The Last of an Elite
Chapter Nine: The Plate Drops 1
By InterfaceLeader
-~-~-~-
Reeve stood by his desk, shaking. Memories of the recent conversation he had with President Shin-Ra and Heidegger burned in his head, and he felt sick.
"Reeve, you should flush those personal problems in the morning!"
So that's it, he thought, all my moral objections, all my feelings, everything which makes me choose right over wrong, people over profit, sanity over madness, all that is simply a "personal problem" which can - and should - be flushed away, should be disposed of as easily and quickly as going to the toilet.
The whole of Sector Seven. Not just the citizens below the plate, but even the loyal employees of Shin-Ra that live on the top. Thousands of people are going to be killed because of a few terrorists!
Reeve knew - better than anyone else - what the effect the bombing of the reactor had been. He knew that 250 workers in the reactor had been killed, and that close to 400 people living around the reactor had suffered major injury. He knew that the incident had created an atmosphere of fear amongst the citizens of the top plate, that the fear had quickly turned to anger and hate.
He had believed that the group responsible, Avalanche, deserved death. Whatever their initial grievances had been, the act they had performed was unjustifiable.
If Shin-Ra goes through with this... they'll be a hundred times worse. They'll have killed innocent people in a quest for revenge.
Behind him the door opened. Reeve wondered if his efforts to convince the President not to go through with the plan had thrown doubts on his loyalty. He knew what happened to high-level employees who turned on the company. The Turks were sent to "deal" with them.
"Reeve honey... You've stirred up some bad feeling. Kya-ha-ha!"
"Scarlet.."
"10 out of 10. Kya-ha-ha-ha!"
"What do you want?" Reeve's voice was harsher than he expected.
"You remember our little conversation about the cat?"
"Yes..."
"It's time to use it. I've ordered it to be sent to the Gold Saucer. It's fortune telling came in useful! Kya-ha-ha!" Scarlet put her hands on her hips, her laughter splitting the air.
"No! Cait isn't a spy!"
"Reeve... I suppose you've heard about the plate?"
Reeve scowled. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Kya-ha-ha-ha! It's going to fail. You can't crush ants, no matter how big your boot. And whilst Shin-Ra have some very big boots – " Scarlet smiled " – And the balls to use those boots, this task requires more... delicate handling."
"So we're going to drop the plate, and it's not even going to work? Why don't you tell the President this?! This whole plan is absolutely crazy!"
"It is." Scarlet agreed. "But the President's pride has been damaged and he needs to make a big show."
Reeve stared at her, beyond words.
"But think of it like this. When the terrorists escape, as they almost certainly will, what happens then? Do we drop all the parts of the plate, one by one, until everyone is dead? Kya-ha-ha! The fools would you know. They are the kings of brute force, the champions of scare-tactics."
"I... I don't understand..."
"Hush Reeve, hush and listen. You are opposed to unnecessary death. That is good, so am I. However, unless the terrorists are dealt with, more people will die. So we need to take care of it ourselves." Scarlet nodded, her eyes flashing. "Do you understand why we need a spy? We have to pin-point their location, not just randomly drop hunks of metal in the hope they'll wait for us to hit them! Kya-ha-ha!"
Reeve looked at the floor, and then back up at Scarlet.
"You're right. I'll do as you say."
Scarlet smiled, the corners of her mouth crinkling gently. It was rather cute, until you took in the icy dark eyes glittering above.
-~-~-~-
Elena sat patiently in her cell. Although she didn't know it, it was the same one Reno had been locked in five years previously.
She had been told the confinement was temporary, that the Turks would speak with her very soon. So she was patient, bearing with her surroundings, and the guard who walked past and leered in at her every now and then.
I have to bear it like a Turk, she thought, and they'll accept me for sure.
-~-~-~-
Gunfire split the air, the helicopter hovered just out of range. Reno watched dispassionately as two Shin-Ra guards fell dead. Their bodies hit the metal with a thud. Moments later one of the Avalanche members fell screaming from the platform, disappearing from his sight.
"S-Sir?" The pilot spoke hesitantly.
"Yeah?" Reno kept his eyes on the action below.
"If... If all the Avalanche team are killed... There won't be any need to drop the plate right?" The man kept his attention on the controls in front of him.
Reno shrugged. "Possibly not."
"Well... it would be better that way right? I mean.. we don't need to kill all those people if Avalanche is gone."
"Mmm."
"So.. you'll try and kill them first? Before.... before..."
"It'll be easier to just set the bomb to begin with. I'll kill them if they get in the way, but I'm not going out of my way to have a fight. What's your problem anyway?" Reno tilted his head slightly, looking at the pilot from the corner of his eye.
"It's just... Before I became a pilot... I lived down there. I knew some people who lived in Sector Seven. Not close friends, but... " His voice trailed off.
"Well." Reno turned back to the scene below, noting that Cloud and Tifa had joined Barret, and all the known members of Avalanche were now accounted for. "I hope they didn't owe you any money. Get closer."
The pilot shuddered and turned the helicopter towards the pillar and the platform. Behind him he heard Reno stand up.
"Heh... this could be fun." Reno said quietly.
-~-~-~-
Rude paced the office. The window beside him looked out across the city, and he strained to see some sign of what was happening at the pillar.
-~-~-~-
Marlene clutched the flower girl's hand, some of the fear Aeris felt having been communicated to her. They were walking through strange streets, and Marlene wished desperately for Tifa or Barret to turn up and tell her what was going on.
"This way Marlene! My house isn't far now!"
They turned a corner, and Marlene blinked. The house they were looking at was like a fairy tale castle. Flowers surrounded it, and even the air seemed lighter, fresher and more cheerful. She had never seen anything more beautiful.
"This is my house! My mother should be home, so I'll –"
"Ancient." The voice came from behind the two, a quiet voice with the faintest trace of an accent. Marlene shivered. The voice may have been quiet but she hadn't missed the overtone of menace. Aeris turned slowly, still holding her hand.
"Tseng...."
Marlene stared at the figure that had appeared. Tall, dark, moving towards them silently. She heard a whimper rise up in her throat, and quickly choked it back down. Barret hated it when she cried.
Aeris began backing away towards the house, pulling Marlene with her.
"Leave us alone Tseng!"
"Too late."
Marlene didn't understand what the man meant, but was distracted by the door to the house opening and another stranger appearing. This one was a woman, and she looked from Aeris to the strange man with fear in her eyes.
"Leave me alone!" Aeris spun on her heel, heading for the open door, Marlene hurrying alongside. But suddenly the man was in front, between them and safety.
"You have to come with me now."
Aeris glared at him, defiant. She let go off Marlene's hand and pulled out the staff Marlene had noticed earlier.
"I won't! I won't come with you!"
"I don't have time for this."
Marlene blinked. The man was pointing a gun at her! The whimper escaped her, and she looked up at Aeris. The flower girl stood for a moment, staring at the gun. Then she put the staff away.
"Ok. I'll come with you if you promise to leave my Mum and Marlene alone."
"Agreed."
"Aeris no!" The woman stood in the door hurried forward, stopping abruptly as the man turned the gun towards her.
"Let her make her own choices." The man strode towards Aeris, grabbing her arm and forcing her back down the street. Marlene dived to one side as they passed, watching as they passed out of sight.
"Aeris..." The woman stared after them, a look of shock on her face. Marlene hesitated, unsure of what to do. Finally she approached her.
"Um... excuse me? Do you know where my Daddy is?"
-~-~-~-
Reno jumped out of the helicopter, landing easily on the metal platform. The three Avalanche members were slow to react, and he sped towards the pillar, his electro-mag rod ready in one hand.
The Plate Release System was laughably easy to set, he entered the code and the thing was raring to go. He looked up as the three came running towards him, brandishing weapons.
"You're too late." He grinned, flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Once I push this button...."
He pressed it. It beeped gently, locking the system.
"That's all folks! Mission accomplished."
Tifa clenched her fists. "We have to disarm it! Cloud! Barret! Please!"
Reno shook his head. "I can't have you do that. No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."
Barret had his gun-arm up and was spraying the air with bullets within seconds of the end of that sentence. Reno felt the bullets punch into him and once again offered silent thanks to the Mako running through his veins. He barely had time to recover from that attack before Tifa was upon him, fists pounding him mercilessly. She dived back to let Cloud in. He swung his massive sword with skill and Reno was left in little doubt that the man knew how to use the unwieldy weapon.
What a way to start... Well, I'll soon show them who they're dealing with!
He started with his normal attack, wanting to test them out a bit before reverting to magic. His rod slammed into Tifa, and he was rewarded with a pained gasp. She looked up at him, rusty coloured eyes glaring.
To his right Barret had his gun up again, once more filling the air with bullets. Reno's temper broke, and he cast his Pyramid spell, trapping the huge muscle man in a glowing yellow prison. The other two made sounds of consternation, and Tifa darted past Cloud, trying to break the prison.
She's strong, Reno watched the pyramid fade to nothing under her fists. But that's OK. There's plenty more where that came from. He cast the spell again, this time on Tifa, trapping her angry form.
Cloud's sword cut a gleaming arc through the air, shattering the prison. Barret started shooting again, Reno growled quietly as the bullets sliced into him. Doesn't the guy know how to do anything else? He turned his rod on him, electricity spearing through it and into the mans body. Barret roared with rage.
Cloud attacked again. He managed to dodge the worst of the attack, but the tip of the sword caught his arm, bringing blood. He responded by turning his rod onto the sword, sending electricity sparking down it and into the man clutching it. For a moment their eyes met, icy blue orbs burning with Mako energy. Then they parted, Cloud jumping back and pulling his sword away from the rod gracefully, whilst Reno was forced to meet Tifa's attack. She kicked out, and he felt more pain rush through his body.
Shit... I think she broke a rib.
He concentrated his next three blows on Tifa, using the rod as both a blunt weapon and electrifying her. She dropped to the ground, her breath coming raggedly. Reno felt more bullets hit him, and wondered how much more damage his system could take.
Cloud sheathed his sword, spreading his hands out. Reno noted the gleam of magic, and then Tifa was back on her feet, fury radiating from her like heat from a fire. Her attack was exceptionally violent, her punches coming lightening fast. He was left reeling from the weight of her blows, and she grinned briefly as she jumped back from him. Again with the bullets, and then Cloud raised his hands, there was a flicker of magic, and fire was suddenly rushing at him, great red and yellow flames licking his body.
-~-~-~-
A/N: OK, that chapter was supposed to be longer, and have more from Rude's viewpoint, but the word-count was getting high and higher so I decided to cut this chapter in half. And I promised you cover art - I HAVE scanned it, I just haven't uploaded it yet ^^;; On top of all that this chapter is several weeks late. My excuse is that I've just undergone a rigorous A-Level exam. Please forgive me, review, and stick around for the next chapter!