Written by Benoit Goudreault-Emond
15. Showdown
"Why do I get to lug this damn bag around?" Reeve complained.
Cloud sighed and turned to him. "Because you're the only long-distance fighter who's able to carry what we salvaged off Yuffie's backpack. Vincent and Barret are too wide. And if it comes to a fight, I want the hand-to-hand people free of any burden."
"Why lug around that useless Materia anyhow?" asked Tifa.
"I'd rather not leave it in Midgar," Cloud explained. "I'm worried someone will snatch it. And it may be salvageable." Then, smiling, "And Yuffie would kill us."
Tifa smiled back. "Point." She turned to Reeve. "Sorry, Reeve, you're stuck with it!"
Reeve grumbled some more for form, then shut up.
The troop was walking in one of the old train tunnels, trying to reach reactor 3. They had looked around for Yuffie, then given up; they assumed she had been captured by the Shinra. They could only hope she'd escape before things got ugly.
The tunnels were as they had been two years before. Gloomy, barely lit by failing neon lights, with steam coming out of various gratings. The rail was slippery from condensed steam, as the heaters had not been turned on down here, most likely to save the precious energy coming out from the only working reactor. Cloud heard Reeve curse as he slipped once again, unbalanced by the orbs on his back. Aeris helped him up, trying very hard not to giggle.
They walked through a couple more sections. Then, Cloud opened the door in front of him, and they were there. Huge pipes running in seemingly chaotic directions were all converging towards the ground, which was glowing an intense blue-white where the pipes entered it. Mako steam was seeping out of the ground.
"I hoped I'd never see one of those things working again," muttered Barret unhappily.
The others stayed silent. Unsheathing his sword, Cloud started to climb the stairs that led to the reactor's control chamber. Warily, the others followed, weapons ready.
Aeris was more wary than the others; she had never been in a Shinra Mako reactor, so the layout was not familiar. Plus, the whole place made her feel profoundly uneasy. There was something... unwholesome about the place. It wasn't just the pain she was feeling through her link to the Planet; it was also a sick feeling in her stomach, like the feeling one gets looking at any weapon of mass destruction. Although the reactors were used in mostly peaceful ways, they were still a weapon against the Planet's spirit energy. Apart from the WEAPONs, the Planet was defenseless against the reactor. Well, not quite defenseless, if AVALANCHE counted as a means of defense.
That thought made her uneasy for some reason. Why? Was it something she had learned in the Lifestream but did not remember now? Her whole memory of the two years in there were quite jumbled, and that bothered her.
Without realizing it, Aeris had fallen behind. She suddenly realized Tifa was next to her, wearing a worried look.
"Is something wrong?" asked the martial artist.
Aeris shook her head. "Not really. Something's been bothering me, that's all. It's probably nothing, really."
"Are you sure?" asked Tifa. "Does this have anything to do with that man in a white cloak?"
Aeris frowned. "What man in a white cloak?"
"The one I met in the Mideel cave," explained Tifa. "When I mentioned him when I recounted what had happened, you seemed scared, for some reason."
Aeris shook her head again. "No. Well... maybe it's related. But I don't think that's it."
Tifa paused. Then: "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"
Aeris gave her a sad smile. "I'm not event sure I know myself. I need to think about it... But now is not the time, don't you think?"
Tifa frowned. "Fine, then. It's just that...You never hid anything from us. Why are you doing it now?"
Aeris felt sad. She truly wanted to tell her, but... No. "Until I'm sure, I don't think there's a point. Tell you what: once I know, you'll be the first I tell it to. Deal?"
Tifa paused. Then, she sighed, and said, very softly, "You've changed, Aeris."
Aeris had no time to reply. She saw movement through the metallic grid floor above her, but Cloud had not opened the door yet.
"Cloud! Look out!" she screamed. Tifa looked up, saw what Aeris was seeing, then, without a word, ran upstairs.
Aeris' warning had came just in time. Cloud narrowly avoided a gunshot aimed at him. Catlike, he moved to the guard holding the machine gun and sliced his cannon neatly in two. The guard looked at the shortened cannon stupidly, and when he lifted his eyes from it, all he saw was Cloud's fist coming at him. The guard dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Other guards were attacking, and Cloud was trying to get out of the doorframe so his friends could be of some help. However, the guards inside were no fool, and knew that as much trouble the sword-wielding man in front of them was, they'd have even more trouble if his friends managed to come in. So the guards swarmed Cloud, trying to restrain his breathing room, making sure it was difficult for him to maneuver his huge blade without wounding himself or his friends behind him. Barret was right behind Cloud, trying to get a clear shot, but Cloud was moving fast, trying to outsmart the guards. Barret knew that in such close quarters, his arm could get bumped and he'd fire his bullets somewhere unwanted. He was about to get Nanaki to move up, but then a hand gently moved him out of the way.
Cloud was trying to get enough swing in his sword to hurt one of the guards so he'd have some breathing room. He raised his sword, knowing that if they charged, he'd be unbalanced and would probably wound Barret, but he saw no other way. He felt a gloved arm on his upper arm, then saw Tifa rush by and run her palm in the closest guard's solar plexus.
"Thanks," Cloud said. Tifa had just given him the breathing room he had needed. He swung his blade, cutting down one guard and wounding another. Then, making wide arcs with his sword--more with the intention to scare than to hurt--he moved out of the door. Nanaki jumped through and became a red ball of teeth and claws, spreading panic and confusion among the Shinra. Cid and Aeris followed, and them pandemonium ensued. For a while, it seemed the numbers of the guards had the potential to overpower the small group of AVALANCHE members, but Cloud and Cid were both swinging very wide arcs that wounded quite a lot of people, sapping their will to fight. And the guards that were dealt with by Tifa, Nanaki or Aeris stayed down after their passage. After a couple of minutes, the tides were turning. Enough room had been cleared by then, so Barret signaled Reeve and Vincent, and they all came in, guns blazing. The commotion was much higher than the actual damage, but that left them at the mercy of Cloud's blade and Cid's spear, which were now picking off guards one by one.
"Stop!"
A strong, commanding female voice had spoken the words. The guards stopped all resistance. AVALANCHE kept their weapons out, but stopped fighting. Reeve was straining to see over Barret's massive shoulder; he had a pretty good idea who had spoken. Then he saw her and knew he had been right.
The speaker was a tall, rather thin woman with striking red hair pulled severely back in a ponytail. She was wearing a white business suit and a matching leg-length skirt. Her high heels clicked on the metal floor as she came forward. She held her back straight and her chin up, with the poise and assurance of high-class aristocracy. Her piercing blue eyes spoke of a strong will and of a personality that didn't give a damn whether you existed or not.
Katya Shinra.
"Well, well, well," she said, a wry amusement discernible in her voice. "If it isn't the terrorists who are coming back to bomb my reactors. Not this time!"
"We're not here to bomb it," protested Cloud. "But we must shut it down."
"Why should I believe that?" she said. One could almost feel the ice in her voice. "And if it's true, why should I let you?"
Cloud shrugged. "It's not as if you have a choice," he pointed out. "Your guards are no match for us. We'll eventually manage to enter the control room. That reactor is hurting the Planet, so we'll shut it down."
"And then?"
"Then we leave you alone," Cloud replied. "That is, unless you manage to jump-start another one. In that case, we'll be forced to dismantle it somehow. I'd rather not bomb them, but if it becomes necessary..." The threat hung heavy in his voice.
"You'd kill innocent people just so the Planet feels more comfortable?" Katya asked, her voice conveying detached amusement.
"Of course not!" bellowed Barret. "We'll tell people to evacuate before we detonate," he added at a more normal volume. "We're not cold-blooded murderers!"
Katya eyed him icily. "You were once," she said quietly. Barret found nothing to answer that.
"But I suppose you aren't," said Cloud earnestly. "If you aren't, you'll let us shut that damn thing down, and that'll be the end of it!"
"And I'm supposed to give in to the threat of losing my property?" asked Katya.
"It's your choice," replied Cloud obstinately.
"I won't be the one detonating the charges--you will be, mister terrorist," she snapped.
"And you'll be the murderer of the whole Planet," said Aeris hotly.
"That's your perspective," replied Katya. She paused, then walked to a nearby window that was overlooking the reactor's core. AVALANCHE members turned, watching her warily. Then, she said, "Mine is a million people in a single city--and that's just the plates, mind you, not the slums--who need electrical power. Lots of it. If they don't get it, they die. This is winter, folks, and Midgar is not a place where you can cut wood and build a fire. If I shut this reactor down, they'll die of cold, and maybe of hunger." She turned back to Cloud, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And you, my dear terrorists, will have killed them. As surely as if you had bombed the whole city, or dropped all plates on their heads."
"It's not as bad as you're trying to make it, Katya," said Reeve, squeezing past Barret. "We can move them out. We can supply other sources of power. We did, last year, and Midgar went through winter without too many hitches. Let us through, and we'll discuss those plans."
Katya gave him a look full of disdain. "Mr...Reeve, is that it? The cream puff in charge of Locust Inc.? The traitor?"
"That's right, except on the cream puff part, or so I believe," answered Reeve dryly.
"I won't discuss terms with terrorists, even less with a traitor," Katya hissed.
"Too bad," snapped Cloud. "We're going in. Stay out of our way, and no one will get hurt." He walked towards the stairs leading up.
"Just a minute," said Katya. She motioned in the direction of a guard who was standing in shadows. The guard came forward, holding someone.
"Yuffie!" gasped Aeris.
The young ninja was handcuffed and gagged, and the guard was shoving her forward roughly. He was holding a gun to her temple. The gun's safety was off.
Katya smiled rather smugly at Cloud. "This is one of your friends, I take it?"
Cloud stopped walking. Then, visibly controlling his fury, he turned around. "I hope like hell you didn't hurt her, or I'll kill you," he said simply.
"Oh, I've treated it better than she deserved," said Katya dismissively. "Quite lively, that young lady. Almost slipped from our grasps despite being outnumbered with nowhere to go but through a broken ventilation duct. But regardless...I'm not beyond telling Mr. Evans here to pull the trigger if you take one more step towards this door."
"You cold-blooded, kidnapping, stuck-up..." began Cid.
"Spare me your meaningless insults," she interrupted. "Well, then, I don't normally deal with terrorists, but I'll do it this time, since you are able to overpower my men. Leave this place, give me all your Materia and weapons, and I'll release the young one to you."
"Please, I beg of you!" said Aeris, surprising everyone. "Shut down that reactor! There's no need for this!"
Katya shook her head. "No. I'm not shutting it down, now or ever. Why should I? I have my bargaining chip right here, and you have nothing to bargain her with!"
Damn, thought Cloud. Stalemate. What do I do now?
But as soon as he formulated those thoughts, he heard a groan from the guard, and saw that Yuffie was loose! He tensed, preparing to shield her body with his. But Aeris was faster and cast Barrier on her. The guard fired his gun, but the bullet bounced off the magical barrier harmlessly. Yuffie ran forward, and Aeris got in front of her. Cloud noticed the young ninja had freed one of her wrists from the handcuffs. She didn't bother taking her gag off; she just stayed very close to Aeris, trembling for some reason. Probably because she had thought she was a goner when the gun went off.
Cloud turned to Katya. It was his turn to look smug, but he resisted the temptation to do so. "Looks like your bargaining chip didn't like being held against her will," he said.
Katya's eyes shot knives at him. "Very well, then. Shut that reactor down. Kill everyone in the city. Send them back to the dark ages. But I won't be the one who'll shut this thing down," she concluded, jutting her jaw forward defiantly. "And you may encounter a lot more resistance than you've thought you would," she added. With that, she snapped her fingers, and the back door opened.
Out came three figures. One, the only woman of the group, wore her blond hair short; her eyes scanned the room, and fell on Cloud. The fury that could be read in them was incredible. The second figure was a red-haired man who moved with the casual ease of someone trying to sucker his enemies in thinking he was weak. The last figure, a bald, strongly built man wearing sunglasses, carried himself with the self-assurance of a man trained to hand-to-hand combat. All three figures wore blue suits.
They were the Turks: Elena, Reno, and Rude.
"As I recall," began Cloud, "last time we met those three, they didn't hold up to us. What makes you believe they will this time?"
"I'll show you some holding up, you murderer!" said Elena hotly.
"Calm down, Elena," snapped Katya. "You're welcome to believe you can beat them. Still, they won't make things easy on you. And you shouldn't forget all my guards. You see, I'm pretty sure you will succeed in shutting down this reactor; but Shinra will go down fighting. I won't just give up!"
Cloud shrugged, unsheathed his sword and prepared to move towards the Turks, when Reeve spoke up. "You won't reconsider? Even if I tell you I have a source of energy that could replace Mako?"
Katya seemed to hesitate, but then her assurance returned. "There's no such thing."
It was Reeve's turn to shrug. He reached into his jacket and took out an envelope. He threw it to Katya's feet. She just looked at it, then looked up at Reeve suspiciously.
"Open it, for chrissake," he said. "It's not a letter bomb! It's that energy source I talked about."
Still looking at Reeve, she bent down and took the envelope. She opened it and got the largish document in it.
"Geothermal energy?" she read aloud. "That never worked properly! Too expensive to dig!"
"Ah, but was it too expensive to dig for Mako?" asked Reeve.
"That was different," snapped Katya.
"Was it?" asked Reeve rhetorically. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? The holes are already made! Just dismantle the reactor, stick a water circulation system and a turbine, and you're all set!"
Katya was starting to believe it, but she was still skeptical. "Surely it's not as efficient as Mako," she pointed out.
"Of course not," replied Reeve. "Still, I managed 75% of Mako reactor performance at the old Gongaga reactor. Surely this is plenty to assure the power needs of Midgar. Plus, in Midgar, we can reuse the existing pipes, something I couldn't do in Gongaga. We could build a working central in a couple of weeks. Midgar can surely make do with more classical energy sources for heating in the meantime, if its inhabitants are careful not to waste power."
The set in Katya's face was starting to soften as she saw new possibilities. "And you got it working in Gongaga?"
"Take the tape that's in the envelope," replied Reeve. "This is a sealed security tape. The seal guarantees it hasn't been tampered with. You're aware of the process, right?"
"Yes," answered Katya.
"Good. Now, play it."
Katya wordlessly gave the tape to the guard who had held Yuffie. The guard walked to a nearby console and inserted the tape. It played on a small screen, and Katya turned to look at it, Reeve standing behind her (and barely being able to see; Katya was as tall as he was). The screen showed a geothermal turbine in all its silent, non-polluting glory. The view zoomed on a power reading, and it was reading quite high.
"Of course, we had to add an extra load on the line to get this power reading," explained Reeve. "Citizens of Gongaga have given up on modern power plants long ago, so they are not really using a lot of its capacity. This was the most we were able to draw from the plant short of drawing current through a short circuit. My engineers tell me it can draw at least 30 more megawatts."
"How long did it take to build this?" whispered Katya.
"Three months. It's a rush job, so it doesn't generate as much power as I hoped, but the citizens of Gongaga don't care. It took one and a half month just to clear the debris, and almost a full month to fine-tune. Two weeks is probably optimistic, but I think we can do pretty close to that, given that we've worked the glitches out of the system on the prototype," answered Reeve.
Katya was looking at the screen in wonder. Then, she turned to Reeve and laughed. The laugh sounded like "Kya-ha-ha!" and was quite similar to Scarlett's laugh. That set every AVALANCHE member's nerves on edge. That also left little doubt who was the mother of the young woman standing in front of Reeve--obviously, she had been born from the former head of the Shinra weapons division.
"All right, Reeve, you've convinced me. The citizens won't be happy I cut the power, but I'll manage to get them to take it. How much do I have to pay to get the plans to this generator?" she asked.
"I'll give the plans for free, and I'll lend technical help," replied Reeve. "But I want 25% of all your profits on sale of power."
Katya laughed again. "Gosh, Reeve, that's skinning me alive, but I'll pay! You have a deal!"
They shook hands. Everyone in the room relaxed. Then Cid started to applaud. He was quickly followed by Aeris, Yuffie, Cloud and Tifa. Even Barret eventually overcame his reluctance and clapped his hand on his gun-arm. Only Nanaki did not applaud, for he was not equipped to do it. The Turks didn't join in, however, maintaining their air of cool reserve.
"You know, Reeve, there's one thing I must tell you," said Katya, still holding Reeve's hand in a solid businesswoman's handshake. Reeve looked at her quizzically.
"I was wrong. You're not a cream puff," she said with a smile.
Reeve smiled back.
That's when all the lights turned to red, and an alert klaxon sounded.
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Benoit Goudreault-Emond April, 9 2001