Chapter Three: Unexpected Consequences
The dawn sun gleamed on the shiny metal of the old train as it sped its way toward the number five Mako Reactor. The six members of Avalanche had found a comfortably deserted car near the back of the train, and were patiently awaiting their stop. They had already passed the first three reactors (obviously the first had been skipped over in the train schedule for that day). The train was now beginning its final approach onto the fifth division of the upper plate.
Jessie was waiting by her usual spot next to the car's computer, busily hacking into some confidential file that the Shinra would probably be horrified to know that she could find. Cloud was watching out the window at the sunrise over Midgar, and Biggs and Wedge had once again fallen into a discussion about the possibilities of space travel. Barret was quietly sitting on one of the seats, and he looked terribly bored. Tifa was sitting in a seat across from him, and she was the only one who seemed excited about what they were about to do. The anxiety that had accompanied the last mission was lost on them for this mission. It just didn't seem as exciting as the first time.
"I think we're gonna be there soon." Cloud said softly. "We're over the fifth plate right now."
Jessie nodded, still facing the computer screen.
"The computer says estimated time of arrival is in ten minutes. We're almost there."
Barret's head perked up.
"Everybody get ready. We need to make this one quick and easy, just like last time." He said. "Except for that whole alarm thing." He added, grinning.
Cloud smiled and nodded.
"We'll try to avoid that little mishap."
With that, silence fell over the group again. It remained that way until a gasp from Jessie broke it.
"Shit!" She exclaimed loudly. "They're doing a background check on all passengers! We have to get out of this car!"
As if on cue, an alarm sounded. The speakers on the side walls of the train began to speak loudly.
"Unauthorized passengers on car 17. Security lockdown begins…now."
"We have one minute!" Jessie yelled to everyone else before the announcement had even gotten to the last word.
Barret was the first to jump up and run to the door separating them from the next car. He opened it up, and held it open to let the others through. The alarm was still sounding as they ran through, and Jessie looked frantic. She was the only one who knew what a security lockdown implicated. She was almost sure that they had no chance of escaping the train.
As they all entered the next car, they encountered a ticket collector who was running to check out car number 17 that had been announced. Barret pointed his gun-arm at him, and the man immediately turned around and fled.
"Come on, we have no time to waste!" Jessie yelled as she ran ahead to the next door.
The next announcement came just as they entered the next car.
"Security lockdown on car 17 complete. Phase two begins…now."
"They're locking down every car!" Jessie yelled over the noise of people in the car that had realized that they were now in the presence of the unauthorized passengers. "We have to jump!"
"What?" Exclaimed Barret, Cloud, and Tifa almost simultaneously.
"It's the only way we're going to get away! The guards are probably already on their way down to this car as we speak!"
"I'd rather deal with the guards then jump off a speeding train!" Cloud retorted, and Barret nodded in agreement.
"If we don't jump now, the doors will lock and we'll be trapped on this train. How are we going to complete the mission if we don't even get off the train?"
"She's got a point, Cloud." Barret admitted.
"If we're gonna do this, we have to do it now!" She yelled.
Barret nodded. He ran to the side door of the train and, pouring all of his strength into it, managed to pull it open. The other people in the car had backed away in disbelief and let the Avalanche members come through. Barret held onto the wall with his one hand and leaned out to see what he was about to get into. The train seemed to be going incredibly fast, but the ground was within reach. The upper plate was just beneath the tracks, and it was basically flat. They weren't too far from the reactor either. Now was the perfect time.
Barret took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and jumped. Tifa gasped and put her hand over her mouth, but followed right behind Cloud as he strode toward the door. He quickly did the same as Barret, and soon Tifa had thrown herself off as well. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge followed. Within three minutes of the first announcement, the entire Avalanche team had managed to escape by throwing themselves off of the train. Perhaps the second mission wouldn't be so unexciting after all.
* * *
Cloud lifted himself off of the ground, and brushed himself off. He looked around quickly, giving his surroundings a cursory glance.
"Didn't we…" He thought, "…just leave this party?"
He was surrounded on all sides by junk and garbage. He wasn't far from the tracks on which the train he had just jumped had been riding on. The roads weren't far either. He was in the same junk pile that they had come out of when they destroyed the first reactor. In fact, the whole area looked identical to the first reactor, except for the replacement of the huge "1" on the reactor with a huge "5."
He caught a slight movement to his left and spun around to face it. It was Barret trudging toward him. He looked like he was okay, although he was cradling his right arm with his left hand.
"You all right?" Cloud asked.
Barret nodded.
"Yeah, just a few scrapes here and there." He lifted his left hand to expose a relatively large gash on his right arm, just above where the skin was grafted to the gun. "That's the only one that really bothers me."
"Have you seen any of the others?" Cloud asked nervously, since he had looked around again and had seen no one else besides himself and Barret.
Barret shook his head. He was a little worried himself, but he refused to let it show. His dark brow furrowed as he scanned the area around him, looking attentively for any sign of the others. Cloud walked next to him to look in the same direction as Barret was staring, which he deduced was the way that the train was going when they jumped from it.
Cloud was startled and jumped a little as he felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. He turned to look into the eyes of Tifa.
"Hello." She said, nonchalantly. "Is your ass killing you too, or is it just me."
Cloud couldn't help but crack a smile.
"It's just you. I think I landed on my head." He answered, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his neck as he thought about what he had just said.
Behind Tifa were Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. They had apparently found each other before encountering Barret and Cloud.
Barret fidgeted restlessly with his gun-arm. He looked up from it momentarily to eye the others expectantly. They just stared right back at him.
"Well? Are we gonna get moving or what?" He asked impatiently.
Cloud nodded, and started off for the train station. Barret grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.
"Hell no! They're gonna have that entrance blocked off so heavily that a Shinra war-tank wouldn't be able to break through. We'll take the back entrance." He cautioned. Cloud considered this for a moment, and then turned around to head for the garbage disposal area, which was surrounded by the junk pile in which they were now standing. The others simply followed Cloud and Barret, who seemed to know what they were doing.
They mutually decided that the best way to get in would be the same way that they had gotten out the last time: blowing a good sized hole into the outer wall of the reactor. Jessie and Biggs took care of that task as quickly and as quietly as possible. The entire group entered the reactor, and prepared for a harder fight than the last reactor had given them.
To their surprise, they encountered very little resistance along the way. Jessie, who had though to take a portable electronic blueprint of the building with her, directed them along backward routes through rarely used hallways. They were greeted with only the occasional guard, and either Cloud or Barret was always ready to quickly end the threat that a guard posed.
It took them longer to get to the elevator going the back way than it had when they attacked the first reactor, but it was worth it. They had expected to be found and exposed as intruders before they ever reached the elevator. Now, they were just as inconspicuous as ever, and Jessie was relatively sure that the Shinra hadn't even noticed their makeshift entrance yet.
As the elevator reached the bottom level, the group became apprehensive. Their safe escape depended on Biggs' bomb working correctly this time. If it set itself for ten- minute delay, they would never make it out in time without making a scene and being discovered.
Carrying the bomb that was essential to their mission's success, Cloud proceeded to the console at the far wall, which was identical to the one that he had destroyed in the first reactor. Barret followed to watch over the operation, just as he had before. Cloud fastened the bomb to the console, making sure to place it the same way that he had in the first reactor. It had done its job well before, although it had blown up quicker than they had wanted it to.
He fastened the final side, then pressed the initialization switch on the front. It took him at least half a minute of staring at the screen before he was satisfied that it had worked this time. He nodded happily to Barret, who in turn smiled to the others who were waiting on the other side of the catwalk. They nodded their approval to Cloud and Barret, and then to Biggs for his ingenious bomb.
And so the mission was halfway done. All they had left to do was escape. They made their way to the elevator quickly, and the ride up was short and uneventful. Likewise, they encountered no resistance when they exited the elevator. Barret looked around, rather puzzled. He had expected at least some resistance. Hadn't they even found the dead bodies or their makeshift entrance yet?
"I don't like this." Barret spoke to Cloud, softly so that the others wouldn't hear. They were excited and caught up in the moment.
Cloud nodded.
"It's definitely too quiet. Something's going on here." He unsheathed his sword and held it upright with both hands. "Keep your guard up."
Barret nodded, and lifted his gun-arm. The group proceeded cautiously to the next hallway, led by Barret and Cloud. When they were still greeted by nothing but still air, Cloud and Barret became even more nervous.
Barret turned to face the group behind him.
"I don't think we should go back through the hole we made. I'm starting to think they might be trying to lead us into a trap or something. This is definitely too quiet." He said.
Jessie, who had been staring at her blueprint, lifted the tiny device so that Barret could see the route that she had plotted out. She pointed to the area that she had just finished plotting.
"There's a ground-level catwalk directly above the one that you guys crossed to plant the bomb. It leads to the other side of the building, and we can go from there to a ventilation shaft that leads outside. I had considered it as an entry point, but I thought it might be too conspicuous. I think it's our best shot now, though." She explained.
Barret nodded, and looked to Cloud for his approval. He nodded also, but said nothing.
"Okay then." Barret said, his command making it final. "We'll go over the catwalk.
Jessie went ahead to lead them with the assistance of her blueprint. When they reached the catwalk, they were taken aback with awe. It was much closer to the top of the reactor than the one that they had crossed to plant the bomb, and it allowed for a wonderful view of the reactor's interior. The main catwalk led directly to the other side of the reactor, and a separate catwalk branched off to intersect with a maintenance walkway that encircled the perimeter. It was on this catwalk that the last person they expected to see was standing. It was also on this catwalk that their entire mission went straight to hell.
He was wearing a peculiar dark red suit, which was characteristic of his unconventional taste in clothing. He was noticeably fat, and his belly bulged out such that he appeared to have a rather round build. He had a finely trimmed beard, and a face that seemed friendly enough. His eyes showed the experience that was contained in the mind behind them. He was a smart and powerful man. He was a worthy ally, and a dangerous enemy. He was the President of Shinra.
Barret recognized him immediately, and lifted his gun-arm to fire. Cloud already had his sword ready to strike if needed. The five soldiers that flanked the President waved their guns menacingly, warning Barret of the consequences if he fired his own gun. The President raised his hand in peace.
"I would recommend firing that. You wouldn't last long. These are my finest soldiers." He said, completely unshaken by the fact that he was now face to face with a group of people that he knew wanted him dead. He walked toward them slowly but surely, his soldiers trailing behind him.
He looked at Cloud, studying him. After a brief silence, he spoke again.
"You are a member of Soldier, are you not?" He asked.
Cloud shook his head.
"Used to be. Not any more. How the hell did you know that?"
The President's eyebrows lifted.
"Careful there, son. I hope you know who you're talking to." He answered, pausing for his reprimand to sink in. "I can tell from your eyes. They burn with the fire of Mako."
He turned to Barret, who was using all of his will power to keep from shooting at this man. He was the epitome of evil in Barret's eyes. He represented all that Barret was fighting against.
"Are you the leader of these worthless terrorists?" The President asked him, as though it were a question he'd ask someone he'd known his whole life.
"Yes I am." Barret answered through clenched teeth. "And I hope you know who you're talking to. I'm in charge of this group of people that has vowed to stop you from killing our planet.
"I am not killing…" The President started to defend himself.
"Yes you are!" Barret interrupted him. "This reactor is taking its lifeblood as we speak! You must realize what these things do. You just don't care!"
"That's very true." The President admitted. "I don't. But in a few minutes, I won't need to either. You were very stupid in attacking another reactor so soon after your first act of destruction. I've decided that you will all die with the death of this reactor, and with you will go this idiotic idea of yours."
"You can't do this!" Barret cried to him.
"Watch me." The President answered coldly. He gestured to his soldiers, who were backing toward the opposite end of the catwalk. They, in turn, gestured to some technicians that had been until this point hiding in the shadows. They emerged with a large mechanic monstrosity trailing behind them.
The President pointed at it.
"This was one of my favorite military ventures, before it went haywire and killed most of the technicians that created it. I think it will do well for it to die along with you when this reactor is destroyed. And while it's here, I'm sure it will keep you from escaping." He explained. He then turned his back to them, as they stared in horror at the towering machine that was being rolled toward them by the technicians. The President's soldiers stayed close to keep Barret from doing anything rash.
"I bid you all adieu." The President said as he walked out the other end of the catwalk. "I do hope this isn't too painful."
And then he left them. The technicians turned on the mechanical beast and then fled, along with the soldiers, the way that the President had gone. Avalanche was alone with the robot.
It towered over them, and seemed to be brimming with weapons. It moved forward on treads, much like a tank and just as slowly. As it got nearer to the helpless group, it began to raise its side guns. Tifa turned to run, but she was met with a locked door behind them. They were trapped.
Cloud acted quickly. He raised his sword into position, and closed his eyes. The others looked with extreme curiosity as he stood steadfastly in the path of the giant robot. It neared ever closer as he began to softly chant unintelligible words. Suddenly, his sword began to glow brightly. The air around him began to crack and sizzle. He raised his head and cried out with all of his might as the powers of elemental lightning began to surge around him. He raised his arms, his right hand still carrying his sword, and the energy that surrounded him followed. As the killer robot neared just within feet of his face, he brought his arms down to point directly at it. The energy surged forward and three long, sizzling bolts of lightning appeared out of the air above him to strike the robot.
The energy surged throughout the chassis of the mechanical murderer, and smoke billowed from its front side. Cloud tried to shield his face as the robot exploded. The blast blew out the catwalk beneath it, and the parts beneath Cloud's feet gave way. He tripped and slid off the catwalk, grabbing the remaining part of the floor with his left hand to keep from falling. His right hand was still clutching his sword. Tifa screamed and ran to him. She reached down at his dangling body.
"Reach up to me! I won't let you fall!" She yelled.
Cloud looked beneath his feet. Fire was billowing out of the floor. The remains of the robot had set off the bomb. The explosion had destroyed the bottom of the reactor and had opened up a hole into the slums beneath the upper plate. He knew the reactor wouldn't last much longer.
"No!" He yelled back to her. "Go with the others. Get out of here or we'll all die!"
"I won't leave you!"
"You have to!"
A tear rolled down her cheek as she reached futilely for his hand. The sharp edge that he was hanging from was jutting out from the rest of the floor. He was out of reach from her. Barret had run toward her and had his hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, her eyes pleading with his conscience.
"Isn't there something you can do?" She asked, tears flowing profusely from her eyes.
He shook his head, a look of concern and sadness in his face. He knew there was no hope.
"He's too far out. We have to get out of here before this place blows."
Tifa turned back to Cloud.
"You can't die now. There's so much I still want to tell you!"
"I know, Tifa." He answered, struggling to keep his one-handed hold on the floor.
Barret grabbed her shoulder as a piece of debris dropped from the ceiling, almost hitting her.
"Come on! We're getting out of here!" He yelled at her over the noise surrounding them. Then he turned his head back to Cloud.
"Say hello to my wife in heaven, Cloud. You're a good man, and we'll never forget what you've done for our cause."
"Stop talking like this is the end, Barret. Get Tifa and everyone else out of here okay. I'll be fine."
Barret nodded, and then dragged Tifa along with him to the door on the far end of the wall that Jessie was furiously trying to open.
"Take care of her, Barret!" Cloud yelled.
It was the last thing he had time to say. A sharp explosion beneath them shook his grip. His hand slid off the floor, and his body was let loose. Tifa screamed and turned to hug Barret. Barret turned his head. Even he couldn't bear to watch. The explosion that would kill the reactor raged around them, as Cloud's helpless body descended into the Abyss.
The dawn sun gleamed on the shiny metal of the old train as it sped its way toward the number five Mako Reactor. The six members of Avalanche had found a comfortably deserted car near the back of the train, and were patiently awaiting their stop. They had already passed the first three reactors (obviously the first had been skipped over in the train schedule for that day). The train was now beginning its final approach onto the fifth division of the upper plate.
Jessie was waiting by her usual spot next to the car's computer, busily hacking into some confidential file that the Shinra would probably be horrified to know that she could find. Cloud was watching out the window at the sunrise over Midgar, and Biggs and Wedge had once again fallen into a discussion about the possibilities of space travel. Barret was quietly sitting on one of the seats, and he looked terribly bored. Tifa was sitting in a seat across from him, and she was the only one who seemed excited about what they were about to do. The anxiety that had accompanied the last mission was lost on them for this mission. It just didn't seem as exciting as the first time.
"I think we're gonna be there soon." Cloud said softly. "We're over the fifth plate right now."
Jessie nodded, still facing the computer screen.
"The computer says estimated time of arrival is in ten minutes. We're almost there."
Barret's head perked up.
"Everybody get ready. We need to make this one quick and easy, just like last time." He said. "Except for that whole alarm thing." He added, grinning.
Cloud smiled and nodded.
"We'll try to avoid that little mishap."
With that, silence fell over the group again. It remained that way until a gasp from Jessie broke it.
"Shit!" She exclaimed loudly. "They're doing a background check on all passengers! We have to get out of this car!"
As if on cue, an alarm sounded. The speakers on the side walls of the train began to speak loudly.
"Unauthorized passengers on car 17. Security lockdown begins…now."
"We have one minute!" Jessie yelled to everyone else before the announcement had even gotten to the last word.
Barret was the first to jump up and run to the door separating them from the next car. He opened it up, and held it open to let the others through. The alarm was still sounding as they ran through, and Jessie looked frantic. She was the only one who knew what a security lockdown implicated. She was almost sure that they had no chance of escaping the train.
As they all entered the next car, they encountered a ticket collector who was running to check out car number 17 that had been announced. Barret pointed his gun-arm at him, and the man immediately turned around and fled.
"Come on, we have no time to waste!" Jessie yelled as she ran ahead to the next door.
The next announcement came just as they entered the next car.
"Security lockdown on car 17 complete. Phase two begins…now."
"They're locking down every car!" Jessie yelled over the noise of people in the car that had realized that they were now in the presence of the unauthorized passengers. "We have to jump!"
"What?" Exclaimed Barret, Cloud, and Tifa almost simultaneously.
"It's the only way we're going to get away! The guards are probably already on their way down to this car as we speak!"
"I'd rather deal with the guards then jump off a speeding train!" Cloud retorted, and Barret nodded in agreement.
"If we don't jump now, the doors will lock and we'll be trapped on this train. How are we going to complete the mission if we don't even get off the train?"
"She's got a point, Cloud." Barret admitted.
"If we're gonna do this, we have to do it now!" She yelled.
Barret nodded. He ran to the side door of the train and, pouring all of his strength into it, managed to pull it open. The other people in the car had backed away in disbelief and let the Avalanche members come through. Barret held onto the wall with his one hand and leaned out to see what he was about to get into. The train seemed to be going incredibly fast, but the ground was within reach. The upper plate was just beneath the tracks, and it was basically flat. They weren't too far from the reactor either. Now was the perfect time.
Barret took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and jumped. Tifa gasped and put her hand over her mouth, but followed right behind Cloud as he strode toward the door. He quickly did the same as Barret, and soon Tifa had thrown herself off as well. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge followed. Within three minutes of the first announcement, the entire Avalanche team had managed to escape by throwing themselves off of the train. Perhaps the second mission wouldn't be so unexciting after all.
* * *
Cloud lifted himself off of the ground, and brushed himself off. He looked around quickly, giving his surroundings a cursory glance.
"Didn't we…" He thought, "…just leave this party?"
He was surrounded on all sides by junk and garbage. He wasn't far from the tracks on which the train he had just jumped had been riding on. The roads weren't far either. He was in the same junk pile that they had come out of when they destroyed the first reactor. In fact, the whole area looked identical to the first reactor, except for the replacement of the huge "1" on the reactor with a huge "5."
He caught a slight movement to his left and spun around to face it. It was Barret trudging toward him. He looked like he was okay, although he was cradling his right arm with his left hand.
"You all right?" Cloud asked.
Barret nodded.
"Yeah, just a few scrapes here and there." He lifted his left hand to expose a relatively large gash on his right arm, just above where the skin was grafted to the gun. "That's the only one that really bothers me."
"Have you seen any of the others?" Cloud asked nervously, since he had looked around again and had seen no one else besides himself and Barret.
Barret shook his head. He was a little worried himself, but he refused to let it show. His dark brow furrowed as he scanned the area around him, looking attentively for any sign of the others. Cloud walked next to him to look in the same direction as Barret was staring, which he deduced was the way that the train was going when they jumped from it.
Cloud was startled and jumped a little as he felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. He turned to look into the eyes of Tifa.
"Hello." She said, nonchalantly. "Is your ass killing you too, or is it just me."
Cloud couldn't help but crack a smile.
"It's just you. I think I landed on my head." He answered, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his neck as he thought about what he had just said.
Behind Tifa were Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. They had apparently found each other before encountering Barret and Cloud.
Barret fidgeted restlessly with his gun-arm. He looked up from it momentarily to eye the others expectantly. They just stared right back at him.
"Well? Are we gonna get moving or what?" He asked impatiently.
Cloud nodded, and started off for the train station. Barret grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.
"Hell no! They're gonna have that entrance blocked off so heavily that a Shinra war-tank wouldn't be able to break through. We'll take the back entrance." He cautioned. Cloud considered this for a moment, and then turned around to head for the garbage disposal area, which was surrounded by the junk pile in which they were now standing. The others simply followed Cloud and Barret, who seemed to know what they were doing.
They mutually decided that the best way to get in would be the same way that they had gotten out the last time: blowing a good sized hole into the outer wall of the reactor. Jessie and Biggs took care of that task as quickly and as quietly as possible. The entire group entered the reactor, and prepared for a harder fight than the last reactor had given them.
To their surprise, they encountered very little resistance along the way. Jessie, who had though to take a portable electronic blueprint of the building with her, directed them along backward routes through rarely used hallways. They were greeted with only the occasional guard, and either Cloud or Barret was always ready to quickly end the threat that a guard posed.
It took them longer to get to the elevator going the back way than it had when they attacked the first reactor, but it was worth it. They had expected to be found and exposed as intruders before they ever reached the elevator. Now, they were just as inconspicuous as ever, and Jessie was relatively sure that the Shinra hadn't even noticed their makeshift entrance yet.
As the elevator reached the bottom level, the group became apprehensive. Their safe escape depended on Biggs' bomb working correctly this time. If it set itself for ten- minute delay, they would never make it out in time without making a scene and being discovered.
Carrying the bomb that was essential to their mission's success, Cloud proceeded to the console at the far wall, which was identical to the one that he had destroyed in the first reactor. Barret followed to watch over the operation, just as he had before. Cloud fastened the bomb to the console, making sure to place it the same way that he had in the first reactor. It had done its job well before, although it had blown up quicker than they had wanted it to.
He fastened the final side, then pressed the initialization switch on the front. It took him at least half a minute of staring at the screen before he was satisfied that it had worked this time. He nodded happily to Barret, who in turn smiled to the others who were waiting on the other side of the catwalk. They nodded their approval to Cloud and Barret, and then to Biggs for his ingenious bomb.
And so the mission was halfway done. All they had left to do was escape. They made their way to the elevator quickly, and the ride up was short and uneventful. Likewise, they encountered no resistance when they exited the elevator. Barret looked around, rather puzzled. He had expected at least some resistance. Hadn't they even found the dead bodies or their makeshift entrance yet?
"I don't like this." Barret spoke to Cloud, softly so that the others wouldn't hear. They were excited and caught up in the moment.
Cloud nodded.
"It's definitely too quiet. Something's going on here." He unsheathed his sword and held it upright with both hands. "Keep your guard up."
Barret nodded, and lifted his gun-arm. The group proceeded cautiously to the next hallway, led by Barret and Cloud. When they were still greeted by nothing but still air, Cloud and Barret became even more nervous.
Barret turned to face the group behind him.
"I don't think we should go back through the hole we made. I'm starting to think they might be trying to lead us into a trap or something. This is definitely too quiet." He said.
Jessie, who had been staring at her blueprint, lifted the tiny device so that Barret could see the route that she had plotted out. She pointed to the area that she had just finished plotting.
"There's a ground-level catwalk directly above the one that you guys crossed to plant the bomb. It leads to the other side of the building, and we can go from there to a ventilation shaft that leads outside. I had considered it as an entry point, but I thought it might be too conspicuous. I think it's our best shot now, though." She explained.
Barret nodded, and looked to Cloud for his approval. He nodded also, but said nothing.
"Okay then." Barret said, his command making it final. "We'll go over the catwalk.
Jessie went ahead to lead them with the assistance of her blueprint. When they reached the catwalk, they were taken aback with awe. It was much closer to the top of the reactor than the one that they had crossed to plant the bomb, and it allowed for a wonderful view of the reactor's interior. The main catwalk led directly to the other side of the reactor, and a separate catwalk branched off to intersect with a maintenance walkway that encircled the perimeter. It was on this catwalk that the last person they expected to see was standing. It was also on this catwalk that their entire mission went straight to hell.
He was wearing a peculiar dark red suit, which was characteristic of his unconventional taste in clothing. He was noticeably fat, and his belly bulged out such that he appeared to have a rather round build. He had a finely trimmed beard, and a face that seemed friendly enough. His eyes showed the experience that was contained in the mind behind them. He was a smart and powerful man. He was a worthy ally, and a dangerous enemy. He was the President of Shinra.
Barret recognized him immediately, and lifted his gun-arm to fire. Cloud already had his sword ready to strike if needed. The five soldiers that flanked the President waved their guns menacingly, warning Barret of the consequences if he fired his own gun. The President raised his hand in peace.
"I would recommend firing that. You wouldn't last long. These are my finest soldiers." He said, completely unshaken by the fact that he was now face to face with a group of people that he knew wanted him dead. He walked toward them slowly but surely, his soldiers trailing behind him.
He looked at Cloud, studying him. After a brief silence, he spoke again.
"You are a member of Soldier, are you not?" He asked.
Cloud shook his head.
"Used to be. Not any more. How the hell did you know that?"
The President's eyebrows lifted.
"Careful there, son. I hope you know who you're talking to." He answered, pausing for his reprimand to sink in. "I can tell from your eyes. They burn with the fire of Mako."
He turned to Barret, who was using all of his will power to keep from shooting at this man. He was the epitome of evil in Barret's eyes. He represented all that Barret was fighting against.
"Are you the leader of these worthless terrorists?" The President asked him, as though it were a question he'd ask someone he'd known his whole life.
"Yes I am." Barret answered through clenched teeth. "And I hope you know who you're talking to. I'm in charge of this group of people that has vowed to stop you from killing our planet.
"I am not killing…" The President started to defend himself.
"Yes you are!" Barret interrupted him. "This reactor is taking its lifeblood as we speak! You must realize what these things do. You just don't care!"
"That's very true." The President admitted. "I don't. But in a few minutes, I won't need to either. You were very stupid in attacking another reactor so soon after your first act of destruction. I've decided that you will all die with the death of this reactor, and with you will go this idiotic idea of yours."
"You can't do this!" Barret cried to him.
"Watch me." The President answered coldly. He gestured to his soldiers, who were backing toward the opposite end of the catwalk. They, in turn, gestured to some technicians that had been until this point hiding in the shadows. They emerged with a large mechanic monstrosity trailing behind them.
The President pointed at it.
"This was one of my favorite military ventures, before it went haywire and killed most of the technicians that created it. I think it will do well for it to die along with you when this reactor is destroyed. And while it's here, I'm sure it will keep you from escaping." He explained. He then turned his back to them, as they stared in horror at the towering machine that was being rolled toward them by the technicians. The President's soldiers stayed close to keep Barret from doing anything rash.
"I bid you all adieu." The President said as he walked out the other end of the catwalk. "I do hope this isn't too painful."
And then he left them. The technicians turned on the mechanical beast and then fled, along with the soldiers, the way that the President had gone. Avalanche was alone with the robot.
It towered over them, and seemed to be brimming with weapons. It moved forward on treads, much like a tank and just as slowly. As it got nearer to the helpless group, it began to raise its side guns. Tifa turned to run, but she was met with a locked door behind them. They were trapped.
Cloud acted quickly. He raised his sword into position, and closed his eyes. The others looked with extreme curiosity as he stood steadfastly in the path of the giant robot. It neared ever closer as he began to softly chant unintelligible words. Suddenly, his sword began to glow brightly. The air around him began to crack and sizzle. He raised his head and cried out with all of his might as the powers of elemental lightning began to surge around him. He raised his arms, his right hand still carrying his sword, and the energy that surrounded him followed. As the killer robot neared just within feet of his face, he brought his arms down to point directly at it. The energy surged forward and three long, sizzling bolts of lightning appeared out of the air above him to strike the robot.
The energy surged throughout the chassis of the mechanical murderer, and smoke billowed from its front side. Cloud tried to shield his face as the robot exploded. The blast blew out the catwalk beneath it, and the parts beneath Cloud's feet gave way. He tripped and slid off the catwalk, grabbing the remaining part of the floor with his left hand to keep from falling. His right hand was still clutching his sword. Tifa screamed and ran to him. She reached down at his dangling body.
"Reach up to me! I won't let you fall!" She yelled.
Cloud looked beneath his feet. Fire was billowing out of the floor. The remains of the robot had set off the bomb. The explosion had destroyed the bottom of the reactor and had opened up a hole into the slums beneath the upper plate. He knew the reactor wouldn't last much longer.
"No!" He yelled back to her. "Go with the others. Get out of here or we'll all die!"
"I won't leave you!"
"You have to!"
A tear rolled down her cheek as she reached futilely for his hand. The sharp edge that he was hanging from was jutting out from the rest of the floor. He was out of reach from her. Barret had run toward her and had his hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, her eyes pleading with his conscience.
"Isn't there something you can do?" She asked, tears flowing profusely from her eyes.
He shook his head, a look of concern and sadness in his face. He knew there was no hope.
"He's too far out. We have to get out of here before this place blows."
Tifa turned back to Cloud.
"You can't die now. There's so much I still want to tell you!"
"I know, Tifa." He answered, struggling to keep his one-handed hold on the floor.
Barret grabbed her shoulder as a piece of debris dropped from the ceiling, almost hitting her.
"Come on! We're getting out of here!" He yelled at her over the noise surrounding them. Then he turned his head back to Cloud.
"Say hello to my wife in heaven, Cloud. You're a good man, and we'll never forget what you've done for our cause."
"Stop talking like this is the end, Barret. Get Tifa and everyone else out of here okay. I'll be fine."
Barret nodded, and then dragged Tifa along with him to the door on the far end of the wall that Jessie was furiously trying to open.
"Take care of her, Barret!" Cloud yelled.
It was the last thing he had time to say. A sharp explosion beneath them shook his grip. His hand slid off the floor, and his body was let loose. Tifa screamed and turned to hug Barret. Barret turned his head. Even he couldn't bear to watch. The explosion that would kill the reactor raged around them, as Cloud's helpless body descended into the Abyss.