Chapter 2 - Old Friends, New Friends
He stepped out onto the train platform, staring briefly at the horde of people making their way to the exit. Johnny was the only person to come out of the carriage. He could not muster the heart to wake the sleeping girl.
The Sector 4 train platform had only one exit. The long tunnel near the end of the platform branched out in two directions at the end. One led to the city streets while the other led two the airbus terminal. Looking skyward he could see a black square-shaped hole in the plate above. Ever since Sector 8 had been overrun by mako monsters Sector 4 was the only place where it was possible to get air transport onto the plates above.
He took a deep breath before making his way down the now deserted tunnel. It was modestly lit, with some of the lights either flickering or not working at all. A faint breeze wafted along the path, dragging old newspapers along the broken concrete slabs.
A voice echoed down the tunnel from behind him. "Excuse me! Sir!" Johnny stopped walking, listening to the approaching footsteps. Turning around, he could see the lady from the train carriage he was on making her way down the tunnel.
She stopped next to him, pausing briefly to catch her breath. Johnny smiled. "It's good to know you're alright now."
She drew a timid smile, appearing to be slightly confused at what to say. "I...umm...thank you...Johnny..."
"What the?!" Johnny was quite astonished. "How did you know my name?"
The lady reached into her pocket and pulled out his ID card. "I found this on the floor in the carriage. You must have dropped it."
"Oh." Johnny politely took the card and slid it back into his pocket. "Well, I suppose I can thank you too now!" he laughed lightheartedly, trying to ease the tension.
"It's no problem at all." she replied, smiling more freely. "It's the least I can do."
Johnny cleared his throat. "Ah, well...lets get out of here. The guards might think we're committing something." He beckoned with his arm for her to proceed. With a courteous nod, the pair continued walking.
As they made their way down the tunnel the lady asked some questions, trying to quench her curiosity. "So what happened to those guards Johnny?"
"A Shinra Commander friend of mine came in and ordered them to leave."
She stopped for a moment, pausing to get a clipboard and pen out of her bag. Catching up to him she continued interrogating. "So what was your friends military ID? I must thank him for his help."
Johnny put his hand to his chin trying to think of a good lie. "I...ahh...sorry." he shrugged. "I can't remember."
"Well that's alright, how about you give me his name? I'll be able to find him."
Johnny stopped walking, sweat drops began forming on his forehead. "I...ummm..."
Her light green eyes looked into Johnnys. "Surely you know your friends name?"
His conscience felt uneasy. It didn't seem right to lie. He sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. "My friend...he wasn't a real Shinra commander..."
"You mean he was posing as a commander?" she said, with a hint of surprise in her voice.
"If I told you his name you would probably arrest him." Johnny added, rather guiltily.
She was jotting notes onto the paper as he spoke. "No, no, Johnny." she assured. "I know you're a good person. I'm quite sure your friends are just as kind-hearted." There was no malice in her voice, only a calm, sweet chime. "You don't have to tell me anything, Johnny. Lets just keep this as our little secret."
He smiled a little, feeling a bit better. "Thank again...uh..." he faltered slightly. "I...uh...didn't get your name."
"Oh how silly of me." she mused, reaching into her pocket. "My name's Mima. Mima Hinekawa." she held out a business card which Johnny kindly took from her.
He glanced at the photo, trying to make a quick comparison. "You look quite different from this photo." he commented. "Brunette definitely suits you." Mima blushed.
The station speakers echoed through the tunnel. ATTENTION! THE MIDDAY AIRBUS DEPARTS IN FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE HAVE TICKETS READY BEFORE BOARDING!
Mima finished packing up her notes. "That's my flight. Are you going up too?"
The pair continued walking. "Sorry but no." Johnny replied. "I planned on meeting an old friend here."
She seemed slightly disappointed. "Oh, well...that's ok."
"I'm sure I'll see you again someday." Johnny added. "Today is only the start of my adventure."
"Adventure?"
"Yeah. I'm out to see the world."
She smiled again. "It's good to see places outside Midgar. You'll love it."
Johnny smiled too. "I hope so."
They stopped again at the end of the tunnel. It branched in two directions. One led to the airbus terminal, the other to the city streets. "This is where we part ways." Johnny said, slightly saddened it came to an end.
"Thanks again for rescuing me."
He shrugged. "It was no problem, really."
"If you're ever up on the plates, be sure to see me at the Shinra Headquarters."
Johnny hoped he would never go there. Not after how they ruined his families livelihood. "Yeah. One day..." he sighed. "Anyway, good luck to you Mima."
She leaned closer and gave Johnny a light kiss on his cheek. Johnny remained still, seeming a bit dumbfounded. She smiled as she leaned back, as if her spirits were lifted. "Until next time Johnny..." Mima turned around and headed off down the tunnel to the airbus terminal.
Johnny touched his cheek. It felt as if it was burning hot. He closed his eyes, thinking hard about the recent events. It's probably her way of saying thank you. I mean, it can't be love...can it? Johnny's eyes snapped open. He wasn't sure and it was too late to find out. Echoing down the long path was the repetitive drone of whirring helicopter blades. The airbus had taken off.
He took a deep breath, and pulled out the business card placed in his pocket. He smiled at the face on the card for a long time, etching the face into his mind. "Until next time..." he uttered. Johnny put the card into his backpack. Slinging it back onto his shoulders, he turned around to face the Sector 4 Entrance. He took another deep breath before stepping down along the tunnel.
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Elsewhere, a Shinra commander readied his weapon. He signaled for his soldiers to approach quietly.
The troupe crept over to the leaders position near one of the entrance doors. "Do not move until the president has given the signal! Repeat! Do not move until the president has given the signal!"
The last of the soldiers nodded to the commander as he came up against the wall. "AirBuster is operational sir."
The commander peered through his binoculars, sighting three people running along the gangway. "Targets sighted!" he spoke into his radio "Should we initiate the capture Mr. President?"
The reply was swift and sharp. "Their play time is over. Capture them!"
The reactor doors flew open and the stream of Shinra troops poured into the reactor's main entrance walkway.
Cloud stopped moving, realizing what just happened. "...a trap..." Tifa and Barrett turned around, recognizing a short business man making their way towards them.
"Presi...President Shinra?" An evil smirk spread across the mans face.
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Johnny moved slowly down the streets, preferring to observe the sights more than get to his next destination quickly. He had plans for the first day of his trip - the rest was an unknown. His first order of business was to visit a friend who worked in the sector occasionally. After spending the day catching up, he then planned to spend the night in a hostel.
All around him were rows of endless houses, many sporting fences surrounding their bare front lawns. Just like at his home in Sector 7, the grass did not grow. It surprised him a little, considering he saw a lush garden in someone's back yard on board the train. Looming up ahead of him was at tall pale blue house at the end of an intersection.
Unlike all the other houses in the neighborhood, the house had a neatly manicured lawn in the front. The small trees in the garden were wilting slightly, looking a little out of place in an otherwise glowing garden. He stood at the gates for a while, seeming hesitant to move.
This can't be where he works. I must have the wrong place...
Johnny held up his friends business card. Glancing at both the letterbox and the address on the card, he saw that the two matched. This is definitely the place...
As he reached for the gate, the earth began to tremble. Explosions sounded off somewhere above him. He looked skyward for a moment, closing his eyes quickly as the dust to sprinkle down. A loud clang of twisting metal echoed around him from nearby. Turning around on his shaky feet he saw a large metal panel had fallen from the the plate above.
Take cover!
Fear began to take over as he looked for some shelter. Sighting the porch on the house, Johnny hurried through the gate and up the steps under the roof. The unstable ground proved to much for Johnny's balance - he fell off his feet onto the floor. Turning around looking out into the street, he saw that pandemonium reigned. Pets were wailing uncontrollably, some windows were shattering and the few people on the street cried out in fear. Slowly the shaking began to subside.
Johnny got to his feet and surveyed the damage. The streets were now blanketed in a thick brown haze. A few plate panels from above lay strewn across the area.
Something cold pressed against his back. Johnny turned around slowly, coming to face a woman wielding a gun to his chest. Her short blonde hair was parted to the side and was noticeably disheveled, as if she had only just woken up. Her blue business suit was fairly creased, and a few buttons still undone. "Get out of here before I shoot." she hissed.
Johnny stepped back slowly. "C-can you at least let me e-explain?" he stuttered.
She prepped her weapon. "No."
"I'm l-looking for a person who lives here..."
"Oh puh-leeze!" she laughed. "A street rat like you know somebody from here?"
"H-his names Rude."
Johnny noticed she lowered her gun slightly. "And how do you know this 'Rude'?" she demanded.
"Do you always have to give everyone a hard time?" bellowed a voice from the behind the woman. Johnny grinned as he saw his longtime friend emerge. "Sorry bout that Johnny." Rude apologized. "Elena's always cranky when anything wakes her up."
"I-I can tell." he replied, somewhat hesitantly. Elena still had her weapon raised at him.
"Well don't just stand there!" Rude beckoned. "Come in, Come in!"
Elena lowered her weapon, slipping back into it's holster. "Next time, I will shoot." she stated coldly before allowing Johnny to pass.
As he stepped through the door, his mind froze. It was a sight he had seen only in TV. The large spacious house sported numerous expensive looking pieces of furniture and artwork. Framed above the fireplace stood a portrait of Midgar's leader, President Shinra. It seemed like an awkward place when compared with the rundown houses down the road. The place was surprising clean looking despite the strong ground tremors moments earlier.
"Impressive isn't it?" commented Rude.
"Definitely."
Rude smiled. "Wait till you see where I stay above the plate. It makes this place seem like a doghouse."
"No way!" said Johnny. "This place is just too flash looking. It can't be any better than here."
Rude nodded. "Better believe it." he pointed at the the seating in the large living room. "Let's have a seat."
Johnny made his way over to the very large and comfy looking couch. He sat himself down, taking off his bag and putting it on the floor next to him. Behind him, Elena grumpily closed the door and vanished upstairs. "Are you sure you work here Rude?"
His friend laughed out loud, sitting himself down. "Sometimes I wonder the same thing, but it's true. There's other places we work all over the world."
"We?" Johnny asked, slightly confused. "Are you and Elena?"
"Oh no, no, no. Just teammates." said Rude, slightly red-faced. "I hope Elena didn't hear that. She'd kick our butts."
Johnny rubbed his shoulder, feeling a slight twinge of pain. "Hope not. Already had my butt nearly kicked on my train."
"Oh?" Rude seemed a little curious. "What happened?"
"Nothing much. Just got in a fight with some guards." Johnny grinned.
Rude adjusted his glasses. "At least your not busted up." he added. "What happened after?"
"Biggs came in disguised as a Commander and freaked the heck out of them."
The sound of a throat clearing echoed through the room. Turning around, Johnny saw a man standing in the doorway. Unlike Elena, this mans suit was clean pressed and tidy. His long red hair was tied into a long ponytail in the back. In his left hand he held a long staff which he was fiddling with around his fingers. "We got us another job."
Rude stood up, smoothing out the creases in his suit. "Excuse me for a moment Johnny." He followed the man out the door onto the front porch. From what Johnny could make out, it sounded as if Rude was arguing with the other person. A few moments later he could hear the other man storming away.
Rude reentered the room, setting himself back down on the couch. "Sorry about that. Reno wanted me to do some escort work with him."
"You could have gone with him." said Johnny. "I don't mind, really."
A smile appeared on Rude's face. "Nah. I already told them in advance I was taking the day off to catch up on old times."
"You sure about this?" Johnny asked.
Rude nodded. "For sure." He got to his feet. "Let's head out to town for the day. What do you say?"
He looked at the gold clock cautiously. "Will it take long? I've still got to plan somewhere to sleep for tonight."
"Oh don't worry about it. We can lend out a room for you." assured Rude. "Now come on. Time to paint the town red! My shout!"
The spark in Johnny's eyes glowed. "Yeah! Just like old times!" Johnny got up to his feet. The two walked out of the room to the door. Looking around as he walked down the path, they could see the chaos of moments ago had subsided. Life in Sector 4 returned to what it was only hours ago.
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Authors Comment
Well that's another chapter completed. I know this chapter seems kind of slow paced (so is the next one) but I needed to put these in to fill in the background story for future chapters. Fear not AVALANCHE fans, they'll be appearing soon...
Feel free to R&R peeps.
DragonSquall :)