1. The Assault.
There was an air of anticipation as the
Ex-SOLDIER waited for the train to stop at the station, he pulled his sword out
of the sheath, the ornate blue crystal shining with anticipation for battle,
there was sure to be some. He checked the pockets of his overcoat to see that
he only had 50 gill and two grenades, he somehow knew that he would need them.
The train stopped.
"Wait 'ere, SOLDIER boy." The
strongly built and burly man, roughly 6 foot four said as he headed to the
door. The Ex-SOLDIER nodded and waited as the burly man, obviously the leader
of this group, and the three others, all probably technicians and back up
fighters, jumped off the train and dispatch the guards. He jumped out of the
train and looked at the leader. "Get ya skinny ass down 'ere." With
that he was gone. The Ex-Soldier headed after the leader but stopped.
The bodies.
He quickly searched the downed guards pockets
and picked out two potions from each. He smiled and quickly thanked the
inner voice.
"Oi! You! Stop!" The two military
policemen drew their machine guns. But the Ex-SOLDIER was too fast for them,
the Executioner, his weapon finding the MPs before they could get in a
shot. He pulled out a small pouch of gill and another two potions before
heading up the ramp and seeing the group except the leader.
"So." The young girl started.
"You were a SOLDIER?"
"SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy?"
The thinner to the two men present asked the girl.
"No... Yes... What I mean is that
SOLDIER IS the enemy but he isn't with them anymore." She wasn't sure she understood
that herself.
"Er...Yea Jessie." The thinner man
turned to the Ex-SOLDIER. "By the way I didn't catch yea name."
"It's Cloud, Cloud Strife." Cloud
answered the thin man the Executioner in his hand.
"Well my name's..." Cloud cut him
off.
"Listen, I don't mean to be rude or
anything but, it can wait until this mission is over and hopefully the
robo-guards haven't come." He said trying not to sound cold.
"Yea I understand." Before he could
continue a loud bellow was heard.
"You $~^%s! What have I told ya 'bout
hanging round together!." He shouted at them and Cloud couldn't help but
think that he was going to have to get used to the man.
"Sorry..." Jessie said as the door
opened. "There." The other ran into the reactor as the leader entered
the door turned to Cloud.
"Ex-SOLDIER huh? Don't trust ya!"
Cloud could tell that this man had had problem with the Shinra before problems
and grudges he wasn't going to let go of. "The name's Barret Wallace
kiddo, don't forget it." With that Barret entered the reactor.
Cloud looked up towards the Reactor and had a
really bad feeling of what was to face him inside, no matter he had a job to do
and he was going to do it well. With that he entered the reactor and
uneventfully made his way to the T shaped catwalk. He saw the fat male acting
as a look out. "Hey Cloud go after the others I'll keep a watch
here." Cloud nodded as he ran towards the entrance to the inside of the
reactor, where he saw Jessie, wasn't it and the other thinner man working on
the slide door and Barret watching their back.
"Oi! Cloud." This caught the young
warrior surprised. "You been in a Reactor before?"
"Yes... I was in Shinra before." He
answered.
"These f&$#&*g reactors are
suckin' the life from the planet. If we keep letting 'em do it, there ain't
gonna be shit left. These things are killing the Planet slowly, but
surely."
"I heard once that Mako and the
Lifestream were the same thing but the company always denied it." He
sighed. "Listen I heard about what happens to the planet without this stuff
so you're not telling me anything I don't know."
"Hum... Interesting little s#%* ain't
ya? Come on hotshot ya comin' with me." With that he turned to the thin
man. "Biggs ya useless piece of s#%*. Get that bloody door open."
"Code Deciphered ." Biggs said as
the door opened and Cloud pulled out the Executioner and went into a
ready stance. While Barret point his gun-arm. Nothing.
Jessie moved into the next door and in about
three times quicker than Biggs cracked the other. Cloud took the lead but stopped
as he saw a side passage. "Hold on a second." He called as he moved
down the passage with Barret. He saw a console and a chest behind it. "As
I thought." Cloud said as he opened the chest and picked up a Phoenix
Down. "This could be useful. You have a satchel? " He asked
Barret.
"No man." He replied.
"Great." Cloud sighed as he put it
in the small pouch which held all his other items.
"Whatever com' on kid." He said as
he lead the warrior to the elevator where Jessie was waiting.
"Cloud can you push that switch over
there." She asked him.
"Sure." Cloud answered. As he
sheathed the Executioner and it the downwards button. As they exited the
lift they met their first resistance, two MPs. Cloud took one down instantly as
Barret fired a constant barrage at the other taking him down nearly as quick.
"Follow me." Jessie called as they
followed her down the stairway towards the door. They entered the door, Cloud
always alert carrying the Executioner at the ready followed her down the
ladder to see her go past the next. "I'll wait here as a look out, Cloud
you know haw to get the core from here?"
"Yes." Cloud said blankly looking
over the side.
"What is it?" Barret asked.
"Security drones. There's about four
down there. Want me to handle them?" Cloud asked.
"Hum... Alright kid let's see what ya
made of." Barret said. With that he sheathed the Executioner, then
he was off jumping the distance to the vertical ladder and then sliding down to
the pipe, those years in SOLDIER paid off as he made it to the ladder with no problem.
He slid down to a level then let go, twisted and drew in one movement. The
guards noticed him and fired but then Cloud pulled a surprise using the broad
length of the blade to block the laser fire, as they reloaded Cloud sheathed
his weapon and started to concentrate to gather energy causing green ripples to
form around him.
'Thunder' 'All'
From no where four lightning bolts came down
from the sky short circuiting all four, not taking any chances he drew his large
blade and put it through each of the droids making sure they wouldn't come back
on-line.
"What the f&$#&*g hell was
that?" Barret said as he caught up with the warrior.
"A Thunder spell." Cloud said
matter of factly.
"What?"
"Materia induced magic." He pointed
to the green Materia orb in the Executioner.
"So this is what makes those blokes in
SOLDIER so powerful. " He said.
"One of them." Cloud answered as
they headed up to the main Reactor core. "This brings back too many bad
memories." He mumbled to himself.
"What?"
"Nothing… Well just one question."
"What?"
"This bombing is supposed to save the
planet but what about all the innocent people working around here?"
"You should expect a few casualties in
this war."
"And what war is this?"
"Damn stupid f&$#&*g kid! The
war to save the planet versus the f&$#&*g Shinra!"
"Then why don't you bomb at night
time?"
"Gotta problem with it?"
"Listen I agree with your motives but
I'm not to sure your using the right methods."
"Shut up SOLDIER boy! Go set the bomb."
He handed Cloud a block of plastic explosives and a detonation timer.
"Shouldn't you do it?" He asked.
"Nah, you'll do fine an' this way I get
to keep a watch on ya."
"Alright." He moved up and placed
the plastic explosives and set the fuse for fifteen minutes. "Fifteen
minutes and counting!" Just then the alarm went off.
"What the hell!" Barret fumed.
"Great! Just what we need!" Cloud
said as he pulled out the Executioner and readied himself.
"What!?"
"Guard Scorpion." Cloud said. It
came out of the shadows, the giant six legged Cyclops, armed with two Assault
Guns and a huge mechanical scorpions tail tipped with a drill shaped mace.
"J#%*$!" The dark skinned man
shouted as he readied his gun-arm.
"We share something in common."
Cloud called back as he slung the huge sword into it's sheath and started the
same hand movements as he had done before.
'Thunder'
The lightning bolt hit the robot's casing
causing sparks to fly everywhere and a creaking sound as it moved back as Cloud
redrew his weapon. It then proceeded to scan its attacker with search scope.
Barret then stepped forward and let rip a salvo of shots onto the machine the
first few denting it's armour the rest tearing into it. It scanned Barret as it
did Cloud then fired shots from its Assault Guns at him, sending him to
the floor.
"You okay?" Cloud called as he
threw Barret one of his potions.
"I will be once this m#%&$r-
f&$#&r is scrap metal." He stood up after drinking the potion and allowed
his anger to consume him, there was a flash of orange-red light around him.
'Big Shot'
He allowed a ball of energy to form around
the barrel of his gun-arm and discharged it into the machine. Cloud took his
chance passed Barret one of the grenades which Barret threw at the machine and
then Cloud began to cast again.
'Thunder'
It did the same damage as last time but now
it had pulled up its tail. "Barret, don't attack! while it's tail is up!
It's gonna counter-attack with it's laser!"
"Don't tell me what ta do!" He
fired another salvo into it but this time it, as Cloud said, fired a blast from
its tail knocking both down. Cloud was the first up gripping the handle of the Executioner
and allowed his own anger at the scorpion and Barret to take over. Copying
Barret there was again a flash of light that surrounded him.
'Braver'
The limit break which shared the name of his
sword class took over as he lunged towards the scorpion, jumped high in the air
and after a second he was pulled down, swinging his sword heavily so the robot
was sliced clean in half. "Not bad." Barret said as Cloud moved over
to the undamaged Assault Gun and took it off.
"Can you use this?" Cloud asked.
"Dunno. Pass it 'ere and I'll try
it." He took off the Gatling Gun and replaced it with the
weapon Cloud passed him. He then fired a few shots into a wall and nodded an
affirmative.
"We have five minutes, so we better get
out of here." Cloud stated as he started to run towards the ladder. The
trip up to the door was uneventful until Cloud reached the door.
The Girl
He turned to see Jessie having problems with
her foot. He ran back to her. "You okay?" he asked as he kneeled down
to help her.
"My foot's stuck." She cried as
Cloud freed it. "Thanks. They ran into little resistance as they reached
the lift.
"Three minutes." Cloud stated as
they reached the door.
However there was a problem. "They've
changed the code." Biggs shouted as he was working on the door.
"Great!" Jessie called as she knelt
down to help Biggs.
"Two and a half minutes." Cloud
said as he and Barret covered the two working on the door.
About a minute later there was a result as
the door opened and they passed through the second was slightly harder., but it
opened "Twenty seconds!" Cloud yelled as they all ran through the T shaped
catwalk. Jessie fell and Cloud quickly picked her up. As they reached the exit
where the fatter man had just ran through when the bomb went off.
2.Aftermath
"Alright!" The fat man called as
Jessie worked on something.
"That's gonna keep going for a little
bit longer." Piped in Biggs.
"Right it's set. Everyone out." She
called as she finished on what she was working on and ran to the door, as they
reached the small explosion happened. Cloud was the first out untouched,
followed by Barret, Biggs, Jessie and then the fat man who ran around holding
his rear.
"Wedge ya s#%*. Stop pissing around! All
meet up at the train station, move out!" He said as the others moved out.
"Oh an' SOLDIER boy, ya get the money when you get back." With that
he ran towards the main street. Cloud shook his head and started walking, he
moved up the path. Has he got to the top of the stairs he headed towards the
large sign saying 'Loveless'.
---
Outside the theatre the young flower girl
watched the commotion trying to stay as calm as she could, she could tell
something had happened. The next thing she knew one of the men who were running
frantically knocked her down, her heart started beating faster as they all ran
off towards the station. She lifted herself back to her feet and quickly picked
up and re attached her Guard Stick to its position and touching her hair
to make sure that the orb was still there. Then she saw him, walking in from
the pathway beside the run down café. The young man probably about her age with
spiky sandy blond hair, well built but also had an aqua of intelligence around
him. He wore a beige overcoat which ran down to his ankles, underneath she saw
that he was wearing black trousers which were slightly baggy with matching
boots. On the left shoulder of the coat was a sliver, smooth armoured pad which
matched his arm bands and went with the plain black sheath that held the
largest sword she had seen in her life. Even though he was armed and looked
dangerous, he did not frighten her. He started to move past her and she made a
decision.
"Excuse me sir. Do you know what's going
on?" She asked and he stopped.
"Nothing to worry about. Hey…" he
paused looking at her basket. "…you don't see many flowers nowadays."
He smiled at her.
"Would you like to buy one they're only
one gill." She replied.
"Sure why not." He put a hand into
his pocket and pulled out a pouch. He then opened the pouch and took out a
coin, he then handed it to the girl.
"Thank you!" She put her hand into the
basket and pulled out a white rose and handed to him before she started to head
away.
"Hold it." He called.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me the way to the station
from here?" he asked her.
"It's just down the courtyard, follow
the road and you'll find a bridge the tracks run under, head to the right and
just follow them." She told him smiling.
"Thank you." He started off down
the courtyard as she headed down the alleyway towards home.
---
Cloud headed down the courtyard stopping only
to pick up some dropped items, he headed the way the flower girl told him only
to hear a voice behind him. "Oh! Stop!"
Shinra MPs, he waited a second till they were
about six inches and then struck, pulling out the Executioner and
swinging in a split second taking both down. "What the.." Another two
took the others place and Cloud decided to run, he head right only to be cut
off by two soldiers, he quickly changed direction but again that was blocked
off. "Freeze."
Nowhere to run, Cloud held the Executioner
ready to do what it did best.
Jump off the bridge.
'What!' He said to the voice.
Trust me jump.
"I have no time for you guys." He
sheathed the Executioner and flipped backwards off the bridge and landed
on the train.
End of Chapter 1
