Death of a Dream
Chapter IV: The Train: A Narrow Escape
After a restless night, Barret woke the rest of AVALANCHE at 10:30. Tifa served us breakfast and we waited outside for Cloud. A few minutes later, we went to the Train Graveyard station and waited for the 11 o'clock train. Jessie started flirting with Cloud…again. I talked with Wedge, trying to calm him down. He's too damned uptight. Barret sulked on the steps. The train arrived and we all got on, minus Barret, Tifa and Cloud…as usual. We all sat down on the seats and waited for them. Barret barged in, soon followed by Cloud.
"Yo! Split up! This looks like this ain't no private car." Barret called to us. We jumped up and went our separate ways. I followed Jessie; Wedge stayed behind one car.
"Well, I guess I'll sign us in." Jessie said to me as she took the fake ID's out. I leaned up against the pole as she signed Wedge in, then me, then her, then Barret, then Tifa. Finally, she took out Cloud's card and fed it into the slot. She punched a few numbers, then a red light flashed.
"Oh…shit." I heard her say.
"What do you mean? What'd you do?!"
"No time to explain, stay here!" She called to me as she ran back to Barret, Tifa and Cloud's car. Wedge tore through the door, passed Jessie and ran up to me.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Looks like we're in trouble. Great…this is gonna suck." I muttered so only he could hear me. Jessie soon came through the door with Barret and Cloud.
"Hurry!!" I called to them.
"They're gonna lock the door, sir." Wedge said then we both ran through the door. There was a drunken gentleman near the front of the next car. I swiped his hat and jacket and ran for the next car as Wedge took some overalls from his backpack and struggled to put them on, taking his bandanna off in the process. I myself put on a fake mustache I had brought along. Wedge and I waited in the last car when I saw a ShinRa employee run in to the otherwise empty car. I took fighting stance, then the employee spoke.
"Chill, it's me."
"Damn Jessie, trying to give me a heart attack?!"
"Sorry…" she hung her head.
"Hey, I didn't mean it…"
Barret, Cloud and Tifa ran through the door. Jessie opened the door to the outside. Cloud and Tifa wasted time babbling while we stood guard. Tifa jumped first, then Cloud.
"Later! You take care of the rest!" Barret said as before he jumped. Those three were gone, headed for the reactor and the light stopped flashing. We took off our disguises and waited a few more seconds before jumping off ourselves.
"Ow." I muttered as I stood up. Jumping off a train going 55 miles per hour was NOT a good idea.
"Okay, THAT was a bad idea." Jessie moaned as she stood up, then cracked her back. Wedge was already up. His lard must've broken his fall.
"Well, better get moving." I said. We followed the tunnel a bit, then came to a ladder leading down underneath the plate. We walked some more, then Wedge stopped at another ladder.
"Barret and the others are bound to come this way. I'll tell them where to go. You guys go on ahead."
Jessie and I continued up the ladder as Wedge stayed behind. We came into a large air duct.
"What Wedge said, I'll stay here. I need to have a word with Cloud anyway." She said. I climbed down another later onto a catwalk. I stopped by the next ladder and waited.
Minutes later, Barret came out of the duct and walked up to me. I handed Cloud the bomb.
"We're gonna pull out now. We'll meet up at the hideout. Cloud, we're countin' on you to blow the reactor!" I said to him. Yeah, don't screw it up this time, fool. I ran around him and went up the ladder.
Getting out of the reactor was a lot easier than getting in, yet a lot more boring. Well, at least we didn't have to jump off a train and break all the bones in our body again. We followed the train tracks until we came out of the tunnel. Sector 6 station. Great, close to home. We all filed into the locked bar after I unlocked the door. Wedge raided the fridge. Jessie and I watched TV.
"Breaking news has just developed. On a train bound for Sector 5, unidentified passengers were confirmed aboard. The group apparently jumped off the train to avoid capture. Rumor has it that AVALANCHE were the ones onboard. The President has send SOLDIER to secure the Sector 5 reactor in case a bombing has been planned. More on this as it develops."
"Oh no." Jessie mumbled, her eyes still glued on the TV screen. I tapped her on the shoulder.
"Earth to Jessie, come in please." I waved a hand in front of her face. He looked at me with a blank look. "Don't worry, they won't get caught. They've been in worse fixes than that, right? They'll be fine."
"What's the matter, Aunt Jessie? Is my Daddy gonna be alright?" Marlene asked from behind the counter.
Jessie remained silent, so I spoke up. "Don't worry Marlene, everything's fine."