CHAPTER TWO

Two Years Later

The former captain of the Midgarian army gazed thoughtlessly at the corner store window patiently awaiting the arrival of the freight train due to take him to Sector One. Dressed in a denim shirt and dark blue dungarees, he much preferred his current attire. The mud-stained azure uniform he had once worn was now burning in the back of his mind, its ashes hardly a speck of interest to his being now. The only reminder of his past that he carried with him was the Buster Sword- not even a simple-minded idiot could give that weapon up. Sheathed in his belt as to not create suspicion or fright amongst the pedestrians, the sword remained at his side; and, he suspected, it would forever remain there.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. He loved this new brand- Midgarian Plume. Funky name, but it gave a damn good smoke. He cupped his hand over it and fired it up. Crisp blue smoke edged from the tip, and he sighed from the pleasure. A cigarette usually helped to calm him down- not that he was normally anxious. Tonight, though, he figured the latest job required of him would probably take more than one measely cigarette to calm him down.

The train was late, and Barret Wallace was furious. Aggression was easy for Barret to get into; and right now the emotions were exploding over him. "To hell with this! We'll never get this shit done, if this fucking train doesn't get here soon. Ya' listenin' to me?" He hit Biggs over the head who was trying to bury himself into the newspaper to avoid attracting any curious attention towards him and the angry black man. Moments like these were getting too perpetual and tedious for his own liking, so he dropped the paper and turned towards the irate man.
Biggs sighed. He didn't really know what to say, but he knew Barret would grew more impatient if he didn't respond to him. "Just...think of it as another thrilling experience that we all...must...er..undergo. An adventure...so to speak."
Barret stopped panting and considered this remark very carefuly. He wasn't the most intelligent man on the planet, and obscure remarks tended to confuse him and postpone his temper. With his left hand- his only hand- he stroked his grizzled chin pondering the statement with as much scrutiny as deciding a critical chess piece move. His right arm, with the gatling gun perfectly crafted and socketed directly on the wrist where his right hand should have been, rested on a bench that needed a serious paint job to it. His muscular body arched to the side in contemplation. His face scrunched up and his eyes narrowed- the very meaning of this remark seemed to be putting a strain on him.
Biggs stifled his laughter and bent over to pick up the newspaper. On the cover was yet another article about ShinRa's condemnations toward AVALANCHE and another warning that the hear-named terrorists were likely to strike again. He smiled. He and his companions had finally put a sense of fear into the president and his corporation- hopefully it would last forever. He figured it would considering their recruitment of the newest member- a dashing young man who was the former big dog of SOLDIER. Quite a catch.
Nothing to lose for AVALANCHE, he figured.
"Barret, there's nothing to fret about. Now settle down, relax. The train will putter itself here shortly." He sat down on an adjacent bench and opened the paper to the sports page. "Damn, the Kalm league lost again last night."
"Heh, I think someone has two hundred up for adoption," a pudgy, bald man snickered as he slided his way over from the water fountain.
"Oh, Wedge, you bastard. Must you always rub these things in my face like this."
Wedge only smiled and flicked his palm upwards.
Biggs sighed and pulled out the money. "Take this and don't say a word."
"Just an adventure," Barret mused to himself as he slowly walked from the bench.
"Heh, what's with the boss?" Wedge asked, slightly concerned. Barret had always gotten on his nerves, and he lately considered leaving the group. He declined the thought and stayed- with some reluctance.
"Oh, he's just throwin' a hissy fit, because the train aint here yet."
"Oh. Sounds just like the guy." Wedge counted the money, making sure it was all accounted for and shoved it in his pocket. "Well, Jessie have worked out the wires on the bomb. You've got the code decoder all set. Cloud appears ready. You know, he has not moved from that bench since we got here- when was that? five hours ago?"
Biggs looked over at the exSOLDIER. "Maybe he's just stayin' cool."
Wedge nodded his head. "Probably. Maybe he's thinkin' about his past."
"Probably."
"Barret doesn't trust him."
"What do you mean?"
"Told me. Said he was involved in that crazy war-"
"We all were. We three were just lucky enough not to be non-Midgarian citizens."
"True, but Barret...you know as well as I do that Barret absolutely despises ShinRa-related policies, and 'ol Cloud over there was involved in a ShinRa-related policy."
Biggs scoffed and returned his gaze to the newspaper. "Sounds like bullshit to me."
"True, true, but still-"
"It's bullshit plain and simple, Wedge. You can't judge a book by its cover, and I'll bet you - this is one I'm sure to win at- that Cloud is a damn good fighter."
Wedge smiled. "Oh, I have no doubts about that, my friend. No doubts at all."

"Cloud."
The former captain looked up into the eyes of a pretty redhead who was holding the bulky package containing the present Sector One was about to receive. She had a pretty face that was slightly tanned and an equally pretty body.
"Hey, Jessie, you ready for tonight?" His cigarette dull he threw it into the nearby ashtray and pulled out another one.
"Yeah, but I don't know about you. You keep chugging those cigarettes and you'll likely pass out before the night is over."
Cloud smiled but looked pained. He mumbled, "Keep remembrin' the day of the trench battle."
She frowned and sat on the bench next to him, placing the package in her lap. A faint floral perfume eminated off of her, and Cloud perked up a little bit. She reached over and touched his hand. "Were you hurt during that battle?"
"Minor injury. Feel like I've cheated death." He puffed silently on his cigarette and continued to stare at the corner store window.
Jessie's hand traced the sharp veins on Cloud's as she said soothingly,"I think you served honorably whether you cheated death or not. Don't be too hard on yourself."
"After watching people die in front of you, you tend to be bitter about such things. Others also don't even want to be recognized by you."
"I do."
He looked at her with curiousity. "You're just saying that."
"No." She leaned in closer. "I really do."
They looked at each other for a long moment until a loud screeching sound echoed from the depths of the depot. A large train, black as night, slowed to a halt at Dock 14 ready to transport Midgarians from Sector Six to Sector One. Barret hollored to Biggs and Wedge to hurry up. Jessie glanced momentarily away then quickly looked back. "Good luck, tonight." She squeezed his hand, smiled, and got up from the bench.
Cloud watched her go, a feeling of compassion temporarily present in his heart. When Wedge yelled his name out, he dropped the feeling, dulled out his smoke, and got up from the bench.

Sector One.
One of eight nuclear reactor facilities powering Midgar and ShinRa corporation. The president himself, decked out in the finest suit any noted dignatary could afford, strolled down the crosswalk and proudly affiliated himself with all the latest work attended to its build. One of the two larger reactors, Sector One was considered a valuable asset to ShinRa's supply; and, he felt, military personnel was recommended to protect this valuable asset. He made the order and now, on this very day, he was being shown the results by Top General Heidegger.
"I assume that Sector One is highly secure, General, and that I need say no more about its wonderful quality. Shall I also assume that all areas of this reactor are indeed sealed off from terrorist invasion?"
On the contrary to ShinRa's happiness, Heidegger was undeniably flustered after hearing the latest news from his Top Seargent. He took a deep breath and said," Sector One, sir, is highly secure. No doubt about it. However, um, on the western crosswalk, it is on a raised level that is impossible to get our troops positioned onto. The only way we could do that was if we could walk on the ceiling." Here, Heidegger attempted at a laugh. "Of course, we can't do that, sir, it's physically impossi-"
ShinRa grabbed his top officer and threw him against the railing, dislocating Heidegger's shoulder. Workers repairing a damaged rail looked over fearfully at the scene.
He bent over the cowering officer. "I ordered you to secure every area of this reactor, and this is what I get!"
Heidegger stammered," There is on-one thing my men can do. So-Something that'll put a stop to any intrusion."
ShinRa looked at him. "Show me it, now."
Ten minutes later, at the core of the reactor, Heidegger punched a button on a large dashboard and a gate released behind them. ShinRa turned and gazed in surprise as Heidegger's "pet" crept out of the shadows. Sleek in texture, powerful in build, it crawled across the walls and landed by the feet of the president.
"It'll only kill non-corporation workers. It's our perfect guard, and the best machinery Professor Hojo has ever constructed." Heidegger looked over nervously at ShinRa.
The latter smiled wickedly and replied. "Use it."

The train snaked its way in a wide arc around the city before eventually entering the gates of Sector One. Barret stood up and held onto the rail for support. "Alright, guys and girl, we have exactly five minutes ahead of us before this here train stops. Let's review very briefly. Once we get off, split up and go separate ways toward the reactor's gate. I'll tell what to do next there. If a guard questions you, either use your silencer or (and here he addressed Cloud) your sword on him." He looked over the team and faintly smiled. They were the only ones in this cart- he had made sure of that- and they appeared anxious yet ready. Wedge, especially, looked too timid; but Barret didn't really care- Wedge's job was only to destroy the security surveillances and provide an exitway into the sewers. Preferably a bombing job, which Wedge was really good at.
The train began to slow, and Barret regained his frown. He let go of the rail and walked over to the cart's door.
Jessie secured the package under her arm and looked briefly at Cloud, who was lost in his own world staring out the window into the blackness. Biggs uncocked his pistol and inserted six bullets into it. Wedge wrung his hands and made sure the security disabling plans were in his overcoat.
Biggs looked at him. "Just follow the step-by-step instructions, Wedge. It's not brain surgery."
Wedge merely chuckled as the train came to a full halt.
The cart doors opened, and Barret leapt out of the train. Biggs exited out the opposite door, followed closely by Wedge and Jessie. Cloud unsheathed his sword and tailed Barret. Immediately, his foot sank into a sewage puddle. As he gazed up and down the train station, he could see a long trail of sewage trickling in a slow undulation. The sight and smell reminded him that he was in the slums, and he frowned his displeasure.
He crossed the boardwalk admist a crowd of curious pedestrians. All of them looked at his four-foot meat cleaver he held in his hand and steered clear of his path. A security guard stood erect at a lamppost and another strolling the far end of the boardwalk. Unlike Sector Six, Sector One did not have any security cameras hooked up to the train station, so he felt better about that.
He walked up to the guard at the lamppost, and the latter scrutinized him with suspicion. "Excuse me, officer, but I need directions to the commander-in-charge's quarters of Sector One. I have got a present here for him." Cloud gestured toward his sword.
The guard raised his eyebrows and said," Oh. A kitchen gift, huh?"
"Mm, yeah. A little big and bulky. But, hey, it's great for carving meat."
"Yeah, I bet it is. Look, pal, you're not going anywhere. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me and answer a few questions." He turned and gestured for the other guard, who began walking towards the scene. By now, most of the people who came off the train had left, except for a few homeless peasants and some prostitutes.
"Hey, that's fine with me. Answer me a question first, though."
"Yeah, what?"
"You led a comfortable, good life?"
"Pretty much, why?"
"Good." Cloud smiled and impaled the guard in the stomach. The guard's eyes widened immensely, and he began choking on his own blood. The second guard broke into a trot and brandished his pistol. Cloud released his sword and hurled the bloody blade at the other guard. The blade cut off his head in one clean sweep, sending the missle straight into a pillar. The blade skidded across the ground. The first guard remained choking on his blood and wheezing sharply before finally succumbing to the pain. As Cloud bent to pick up his sword, a snarl sounded behind him. He looked and a huge black dog bounced ontop of him. Cloud defensively blocked the guard hound's jaws from ripping his neck open. They both squirmed around on the ground a few seconds, before Cloud got his foot underneath the hound's stomach and kicked it hard. The hound fell on its back, and Cloud inserted his sword into its heart.
He brought it out and flicked the guts off it. As he turned to the three dead bodies, four more snarls sounded behind him. He broke into a run, and the guard hounds leapt over their fallen comrade and chased him through the slum alleys. Drunks waved to him as he passed by, but he didn't take notice. One of the dogs was on his heels, and he tried to swipe it with his sword but couldn't.
A patrolling guard heard the sounds of barking and quickly turned around. Before he could, Cloud seized him, quickly grabbed his gun arm and shot the closest hound in the head. A second swerved to miss the dead body and got shot in the neck. The guard elbowed Cloud in the face, and Cloud returned the blow with an impale of his sword. The guard fell down, and the two remaining dogs stopped and growled at Cloud. He reached with his hand and wiped the small trail of blood from his nose. The hounds studied him some more and seemed to be considering the objective of killing this crazy man. They reconsidered and left the street. Cloud sighed a relief and pressed onwards.
Five minutes later, he was at the reactor gate. Finished with cleaning his reddened sword, he sheathed it and joined his companions at the doors. All four of them there, and all were looking a little hectic.
"Looks like Cloud got a piece of action out there," said a curious Biggs.
Jessie, who was working out the lock system, asked," You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Ah, you know me, nothing bad ever happens to me."
"Aw, cut the shit. I'd prefer it if you got your ass here without creatin' any noise," Barret shouted.
Wedge was saying a prayer, while tightly clutching the diasbling papers. He was sweating.
"Hey, hey, hey," Barret yelled, "stop acting all babyish over here."
"I can't help it, dammit. Don't you see? We're terrorists. Do you know what kind of price ShinRa has on our heads! I mean if we get caught, that's the end of the world for us, man. I have a wife and kids back home, and they don't deserve to have me being all gungho like this, you know."
"Shut your fuckin' mouth, Wedge! You are doing this for the safety of your wife and kids. By eliminating ShinRa's reactors and, eventually, ShinRa's corporation itself, the citizens of Midgar will be blessed with new peace.
"Are you thinking of quiting on me, because if you are-" Barret raised his gunarm and cocked it ready. "You got another thing coming."
Cloud, for once, looked scared. Jessie got the door opened, but failed to notice it from the distraction. Biggs began biting his nails.
Wedge looked down the barrel of Barret's gun and replied, "I would never quit on you guys."
"Then grow some fuckin' testicles and follow us in here!"
Barret turned to the open doorway and said, "Alright, Cloud. You're coming with me. Jessie give him the bomb. Biggs you and Jessie open the doorways. Wedge, listen to me, find the surveillance room and black it out. Then create an exitway. Got it?"
Wedge nodded.
"Everybody else?"
"Let's roll, boss," Biggs replied.

The surveillance room was easy to find, and one lone guard slept at his patrol route. Wedge had found it curious that there were hardly any personnel around. From the reports he got, the Sector One layout was covered with troops. He knew something was wrong, and he began to get queasy again.
"Don't worry," he said to himself,"it's just one guy. And it looks like he's asleep."
He laughed to himself and edged closer to the room. The guard was sleeping in a chair in front of a big dashboard of computer screens. Screens linked to cameras everywhere in the reactor. On some of them he could see Barret and Cloud running across the catwalks. He was glad this guy was asleep.
He crept up right behind the chair, right above the sleeping soldier, and brought out his silenced pistol. He placed right ontop of the brain, his index finger poised above the trigger. His heart was pounding, he had never done this before. He looked away.
"Can't. I just can't."
Sweat poured down his face. It was getting too hot in the room to breathe. He made a sharp choking sound in his throat, and the guard stirred. He opened his eyes, and Wedge lost his voice. His heart seemed to stop beating.
The guard reached his hand to his eyes and rubbed them. He then looked at the screens and saw AVALANCHE running around on several cameras. "Oh, shit, the terrorists!" He grabbed his walkie-talkie. "S4-22, we got some suspicious characters on the southwestern corridor, o-" He noticed a shadow over him. He looked up.
Wedge pulled the trigger.

"Jessie, you got that door open, yet?" Barret yelled impatiently.
"No, the wirings screwed up."
"Fuck."
"Hey, Barret, lighten up," Cloud said nonchalantly. "You got an experienced fighter on your hands. No reason to get all pissed up, okay?"
"You're part of the reason I'm 'pissed up', asshole!"
Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Got it," Jessie cried. The door freed open, and the bottom of the reactor was seen, the core of it visible, their destination obvious.
Biggs noted curiously, "There's no one down there. What's up?"
"Good for us, then," Cloud responded.
"No, this aint right," Barret said. "Still, we must do this. Come on, Cloud. Got the package?"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Let's go."

The computer screens faded away, as Wedge cut the last wire. He then sat back, brought his knees to his chest, and cried. The body of the guard lay in his view, but he couldn't look at it. He still had blood on his face from the explosion, and he had elected not to wipe it off. He cried into his arms until the shirt was too damp to lay on.
He had killed the radio, too, even though a response had issued out of it. He had then thrown the gun off the side of he bridge and stared at the body, head a bowl of jello.
He raised himself to a sitting position, and began wiping his face. It had taken him a half hour to cut the wires on account of his crying. So far, no signs of enemy patrol had come, and he considered that unusual. He figured, though, that there were some on the way; so he rose and started to walk.
The first step he took, he shivered and lost balance. He cracked his chin on the metal floor, and pain rocketed through his body. His mind focused on the events that just took place around him, and he failed to notice the huge mechanical monster that slithered its way down the walls of the reactor towards the core.

The core tower was immense and connected on all sides with five layers of crosswalk, all unpatrolled and desolate. Such a scene reminded Cloud of the streets of Nibelheim two years ago. He shuddered and opened up the package. The small, powerful bomb lay inside, perfectly designed for this one simple task. He looked around the reactor.
"You know, it seems kind of a pity to be using this one tiny thing to destroy a beautiful construction such as this."
"Well, you're quite the romantic, aren't you," Barret muttered.
Cloud sighed and pulled out the bomb. Neither of them noticed the Guard Scorpion looking at them.
The bomb fit snugly in a depression of the core's body. It had just enough room all the way around it to create a nice explosion and impact. The wires were then fused to the central control box through a little switching, and then Cloud flipped on the trigger. Red lights flicked on the number 10:00, and started counting down.
"Ten minutes," Cloud said to himself, "that should give us enough time to- holy shit, Barret look out!" As he turned the Scorpion jumped off where it had suspended on a rail and then landed on Cloud and Barret's crosswalk. Before it could skewer the surprised Barret, Cloud slashed at its tail, and the metal monster let out a shriek. It jumped backwards and stared them down.
The beast was an incredible ten feet tall and extremely agile for a meta robot. Its menacing tail hung poised over its body ready to strike. Its claspers pinched wildly at the air, and its eyes were a cruel blood red. It stared them down with such intensity that Barret and Cloud both felt uneasy despite their bravado.
Barret made the first move and opened fire with his M60. Only three bullet hit the Scorpion, as the arachnid jumped out of the way, flipped in the air, and landed hard on the crosswalk. The impact sent a shockwave across the crosswalk and blew both of them down. Cloud hit the core tower, and the Scorpion thrust its tail. Cloud blocked the first thrust, and Barret fired at the tail. The Scorpion changed positions and hit Barret with its tail sending him flying down the crosswalk.
Cloud leapt up and slashed at the scorpion's legs. One of the eight hung loosely on its joint, and Cloud quickly cut its remains off, sending the pieces flying into the radiation below. The Scorpion hollored and clamped its clasper hard on CLoud's shoulder. WArm blood drew from his wound, and Cloud fell to his knees.
Barret opened fire again and blew thirty rounds into the scorpion's head before having to reload. The Scorpion shrieked and jumped to the crosswalk above. Suddenly, its tail grew bright.
"Shit! It's going to fire a laser! Barret, get to the top of that crosswalk."
"Get your ass over here, too!"
Cloud stumbled his way to the ladder, one arm clinging to his bleeding shoulder. Behind them, they could here the energy fizzinf on the raised tail and could see a bright blue light reflecting off of the walls. Barret reached the ladder first, and the Guard Scorpion shot the Tail Laser.
A big jagged lightning bolt zigzagged its way all over the crosswalk, exploding it into shreds, metal flying everywhere. Jagged pipelines scraped Cloud's back and he hung limply on the ladder. Below him, where the crosswalk used to be, was nothing but a pool of radiation. The warmth of the laser beam was so intense that his skin started to peel off of him. Just before the beam reached him, it lost energy and died away.
Barret jumped onto the crosswalk and fired his second round. The Scorpion bowed to the pain, but as Barret hurriedly reloaded, it recoiled and jumped into the air. Barret dropped his clip, and hastened for another in his vest; but the Scorpion pounced on him and knocked him over the edge. His good hand found grip, and he hung their loosely. The Guard Scorpion surveyed its prized and poked Barret in the head with one of its legs. As it poised its tail over Barret's skull, it let out a holler.
Cloud's sword cut deep into its back and twisted against the metal components, disrupting the bodily functions and mechanical organs. The dying shriek was incessant, and the Scorpion tried vainly to kill its attacker, but to no avail. It slumped to the floor, the sword still twisting and turning in its metal frame. Its blood red eyes lost their color, and Cloud took his sword out of the arachnid. The lifeless body fell off of the crosswalk and into the murky pool below.
It took an effort to pull Barret up onto the crosswalk, but when Cloud finally achieved it th black man had a smile on his face. "Why, I never knew you could pull something off like that."
"You had brass balls too, Barret."
"Well, lucky for both of us that you figured out that tail beam thing, man, or we'd both end lookin' like a couple of crispy chicken nuggets."
Cloud smiled. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him. "Oh shit, we gotta run!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!"

Biggs watched as Wedge set the bomb at the exitway into the sewers. He wasn't at all entirely pleased with Wedge's behavior, but given the circumstances it was Wedge's first time at killing someone.
"I'm sorry if I let you down, Biggs. I really am."
"Just do this and drown your sorrows out at the bar later. Jessie, they come yet?"
Jessie shook her head and looked frightened. The pressure now was starting to get to her. The alarm had sounded off eight minutes ago, which meant the bomb had been set in place, but what was keeping them? Flashes of movement caught their attention and she saw some security guards coming towards him. "Biggs! Fighters!"
"Duck!" Biggs threw a grenade at the oncoming party and three of them were blown skyhigh. Nine more came from a room at the eastern corridor and fired their weapons. Jessie screamed and hid behind the wall, drawing her silenced pistol.
Wedge trembled to himself and tried to set the wires straight. His fingers wouldn't cooperate, and the sweat was caking on his forehead.
Biggs fired six rounds at the onslaught and downed two gunners. A bullet ricocheted off the metal railing and pegged him in the shoulder. A thin trail of blood squirted out from the wound. A gunner trrained himself on Bigg's position, but Jessie aimed at his skull and shot him in his right eye. The shot drove his body into the line of fire, causing it to be riddled in bullets, leaving behind a bloody waterfountain display. She shivered from the scene.
It seemed over.
At the last minute, Wedge applied the wires right and told them to move. Up above, Barret arrived and downed the gunners. The bomb exloded leaving the entryway to the sewers.
Barret shouted, "Go!" and the team hobbled out of the reactor. Cloud ran as quickly as he could down the stairs. From the location of the central tower came a peculiar sound and the bomb exploded. As soon as Cloud jumped into the sewers, Sector One blew to the high heavens.

ShinRa looked at the destruction. It was monumental. A huge halo of fire ripped apart the reactor frame and thousnds of fragments of reactor metal sailed into the air and finally landed onto the slums below. Shockwaves beat against the protecting glass of ShinRa Corp. A huge column of smoke rose thickly into the air, leaving behind a somewhat ominous sight- a monolith of a reactor burning in the fires of hell.