Chapter 1 - Pain in the Train
All my life I've lived here in these slums. But today, I begin my journey outside of this domain...
Johnny sipped his coffee quietly, paying close attention to the clock before placing the cup back down. His two hands were clasped around the cup, gathering the warmth emanating from the contents. Johnny had been like this since the morning, mind stuck in deep thought. The train departed a few minutes but he couldn't leave just yet.
The front door creaked open. His father had returned from work, just in time. "Sorry I'm late son." the old man apologized.
"I-I was worried you weren't going to make it." Johnny stuttered back.
His father smiled as he hung his jacket in the closet. "I'd rather be fired than miss this." his dad laughed. "Besides, you can't leave without our farewell gift." He kneeled down, foraging for something deep inside.
"Oh come on dad, I can't carry all my items in this little treasure bag!" Johnny moaned.
"I guarantee that you'll be wanting this one!" His father said as he reversed out of the closet, slowly pulling out a small treasure box with him.
Johnny got up off his chair and walked over, picking up the small box offered to him. Johnny gasped as the lock opened, revealing a thick wad of gil inside. "That was our savings fund for you." said his dad. "Now that you're on your way it's time you got it."
Johnny slid the box inside the front pocket of his backpack. "...thanks."
"I'll thank you back when you help me to my feet!" joked his dad. They both laughed as Johnny gave his father a light tug to his feet.
His mother came into the room, tears welling in her eyes. "It's time."
Johnny walked over to her, hugging her lightly. "I'll be alright mum. I promise."
His father walked over to the two. "Good luck son." he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Make us proud."
He pried himself out his mothers caring arms, wiping the tears rolling down his face. "You know I will." He slung his backpack onto his shoulder and stood in the open doorway. "See you soon." Johnny walked down the steps. In his heart, he felt it was the last time he was going to see his home again.
To Johnny's surprise, most of his friends were all waiting outside to farewell him. Amidst all the cheers Johnny spotted out of the corner of his eye a tired looking Cloud standing outside the bar waving with Tifa and Barrett. He smiled as they ran down the street to speak to him.
He looked deep into the SOLDIER's mako eyes. "Make sure you look after Tifa." Cloud groggily nodded.
The train whistled loudly in the distance. He waved goodbye a final time to his parents standing on their porch and to all friends before he ran towards the train. One of the two Sector 7 gate guards waved as he walked by. As he waved back the captain next to him smacked him around the head. Johnny laughed as he sprung up the steps onto the train platform.
Johnny held out a 20gil note and his old ID card to the ticket officer on the platform. The officer snatched the items before looking conspicuously at the ID card. "Enjoy the ride." he mumbled, passing the card back and signalling for him to enter.
He stepped into the train to be met by the thick stench of dust and rust. Most of the seats were old and battered, tears in the fabric revealing the thick foam underneath. All around the drone of the engines gently hummed, ready to begin rolling. Johnny sat himself in the cleanest seat he could find, taking his backpack off and sitting that next to him. In the seat adjacent of him sat an elderly couple. Leaning into the aisle and looking behind, Johnny spotted some messy writing was scrawled into the wall above a worn out seat at the very end of the carriage. It read: "My Home. Keep Out!"
The rear carriage door swished open, allowing a young couple to enter the carriage. The male appeared to be frustrated at something, cursing about hooligans elsewhere on the train. The girl on the other hand, seemed to be trying to calm down the angered man. They sat themselves down two rows from to back of the carriage.
A whistle screeched outside. The speakers sparked into life. "Good morning, and welcome to Midgar lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 Station will be 11:45." The ticket officer peeped into the carriage before allowing the doors to swish shut. A loud clank of unlocking brakes and the hiss of released steam was followed by the slow movement forward. The sound of cold, squeaky metal quickly died down as the train picked up speed. Johnny lay back, sliding the ID card into his chest pocket before exhaling deeply. He was on his way.
He gazed out through his window into the depths of the slums, soaking up sights he had never laid eyes on before. In the distant horizon beyond the rows of run-down houses an ominous wall rose high into the sky, vanishing under the glare of the plate lights far above.
The carriage immersed itself in a red glow as they passed an ID checkpoint. A door swished open pushing a cold breeze into the carriage. Through the dim Johnny could make out a young woman sprinting down the carriage into the next one. As the rear doors closed the speakers roared into life. "Type A Security Alert!! Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted! Repeat!! Type A Security Alert!! Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted!"
Fear hit all the senses through his body. Oh no! It can't be me, can it?!
"Unidentified passengers located in Car#1. Preparing for Lock Down."
Johnny pulled out his ID card, clutching it tightly with his hands. In his mind he wished the warning would go away, praying that it was not his card which was the problem. Across from him, he could see the elderly couple still sitting patiently, as if the alert were some kind of formality.
Car#1 Locked Down. Upgrading to Level 2 Warning.
His mind seemed to shut out his surroundings, caught in an inner conflict. This ID card works, I know it does. I'll know for sure when they check Car 4...
The rear carriage doors hissed open. He made out four silhouettes of two men and two woman coming through the door. Hastily they ploughed their way down to the other end. He felt a chill run down him as the ran past his seat. The last of them half-tripped as she fell over something large in the aisle way.
The girl picked herself up before mumbling a quick apology. "Sorry about that." she nodded briefly before following her friends out of the carriage. That's Tifa's voice! Johnny leaned to his right, peeking around the seat. He jumped slightly as the speakers blared yet another warning.
Car#4 Locked Down Upgrading to maximum security alert!!
Near to the front door lay what appeared to be a bag of some sort. He couldn't make it out properly in the alarm light glow. But, unsighted by him earlier was a young lady sitting near the front of the carriage. She angrily pulled herself off her seat to retrieve her possessions.
Peering through the door at the front he just made out the unmistakable spiky haircut of Cloud standing with what looked like Tifa and Barrett in the car ahead. Johnny flopped back down onto his seat. There was no way he was getting out of the carriage. I wonder what they're up to?
There was no time to think of their wrongdoings as the rear doors swished open once more. "Alright freeze!"
Uh Oh...
Two guards made their way up the carriage. His heart froze as they made their way up the carriage...and past Johnny. After the guards passed by the elderly couple quickly slipped out of their seats and out the back of the carriage. Nervously peeping around his seat Johnny was surprised to see that he was now the only person other than the guards and the lady up front in the carriage.
She stood frozen upright in the aisle way, staring in fear at the approaching guards. "Escaping from Shinra are ya?!" the guard shouted.
There was no reply, angering guard further. With great force the guard shoved the girl hard into the front door. She wailed in pain as the metal panels reverberated from the impact. "You slum scum!" he yelled, pinning her shoulders against the door. "Think you can get away with blowing our reactors?!"
"B-b-but it wasn't m-me!" she stuttered back. "Those p-people in c-c-car ahe-"
"Enough of your lies!" the guard retorted, slamming her into the wall again. "Check her bag!"
The other guard nervously picked up the bag and unzipped it. The girl seemed paralyzed in shock as the other guard searched the bag briefly. "There's nothing wrong in here."
"Flip the bag and show me!" the first guard snapped.
"But that's against regulation 4-17b!" the other guard protested.
"So is 2-4-1g! Disobeying superior officers." he retorted. "Now show me what's inside."
With some indecision the second guard slowly turned the bag upside down, dropping numerous papers, some stationary items and a small sum of money on the ground.
"Pick up that money and give it to me." The second guard nodded, hesitantly kneeling down and picking up the wad of notes. He approached the first guard and placed it his open hand.
All passengers now identified. Unlocking doors.
The flashing red lights had finally stopped. "What now Jeebs?" asked the second guard. "She's definitely innocent."
An evil smirk gleaned on Jeebs face. "I say we have a little fun with this 'innocent'..."
The captive realized his intention. "No! Please don't!" she pleaded, trying to break out of his steel grip.
Johnny rose to his feet, attempting to intervene. "Let her go!" he shouted.
The guards turned around, surprised by the disturbance. "Get lost runt! Unless you wanna piece of fist upside the head."
Johnny was unfazed by the empty threats the guard threw. "I'm not afraid of you." he countered, beckoning for the guard to approach. "Come on then!"
Jeebs threw the captive into the front seating and rolled his sleeves up. Johnny could make out some kind of army tattoo of some bird drawn just under his wrist. "Out of my way Geoff!" the guard roared. "I'm killing this trash!"
The lower rank guard shuffled into one of the seats, unable to do anything to stop the higher ranked officer. Jeebs began stomping his way down the carriage towards Johnny. Johnny himself stood upright in the aisle, fists clenched near his chest in an attacking stance. The guard was clearly larger and stronger than him but Johnny's determination was more powerful.
The guard lunged at Johnny with a swinging right hook. Johnny ducked down out of the punch, his hair tips moving slightly in the gust of movement. There was no time to react as Jeebs threw a downward jab into his right shoulder, knocking Johnny down onto one knee. Johnny winced in pain as the guard mocked him. "Just give up and I'll let you die quick." he laughed.
Johnny's fist clenched tighter. "You first." he spat, throwing himself into a vicious counter attack. With all the strength he could muster, Johnny leapt to his feet with a mighty left uppercut. The punch hit directly underneath the guards chin, his back arching backwards with the blow. He lurched back a few steps, banging into one of the seat corners hard before twisting and slamming into the aisle way floor face first.
The second guard was shocked. "C-Captain?"
Johnny stood motionless in the aisle, unsure of what would happen next. The guard was dragging himself to his hands and knees, coughing out blood dripping from his mouth. "You're not getting away with that..." he cursed, reaching for this belt.
The lady shrieked. "Look out! He's got a gun!"
"Silence!" Jeebs commanded, raising his gun at her.
Johnny stared in horror as he pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed loudly within the carriage as Johnny saw the lady slump forward out of his sight behind the seats. "What have you done?!" he shouted, trying to restrain the anger raging inside.
Jeebs pulled himself up using the seating next to him, laughing as he turned around. "You shouldn't worry about it." the guard mused, wiping some blood oozing down his chin. "Because in a few seconds you'll be dead!"
Johnny grinned, sighting something behind the gunman. "I don't think so."
Jeebs eyes shifted to his partner. Geoff stood upright, his right hand over his chest performing the Shinra salute. He slowly turned around, dropping his gun at the sight.
Standing silently inside the doorway was a Shinra commander. His unfriendly eyes were locked on the injured guard before shifting to the saluting guard. "Officer, explain the situation."
Geoff cleared his throat. "W-well we were...um...t-the captain thought that girl was t-the intruder..."
"And that man mugged her!" Johnny added, pointing at the fallen guard. "Was going to do something else as well."
The Commanders frown deepened, frightening Jeebs further. "Put all of your money on the ground, captain. Now."
Distastefully, Jeebs pulled out a large sum of gil and put it on the ground in front of him. As he got to his feet he picked up the dropped gun, slipping it back into the holster.
The commander pulled out the pen and notepad out of his chest pocket. Putting the pen to paper he looked at the two guards. "Military ID numbers."
"C4117." grumbled the captain.
"O9634."
He scrawled down their numbers and slid the items back into his pocket. "By the end of the week you'll be transferred to the IICP." he stated with a harsh tone.
"Please no!" the captain squealed. "Not the Icicle Inn Cold Patrol!"
The commander remained unmoved by the captains cries. "Be grateful I don't have you executed."
Johnny waved his arm, grabbing the commanders attention. "At least spare this guy." he said, pointing at Geoff. "He tried to stop that guy."
"I'll consider." replied the commander, now looking at the two guards. "Leave."
The two guards shuffled down to the end of the carriage, their pride somewhat broken. Jeebs glared at Johnny as he hobbled past him only to be met by Johnnys smug grin. Geoff on the other hand, whispered a generous thanks as he passed him. At the end of the carriage, the pair about turned to salute their commander before carrying on back into the next carriage. The doors swished shut. They were finally gone.
Johnny and the commander locked eyes briefly, before breaking out into fits of laughter. "Man were they duped!" chuckled Johnny. "Good work Commander Biggs!"
"Hah! I liked that punch more than my prank." laughed Biggs. "It doesn't look like a move Tifa showed you. Where'd you pull that from?"
"I dunno. It just sort of happened when she-" Johnny realized he was forgetting something. "Oh my, is she alright?"
Biggs nodded. "The shot missed her. She just fainted, that's all." He knelt down picking up one of the scattered papers on the ground. "Good thing nothing happened." he added, pointing at a familiar logo on a letterhead. "She works high up in Shinra HQ somewhere."
Johnny collected his thoughts, trying to piece together what was going on. "So, what happened before Biggs?" he asked.
Biggs glanced at his watch. "Well, Jess messed up Cloud's ID card so he had to bail out with Barret and Tifa."
"Oh ok then. What about those guards? Can you really transfer them?"
"A REAL Shinra commander could." admitted Biggs. "I'll ask Jess and see if she can."
Biggs watch beeped, it was time to leave. Johnny came up to him and gave him a friendly hug. "Tell everyone good luck for me."
"You know I will." said Biggs. The doors swished open as he slowly stepped backwards. He smiled as he swung around and walked out of the carriage, signalling the thumbs up to Johnny as he left.
Johnny looked down on the unconscious girl. She was slumped forward, resting her head on the seat ahead of her. He gently pushed her onto the backrest, smiling slightly as she appeared a bit more comfortable. Moving to return to his seat he stopped, realizing what a mess he had made.
He sighed and knelt down. After scooping up the scattered papers on the ground, he stacked them neatly in a pile next to the resting girl.
With the mess somewhat cleaned up Johnny went back and slumped into his seat. Gazing longingly out into Sector 5, he could see what looked like a flower garden in someone's backyard.
At least the view outside's nice...