.
"What's going on?" Jaune said as his combat instincts kicked in and he went on full alert mode.
"Is the reactor going to blow?" Ruby said with a pale complexion.
"Please don't jinx us," Jaune mumbled as he looked around.
Suddenly, the two heard their communicators beeping.
*This is a code red emergency. Intruders have infiltrated the facility and they are cutting through our forces! They're currently in the reactor's interior. This is not a drill. I repeat, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Calling for any and all available reinforcements for backup support!*
"Guess this is the real thing this time," said the shocked Arc.
"Intruders? Who will be dumb enough to come here? Well…aside from us?"
"Only one way to find out, come on!"
Jaune and Ruby ran down the stairs, heading for the elevator as fast as they could. They were really curious about who these intruders were.
The Hunters weren't expecting an attack on the reactor, especially today of all days. Maybe they'll be able to do something here after all.
If they find out the intentions of the intruders, they might fulfill the mission in this job. They steeled themselves for the fight to possibly come and looked at each other before nodding.
Coming back empty handed after getting this far wasn't an option. Well…with possibly ten thousand Gil in their pockets isn't exactly empty handed, but that doesn't count.
They descended a flight of stairs to see the elevator that led to the Reactor's core on the other side room.
"Let's hope we can get down there without being caught," Jaune thought to himself.
"HALT!"
The teenagers sighed while muttering, "So much for not getting caught."
The sounds of guns being cocked and trained on their backs echoed out behind them. When they turned around, there stood four security officers with their rifles pointed at their heads.
"Um…hey, we came down her to stop the intruders. Are you going to let us do our job or are you going to keep pointing those things at us?" Jaune said as he used his finger to slowly push away the barrel of one of the Shinra Grunts.
The Shinra Grunt forcefully pulled his rifle back towards Jaune's face before saying, "You're not fooling anyone. General Heidegger told me to keep an eye on you two, and from the looks of it, his suspicions were correct. It's too convenient we have to get attacked on the same day your hired."
"You guys are not following the drill protocols," said Ruby while crossing her arms.
"Shut it! We know the truth! You guys are with them. Just admit it, you're with the intruders, Avalanche, right?!"
"The intruders are Avalanche?"The Arc stood in thought, ignoring the guns across from them.
"So, what if we are?" Ruby growled.
"Ruby?!" the blond gasped with an expression the read he wasn't worried about the four rifles pointed at them at all.
"It's not like they're going to believe us if we tell them we're not. So, we might as well roll with the punches."
The Huntsman shook his head that was true as both draw their weapons.
"Drop your weapons now!" The Shinra Grunt ordered.
"Make us," Jaune said as he smacked the face of the closest guy to him with his trusty shield.
While Jaune sent one guy halfway through a wall, Ruby used her semblance and knocked two of them before they got the chance to fire their weapons.
The last man shook like a winter leaf in a storm. Jaune looked at him and said, "I thought I told you to get that thing out of my face."
[Bang!]
The Shinra Grunt fired. However, the bullet didn't even pierce through his skin before the slug bounced off his face without leaving so much as a scratch.
"We need a key to get in there?" Jaune asked.
The man kept shaking as he nodded his head up and down.
"Do you have the key?"
Once again he nodded his head and held out a key card for the elevator.
"Thanks…" Jaune took the card before hitting him in the jaw and knocking him out cold.
There was no need to kill them. Their real mission is the reactor itself.
"You okay?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, I know I can tank a bullet with ease, but it still stings a bit," Jaune said as he walked over towards the elevator door.
"So, we know what to do now?" Ruby grinned as she readied her weapon.
"I don't know, Ruby, what's the plan?" Jaune asked
"We're going to help Avalanche destroy the reactor!" said the reaper, clearly failing to hide her excitement.
Finally, they were going to kill…the boredom.
They walked past the unconscious men and stopped in front of the high-tech-looking elevator.
Jaune used the Shinra ID to unlock the pad and pressed the button open it up.
"Ah, it worked," Jaune said as he stared at the unconscious man before giving a gusture that showed his appreciation.
"Thanks for the key card," Ruby waved as the doors closed in front of them.
Once the entered, Ruby had to fight the urge to press every floor in the elevator buttons presented.
Jaune chuckled and said, "Easy, Rubes. Not the time or place."
"Don't act like you haven't done the exact same thing," Ruby blushed before hitting the button for the floor where the reactor should be.
It got quiet as the teens stood waiting patiently while the music on the elevator was too chill for their liking, for what they were about to do. They still had the communicators given by Heidegger.
*All units the hired mercenaries are really working for Avalanche! I repeat the mercenaries are working for Avalanche! Apprehend them at once! The Commander wants them alive for questioning!
"This gives us the perfect excuse to blow up the reactor," said the Arc.
Jaune the smiled as he turned on the radio, pinched his nose, and then said, "I think I saw them heading towards the mess hall!"
"Shut up! We know you're in the elevator," A Shinra employee replied.
The red cloak girl giggled as she pointed to the corner of the elevator and said, "Nice plan…but a little redundant with that watching us."
Jaune saw where her finger was pointing to and noticed the camera on the elevator.
"Aww…man! It was such a good idea," Jaune's shoulder's slumped.
"Don't beat yourself up. Like you said, it was a good idea," Ruby patted his shoulder.
Ruby then gave a pair of devil horns, or more commonly known as rock on fingers before shouting, "Avalanche rules! Shinra Drools! Save the planet! Down with Shinra!"
"Is that really necessary?" a sweat drop ran down the brow of the blond.
"It's not going to make a difference. They already see us as the enemy. So why not have some fun and bother them a bit," Ruby chuckled.
"Ruby, you're a genius!" Jaune shouted before hugging her.
Hearing Ruby's words made sense to the blond knight, but at that same moment, it gave him another idea.
"What, I am?" Ruby asked before she paused and smirked as she said, "I mean. Of course am."
Jaune clicked on the radio and asked, "Hey, Ruby. You went to Camp-Camp too, right? Yang told me you went around the same time I left."
"Omg, space camp was so freaking cool!" Ruby laughed as she recalled her youth.
"Yeah…that was a weird one, considering it was impossible to get there…I went there for survival lessons…well, anyways. Do you remember the theme song?"
"Do I?" Ruby's eyes sparkled. She could finally see what Jaune had in mind.
"Tying up the enemy communication lines with a little diddy, good thinking Jaune. "
Jaune laughed as he started off, "OHHHHH~There's a place I know that's tucked away; a place where you and I can stay. Where we can go to laugh, and play, and have adventures every day! I know it sounds hard to believe, But guys and gals trust me it's true, Camp Campbell is the place for me and you! We'll swim through lakes and climb up trees; Catch fish, bugs, bears, and honeybees! There's endless possibilities And no…That's not hyperbole! Our motto's "CAMPE DIEM" And that means I'm telling you~ We've got: Archery, Hiking, Search & Rescue, Biking, Horseback riding, Training that will save you from a heart attack, Scuba diving, Miming, Keeping up with rhyming, Football, Limbo, Science, Stunting, Pre-Calc, Spaceships, Treasure hunting, Bomb defusal, No refusal, Fantasy, Circus trapeze, and Fights, and Ghosts, and Paints, and Snakes, and Knives, and Chess, and Dance, and Weights–It's Camp Camp!"
"Oh god, someone shut them up!" Someone on the other end of the radio shouted.
"The hell is a Camp-Camp?!"
"Did he say, training that will save you from a heart attack?"
"That's what weirded you out? He said freaking Ghosts!"
Ruby and Jaune laughed before they started singing the song over and over in repetition.
The ding of the elevator rang as they arrived at the right floor when the doors opened they were met by more very frustrated and angry security officers and two guard dogs.
"What, were we off key?" Jaune joked as he put the radio on his belt.
The officers opened fire as their rifles released high velocity rounds towards them.
Jaune used his barrier spell to shield himself and raised his actual shield to block the heavy fire.
Ruby cast fire causing critical damage to the guard dogs while shooting at the officers.
"They're not that good. At least not against an experienced Huntress," Ruby thought as she looked over their unconscious bodies.
Jaune chuckled as he looked at Ruby and asked, "Lend me your radio, will you?"
"Sure, what'd you have in mind? Maybe this time a little rock'n'roll?"
"Nah, but I sure hope they like elevator music," Jaune said before he pulled out some tape, and pressed down on the radio speaker before taping it on.
He then walked back into the elevator and broke the ceiling a bit where the speaker was before putting the radio next to it.
Ruby chuckled as she looked at her partner and gave a thumb's up. He looked back and smiled before they both started running towards the reactor core.
They hurried along the corridor, pacing their steps at a decent speed while hoping no one else shows up. Unfortunately, the path ahead was blocked as a Sweeper wasn't planning in letting them proceed.
The Sweeper unloaded a clip of its fire-shot while the Arc used his shield and blocked before countering with thunder.
The Rose cast water to at the same time the bolt hit it.
As the combined magic forced the machine to malfunction, both Hunters teamed up, slashing it with Aura covered blade until it was cut down to pieces.
They smiled at each other and continued on. Along the path they took, they encountered several enemies that they handled with expertise and swiftness that would leave a veteran 2nd Class SOLDIER in the dust.
The silver eyed petite was smiling thanks to the usefulness of her steal Materia. This entire time, she has been taking the items of those she cross, and gained much.
Ruby had more Gil, Potions, and grenades that she continued to stash away in her satchel.
The blond sheathed his weapon for a moment before taking the map of the reactor out to make sure they were going in the right direction.
"Good, we're almost there. The core to the reactor should be straight ahead," Jaune commented before rolling the map back up and putting it away.
The double doors opened. As they stepped through, they saw a big room with many stair cases, ladders, and railings, all going down towards a singular location.
"This has to be it," Jaune said as he looked around and noticed that they walked right next to some other people.
Standing across from them were three people.
One was a cute looking female looking in her early twenties with brown hair tied in a pony tail and hazel brown eyes. Her armored outfit definitely not the one the security officers were wearing.
The second was a tall man in his late thirties. He had dark skin, was wearing shades, and one of his arms had a machine gun. His outfit was military-ish, but just like the young woman it didn't come close to matching Shinra's men.
The third one was another male looking in his early twenties. He had spiky blond hair going in different directions and radiant azure green eyes. His uniform was outdated dark blue SOLDIER Uniform with brown boots, a metal pauldrons on one shoulder, and brown gloves.
Oh, and can't forget the huge ass sword strapped on his back.
Jaune and Ruby came to the conclusion these guys had to be Avalanche.
Also, this is the reactor core chamber, and their target should be at the bottom.
The spikey-haired blond swordsman reacted immediately as he has sensed their presence drawing his big sword getting into an attack stance.
The other two noticed their comrade was combat read and joined him.
The burly black man pointed his gun arm while the brunette woman took out her fire arm, a handgun from the looks of it.
This is the last thing the teenagers wanted. For once, they wished that they would stop running into trouble even without looking for it, especially trouble from same people they want to work with.
While Jaune focused on the reading the room, Ruby's eyes were glued their weapons, "What a huge sword! It's probably even bigger than Yatsuhashi's sword from Team CFVY! Ooh, and that guy has an actual gun for an hand. Now that's a hand-cannon! Even that handgun looks nice! It's clearly been modded!"
Arm Gun has to be the coolest thing she has ever seen. It was simple but cool.
"WHOA! Hold it! We're not the enemy! We're not Shinra!" Jaune yelled as he put his weapon away.
"You can do better than that punk!" The burly dark-skinned man replied with a scruffy voice.
"He's telling the truth! We're here to destroy the reactor too!" Ruby followed up.
"Yeah right! Well if there's one thing I learned about Shinra today, it's that they can teach their dogs all kinds of tricks, like lying," The man with one hand shot back.
"Wait, they're not with Shinra," spoke the spikey-haired blond man with the buster sword.
"How can you tell?" The girl with the chestnut colored hair asked.
"Do they look like Shinra officers to you?" The buster sword wielding man answered with an obvious question.
"Guess not," The dark-skin man looked them up and down.
"I didn't think there were more people with grudges against Shinra, besides us that is. Who would have thought?" said the young brown-haired woman.
"You guys are Avalanche? Let us help you! We're in the reactor room, so we can take it out together," Ruby called out as she stood firm.
"True, we are close to the target. There's the reactor core down there. We have to place the bomb there if we want to destroy it." the brunette gazed from the railing while pointing at the bottom.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm Ruby by the way." The silver-eyed petite held her hand out.
"Name's Jaune, nice to meet you guys," The Arc did the same.
The brunette was the only one that bothered to shake their hands and introduce herself.
"I'm Jessie, but you cutie, can call me Jess," the brunette has actually winked at the Arc, making him blush.
That was a first, a woman was actually flirting with him. Though, it was a bit to playful for Jaune to take seriously.
It also surprised the silver eyed girl a lot. She hasn't ever seen someone introduce themselves to Jaune like that, and for some reason or another, she didn't like it. It felt like her stomach was twisting and turning into knots.
"Now wait just a damn minute! We're really going to trust them? Just like that? I ain't buying it!" said the man with a gun for an arm.
"They're not with Shinra, Barret," Jessie said with a deadpanned expression.
"So what? For all we know these guys can be working under cover for them. How the hell did they even get in here? I didn't see them at the train or along the route we took, did you?"
The brunette stood silent, the same with blond swordsman. Berret brought up a good point.
"You have ten seconds to explain yourself. We ain't have time to waste!"
"We didn't arrive here on train, we came here on one of Shinra's chopper-" started Jaune.
"I knew it!" Barret pointed his gun at the two teens.
"Would you be quiet and let us explain?!" Shouted the reaper as she suddenly realized all that tension from what Jessie made her feel vanished.
"We rode in with Shinra because we were doing a job. We take all kinds of jobs in exchange for money," Jaune continued to explain.
"Mercenaries?" replied the blond man with the big sword.
"Yeah we 'were' supposed to watch over the reactor. When in truth, we were planning in destroying it. At first, we didn't know how we we're going to pull it off, so I thought the best way to scout the reactor was to take a job. I 'planned' on learning about this place so I could find weaknesses to exploit. What better way to do that then as security for the very reactor we want to destroy?"
"We had planned on learning the when the guards change shift, or which ones are lazy and exploitable. We also planned on looking for paths where we could avoid fighting, ways to get around all the sensory bits, and blind spots for all the cameras. But then someone did the opposite of a smart mission and came in guns'a'blazing…You should wave by the way." Ruby said as she pointed to a camera on the wall not to far away and waved at it.
Everyone looked over where Ruby was pointing before Berret growled and shot it, splintering the lens into fragments.
"Too damn convenient if you ask me" Barret said, still convinced as he blew the smoke away from his gun-hand.
"Well…it's the truth, also they were keeping an eye the entire time. They actually thought we were with you guys and attacked a few minutes ago. Wanna go see the trail of unconscious people?" Jaune followed up.
"It still sounds pretty suspicious," Jessie said as she put her finger at the bottom of her lip.
"You don't have to trust us, you don't have to even like us, just let us help, please" The red cloaked petite said, giving the sad puppy eyes that always work.
"You said we don't have time to waste," said the man with big sword.
"Grrr…Yeah. Fine, you two can come but I'll be keeping my eye on you. Just like you, SOLDIER boy," Barret gave a glance at the spikey-haired blond man.
"So, what's your name?" Jaune went over to his fellow blond man.
"Cloud,"
"Short, simple, and doesn't talk much. I can work with this," Jaune thought before saying, "Nice to meet you Cloud. I'm Jaune."
The Arc smiled wanting to give him a handshake but Cloud ignored him and left him hanging.
"Okay, add not the friendly type either,"Jaune said to himself as a bit sweat dropped from his brow.
The two Hunters finally managed to join up with the three members of Avalanche in peace. They continued moving deeper and deeper into the large chamber.
When they weren't walking down steps, they were climbing down the ladder with Jessie in front.
Jaune thought it was a bit reckless, or maybe bold was the better word, because they were definitely being watched through surveillance cameras.
There were so many things that could go wrong. There could still be security forces here, or the enemy forces can call for backup. However, Jaune liked to think his little trick with the radio was buying them time.
When taking everything into account, Jaune felt like something wasn't adding up. He knew Shinra wasn't dumb. The reactor core should be the first place they send in more forces to defend. Even if they blocked their communications with elevator music, Jaune expected way more resistance.
It was just…a little too easy going at the moment. However, like Barret said they don't have time to waste, so Jaune pushed those thoughts aside and marched on.
As they went deeper into the reactor core, a strong scent caught the attention of the group's noses. It smelled of something sweet yet reminded them of saltwater.
It was new for Ruby and Jaune. This has to be the smell of Mako, they could see it below at the bottom.
"So this this is Mako, also known as the lifeblood of the planet," Jaune thought as he gazed at the beautiful azure green pool below him.
When they reached yet another ladder, Jessie stopped and said, "You guys go on ahead, I'll cover this area."
So, without any argument, the others went ahead of her.
The blond Huntsman noticed the brunette giving him a flirty smile, and oh boy, he blushed again. He wasn't used to the attention, and the thought of pretty women like Jessie flirting with him so brazenly never really seamed within the realm of possibility to the poor blond knight.
Ruby saw it and frowned before she gave Jaune a push to hurry up. She still didn't know why she was feeling so annoyed, but ignored it and continued on.
And so began the game of chutes and ladders. Climbing down another long ladder, leading to another corridor, and yet another ladder at the end.
Eventually, enemies showed up, three Monodrives and a Sentry Ray at the top of a pillar. Before the two teens drew their weapons, Cloud has charged in while taking out his buster sword.
The slashing began as Cloud's blade cut through the three flying mech devices, chopping them to pieces with little to no time wasted.
Barret easily took down the sentry ray with his gun, they never stood a chance.
The Arc and the Rose were shocked. It was the first time since arriving in this world that they'd seen someone this good.
The silver eyed girl was staring at their weapons with a dreamy expression, kind of like she wanted to ask the weapons out on a date.
"The big sword is epic looking, and a gun-hand, it…so…so freaking cool. Why didn't think about such an idea when Yang lost her arm?" Ruby thought to herself with gusto and greed.
Though, she was sure her older sister would've preferred a mechanical arm over a gun. It would be pretty hard to grapple something or punch it with a gun.
Jaune signaled the petite that there were four more Monodrives ahead, so they went ahead of the two Avalanche members.
They have to show them they're good and not excess baggage.
The Huntsman and Huntress used the water/thunder combo to stagger the machines. They then followed it up by attacking together, slicing through their metal surfaces with their Aura coated weapons as the targets were made of paper.
Barret and Cloud arrived a little too late to join in on the action, but they saw their performance.
Turns out these kids can handle themselves after all. Still the dark-skinned man didn't trust them. Heck, he didn't even trust the blond Ex-SOLDIER. He didn't care if he was a childhood friend of Tifa. As far as Berret was concerned, once a SOLDIER, always a SOLDIER.
The four climbed down the last ladder that led to the reactor core. There was circular platform with a door behind the ladder, and a pathway leading to the end where a spherical machine condensed and presumably produced electricity.
They ran until reaching their target while Jaune and Ruby both thought "Taking down the core will take down the reactor. That will be one down and seven more to go."
Barret then took something from one of his pouches. It appeared to be a rather compact bomb made of materials Jaune and Ruby really hadn't seen before.
However, Jaune was glad that they came prepared with an explosive, because he and Ruby hadn't really thought they would need one.
They had planned on learning how to cripple the machine by spying under their identities as security, but Avalanche's attack forced them to use plan G, the direct approach.
They figured that they could rush in here and shoot at it until it explodes or something. However, they figured that doing that so haphazardly might come with some unforeseen and dangerous consequences.
"Alright, let's see if the Little Shinra lackey can bite the hand that feeds. Go on. Do the honors," Berret said as he pushed and hold the bomb against Cloud's chest.
Berret then looked Cloud dead in the eye before he said, "Prove to me you're the man Tifa says you are. That you're one of us."
"Never said I was, I'm just here for the paycheck," Cloud shrugged his shoulders.
"Then do the damn job!" Berret snapped.
"Ooh, I want to place the bomb. Can-I-can-I-can-I-can-I-can-I? Please!" said Ruby while shaking her arms up and down.
"No, not you! I didn't hire you two. I hired him!" Berret pointed at the Ex-SOLIDER.
"Let's leave this one to Cloud, I think we should want to get on his good side," whispered Jaune as his eyes pointed to Barret. The man really seemed to have quite the temper, so it was better not to provoke him.
The Ex-SOLDIER took the bomb before he walked to the reactor and started placing it. However, the closer he got to the core, the more staggered his walking pattern became.
Cloud then placed his hand on his head, feeling an intense pain that couldn't be described as a simple headache.
Ruby and Jaune noticed it first. It looked like Cloud was in a lot of pain.
"What's wrong?" asked the Avalanche leader.
"I'm fine. What about the timer?"
"Your call, Merc," Berret crossed his arms and looked away.
"Just…make sure there's enough time for us to escape," said the Arc before he got a glare from Barret he took a step back getting behind the silver eyed petite.
Cloud put twenty minutes for the bomb to go off.
"Phew," Jaune and Ruby let out a sigh of relief.
Twenty minutes was more than enough for the two teenagers to escape the facility before it goes boom.
"Pretty cocky, ain't cha?" Berret said noticing their behavior.
"Think you can keep up?" Cloud asked.
"Please, I was born for this shit," Berret replied as he held up his hand-cannon.
"Do you hear that?" asked Ruby.
The Arc listened as well, unable to hear before using his Aura to boost his body's natural senses. He heard it, something crawling, clanging, but it was very faint.
Cloud didn't get the chance to set the timer before he heard the sound louder than the two focusing and straining their senses.
They then heard Jessie shout at them, "HEADS UP! INCOMMING MECH!"
Barret immediately thought the Merc was a traitor, pointing his weapon at Cloud while the barrel spun, but Ruby stopped him by grabbing his chin and forcibly turning his head to look at the thing that just crawling on the walls.
"You're a strong little girl," Berret said before his eyes locked on to the piece of Shinra weaponry.
It landed directly in front of them, shaking the platform they stood on, and causing the pool of Mako to make small waves around them.
A big red mech that resembles a scorpion with a human torso aimed two large gun barrels at them that were bigger than their torsos.
This thing looked way tougher than other mechanical units they've fought thus far.
The water/thunder combo might not be enough with this one.
"Hey! How the hell do we fight this thing?!" Ruby asked as she pulled Crescent Rose to her front.
"It's got reinforced armor plating-but the internals can be overloaded. Lightning magic," Cloud informed.
"Barret, if you can cast thunder then do it! Jaune will aid you I will help Cloud!" said Ruby.
"You may not like it, but please, listen to her. Ruby has more than 2 year of experience leading people to do this kind of stuff, so she knows what she's talking about!" Jaune told the man with one arm.
The Scorpion Sentinel started using its tail wanting to pierce them with its electric stinger.
Barret used Thunder while Jaune used Thundara, causing some serious damage to the mech.
Cloud and Ruby were fast in their attack. Their weapons swung out at its legs with the purpose of destroying them.
Without them it will be a sitting duck the thunder spells and the quick attacks were doing a lot of damage all together.
The mech fired a barrage of missiles at its targets while the red cloak girl evaded them with her semblance and managed to move blond Ex-SOLDIER out of harm's way just before the missile exploded.
The petite reformed with Cloud beside her, the mech's tail swung out and tried to stab at them.
Ruby tried to block the attack, but before she could, the spikey-haired Merc blocked the attack, saving her time so she could continue with her own assault.
The Arc wasn't worried about his partner. He knew the Huntress could take care of herself. Heck this wasn't even their first giant mech fight.
Ruby then cut through a part of its armor and frowned, "It felt like I hit something similar to Aura. Could it be?"
Jaune and the Avalanche leader kept on bringing the thunder while the Scorpion mech was getting damage. The blond knight even saw it spark as short circuited a little.
"I guess that means they were doing a good job," Jaune hummed before he charged up another Thundara spell.
"Keep casting thunder!" shouted Cloud.
The Sentinel mech fired its machine guns to force them to stop with the spell slinging, then used that time to jump and stick to a wall before unloading a payload of missiles towards the heroes of the story.
The group dispersed getting away from the line of fire. Then it jumped to the other side creating something that was surrounding. It was a light blue colored.
"What the hell is that?!" said Barret.
"A barrier? Never seen this system before," replied Cloud.
"It's like a I thought. I was wondering why I couldn't just chop through its legs. Nora would be disappointed in my performance."
"I had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy, It almost looks like my hard-light tech," Jaune followed up.
"Thought you were the expert!" Berret yelled at the Ex-SOLIDER.
"I've got an idea," Ruby said as she stepped up.
"So what's your brilliant plan, genius?" Berret asked as he fired off shots towards the creepy crawling mecha on the wall.
"Well, for starters, we have to find a way to take down its barrier. Best advice I have is to keep using thunder spells and we'll use magic this time" said Ruby.
"Magic might just work. Enough lightning could overload the barrier. Or the very least, weaken it," Cloud said with a nod.
Barret first used his charge shot before moving to thunder, the Arc kept using the Thundara Spell.
Cloud went with fire and Ruby aero. When the spells combined, it turned into a blazing inferno that swept over their target while the lightning smacked into the barrier, exploding with magical firework like colors.
Ruby and Cloud then switched to using blizzard and water. Adding the thunder spells on top of it all was doing some serious damage to the Sentinel's barrier.
Jaune then noticed something on the back of the mecha, just below its tail. It was a small device, but he was able to recognize a hard light generator since he carried one in his shield.
Cloud spotted too before saying, "It was a field generator. Shinra tech, I recognize it,"
"On its back, below the tail is the field generator that maintains the barrier. We take that down, and we take down the barrier!" Jaune shouted.
"Even better! Thanks for pointing out a weak point, makes my plan work smoother," cheered the red reaper.
The Scorpion mech jumped off the platform again before sticking to a wall.
"Great, now it's keeping its distance from the group, right when we just figured out how to remove the annoying barrier it has on," Jaune lamented his luck.
The Sentinel released the mark 99 missile launchers along with machine gun fire, bombarding the room in explosive that tore up the space they had to walk.
"And now we have to worry about falling in a pit of Mako. Anything else you want to throw at us?" Jaune asked as he tried to charge up a lightning spell without being disturbed.
"Attacking with magic from far away isn't going to cut it," Ruby thought as she changed Crescent Rose to sniper rifled mode. Her eyes were already on the scope while she took aim.
"If I can get just make an opening to get at the core of the field generator… no I can do this," Ruby let out a breath as she unloaded her explosive rounds into the flickering shield.
Barret joined her and the two firearm users continued to pelt the shield over and over again with a hail of bullets.
Since they were the only ones with long range weaponry, Jaune and Cloud cast their magic to assist. Jaune focused Thundara and managed to hit it several times alongside Cloud's fire spells.
The Sentinel barrier flickered again before it jumped in front of the reactor's core. It the used its laser sight to lock on nearby targets just to make things more complicated.
"Oh, I don't like that. I don't like that at all," Jaune commented before he dove behind some peeled up walkway made by one of the earlier explosions.
Berret and Cloud did the same, but Ruby kept firing at the barrier while saying, "Come on, flicker again!"
"Watch out!" Jaune shouted as he rushed forward and grabbed Ruby before the laser it charged up could hit.
He rolled behind the cover and saw that the heat from the laser was melting through the platform's metallic covering.
"Thanks, Jaune," Ruby huffed as she released her clip and loaded a new one.
Casting lightning on it again, Jaune turned to face Ruby before saying, "Did you lose your head out there? Why didn't you duck for cover?"
"I just need that barrier to flicker again. I've got the timing down, so trust me when I say I have a plan. Besides, I know you have my back," Ruby said as she pulled the hammer back and loaded a new explosive round.
"Alright then, how about I top you off?" Jaune asked as he used his semblance, enhancing her aura just in case if she was running low.
The red reaper's body was glowing with the color of her aura. It wasn't like the other times Jaune used his Amp on her. Usually, she'd almost be out of Aura. However, she hasn't used much on this mission. The Rose's soul overflowed as she felt the amount of Aura she had doubling and then tripling.
At the moment, Ruby felt like she could do anything. Smiling at the blond, she vanished in puff of rose petals.
In one quick burst of speed, Ruby appeared behind the Scorpion Sentinel, surprising both Cloud and Barret at just how fast she moved.
With a quick barrage of her scythe, she damaged the barrier and shouted for everyone to use Lightning.
Jaune, Cloud, and Berret, all unleashed a lighting spell causing the barrier to crack and suddenly flicker rapidly.
Ruby turned into a blur of petals again and flew inside the barrier before she touched the Shield Generator. With a flick of her hand, she transmuted the piece of technology into rose petals and stored the object inside her bag.
Then suddenly, the barrier was lifted, leaving it wide open for everyone to attack it.
It kept releasing missiles and firing its guns until the Ex-Soldier and the silver eyed Huntress made their move.
Cloud leapt into the air and cut off one of the missile arm launchers while Ruby cleaved through its legs, causing it to fall to the ground.
At the moment, it gave them all a chance to attack with everything they had.
Jaune changed Crocea Mors into great sword mode and proceeded to amp himself with his Semblance. However, he was trying something different.
"Amp only my speed and durability, ignore my Aura entirely…" Jaune thought before he felt his Aura transforming into pure physical power.
With a single amazing burst of speed, he rushed up and chopped through another leg, making the red reaper's silver eyes sparkle as she thought, "That's fast. Not as fast as me, but still, pretty dang fast."
Barret shouted, "Hell yeah!" as he used his charge shot and combined it with a thunder spell.
Although it was missing its generator, three of its legs, and one of its missile launchers, the damn thing refused to be beaten.
"This thing is really tough," thought the Arc.
The Sentinel backed off and jumped towards a wall. While it was still able to stay functioning, the loss of legs lowered its maneuverability, allowing Ruby and Berret to lob swarms of bullets in its direction.
In response to their assault, the scorpion mecha then unleashed a barrage of missiles, only this time they were aimed at the ceiling of the large room instead of the heroes still on the platform.
Big chunks of debris fell off landing in around the group and near the reactor's core.
It was hard to tell what the mech was trying to do. The area around it was surrounded by the debris and there was less room for those fighting it to attack.
"Maybe that was its plan all along," Jaune frowned before Cloud noticed the Sentinel's tail lighting up.
"Watch the tail! It's charging the laser!"
"Great, I imagine this one will melt right through steel. So much for cover," Jaune sounded a bit grouchy.
"Huh? So, wadda we do?" asked the Avalanche leader.
"The debris, we can pile it one to use it as a shield!" said Ruby.
"Right, work fast!" Jaune said as he ran around, gathering all the scrap he could find while Ruby zipped back and forth, transmuting the broken sections that surrounded them into petals before placing them with the rest of the pile.
Even Cloud used the buster sword to cut up the floor beneath them to bend it around the pile they gathered.
The Scorpion continued charging the powerful blue laser until a countdown began.
10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0…
They managed to dive behind the cover before a massive blue beam of plasma hurled towards them like a speeding lightning bolt thrown by Ramuh himself.
The laser ending up destroying most of the pile, but it managed to hold up. At that moment, Jaune grabbed Ruby and amped only his strength and durability before asking, "Ready?"
Ruby nodded her head before Jaune took her hand and threw her straight at the mech.
Luckily, she knew how to follow the flow of combat. It was almost as is she could read his mind as they all jumped out from behind the cover. Jaune goes low, Ruby takes down the high.
She performed some quick attacks on the torso above, every slash with Crescent Rose tore open it's metallic covering and left sparking wires and chips viewable for everyone to see.
With Cloud and the Arc joining her at the mecha's legs, and Barret kept his distance while firing his gun at its joints, using his charge shot, and casting thunder.
The Huntsman and Huntress finally decided to use their water/thunder combo causing even more damage while the Buster Sword wielding Merc used Braver for additional damage, splitting another one of its legs down the middle.
With only two of its legs up, Jaune was surprised to see that it was still standing strong, firing its missiles and machine gun fire.
When they saw that it was charging for the blue laser again, not a good sign. They went for the remaining debris for cover.
"Maybe we can stop it from firing it." Jaune thought before shouting, "Ruby! Let's try attacking it while it's charging. Maybe we can interrupt the attack!"
"Got it!"
The Arc cast Thundara and the reaper used Watera, damaging the tail in a conductive bath of electricity.
The petite reaper used her semblance, dragging the blond knight with her as both charged at the mid Sentinel's mid-section going at incredibly high speed.
Jaune Amp them both while she struck out with Crescent Rose, and Jaune used Great Crocea Mors to cut at the other side.
It hip section of the mecha tore open, revealing the intricate interior of the machine. The combination of the attack was strong enough to cancel the laser and forced the machine to collapsed onto the ground.
While all the pressure was on, Cloud joined them resuming the assault.
He cleaved off another leg before the mech changed weapons from machine gun fire to micro burst lasers from its head and tail, about as strong as the one that nearly melted the metal they were standing on.
The machine was rendered immobile, but the rapid fire lasers kept the group leaping across the room to avoid being hit.
It wasn't as strong as the charged beam, but they can cause a lot of harm.
While they crisscrossed the room, avoiding the laser that cut holes in the floor, the trio managed to position themselves behind its only remaining leg, blocking the range of its lasers so it couldn't target them without shooting itself.
Barret used the debris for cover and charged up a special big blast while thinking, "You're going to get it now, punk!"
The Sentinel was finally damaged so bad it looks like it was about to fall apart.
It was time to finish it off.
They as the group got ready for one more round with the mech. But just when the tide of the battle seem to have been shifted to their favor, something just had to go wrong.
The Scorpion suddenly had a tinted glow of green all around it.
"What the hell is it doing now?!"
"An auto-repair unit? Dammit-we gotta take it out quick of we're screwed!" said Cloud.
"It's healing itself?! Oh hell no!" Jaune was shocked as he started rushing in to go for another attack.
"Then we'll take it out quick!" Ruby readied her scythe.
"Oh, I am way ahead of you, merc!" Berret shouted before he came out from behind the cover and launched a charged Big Shot with lightning.
The ball of energy shot off from Barret's hand-cannon before it hit the metallic scorpion's head and forced it to stagger back. The blast had did a little extra too, breaking more of the laser ports and leaving the Sentinel with only its tail laser.
Jaune started using his semblance to push everything to the top, Amping his Aura over and over again until felt it growing far beyond his usual limits. The more Aura he had, the more his Semblance Amplified it.
The result was making him stronger than he ever felt before. Tightening his hold on his weapon, Jaune focused everything he had into his next attack.
Charging forward, Jaune unleashed a powerful leaping thrust that destroyed its last remaining leg, and shot through the lower half of the Sentinel.
Ruby kept attacking its upper half while continuously casting water.
Cloud used Braver again, cutting down the middle of its torso and destroying most of the hardware inside.
The combination attack ended when Berret shot it with a lightning bolt and charge shot.
Smoke came from the machine as they all came together and slammed their weapons at the center of its body.
The Sentinel hit its limit before flames burst out all over its body. Explosions went off where the machine had exposed internals. However, it's tail started charging up again, even as it was breaking down into pieces."
"You gotta be kidding me! Why won't this thing just die!" shouted Barret.
"Look out!" shouted Ruby.
The mech fire its tail laser hitting the reactor's core before causing an explosion.
The tail then flopped back and forth like it was out of control, the laser never stopped and tore through the innards of the core chamber the stood in.
Both the Arc and reaper ran at it before swinging their weapons together and cutting the tail off, canceling the laser for good.
"Shit! The bomb!" the dark skinned man saw debris covering where the core is along with the explosive.
While Berret was freaking out, the Scorpion Sentinel ended up falling onto the large pool of Mako beside them.
"Well, I guess that's it for whatever the hell that was," Jaune took in breath of air and calmed his Aura. Pushing pass 100% was really taxing on his body and mental state.
"That thing was really annoying," replied the silver eyed girl as she grinned at her partner.
"More like annoyingly tough, you had fun, I can see it on your face," the blond smiled while she giggled at his comment.
"Hah, you hear that? Damn thing, mess with Avalanche, and you get buried!"
"Oh, please tell me he doesn't make puns like that a lot?" Jaune asked Cloud.
"Don't know him well enough to tell," Cloud replied as he put the Buster Sword on a magnetic sword holder on his suspenders.
*Twenty minutes until detonation.*
"What?" the Huntress turned to see that the bomb has been activated, most likely by the debris falling on it.
"Uh oh…we should probably be running right now," Jaune followed up.
"Come on, we gotta move" Cloud said as he started making his way towards the ladder.
To be continued
So, I read some of the comments, and decided to reply to some of them here. For starters, about the weird messed up chapter post. I have no idea why it did that. However, I could fix it just by editing the chapter and then reposting. However, it shouldn't happen again because I will be triple checking before posting.
Another person asked about my comments, and no, I'm not blocking anything. I have no clue as to why some of them aren't appearing. When I check on reviews, it did the same thing it probably did to you. It said I had 9 reviews but could only see 2 of them. I don't even think you can block reviews on this site.
Third, the comment that asked about the story. It will slowly keep changing until its unrecognizable from Gravenimage's work. I also have no plans to stop going forward after Midgar saga ends. I will be trying to guess what Square Enix has planned and will be making the story my own. Have a good day, and please support the original work at Gravenimage's story as well as the remake I'm making! BYE!
