Final Fantasy 7
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Fifteen
Cloud finally managed to push the old, heavy sewer lid out of the way and climbed out of the sewer, relieved to get out of the dark and dreary sewers and back into the slums. The air was not much better, but it was better than the sickening smell that ran through the sewers. Once he was out he turned to the hole and helped Aeris climb out, and then they both helped Tifa out. Once all three of them were out of the sewers and had finished brushing the damp dirt from their clothing, they looked around at where they had come out.
They were standing in what looked like a large train yard, for they were surrounded on all sides by many old and abandoned trains. The trains had just been dumped anywhere on the ground and left there, and many were now broken and wrecked, savaged by punks desperate for food or just a place to sleep. It was a barren, empty place, and was like a graveyard for trains. However it was a good sign, because the Train Graveyard was directly next to Sector 7, which meant they were very close to the slums, and the plate had not fallen yet.
"Aeris," Cloud said suddenly, and Aeris turned to look at him. Cloud was looking down at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. "I got you mixed up in all of this..."
Aeris quickly shook her head. "Don't tell me to go home," she told him.
Cloud slowly raised his head and looked at Aeris's face, finally meeting her gaze. He barely knew her, just as she barely knew him, but she had willingly risked her life for them many times already, and still refused to go home. He knew there was no use arguing with her now. Like Elmyra had said, once Aeris had made up her mind, she wouldn't change it. Aeris smiled as she realised that Cloud understood that, and walked past him towards Tifa.
Tifa had walked away from them while they were talking, and had climbed up onto the top of a nearby train via a ladder, and was looking around at the rest of the graveyard, trying to find her bearings.
"Let's see..." she mumbled quietly to herself. She turned around to look the other way, and stretched up to see over the rest of the trains. She then pointed ahead of her. "If we can just get past the trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here."
She jumped down from the train and back beside Cloud and Aeris who were waiting for her below. The three then began to walk through the wreckage that was scattered around them, heading north to where they hoped the rest of Sector 7 was. They had to hurry because they had very limited time. At any moment Shinra could succeed in its plans to bring down the plate that was suspended in the air above them, and everyone in the slums and on top of the plate would die.
The trains that were lying on the old broken rails had been abandoned for a very long time. When Midgar had first been built and they were in use, they were probably very fashionable, very streamlined trains. Now however, after years of neglect, they were very rusty and fragile. Dark copper rust had formed over the doors and wheels and even on the old rails where they had been pushed out of the way. There was almost no chance of finding a train that would move, so when the group came to a blockage in their path they had to climb up onto the roof of the train and down onto the other side.
Some of the trains still had some form of power though, for in some of the trains the lights were still turned on inside, albeit flickering and faint as they strained to stay alive amongst the rest of the graveyard. It was a spooky and desolate place, and the three wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, not only to save Sector 7 but also leave the creepy graveyard of trains behind them.
The group clambered over what they hoped would be the last train in the desolate graveyard, and were extremely relieved to see that it was. As they emerged from the roof of the last train they saw the Sector 7 train station, just as they had left it. The single train was resting quietly by the platform, with the single Shinra guard in front of it, waiting for the next load of passengers. It all seemed very quiet and calm in the sector – clearly no one had any idea of what was about to happen. Cloud, Aeris and Tifa wasted no time in running out of the graveyard and towards the slums.
As they ran out of the train station and into the clearing between the station and the slums, they saw that things were more unsettled than they had first thought. In the middle of the clearing was the large stone pillar that rose up right beneath the plate to hold it up and prevent it from falling, sealed off by a large metal fence to prevent anyone from entering. The gate leading into the pillar sector had now been forced open, blown from its hinges by guns. Many people from the slums had gathered around the pillar, looking in and chattering loudly amongst the stairs as they looked up the stairs that wound their way up at the side of the pillar.
"We made it!" Tifa exclaimed gladly, running into the clearing. "The pillar's still standing!"
"Wait!" Cloud said suddenly, interrupting Tifa's excitement. Tifa looked at him as he tilted his head, listening hard. "You hear something... above us?"
Tifa put a hand behind her ear and looked up to hear what Cloud was hearing. She could hear a faint sound coming from above them. It was a repetitive sound – a sound she recognised only too well, for she had heard it often enough from Barret.
"...Gunfire?" guessed Aeris.
One by one the three all looked up above them towards the pillar. As their gazes slowly rose up the stairs, they saw many flashes of light and more sounds of gunfire coming from all corners of the pillar – a fierce battle was raging around the pillar. Gunfire and counter-fire were being shot as the battle to save the pillar raged, rising all the way up to the top where the main platform was.
As the group looked up, they could see a number of moving figures on the top platform. One fairly small figure was slowly backing off towards the edge of the platform, being forced back by more people with guns. He reached the end of the platform and stopped, with nowhere else to go. A gun suddenly fired and the man fell off the end of the platform, and began to tumble down towards the ground.
He landed with a loud and heavy thud on the ground in the middle of Cloud, Tifa and Aeris as they stood staring. Everyone moved away from the pillar and gathered around him to see if he was okay, and Tifa screamed in horror as she saw the man who had fallen.
It was Wedge.
"Wedge!" Cloud yelled. "You all right!" He ran to Wedge's side and kneeled. Wedge was very badly hurt. There were bullet wounds in his side where bullets had skimmed past him, and he was twisted round from his fall. He seemed to react to the sound of Cloud's voice, and slowly opened his eyes to look at him, although his vision was blurred and failing.
"......Cloud......" he whispered, gasping harshly as pain shot up his back. A small smile spread on his pain-stricken face, relieved to see Cloud was alive. "You remembered...... my name. Barret's up top... help him... An' Cloud... Sorry I wasn't any help."
The pain then became too much for him, and he closed his eyes and passed out. Cloud looked down at Wedge, a look of sympathy across his face. He had spoken very little to Wedge, and any words he did say were short and harsh. Yet to see Wedge lying there after fighting to save the pillar, struck a strong nerve within Cloud, for he was really just an innocent caught up in something much stronger than himself. He shook his head vigorously and stood up harshly, looking at the pillar.
"I'm going up!" he announced. Tifa stood up determined beside him. Cloud quickly turned to Aeris. "Aeris! You look after Wedge."
Aeris looked as though she was going to protest, but then stopped and nodded her head. Tifa ran over to her and grabbed Aeris's hand firmly in her own.
"Aeris, do me a favour," she pleaded with the young woman. Aeris looked at her. "I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighbourhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there..."
Aeris nodded, understanding. "Don't worry," she assured the woman. "I'll put her somewhere safe."
A relieved smile spread across Tifa's face and she clutched tightly onto Aeris's hand in a firm, friendly grip. Aeris smiled back at her – a smile filled with confidence and self-assurance. She slipped the ball of Ice Materia into Tifa's hands, feeling she would need it. Tifa then released the girl's hand and quickly turned to the spectators standing around her.
"It's dangerous here!" she shouted to everyone so they could hear her. "Everyone get away from the pillar, quickly! Everyone get out of Sector 7!"
For a moment or two the people around her just stared blankly as they comprehended what Tifa was trying to say. The words hit home just a few seconds later and the people scattered, running around in all directions in their desperation and confusion. Some people ran back into the slums, while others ran for the train station. Some people just ran back to the pillar, ready to wait for the end as they looked up at the battle raging above them. Aeris just knelt back down beside Wedge, checking him over to see if he was going to be all right.
Cloud and Tifa ran through the open gate and onto the stairs leading up the along the side of the pillar. The metal beneath their feet was shaking as they ran, vibrating from the many bullets that were being powered into the metal above them. The control system for the pillar was at the very top, so they had no choice but to run round and round towards the top, running as fast as they could.
As they ran round the first corner they came to a stop as they saw a figure lying slumped across the rail of the stairs, badly wounded from bullets that had hit him hard in his chest and stomach. Tifa cried out in dismay, for the person lying there was Biggs.
Cloud ran to Wedge and carefully pulled him away from the rail, holding him carefully in his arms. Biggs was still conscious but quickly fading, trembling slightly as he looked up at Cloud's face. His own face was pale and shaking, losing the battle that he was fighting.
"Cloud..." he gasped, his voice grated and sore. "So you don't care... what happens... to the... Planet?"
"You're wounded......" Cloud said, looking at Biggs's fatal wounds. Tifa knelt beside him and picked up Biggs's fallen bandana from the floor, beginning to tie up one of the wounds, even though it was a pointless effort.
Biggs smiled a little, just as Wedge had done. "Thanks, Cloud..." he said, his voice almost a whisper as he breathed deeply with each speech. "Don't worry 'bout me... Barret's... fighting up there. Go help him..."
Cloud nodded, and carefully propped Biggs up against the rail, positioning him so he could still sit up and fight with his gun if he needed to. Tifa gently wiped Biggs's face a little, tears in her eyes to see another of her friends hurt like this. Biggs didn't say anything else and just smiled a little, before wincing in pain. Tifa eventually stood up and began to run after Cloud up the pillar, praying with all her heart that the rest of AVALANCHE was all right.
Sadly, she did not get her wish, for further up the pillar towards the top they encountered the last minor member of AVALANCHE, lying wounded and abandoned on the floor. Jessie was trying her hardest to climb back to her feet, but the pain from her wounds quickly overcame her and she collapsed back onto the ground, just as Cloud and Tifa ran to her.
"...Cloud..." the girl whispered as she spotted Cloud kneeling beside her. She looked relieved to see him. "I'm glad... I could talk with you... one last time."
Cloud shook his head. "Don't say 'last'."
Jessie lifted her head a little, but a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her and she was forced to lie back down. As with the other AVALANCHE members she managed a gentle smile – a smile that revealed her courage and lack of fear.
"That's... all right..." she breathed softly. "Because... of our actions... many... people died... this probably... is our punishment..."
Another wave of dizziness swept over her and she passed out, falling limp in Cloud's arms. This time a tear ran down Tifa's face, unable to bear the suffering of her friends any longer. She jumped to her feet and began to charge up the last set of stairs towards the platform where the gunfire was at its loudest. Cloud waited a moment as he laid Jessie's head down onto the metal path, before he followed Tifa.
They reached the top of the stairs at last, their legs burning, just in time to see the battle that was raging there. The control panel was built in the centre, with two Shinra soldiers lying dead around it. The pillar itself was still rising past them nearby, up towards the bottom side of the pillar.
Barret was standing at the far end of the platform with his gun-arm raised and pointing at the air. He ignored Tifa and Cloud at first as they ran onto the platform, for he was busy firing away at the air. He turned sharply as he heard the sound of clattering feet behind him, and pointed his gun at Tifa and Cloud. A look of relief crossed his face as he saw the two, although it only lasted for a split second before it grew stern once again.
"Tifa! Cloud!" he called to them. "You came! Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter."
Tifa nodded firmly. "Better equip ourselves before they attack in full force!"
With that she grabbed the ball of green Materia that Aeris had given back to her, and threw it back to Barret, who quickly slipped it home in his gun- arm materia slots. Just as he finished slotting it in the sound of fast- spinning blades came from above them.
"Here they come!" Tifa called, clenching her fists ready.
The three looked up above them, and saw a Shinra helicopter flying towards them at a rapid speed. Barret raised his gun-arm and began to fire once more at the chopper, trying to bring it down before it got too close. His bullets struck the metal blades and frame of the helicopter but did little damage, and the helicopter swerved towards them.
As the helicopter approached a door slid open in the side. Cloud gasped in anger as he saw Reno standing in the doorway – the same Reno who had tried to capture Aeris in the Sector 5 church. Reno waited for a second as the helicopter steadied itself over the platform before he jumped down towards them. As he landed Barret turned and began to fire at him, but Reno was swift and quick and was by the control panel in a second, his hand hovering over the controls. Barret ran over and quickly took aim once again.
"You're too late," he sneered. "Once I push this button..."
Barret stepped forward quickly to stop Reno, but he was far too late. Reno pushed down on the large red button on the control panel, and a number of flashing lights lit up on the panel. He looked up at the group and grinned.
"That's all, folks!" he announced. "Mission accomplished."
"We have to disarm it!" Tifa cried, turning to Barret and Cloud. "Cloud! Barret! Please!"
Reno turned to her, a frown replacing his grin. "I can't have you do that," he said. "No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."
The Turk then reached for a long black pole tied to his waist and pulled it out. It looked like just a black pole that could hardly do much damage, which seemed as quite a surprise considering Reno was supposed to be an expert assassin. As he pulled it out he held it out in front of him, a sly smile on his face. He signalled for them to attack.
Barret fell right into the trap. He ran forward with his good arm raised to hit Reno hard and end it quickly. As he approached Reno swiftly stepped out of the way, letting Barret run past. Barret skidded to a stop and turned sharply, beginning to charge at Reno again. Reno stepped aside again, but this time he raised his pole and jabbed it hard into Barret's waist.
A bright wave of white light flashed through the air and Barret was lifted from the ground. He was thrown across the platform, and Cloud and Tifa managed to dodge just in time as Barret sailed past them and crashed to the floor at the end of the platform, skidding across the metal before coming to a stop beside the rail. He lay stunned on the floor, staring up at the plate above him.
The black rod in Reno's hand crackled intensely, while Reno smiled smugly as he turned his gaze towards Cloud and Tifa. His weapon was an electric rod, and a powerful one. Barret slowly sat up, his body shaking slightly from the electric charges running through his body.
"Shocking, isn't it?" Reno asked teasingly, twirling the rod round in his hands. "Never rush in without knowing what you're up against. That's a lesson you should not forget."
Cloud and Tifa looked over at Barret as he stood up, still slightly dazed. A small beeping noise began to sound around them, and Reno glanced down at his watch.
"It's time," he said. He nodded his head towards them and then turned. He ran forward, brushing past Tifa harshly as he dashed for the end of the platform, where he climbed up and jumped off.
As Tifa recovered from the collision, she turned and quickly ran towards the control panel, beginning to type furiously into it.
"Cloud!" she shouted suddenly, turning her head sharply to Cloud. "I don't know how to stop this. Try it!"
Cloud ran over to her and looked down at the console in front of him. Now that the main button had been pressed a number of lights and switches had activated and were flashing. He stared at it, before he finally shook his head.
"...It's not a normal time bomb," he said plainly.
The sound of helicopter blades caught their attention, and the group looked up towards the end of the platform where Reno had jumped. The helicopter then rose up from beneath them and hovered just above the platform. The door then opened and a man stepped out and looked down at them. He was Tseng, the leader of the Turks. He was dressed in a smart blue suit like Reno was, and had a head of long black hair that had been neatly brushed back out of the way. He had a cold and callous expression that also held a sense of satisfaction as he looked at the group in front of him.
"That's right," he said to them. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."
"Please, stop it!" Tifa pleaded desperately, her mind focused on all the people in the slums below who were still unaware of the dangers awaiting them.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed. "Only a Shinra Executive can set up and disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."
"Shut yer hole!" Barret shouted angrily. He raised his gun-arm and began to fire at the helicopter, attempting to knock Tseng from his perch and make him fall to his death.
Tseng just looked down at Barret, his face calm. "I wouldn't try that..." he warned Barret sternly. "You just might make me injure our special guest."
He turned his head and looked at a small, meek figure that was kneeling shamefully on the floor beside him. Cloud and Tifa stared as the young figure raised her head and looked back at them dolefully. The two gasped.
"Aeris!!" Tifa cried.
Tseng blinked. "Oh, you know each other?" he asked, looking at Tifa and then at Aeris. "How nice you could see each other one last time. You should thank me."
"What are you gonna do with Aeris!?" Cloud demanded.
The Turk leader shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "I haven't decided," he admitted. He looked at Aeris again. "Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient. It's taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the President."
Aeris leaned over the edge of the helicopter and called out to them. "Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!"
Angrily Tseng grabbed Aeris roughly by her shoulder and gave her a harsh slap across the side of her face. Aeris fell to the floor beside him, cradling her cheek. Tifa ran to the edge of the platform and reached up for Aeris desperately.
"Aeris!"
Aeris climbed to her knees and leaned over again, her cheek red and sore. "Hurry and get out!" she pleaded with them.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed, amused by their desperate pleas. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?"
The helicopter blades whirred faster and began to lift the helicopter up into the air. Tifa reached up as far as she could as it rose away from her, carrying Aeris with it. The chopper reached the top of the sector and turned, beginning to fly away from them at a rapid speed.
As it flew away, a small explosion occurred from within the pillar nearby. It shook violently, and large chunks of rock began to break away from the pillar and tumble down towards the sector below. The platform shook beneath their feet as small pieces of rock began to fall around them like rain – the pillar was breaking apart and that meant that at any moment the plate would fall down.
"Once that Plate starts coming down it'll be too late," said Tifa. "We gotta hurry!"
She and Cloud looked around desperately. There was too little time for them to run back down the stairs and leave the sector – the Plate would surely fall before they could even reach the bottom. Barret looked around the perimeter of the platform, and his eyes fell on a long cable attached to the rail. It looked as though it was attached to the Plate ahead of them, and seemed sturdy enough.
"Yo, we can use this wire to get out!" he said.
Tifa and Cloud looked over to see Barret run to the rail, where he climbed up and unhooked the cable. He signalled for Tifa and Barret to come over, and they did so. Tifa climbed onto the rail and held onto Barret tightly. Cloud climbed up on the other side and held firmly onto the cable. The three looked at each other and nodded, before they jumped down and began to swing away from the pillar.
The moment they left the platform the pillar exploded, shattering into a million pieces. Up on the ground above the people walking around stopped in surprise as the ground beneath their feet suddenly jerked violently, a loud creaking noise reverberating around them.
At the edges where the Plate joined to the rest of Midgar, the large metal hinges that helped to hold it up suddenly disconnected, and the Plate tilted harshly to one side. The people on the Plate screamed loudly as the fell to the side, their balance lost. Then the hinges on the other side gave away, and the Plate began to topple down towards the slums below.
It was only at the last moment that the people in the slums realised what was happening. Those in their houses only realised something was wrong as the newsreaders on their screens looked up in horror and screamed before their signal was lost.
On the streets people looked up in horror as they saw the large dark metal Plate falling towards them. The stared and stared and then began to run, although by then it was far too late for them to escape.
On the cable Cloud, Tifa and Barret continued to swing away from the sector. The cable jerked violently as the Plate began to come down, but it remained firm as they swung towards the large doors leading out of the sector. They passed through it rapidly, just moments before the Plate crashed down onto the ground behind them.
The ground shook ferociously as the Plate finally landed, and the sound of the crash was so loud it echoed all the way through the rest of Midgar. It was as though a meteor had suddenly hit, and clouds of smoke and pieces of metal flew through the open door leading out of the sector and tore through the park of Sector 6.
The only place that did not hear the full horror of the tragedy was the Shinra HQ. At that very moment President Shinra was standing in his office looking out of the large windows at Sector 7. From where he was he could see the large gap where the Plate had fallen, and could still see the Plate as it crashed to the ground and large flashes of red began to rise up around it as fires broke out. He stared blankly at the devastation before him, not even a look of concern crossing his face.
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Fifteen
Cloud finally managed to push the old, heavy sewer lid out of the way and climbed out of the sewer, relieved to get out of the dark and dreary sewers and back into the slums. The air was not much better, but it was better than the sickening smell that ran through the sewers. Once he was out he turned to the hole and helped Aeris climb out, and then they both helped Tifa out. Once all three of them were out of the sewers and had finished brushing the damp dirt from their clothing, they looked around at where they had come out.
They were standing in what looked like a large train yard, for they were surrounded on all sides by many old and abandoned trains. The trains had just been dumped anywhere on the ground and left there, and many were now broken and wrecked, savaged by punks desperate for food or just a place to sleep. It was a barren, empty place, and was like a graveyard for trains. However it was a good sign, because the Train Graveyard was directly next to Sector 7, which meant they were very close to the slums, and the plate had not fallen yet.
"Aeris," Cloud said suddenly, and Aeris turned to look at him. Cloud was looking down at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. "I got you mixed up in all of this..."
Aeris quickly shook her head. "Don't tell me to go home," she told him.
Cloud slowly raised his head and looked at Aeris's face, finally meeting her gaze. He barely knew her, just as she barely knew him, but she had willingly risked her life for them many times already, and still refused to go home. He knew there was no use arguing with her now. Like Elmyra had said, once Aeris had made up her mind, she wouldn't change it. Aeris smiled as she realised that Cloud understood that, and walked past him towards Tifa.
Tifa had walked away from them while they were talking, and had climbed up onto the top of a nearby train via a ladder, and was looking around at the rest of the graveyard, trying to find her bearings.
"Let's see..." she mumbled quietly to herself. She turned around to look the other way, and stretched up to see over the rest of the trains. She then pointed ahead of her. "If we can just get past the trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here."
She jumped down from the train and back beside Cloud and Aeris who were waiting for her below. The three then began to walk through the wreckage that was scattered around them, heading north to where they hoped the rest of Sector 7 was. They had to hurry because they had very limited time. At any moment Shinra could succeed in its plans to bring down the plate that was suspended in the air above them, and everyone in the slums and on top of the plate would die.
The trains that were lying on the old broken rails had been abandoned for a very long time. When Midgar had first been built and they were in use, they were probably very fashionable, very streamlined trains. Now however, after years of neglect, they were very rusty and fragile. Dark copper rust had formed over the doors and wheels and even on the old rails where they had been pushed out of the way. There was almost no chance of finding a train that would move, so when the group came to a blockage in their path they had to climb up onto the roof of the train and down onto the other side.
Some of the trains still had some form of power though, for in some of the trains the lights were still turned on inside, albeit flickering and faint as they strained to stay alive amongst the rest of the graveyard. It was a spooky and desolate place, and the three wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, not only to save Sector 7 but also leave the creepy graveyard of trains behind them.
The group clambered over what they hoped would be the last train in the desolate graveyard, and were extremely relieved to see that it was. As they emerged from the roof of the last train they saw the Sector 7 train station, just as they had left it. The single train was resting quietly by the platform, with the single Shinra guard in front of it, waiting for the next load of passengers. It all seemed very quiet and calm in the sector – clearly no one had any idea of what was about to happen. Cloud, Aeris and Tifa wasted no time in running out of the graveyard and towards the slums.
As they ran out of the train station and into the clearing between the station and the slums, they saw that things were more unsettled than they had first thought. In the middle of the clearing was the large stone pillar that rose up right beneath the plate to hold it up and prevent it from falling, sealed off by a large metal fence to prevent anyone from entering. The gate leading into the pillar sector had now been forced open, blown from its hinges by guns. Many people from the slums had gathered around the pillar, looking in and chattering loudly amongst the stairs as they looked up the stairs that wound their way up at the side of the pillar.
"We made it!" Tifa exclaimed gladly, running into the clearing. "The pillar's still standing!"
"Wait!" Cloud said suddenly, interrupting Tifa's excitement. Tifa looked at him as he tilted his head, listening hard. "You hear something... above us?"
Tifa put a hand behind her ear and looked up to hear what Cloud was hearing. She could hear a faint sound coming from above them. It was a repetitive sound – a sound she recognised only too well, for she had heard it often enough from Barret.
"...Gunfire?" guessed Aeris.
One by one the three all looked up above them towards the pillar. As their gazes slowly rose up the stairs, they saw many flashes of light and more sounds of gunfire coming from all corners of the pillar – a fierce battle was raging around the pillar. Gunfire and counter-fire were being shot as the battle to save the pillar raged, rising all the way up to the top where the main platform was.
As the group looked up, they could see a number of moving figures on the top platform. One fairly small figure was slowly backing off towards the edge of the platform, being forced back by more people with guns. He reached the end of the platform and stopped, with nowhere else to go. A gun suddenly fired and the man fell off the end of the platform, and began to tumble down towards the ground.
He landed with a loud and heavy thud on the ground in the middle of Cloud, Tifa and Aeris as they stood staring. Everyone moved away from the pillar and gathered around him to see if he was okay, and Tifa screamed in horror as she saw the man who had fallen.
It was Wedge.
"Wedge!" Cloud yelled. "You all right!" He ran to Wedge's side and kneeled. Wedge was very badly hurt. There were bullet wounds in his side where bullets had skimmed past him, and he was twisted round from his fall. He seemed to react to the sound of Cloud's voice, and slowly opened his eyes to look at him, although his vision was blurred and failing.
"......Cloud......" he whispered, gasping harshly as pain shot up his back. A small smile spread on his pain-stricken face, relieved to see Cloud was alive. "You remembered...... my name. Barret's up top... help him... An' Cloud... Sorry I wasn't any help."
The pain then became too much for him, and he closed his eyes and passed out. Cloud looked down at Wedge, a look of sympathy across his face. He had spoken very little to Wedge, and any words he did say were short and harsh. Yet to see Wedge lying there after fighting to save the pillar, struck a strong nerve within Cloud, for he was really just an innocent caught up in something much stronger than himself. He shook his head vigorously and stood up harshly, looking at the pillar.
"I'm going up!" he announced. Tifa stood up determined beside him. Cloud quickly turned to Aeris. "Aeris! You look after Wedge."
Aeris looked as though she was going to protest, but then stopped and nodded her head. Tifa ran over to her and grabbed Aeris's hand firmly in her own.
"Aeris, do me a favour," she pleaded with the young woman. Aeris looked at her. "I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighbourhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there..."
Aeris nodded, understanding. "Don't worry," she assured the woman. "I'll put her somewhere safe."
A relieved smile spread across Tifa's face and she clutched tightly onto Aeris's hand in a firm, friendly grip. Aeris smiled back at her – a smile filled with confidence and self-assurance. She slipped the ball of Ice Materia into Tifa's hands, feeling she would need it. Tifa then released the girl's hand and quickly turned to the spectators standing around her.
"It's dangerous here!" she shouted to everyone so they could hear her. "Everyone get away from the pillar, quickly! Everyone get out of Sector 7!"
For a moment or two the people around her just stared blankly as they comprehended what Tifa was trying to say. The words hit home just a few seconds later and the people scattered, running around in all directions in their desperation and confusion. Some people ran back into the slums, while others ran for the train station. Some people just ran back to the pillar, ready to wait for the end as they looked up at the battle raging above them. Aeris just knelt back down beside Wedge, checking him over to see if he was going to be all right.
Cloud and Tifa ran through the open gate and onto the stairs leading up the along the side of the pillar. The metal beneath their feet was shaking as they ran, vibrating from the many bullets that were being powered into the metal above them. The control system for the pillar was at the very top, so they had no choice but to run round and round towards the top, running as fast as they could.
As they ran round the first corner they came to a stop as they saw a figure lying slumped across the rail of the stairs, badly wounded from bullets that had hit him hard in his chest and stomach. Tifa cried out in dismay, for the person lying there was Biggs.
Cloud ran to Wedge and carefully pulled him away from the rail, holding him carefully in his arms. Biggs was still conscious but quickly fading, trembling slightly as he looked up at Cloud's face. His own face was pale and shaking, losing the battle that he was fighting.
"Cloud..." he gasped, his voice grated and sore. "So you don't care... what happens... to the... Planet?"
"You're wounded......" Cloud said, looking at Biggs's fatal wounds. Tifa knelt beside him and picked up Biggs's fallen bandana from the floor, beginning to tie up one of the wounds, even though it was a pointless effort.
Biggs smiled a little, just as Wedge had done. "Thanks, Cloud..." he said, his voice almost a whisper as he breathed deeply with each speech. "Don't worry 'bout me... Barret's... fighting up there. Go help him..."
Cloud nodded, and carefully propped Biggs up against the rail, positioning him so he could still sit up and fight with his gun if he needed to. Tifa gently wiped Biggs's face a little, tears in her eyes to see another of her friends hurt like this. Biggs didn't say anything else and just smiled a little, before wincing in pain. Tifa eventually stood up and began to run after Cloud up the pillar, praying with all her heart that the rest of AVALANCHE was all right.
Sadly, she did not get her wish, for further up the pillar towards the top they encountered the last minor member of AVALANCHE, lying wounded and abandoned on the floor. Jessie was trying her hardest to climb back to her feet, but the pain from her wounds quickly overcame her and she collapsed back onto the ground, just as Cloud and Tifa ran to her.
"...Cloud..." the girl whispered as she spotted Cloud kneeling beside her. She looked relieved to see him. "I'm glad... I could talk with you... one last time."
Cloud shook his head. "Don't say 'last'."
Jessie lifted her head a little, but a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her and she was forced to lie back down. As with the other AVALANCHE members she managed a gentle smile – a smile that revealed her courage and lack of fear.
"That's... all right..." she breathed softly. "Because... of our actions... many... people died... this probably... is our punishment..."
Another wave of dizziness swept over her and she passed out, falling limp in Cloud's arms. This time a tear ran down Tifa's face, unable to bear the suffering of her friends any longer. She jumped to her feet and began to charge up the last set of stairs towards the platform where the gunfire was at its loudest. Cloud waited a moment as he laid Jessie's head down onto the metal path, before he followed Tifa.
They reached the top of the stairs at last, their legs burning, just in time to see the battle that was raging there. The control panel was built in the centre, with two Shinra soldiers lying dead around it. The pillar itself was still rising past them nearby, up towards the bottom side of the pillar.
Barret was standing at the far end of the platform with his gun-arm raised and pointing at the air. He ignored Tifa and Cloud at first as they ran onto the platform, for he was busy firing away at the air. He turned sharply as he heard the sound of clattering feet behind him, and pointed his gun at Tifa and Cloud. A look of relief crossed his face as he saw the two, although it only lasted for a split second before it grew stern once again.
"Tifa! Cloud!" he called to them. "You came! Be careful! They're attacking from the helicopter."
Tifa nodded firmly. "Better equip ourselves before they attack in full force!"
With that she grabbed the ball of green Materia that Aeris had given back to her, and threw it back to Barret, who quickly slipped it home in his gun- arm materia slots. Just as he finished slotting it in the sound of fast- spinning blades came from above them.
"Here they come!" Tifa called, clenching her fists ready.
The three looked up above them, and saw a Shinra helicopter flying towards them at a rapid speed. Barret raised his gun-arm and began to fire once more at the chopper, trying to bring it down before it got too close. His bullets struck the metal blades and frame of the helicopter but did little damage, and the helicopter swerved towards them.
As the helicopter approached a door slid open in the side. Cloud gasped in anger as he saw Reno standing in the doorway – the same Reno who had tried to capture Aeris in the Sector 5 church. Reno waited for a second as the helicopter steadied itself over the platform before he jumped down towards them. As he landed Barret turned and began to fire at him, but Reno was swift and quick and was by the control panel in a second, his hand hovering over the controls. Barret ran over and quickly took aim once again.
"You're too late," he sneered. "Once I push this button..."
Barret stepped forward quickly to stop Reno, but he was far too late. Reno pushed down on the large red button on the control panel, and a number of flashing lights lit up on the panel. He looked up at the group and grinned.
"That's all, folks!" he announced. "Mission accomplished."
"We have to disarm it!" Tifa cried, turning to Barret and Cloud. "Cloud! Barret! Please!"
Reno turned to her, a frown replacing his grin. "I can't have you do that," he said. "No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."
The Turk then reached for a long black pole tied to his waist and pulled it out. It looked like just a black pole that could hardly do much damage, which seemed as quite a surprise considering Reno was supposed to be an expert assassin. As he pulled it out he held it out in front of him, a sly smile on his face. He signalled for them to attack.
Barret fell right into the trap. He ran forward with his good arm raised to hit Reno hard and end it quickly. As he approached Reno swiftly stepped out of the way, letting Barret run past. Barret skidded to a stop and turned sharply, beginning to charge at Reno again. Reno stepped aside again, but this time he raised his pole and jabbed it hard into Barret's waist.
A bright wave of white light flashed through the air and Barret was lifted from the ground. He was thrown across the platform, and Cloud and Tifa managed to dodge just in time as Barret sailed past them and crashed to the floor at the end of the platform, skidding across the metal before coming to a stop beside the rail. He lay stunned on the floor, staring up at the plate above him.
The black rod in Reno's hand crackled intensely, while Reno smiled smugly as he turned his gaze towards Cloud and Tifa. His weapon was an electric rod, and a powerful one. Barret slowly sat up, his body shaking slightly from the electric charges running through his body.
"Shocking, isn't it?" Reno asked teasingly, twirling the rod round in his hands. "Never rush in without knowing what you're up against. That's a lesson you should not forget."
Cloud and Tifa looked over at Barret as he stood up, still slightly dazed. A small beeping noise began to sound around them, and Reno glanced down at his watch.
"It's time," he said. He nodded his head towards them and then turned. He ran forward, brushing past Tifa harshly as he dashed for the end of the platform, where he climbed up and jumped off.
As Tifa recovered from the collision, she turned and quickly ran towards the control panel, beginning to type furiously into it.
"Cloud!" she shouted suddenly, turning her head sharply to Cloud. "I don't know how to stop this. Try it!"
Cloud ran over to her and looked down at the console in front of him. Now that the main button had been pressed a number of lights and switches had activated and were flashing. He stared at it, before he finally shook his head.
"...It's not a normal time bomb," he said plainly.
The sound of helicopter blades caught their attention, and the group looked up towards the end of the platform where Reno had jumped. The helicopter then rose up from beneath them and hovered just above the platform. The door then opened and a man stepped out and looked down at them. He was Tseng, the leader of the Turks. He was dressed in a smart blue suit like Reno was, and had a head of long black hair that had been neatly brushed back out of the way. He had a cold and callous expression that also held a sense of satisfaction as he looked at the group in front of him.
"That's right," he said to them. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."
"Please, stop it!" Tifa pleaded desperately, her mind focused on all the people in the slums below who were still unaware of the dangers awaiting them.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed. "Only a Shinra Executive can set up and disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."
"Shut yer hole!" Barret shouted angrily. He raised his gun-arm and began to fire at the helicopter, attempting to knock Tseng from his perch and make him fall to his death.
Tseng just looked down at Barret, his face calm. "I wouldn't try that..." he warned Barret sternly. "You just might make me injure our special guest."
He turned his head and looked at a small, meek figure that was kneeling shamefully on the floor beside him. Cloud and Tifa stared as the young figure raised her head and looked back at them dolefully. The two gasped.
"Aeris!!" Tifa cried.
Tseng blinked. "Oh, you know each other?" he asked, looking at Tifa and then at Aeris. "How nice you could see each other one last time. You should thank me."
"What are you gonna do with Aeris!?" Cloud demanded.
The Turk leader shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "I haven't decided," he admitted. He looked at Aeris again. "Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient. It's taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the President."
Aeris leaned over the edge of the helicopter and called out to them. "Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!"
Angrily Tseng grabbed Aeris roughly by her shoulder and gave her a harsh slap across the side of her face. Aeris fell to the floor beside him, cradling her cheek. Tifa ran to the edge of the platform and reached up for Aeris desperately.
"Aeris!"
Aeris climbed to her knees and leaned over again, her cheek red and sore. "Hurry and get out!" she pleaded with them.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed, amused by their desperate pleas. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?"
The helicopter blades whirred faster and began to lift the helicopter up into the air. Tifa reached up as far as she could as it rose away from her, carrying Aeris with it. The chopper reached the top of the sector and turned, beginning to fly away from them at a rapid speed.
As it flew away, a small explosion occurred from within the pillar nearby. It shook violently, and large chunks of rock began to break away from the pillar and tumble down towards the sector below. The platform shook beneath their feet as small pieces of rock began to fall around them like rain – the pillar was breaking apart and that meant that at any moment the plate would fall down.
"Once that Plate starts coming down it'll be too late," said Tifa. "We gotta hurry!"
She and Cloud looked around desperately. There was too little time for them to run back down the stairs and leave the sector – the Plate would surely fall before they could even reach the bottom. Barret looked around the perimeter of the platform, and his eyes fell on a long cable attached to the rail. It looked as though it was attached to the Plate ahead of them, and seemed sturdy enough.
"Yo, we can use this wire to get out!" he said.
Tifa and Cloud looked over to see Barret run to the rail, where he climbed up and unhooked the cable. He signalled for Tifa and Barret to come over, and they did so. Tifa climbed onto the rail and held onto Barret tightly. Cloud climbed up on the other side and held firmly onto the cable. The three looked at each other and nodded, before they jumped down and began to swing away from the pillar.
The moment they left the platform the pillar exploded, shattering into a million pieces. Up on the ground above the people walking around stopped in surprise as the ground beneath their feet suddenly jerked violently, a loud creaking noise reverberating around them.
At the edges where the Plate joined to the rest of Midgar, the large metal hinges that helped to hold it up suddenly disconnected, and the Plate tilted harshly to one side. The people on the Plate screamed loudly as the fell to the side, their balance lost. Then the hinges on the other side gave away, and the Plate began to topple down towards the slums below.
It was only at the last moment that the people in the slums realised what was happening. Those in their houses only realised something was wrong as the newsreaders on their screens looked up in horror and screamed before their signal was lost.
On the streets people looked up in horror as they saw the large dark metal Plate falling towards them. The stared and stared and then began to run, although by then it was far too late for them to escape.
On the cable Cloud, Tifa and Barret continued to swing away from the sector. The cable jerked violently as the Plate began to come down, but it remained firm as they swung towards the large doors leading out of the sector. They passed through it rapidly, just moments before the Plate crashed down onto the ground behind them.
The ground shook ferociously as the Plate finally landed, and the sound of the crash was so loud it echoed all the way through the rest of Midgar. It was as though a meteor had suddenly hit, and clouds of smoke and pieces of metal flew through the open door leading out of the sector and tore through the park of Sector 6.
The only place that did not hear the full horror of the tragedy was the Shinra HQ. At that very moment President Shinra was standing in his office looking out of the large windows at Sector 7. From where he was he could see the large gap where the Plate had fallen, and could still see the Plate as it crashed to the ground and large flashes of red began to rise up around it as fires broke out. He stared blankly at the devastation before him, not even a look of concern crossing his face.
