SWEET BABY JESUS – HOLY FECKIN' GOD!!!!
VINCENT VALENTINE IS STARRING IN HIS OWN GAME!!!!!!
LOOK UP "DIRGE OF CERBERUS" TO FIND OUT!!!
First the Turks in "Before Crisis" and now Vincent in "Dirge of Cerberus"
My God I'm so excited!!!
Enough of that– Battle calls once more, and there will be more opportunities for me to get weird over amazingly awesome news later on!
Thank you very much to those of you who have reviewed me so far,
Your comments are very much appreciated.
The last two chapters where not well written.
I realize this.
I'll try not to let it happen again. Starting with Chapter 4
"Uh – oh…"
Barret's face contorted as though there was a rather disgusting smell in the air as he stepped aboard the train, casting a filthy look towards a certain man in a maroon – colored suit – the man whom had called them 'hoodlums' only yesterday with his better – than – thou attitude towards them.
The man sighed loudly, as though it where in his intentions to grab their awareness towards him as Barret stepped aside to make way for his friends, and they spilled onto the Midgar Metro (the large and speedy – stale interiored train that bulleted through Midgar like a shot from a gun) like eager schoolchildren on a fieldtrip – followed by Cloud and Tifa.
Barret turned his nose up towards the lone young man, catching on to his patronizing and insulting behavior.
"Better split up ya'll," he spoke with an air of supremacy as he sauntered down the aisle. "Look's like this compartments taken…" he turned his head back and locked his dark eyes upon Biggs, Wedge and Jessie and tossed his head towards the door leading into the compartment ahead, and he swept aside with surprisingly fluid grace for a man of his physical form as the scurried passed him, leaving Cloud to take a random seat, and for Tifa to decide to check out the Digital Map.
The young man snorted at Barret as he walked passed to look through the compartment door's window, as though checking up on his friends. Barret turned back, his eyes flinty, and the young man shivered under his stony gaze.
"You say sumthin'?" he asked delicately towards the brightly suited male who sat to himself, folded arms and one leg crossed over the other as he swallowed a nervous gulp, his face set in deliberate defiance to Barret's question.
He swallowed again, shakingly as a huge shadow loomed over him, his eyes slowly swimming upwards to meet the locked brown stare belonging to the muscular and disgruntled form of Barret Wallace.
"I said…" Barret growled menacingly into the face of the young man, shrinking back into his chair with ever – rising nervousness. "…Did you say sumthin'??"
His quaking grew more violent as he tried to stare into those hard – locked eyes that bore into him as he sat down on the seat, trying to force a glare back at Barret and failing miserably. The crimson and musty smelling fabrics that lined the seating cushions hugged against his body – a petty comfort of no doubt if Barret where to raise his fists.
"Y – you thugs might have s – scared everyone else off – b – but not me…" he stammered trying to sound tough and threatening. It came out like a squeak from a curious mouse, and Barret almost sniggered, eyes rolling towards this pathetic statement as though he had honestly cared whether he had scared anyone off or not.
The man in his ever - weakening defiance, continued in his weak attempts to stand up for himself as the train began to move – slowly but surly before its daily course of speeding through the railways of Midgar.
"You h – hooligans w – won't stop me getting to my Shinra office at work!!" he tried to force a smile of self – assured superiority towards Barret, as though working for Shinra made you a safe person with the kind of reputation Shinra Inc. had and all.
Barret's face suddenly contorted in a glaring snarl as he viciously smashed the internal wall of the compartment above the man's seat, and the Shinra worker's own face morphed from one of forced smugness into that of a terror stricken child, leaping suddenly with shock of fright and shrinking back into the chair shivering and shaking with fear.
"You workin' for Shinra??" Barret growled dangerously, leaning over him like a dominant and terrorsome executioner before the chop he was to administer. He lifted his arm threateningly over him, and the man's eyes watered as though fuelled by a tap and shook his head and raising his hands defensively, shaking his head and crying out suddenly.
"No!! I won't give into violence! I'm better than that!!"
"Barret!"
Tifa's rescuing call drove Barret's attentions as she jogged over to the scene and firmly taking Barret's wrist and leading it away from the shuddering and sobbing wretch that he had reduced the man to. Her grip was stronger than it looked as most people on her bad side came to notice, or in this case as a misbehaving Barret came to notice as she pulled him away.
"We don't have the time Barret, security check's coming up in three minutes, and from what the Digital screen's just told me…" she paused, pointing over to the screen that had held the map that Jessie had pointed out to Cloud the day historical. She cast a glance to the young quivering man beside her, unsure of whether or not he was listening to her, but she took no chances and continued in a rather frantic whisper. "The Security System's been updated! Our Fake ID's aren't gonna work anymore!"
Barret's face morphed suddenly into a face of real horror at her words, looking over her shoulder to see for himself he cursed with a list of unoriginal foul – mouthed obscenities.
Cloud yawned, stretching out his lithe body before sauntering through the compartment and peering over curiously, his striking blue / green eyes focusing upon the screen for a mere moment before he sighed and flopped down upon a chair lazily, the hilt of his sword clattering slightly off the window glass.
"…Okay…" Barret spoke calmly and in a voice that showed his internal contemplation on the matter as he turned around slowly and began a steady walk down the aisle and sitting himself down carefully beside Cloud. "We've got a little time before the Checkpoint…" he stated aloud and slowly, as though explaining a rather simple concept to an equally simple child. Cloud's eyes slid in his direction and Tifa grasped a support rail at her side as the train dipped into a tunnel. "In three minutes – we're jumpin' off the train – any questions?"
Cloud raised an eyebrow. Had Barret contemplated the consequences that might have followed from such a dangerously stupid act? The slightest mistake in jumping and landing with the velocity that the train had picked up and might increase within three minutes may have very well result in horrific injuries.
But then again, getting caught with a fake ID and being caught by Shinra – probably to be recognized as AVALANCHE would probably result in getting left to the tender mercies of the executioner if he was lucky.
President Shinra was also known to have left people whom had found themselves on his bad side to the Turks – a band of highly trained assassins and mercenaries, a lowly group who would shoot their own Mothers between the eyes if that asshole of a President willed it. Or at least that was the image that the general public held.
A man named Tseng was running the Turks these days. A cunning and vindictive man known to be very intelligent and ruthless. Tseng and his two lackeys, Reno and Rude. Cloud hadn't heard much more personal information of these guys other than their names.
Cloud didn't like the idea of what would happen if he where captured and left to the Turks. There had only been rumors of what they did, but the word 'Torture' was never forgotten. The stories of blown off kneecaps where popular. Cloud personally wanted to keep his kneecaps where they where thank you very much. But still – with AVALANCHE going around and blowing up Mako Reactors, he had a gut feeling deep inside him that told him that they would have the Turks on their backs sooner or later – probably sooner.
But still – jumping off the train seemed to be the better plan overall. With precision and balance, Cloud knew that he may be able to manage avoiding the skin being torn from his flesh upon landing hard from a moving train, or feeling his legs snap like twigs upon clumsy landing. He couldn't help but wonder if Barret and Tifa would be able to manage it also.
It was Tifa who had pulled him out of his personal state of mind, full of morose and morbid thoughts of unbelievable pain… He blinked as he heard her call out his name and his Mako eyes fixed upon her, standing by the Digital Screen and waving him over.
He held the sinking suspicion that she was going to try to do exactly what Jessie had done the day historical and show to him the map of Midgar, but regardless – he shifted himself to his feet and made his walk over to his best friend, who in turn shuffled a little to the side to make room for him to stand.
"This shows a Map of Midgar, and…" Tifa's explanation was stilled by Cloud's interruption, lifting a firm hand to signify that he had something to say.
"Yeah I know – Jessie showed this to me yesterday."
Tifa blinked; seemingly slightly disappointed that Jessie had taken the time to tell her friend all about the Map and of Midgar, as though she had done so deliberately so that she herself couldn't do it with Cloud. But she hid it with a smile and gave a small shrug.
"Ah well, I guess then – "
She and Cloud where suddenly forced into a rapid dint of blinking as the compartment suddenly illuminated itself with a blinding flash of red with the squeal of an alarm wailing in their ears and Barret leapt to his feet, disturbed and rather vexed at the obvious predicament they where now in.
"Fuckin' Hell!!!" he roared, his muscles tightening as he looked around frantically as the red light flashed on and off before rushing over to his two teammates. "Someone's let something slip – we gotta move down – they'll be checking each compartment and lockin' it up – we gotta move!"
There was no need for telling twice as Barret snatched Tifa's arm, who in turn snatched Cloud's and they fled as a trio out of the compartment door and into the next. The door locked with a scrape of bolts of an automated lock as Cloud slammed it shut behind him.
Barret released Tifa's hand for a moment, Tifa's hand tightened on Cloud's.
"Let's go guys, we ain't done yet!" Barret ordered as he thundered down the carriage like an angry bull, passengers shrinking back into their seats as he passed them by, bewildered and accusing eyes staring and boring into them as AVALANCHE ran down the compartment aisle, and the passengers had their guesses as to whom the alarm was warning about.
The next carriage to follow was clouded with the smoke of tobacco, obviously a smokers compartment as Cloud had time to note as he ran down, Tifa's hand clamped onto his like a lock as She ran ahead of him as though escape wouldn't be worth it if she where to leave him behind.
A red – haired man caught sight of them and smirked as he sauntered by, and Cloud felt a hand slip into his pocket to remove something, and Cloud froze and his hand tore from Tifa who came to a halt and spun to see the stalling.
Cloud knew that it was stupid to put so much at risk for a damn pickpocket – but it was the principal of the matter, not the loss of material belongings that made him angry, and he withdrew his sword and sprinted backwards to follow the thief.
"Cloud!" Tifa's frantic call alerted him but he didn't care – this thief was going to return his ill – gotten gain, and both Cloud and the pickpocket knew this as the punk turned to feel the sneer wipe from his face at the sight of his angry victim approaching him with such a large sword.
"Chill man!!" he screamed frantically, tossing back the item of which he had lifted from Cloud and cowering back with arms over his head as Cloud caught the item (a spare Ether as part of his supplies) in his palm and turned back to see a confused, and probably rather annoyed Tifa waiting for him at her own risk – but he'd apologize later as he ran ahead and took his turn to snatch her palm and leaping through the door hurriedly before it looked to come to a compartment of which Barret had already vacated.
The passengers here where few – and in their underwear. Cloud and Tifa could only blink in surprise but found it too dangerous a situation to ask questions as to why they where practically naked on a train and continued a direct route for the door.
They saw Barret waiting for them aside an open door, three people at his side. Cloud and Tifa recognized Wedge immediately, dressed in dungarees and a rather childish t – shirt that strained over his round form.
It took a moment to see Biggs smiling nervously at him from under a rather bushy fake mustache and dressed in a black business suit that seemed a couple of sizes too big for him, but he gave a small wave as they drew nearer and the saw Jessie peering nervously from underneath the suit of a Shinra Guard, her culpable eyes blinked as she guiltily whispered.
"Sorry – This is my fault, I…"
"Explain later – you two!" he indicated to Cloud and Tifa, jerking his head out to the whistling outdoors. The pressure of the air screamed as the train tore through the tunnel.
Tifa swallowed as she stepped up to the door, paling rather quickly, obviously thinking of the same thoughts as Cloud had been before the alarm had set off.
Even now, the flashes of red where still going and the siren wailed in their ears and Tifa summoned all of her bravery before Cloud gripped her hand. She turned towards him.
"Relax – " he called out, the alarm and the scream of the rails and the outdoor roar making him have to raise his voice considerably to be heard. "You can do it,"
Tifa returned a thankful smile with a nod – a still somewhat nervous nod, but with more determination and Cloud nodded back.
"Why'd you come along anyway – really?" Cloud asked, almost forgetting the situation hat he was in.
"Well…" Tifa began, her hair pulling out of the door and waving violently behind her. "Because…"
"The hell ya's doin'??" Barret cried out in exasperation, looking around for signs of trouble. "Get out or we're done for!!"
Tifa turned swiftly and tensed her muscles and they locked as he threw herself out of the door and Cloud pulled up by the empty gape, pausing only to ask Barret.
"What about you?"
"A leader always stays behind for his team – now get out, or I'll kick ya out!" he threatened and Cloud didn't need telling twice, leaving with a cocky salute as he somersaulted backwards and he felt the air tear him from anything comfortable and adrenaline surged through his body like an electric shock as he tensed his muscles automatically as he hit the ground, his knees bending fluidly as he hit the ground to fall anyway, and his face hit the ground as he was scraped backwards before coming to a halt as he rolled back.
He knew his face was bleeding. But he had avoided any life threatening injury as he shakily pushed himself up from the ground with his arms and sat up, the adrenaline leaving the dizzying and slightly nauseating effects upon his body.
His cheek stung and dribbled red and he lifted his hand up to his face and tapped the wound lightly with his fingers to give a sharp hiss of pain as he did so. It hurt – but wasn't worth wasting a potion over, he could live with it.
He hadn't seen Barret leave the train but he saw him now, walking up to meet him with nothing to show his fall but a slight graze above his gun arm.
"You ok?" he asked, slightly breathless after the train run and the leap. Cloud nodded as Barret lifted him to his feet. Cloud swayed a little but glad to know that Barret's steadying hand was there to catch him as he fell. "Yo face look's like it hurts…" he pointed out, noting the large patch of red skinless flesh on his cheek.
"It does – I'll thank you not to remind me of it." Cloud gasped back with a rather hostile tone, before looking back into the tunnels and filled his lungs before he and Barret – in a rather surprising act – simultaneously called out the name of their friend.
"Tifa!!!"
They looked at each other for a split second before hearing her call back. It was strong and without pain, giving them relief to know that Tifa was unhurt.
"I'm here – I'm coming!"
Like a ghost in the fog they saw her emerge from the darkness, first only visible by her white shirt, a slight limp to her step as her long and slightly bloodied legs came into view. She was breathless – detectable by her gasping heaves, but all in all – she seemed fine as Cloud and Barret made their way over to her slowly but surely as they met up to each other and the first thing that Tifa did upon rejoining her friends was comment on Cloud's face.
"My God, Cloud your face!"
"I know – Can we ignore it please??" he complained, the strong pain of his exposed flesh stinging mercilessly as his attentions where continually brought to it and forcing his mind to focus back on it.
"Are we all okay?" Barret checked loudly, eyes moving to and fro between Tifa and Cloud as though performing a medical scan from his eyeballs upon his two young allies before him. They looked up at him and gave a firm dual nod in affirmation of their own well - being.
Barret nodded himself, seeming satisfied with their answers.
"Okay – then let's go."
The tunnels where cold and stank the wet stench of decay and oil. The cheap consecutive line of lights that lined each side of the tunnel ceiling held bulbs that flickered, faded and some that had been smashed or did not work at all.
The air held a musty and dank quality to it, heavy and thick with pollution that scoured through their lungs as they walked down the train tunnel.
Rust and green moldy slime hung on the walls like grotesque art and live wires that had been torn or cut jerked and sparked with life in the damp underground.
Rats and cockroaches scuttled in and around the area, disturbed by the humans that walked in their territory and scattered in haphazard arrangements lay one or two of the creatures, quite dead and some in far stages of decomposition and Tifa found herself watching her step, very disturbed by her surroundings.
The tunnel was in an appalling state of disrepair and Cloud found himself wondering how in the hell could the train have managed to thrust itself in and out of these tunnels without an accident of some sort thus far.
Luck he guessed.
"Hope Biggs, Wedge and Jessie got out alright…"Barret pondered aloud and Cloud and Tifa looked up at him, not having fully heard him being too wrapped up in their miserable surroundings to note conversation.
"Huh?" Tifa ventured curiously, asking in her own way for Barret to repeat himself. Barret looked around at her before speaking.
"Aw nothin' – I'm just curious about how Biggs and the others are doin…"
"They'll be fine…" Cloud muttered in a tone that indicated that he really couldn't care less as to what was happening to the group of three at that current moment in time. Cloud wasn't in the best of moods as of the occurrence of the alarm being set off on the train, and his cheek felt as though with each passing moment a fresh grain of salt was being dropped into the bloody patch of his face.
"Not too enthusiastic there…" Barret noted, looking back over his shoulder to the disgruntled Cloud behind him, and Cloud shot a defiant gaze back up at him as they walked.
Barret didn't like it and was about to sharply ask that Cloud lose the attitude lest he be forced to do something regrettable, yet Tifa came to interrupt with a reasonable question.
"Shouldn't we check our Materia and strategize with it before actually reaching the reactor?"
The men came to a halt in sudden contemplation of her words, and Cloud realized that Barret still had his Lightning Materia.
"What Materia have we got?" Cloud asked after a moments pause, removing the glass orb from the slots of his weapon. Cloud only held Fire as Barret still held his Lightening. "Barret, you said earlier you had some Materia – what have you got?"
"The guy said these where good for healing wounded parties – " Barret explained withdrawing a small blue orb, and an equally miniscule green one and Cloud recognized them immediately.
"Restore – and All - range. Put any form of Materia with an All – range Materia and it'll cast its abilities over a group of people, whether it be enemies or friends – Nice work Barret." Cloud complimented with a single nod. "That might come in useful – Tifa, you take these two – Barret – keep the lightning Materia."
"Sounds fair," Barret agreed and Tifa opened her palm to accept the two glassy orbs to place them in the slots surrounding the rim of her glove. Without even asking if Cloud felt it was required, enveloped herself in the green flame of Materia usage, her arms opening wide and her long, dark hair fanning out behind her as she gently tossed her arms towards her two friends for a shimmering glow to drift upon them, lifting all wounds from their bodies – her own included.
Cloud lifted a hand to his previously very sore cheek to feel a fresh new skin and pain free patch of face and he cast his eyes towards Tifa with a fake smile. He really didn't wish to thank her for that, knowing that it was a waste of Magic Power – or 'MP' as it was commonly known.
But his heart melted at her smile – she had only done so in intent to be nice. He couldn't be angry or annoyed at Tifa. Everyone made their mistakes, and Tifa was just too nice to ever be disgruntled towards.
"Thanks Tifa."
He and Barret exchanged glances again, having said the exact same sentence in perfect unison and at twice in one half hour – it was getting rather annoying. But he said naught but throw a hostile look towards the large leader of AVALANCHE as he walked passed him and continued his journey as Tifa jogged up to catch up to him with Barret keeping a steady pace at his side, the footsteps of the trio echoed loudly through the empty tunnels, the reverberation making it sound like the thundering and confident steps of warriors heading out to battle in a war.
It was to begin with these three.
The first three of an almighty nine to make history and to take part in an Earth Shuddering Battle which would determine the fate of all things living on Earth, starting off as no more than a lowly terrorist group in an attempt to do what even they found far – fetched. To save the world.
The President had coming towards him, three of the most remarkable people ever to walk the Earth heading for his Fifth Reactor. Three of the most remarkable, brave – and at the current moment stumped people anyone could come across.
"Aw Fuckin' Hell!!" Barret's incensed cry bounced through the corridors as he gnashed his teeth in frustration at what he stood before, as Cloud gave a tired sigh and Tifa small "on no…" to the sight before them.
Several horizontal bars of green light caged the way before them and it didn't not take a genius to work out that this was a Shinra Security checkpoint, and with their fake ID's and with Shinra on the lookout for AVALANCHE it was only all too obvious what would happen if they where to come into contact with them.
"What now?" Tifa sighed, stretching out her lithe arms over her head with a yawn, exasperated and vexed eyeing the laser beams with annoyance. "We can't get passed those things without setting off security alarms…"
"What about using a duct?" Cloud suggested, and Tifa and Barret looked down to see him on his knees, opening a small duct door and peering inside. A narrow squeeze of no doubt but just big enough by Cloud's estimates.
"Aw man…" Barret moaned in distaste, looking reluctantly towards the hole – obviously having the idea of becoming stuck. Barret was slightly claustrophobic, and given his size – it wasn't helping the matter.
"It's either that or turn back though, right?" Tifa checked, walking up to Cloud and peering into the hole from behind his shoulder. "There looks like there's a space further down big enough for the three of us to walk around freely in."
"Sure does," Cloud agreed. "But if we go down there, I don't think we'll be able to get out this way unless in the unlikely event that they have a ladder in there…"
"Aw man…" Barret repeated with a shudder, trying to swallow his dislike for the situation as he approached the two younger warriors. "Let's jus' get this over with…"
"Ok…" Cloud nodded and stretched out his arms and headed into the duct, squirming and pulling himself as his torso and stomach reached the metal space and kicking his legs gently as he shuffled and squirmed until he slid suddenly into a slope, giving out a shocked cry before being whisked into the wider space below and he hit the metal hard with a loud thud.
"Are you ok?" he heard Tifa call from above as he sat up and rubbed his head upon the area of impact.
"Ow-w-w…" he moaned, shaking it off before looking up in reply. "Uh – yeah, don't come in head first though – who's coming through next?"
"I am…" Barret hesitantly replied, and Cloud heard several thuds and grunts from the large man as he tried to make his way through the vent. It took slightly longer than Cloud for Barret to reach the chute, but he did in the end and Barret too – gave a sharp cry before Cloud saw his thick silhouette come crashing through the dark before him. Unlike Cloud, he landed on his feet, swaying a little but maintaining good balance. "Shit, man…" he gasped, looking up to the hole and stepping back, awaiting Tifa's decent.
It took Tifa only a few moments to squeeze through the duct and to land safely in Barret's arms, having the easy way through compared to the grunting struggles of the boys, and Barret set her down gently on her feet and she gave him her grateful thanks as Cloud fumbled through the dark for some means of exit.
"There a way outta here?" Barret's voice called out into the spacious vent, and Cloud had a discomforting shiver coming over him as he fumbled in vain.
"Umm…"
"Oh God – Cloud, there'd better a way outta here!" Barret voiced uncomfortably and loudly as he ventured timidly towards him through the dark with Tifa at his side.
"There will be." She chipped in comfortingly. "It's a vent, what's the point in having a duct that leads to nowhere? Calm down Barret we will get out of here…"
She sounded confident as she walked over to meet Cloud, seeing only a few shards of light reflecting off of his sword and blonde spikes as she heard him tap the walls around him, looking for means of an exit.
His head snapped around in alarm as he heard her shrill cry and a smack of a palm on metal to see that she had disappeared.
"Tifa!?" the third of the twin cries from the males sounded like a siren as the both made for Tifa's location, Cloud on his knees and almost crawling into the hole she had fallen through and feeling the thick rubbery sensation of her sparring glove gripping the edge of the space she had fallen into.
"Found the exit!" she gasped as Cloud gripped her wrist as she found footing in the form of a rusty and oil – sodden ladder, and Cloud realized this as soon as her weight was lifted from his grip on her.
"S'that a ladder?" Barret voiced aloud.
"Uh – huh," Tifa replied as her hand disappeared and the clink of her shoes on the rungs echoed as she began her decent. Cloud hopped in after her to be followed by Barret as they slowly made their way down through the darkness to slowly but surely found themselves becoming bathed in light, dull at first, but getting brighter and brighter until they could once again see the surroundings that roomed around them as Barret released a sigh of relaxing tension to find that it was far spaciously wider than the ventilation ducts as he lowered himself step by steady step until Tifa hopped off the final rung and stepped back as Cloud lifted both feet and slid down the remainder of the steps to take as Barret threw himself from the ladder and landed with a loud thud that shuddered the very ground they stood on.
Giving Barret a withered look before setting off, Cloud marched confidently onwards followed by Tifa and soon Barret's heavy footsteps where behind him also. The large room seemed to be empty of any life other than themselves, and decorated with the rusty and oily remains of machinery and ventilation ducts, lined with many ladders and girders, giving it a very industrial look.
"You'd think that Shinra'd take better care of all that he owns…" Tifa commented with extreme distaste, lifting her nose up in disgust as she walked alongside Cloud, to hear Barret's snort.
"Ya've lived long enough in Midgar to know that they dun give a shit!" he pointed out, folding his large and muscular arms over his rippling chest as his eyes darted to and fro around the area. "I wonder if any of the others are…"
"Barret!!"
"Huh?"
A simultaneous quizzical note from the three fighters as they looked over the wide areas of metal grated floors and girders to the area of which the call of their leaders name had come, yet it wasn't with caution or readiness to fight. The voice was easily recognizable.
The tubby form of the young man Wedge looked down at them, flustered and slightly breathless, leaning dangerously over the edge as he tried to catch their attentions.
Tifa smiled and gave a hearty wave up to her friend as she set off in a jog, her long legs setting off as she set off as Barret and Cloud opted to walk, but it was not for them to catch up to meet them, Tifa engaged in twenty questions as to how they had arrived so quickly and suddenly, hardly giving Wedge the required time to reply before bombarding him with a fresh wave of queries.
"C'mon Tifa, we can ask later," Cloud insisted, placing a hand on her shoulder, wanting to get the mission over and done with and gently pulling her away.
"He's right girl – we ain't got too much time," Barret agreed and giving a nod to Wedge with a smile and he grinned back. Cloud's brow furrowed. Wedge always reminded him of a little kid with an eagerness to be an adult. He seemed that naïve and childish at times, and he really did look like a kid when he smiled like that.
"The reactors up there," Wedge indicated, pointing up a long set of ladders to be climbed. "They lead a set of ventilation ducts but they do lead up to the Reactor – Biggs checked it out!"
Barret's face fell at the sound of more ducts, slightly put off but no less determined to do what he came to do. He swallowed the lump of nervousness in his throat as he looked up the flight of ladders before feeling Tifa's reassuring grip on his forearm and he looked down to see her smile.
"It'll be fine – I promise." She grinned in that sisterly fashion he loved about her. He hid his thanks deliberately clumsily as he gave her a grinning glare.
"The hell you talkin' 'bout?" he brayed, giving her a gentle poke. "I ain't scared or nothin'! What, do you think I'm…"
"Barret – shut up and get going," Cloud cut in viciously, already halfway up the mighty lift of rungs and Tifa frowned at her friend's cruelty and coldness in the matter as Barret gave a growling sigh as he lifted himself upon the rusty metal frame to climb as Tifa sadly came to follow, leaving Wedge watching in wonder at the dysfunctional duo of Cloud and Barret, and how despite their differences – they had worked so well together in the fight the previous day.
Cloud wasn't happy to find that he had to force himself headfirst through another vent, another dusty and smelly vent – though cleaner than the previous, was hardly a pleasure to travel through.
He saw before entering that this one came at an immediate slope – a small comfort to know that Cloud could at least defend himself and expect what was to come as he pushed himself inside and felt himself slide on his stomach a short distance to come into a wider – and lighted area of the duct, his hands panning out and catching his full and tuning it to an artful flip to his feet.
"Uh…"
The nervous whimper caught his ears, and he was surprised to find Jessie standing in a corner, an old kerosene lamp at her side whilst she held a suspiciously familiar looking cube in one hand – today's bomb no doubt.
"That train thing…" she mumbled, turning away from him, her cheeks burning red. "That was my fault – I kinda screwed up on… make… making your Fake ID – that's what set it off…"
"S'over now, don't worry about it." Cloud muttered before Barret thundered down the chute and crashed beside them, making a noticeable dent in the floor and Cloud sighed and rolled his eyes. "Smooth move boss."
"Shut yo mouth!" Barret spat back with a glaring eye towards him as Tifa slid down and landed with a tiny thud upon her backside and in nowhere near as elegant as her last chute duct entrance had been.
"Ow…" she complained, lifting herself to her feet and dusting herself off and shaking her head vigorously to rid her long dark hair of all the dust it had collected in its slide.
Jessie blinked twice, chewing her lip before handing unto Barret the bomb.
"You guys better go – I'm sorry for earlier on Barret…" she mumbled lowering her head as Barret gave a forgiving pat on the shoulder to her as he stood his full height to look around.
His eyes fell upon a lowering ladder only two feet from where Jessie stood. Cloud had also spotted this and stepped up firmly towards it and began to lower himself, only gone four rungs before he once again, lifted both feet and slid down like a fireman upon his pole and vanished from the sight of all those in the duct.
He landed with an intermediate thud upon the ground and pulled back to find his hands slimy and greasy with oil and other unidentifiable junk that he didn't even want to try and name. Sighing heavily, he wiped it upon his fighting pants and turned to meet the athletic and waiting Biggs behind him by what Cloud hoped was the final ladder he'd have to ascend today.
He heard the clinking of boots on metal and turned to see Barret and Tifa following him and awaiting their mission's end.
Cloud turned from them and looked up towards the next ladder. It had crossed his mind that other than the Train incident involving the Fake ID mess – up, things had been relatively easy for them so far, they had come across no resistance as of yet. A thought that gnawed at the back of his mind as he began to climb, it burned at him worryingly with a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Reaching the rim of the destination and the end of what the ladder had to offer in terms of ascension, Cloud pulled himself from the frame and onto firm and solid ground.
It looked exactly like Reactor One had, oily and muddy and the sharp smell of Mako hung around before a large set of stairs and furnaces. Cloud didn't mind – it was nothing he hadn't been expecting, and anyway – he'd know his way around.
Cloud took a cautious step forward, his hand straying to the hilt of his sword as though something may leap out and attack him – but nothing did. It was all nothing but silence. Serene and peaceful silence.
"The hell's a guy s'possed to get himself through here!?" Barret cried out, trying to squeeze his heavy frame through the tight fit of the hole that the ladder led up to the wide and clean room that Cloud found himself standing in, disturbed by Barret's wails and squawks before he eventually managed to press himself through the hole and sprawl onto the floor as Tifa popped up after him and climbed out neatly and artfully.
"This chute seems to be the quickest way down," Cloud noted, walking over to a strange half – pipe construction that led down by the door of the Reactor Chamber – the stairs would have to make do for escape but in the meantime, the chute would have to do.
Without another word, Cloud sat himself securely within the curves, squirming a little to get comfortable as Tifa stood behind him, awaiting him to leave room for her to slide down with Barret behind her.
It was like a playgrounds line of children for a slide.
Cloud pushed himself off and the pressure and the wind tore through his hair before he reached the end, his body tipping over the edge and his feet smacking down to save himself from fall, and he twisted to the side to avoid Tifa and Barret as their slide ended.
"We're here," he nodded towards the door, and Barret held the bomb in his hand as the three set off in a full sprint towards the Reactor Chamber.
As he entered – Cloud felt overcome with nausea, his head ringing like a bell as it had in the reactor the day previous, and he clutched his head as it screeched like nails on a chalkboard and a faint hum sounded in his head as he dropped to his knees.
When he opened his eyes he saw two people, a man of around forty lying lifeless upon the ground, blood pooling beneath him as he quivered slightly, a long and bloody Masamune discarded at his side, his eyes wide in horror as he faced his mortality. Knelt at his side was a girl, her eyes red and teary as she wept, her dark eyes and dark hair seemed so familiar, as did her face – but it was younger than the one he knew nowadays…It was Tifa at the age of sixteen. Clad in a cowboy hat with a matching skirt and blouse. She shuddered with her tears and a tenderness was in her voice as she spoke.
"Dad! Dad – what – what did he do to you? What did Sephiroth do to you – why? Dad don't die on me – please don't die on me – don't you dare die on…"
Her words locked in her throat as Mr. Lockheart fell limp before her, his eyes rolling back horribly inside his head as his breathing ceased and Tifa let out a single howl before bursting into tears, crying hysterically.
"Sephiroth – Shinra – I HATE YOU ALL!!" she screamed in woe and anger and she leapt to her feet, the sword already in her unsteady fist and she looked directly into the face of the door that lay open before her and sprinted off and out of sight…
"Cloud?? Cloud, open your eyes!!"
"Damn man – you ok??"
With a groan Cloud opened his eyes. His vision was fuzzy but his eyes soon swam into focus to see two concerned faces above him, two sets of questioning dark eyes boring into his bright ones as Barret propped him to an upright position.
"I'm – I'm alright," Cloud dismissed, pulling himself on unsteady feet and almost falling back over, yet managing to save himself. With a swallow to ease the dryness of his throat, he looked up to his female companion, as she gripped his shoulder to gain him balance. "Tifa?"
"What's wrong?"
He gazed at her for a moment. What was he to say? That he had just seen her passed and her Father's last breath? She'd take it for nothing more than a sick joke, and Cloud couldn't blame her, people who saw passed situations of which they where not involved where extremely rare as they came – if they indeed came at all.
"…Nothing – it's nothing…" he dismissed, shaking his head and pulling away from her touch. "I'm fine – Barret, you got the bomb?"
"Uh, yeah…" he replied, cocking his head towards Cloud suspiciously of his sudden faint as he approached the steaming glow of Mako as it pulsed through the pipes warmly and heatedly as Barret typed in the password and turned. "We've got twenty minutes today – let's not waste time,"
"We use the elevator Jessie said," Tifa chipped in, and she gripped Cloud's hand as she ran with Barret thundering ahead like an enraged animal, coming out of the reactor to meet a flight of stairs, and there was no questioning of routes as they ran in their sprint, Barret thanking the God's that there had not been another Guard Scorpion to deal with as he reached the elevator and opened the door and making room for Tifa and Cloud to enter and Tifa had to snatch her hair away from the catching door as Barret slammed on the appropriate button.
There would be no close calls for them today!
There was no conversation as it jerked to its climb and shuddered to a halt on its destined floor.
This place was lighter – cleaner, and didn't stink of oil or stale Mako and the delightful whir of a clean and compulsively used air conditioner droned almost silently somewhere around.
"Jessie said to look for a panel with three switches which we have to press at the exact same time." She instructed as she helped Barret to his feet and waked up to Cloud, looking around her infinitely more pleasant surroundings compared to only moments before
Cloud blinked.
"When did Jessie say this?"
"After you decided to jump out of that vent and go without us," Barret shot at him with a sharp glance as he got to his feet to rejoin his teammates. Cloud sighed at him, rolling his mutated eyes.
"Ok – where's the panel?"
"Well it ain't gonna appear outta thin air – we gotta look for it moron!" Barret sighed as he walked beyond Cloud and into a nearby walled area with a space for entrance, and it was his call that alerted his attentions. "Think this might be it!"
As they peered through the gap to see Barret stand before a shining white button around the size of an oven tray by another two – it was easy to guess that this was indeed the panel they where looking for, and without orders, Cloud and Tifa lined up, Tifa by Barret's side as Cloud took the lone button.
"One the count of three…" Barret instructed. "One… Two… Three!" And each with a simultaneous thrust of his or her hands, the pressed, and a loud 'blip' sounded and the metallic mechanical sound of an automated door opening made them realize that they had done it.
"Yes!" Tifa grinned, pumping her fists as Barret smiled warmly, walking around out of the panel room to see the inviting gape of a doorway that had not been there before.
"Looks like we're home free!" he smiled, folding his arms over his chest proudly.
"Yeah…" Cloud added unenthusiastically, knowing that the job had been far too easy to be over yet – Shinra had better defenses than this surely? There had been no guards, no resistance – nothing!
"Well – let's go!" Barret nodded and leading the way with a run and disappearing out of the door with a happy Tifa and a worried Cloud at his tail to find themselves in what was described in Reactor One as the "T " shaped room. The only difference was, Wedge wasn't securing the area.
Barret and Tifa where off like a shot, down the corridor and with the thought of victory in mind until they froze suddenly and Cloud felt his gut shrivel inside him.
"Shit…" he muttered under his breath and drawing his sword as Barret aimed his gun arm and Tifa tensed her muscles as a small army of Shinra Guards spilled through their exit and blocking their way.
"No time to fight…" Tifa whispered urgently, and she caught Barret's nod.
"Turn!" he ordered, and the three swiveled to freeze in dismay again to see a similar sight, rows upon rows of the guards in crimson uniform.
"I knew it was too easy…" Cloud muttered, cursing his stupidity for not doing something about it earlier, and now they where in trouble. He looked towards Tifa, frightened but determined eyes, determined to live. Cloud's teeth gritted behind his lips. They wouldn't be taking Tifa without a fight…
"Well now – It would appear we have rats in the premises…"
This voice was prim, proper, and stiff with a British accent and AVALANCHE turned to see the plump form a of a short and blonde middle – aged man, clad in a sharply creased crimson suit and a small and tightly trimmed moustache.
Barret recognized him immediately.
"President Shinra." He snorted, turning up his nose. "The Hitler of the Modern Day." He snarled, lifting his gun arm up and ready to draw fire, and Barret was stilled by the immediate click of many surrounding guns lifting and preparing to open fire.
Barret's jaw locked and sweat trickled from his brow – he would gladly shoot and die in a hail of bullets had Cloud and Tifa not been there. Their presence changed matters entirely.
The President smiled, his features twisting like putty.
"What was the name of your little gang?" he sneered, a fat eyebrow lifting over his blue twin orbs looking over them as Barret snarled furiously, lowering his gun arm.
"AVALANCHE, and don't you forget it, piece of shit!" he yelled, furiously to be gently moved to the side by Cloud, his eyes set forward to the President, his weapon sheathed on his back as Tifa and Barret followed him with their curious eyes.
"Remember me?" Cloud asked coldly, staring straight into the President's face. Shinra cocked his head to the side, his face creasing as he racked his memory before dismissing it with a superior nod, as though he was too good to know the likes of Cloud, before blinking suddenly, catching the look in his eyes and studying his uniform before he finally spoke.
"Ah, you're an Ex – SOLDIER aren't you?" he inquired softly, his accent still hard and doing nothing for a voice of gentleness. He smiled and shook his head, waving a hand in Cloud's direction as though he where an annoying child. "Well you can't expect me to remember every little so and so that comes my way now can you – unless you where another Sephiroth that is…"
Cloud jerked suddenly as though his face had just been slapped hard, his muscles tightened as he called back.
"What about Sephiroth??" he demanded viciously, his tone having changed drastically from his previous sentence.
The President smiled at the effect of this statement on Cloud.
"I can see that his brilliance hasn't shone to be too much of an effect on you for one…"
"Who gives a damn?" Barret cut in with a smirk. "This place is gonna blow soon and your fat ass'll go straight to hell where it belongs!!" he smirked, not expecting the President to smirk back with a knowing smile.
"I'm sure – anyway, I must go now – my son and I are due to attend a special dinner service that I simply cannot miss – I was going to leave you to those bloody Turks – but Tseng and his team are still busy, and that imbecilic Reno is on the Cetra Mission for the fifth time this week, so it looks like you'll be playing with an updated Robo Guard – Send in the AirBuster…" he called in as the guards spilled out and leaving the room empty as a loud buzz filled their ears and they spun on their heels.
"Uh oh…" Tifa whimpered, stepping back with Barret as the large and clunky form of a legless metal man hovered in, armed with many small guns and cannons and looking as though it held a large amount of physical strength.
Cloud ran in, separated from Barret and Tifa as the robot known as AirBuster blocked his path and he drew his sword to attack, pausing as the large Chopper labeled "Shinra Inc" flew overhead and dropped a firm ladder to lift the President to safety.
"WAIT!!" Cloud called, his hand shooting out desperately as though it would put a halt to his journey, but to no avail.
"Cloud…" Tifa called anxiously and it brought his attention back to the predicament at hand.
"The hell is this hunka junk??" Barret demanded disgustedly, eyeing it up and down as though it where a grotesque statue. But in the end – it didn't matter to Barret or anyone else.
What it was, was irrelevant.
But irrelevant or not – it was going down.
Sorry about the accents – I've just always imagined President Shinra and his son Rufus to have British accents. Just my imagination, and it doesn't look as though Rufus'll be appearing in Advent Children to counter it so – it's a safe call, or so I figure!
Sorry it took a while to post this up, but my net access is limited at the moment, but hopefully it won't be for much longer – it's annoying.
Thank you to all you lovely reviewers out there!
It is you who give me the strength to write, and now we move on to Chapter 5.
Keep reviewing! Please!
And I'll keep writing!
Until Next Time!