Crimson Coloured Fantasy—Chapter 1: Fading Memories
A Final Fantasy VII Fan Fiction
by Lina Harringdyn
News/Updates: When I had originally written this, I realized that it was too similar to the video game and needed some things to be corrected and rewritten. This story is based on fact (though character relationships may not be) because I typed up the game dialogue—Disc 1-Disc 3. I will apparently be rewriting this particular story/chapter until Hell freezes over, or until I get a life and consider something I do as "good enough for the general population's eyes."
Warnings: Swearing, Alternate Universe, Violence
About: What are these? Are they mine? These memories…
Hollowness swallowed and exploited the air around me, though I did not understand why. It was as if I was inside a void or black hole of nothingness. Clearly about me I could make out things and could comprehend what people stated; however, I could make no action of my own and this left an echoing confusion inside my mind. Drifting. That was probably the best word to describe what I was feeling. An immense field seemed to prevent movement and caused inaudible words to escape my mouth warping them into groans.
"Cloud? Is that you?" a familiar voice sang into my consciousness as I stared awkwardly up at a tall brunette haired woman. The feeling was like having taken an ice cold shower and waking up with one's eyes wide open—my body felt as though it was mine once more and I was easily mobile. Though my limbs tingled with this newfound control that I had been separated from for some time, it felt good to be back inside my body. There was, however, this constant nagging as I tried to recall something. There was something about this girl that I was trying to recollect, but nothing came to the front of my mind. Someone kept hitting the delete on the keyboard of my memory.
"Tifa?" That question alone was the beginning of my story.
Numbness throbbed painfully within the youth's fingers as he continued to blindly grasp the rumbling roof of the train. His head was pressed painfully against the cold metal in order to prevent parts that jutted out from the tunnel from hitting him. The midnight air wrapped about the train as it wound its way around the towering pillar of Midgar City towards the Reactor Zone. Scents of vegetation abounded within the air as they erupted from the claustrophobic passageway. Its brakes snapped into gear, grinding the wheels stiffly against the rusted rails, struggling to a stop; brilliant orange sparks paraded off along the cobblestone walkways, disappearing into the somber night.
As it scraped to an ear deafening halt into the Sector 8 Reactor Zone, the small band of stowaways aboard the stone cold train roof prepared to attack two unknowing guards defending the checkpoint. Silently padding about their titanium walkway, they all peered hopefully at the night sky, a sight they rarely enjoyed—it, too, watched them dotted in its milky white glory.
A gruff whisper resounded in the daunting quietness to no one in particular.
"It's time."
Checkpoint guards were lazy at any given time unless members of the elite military force Soldier were about. They wore crimson uniforms similar to that of a train engineer and were granted the usage of a nightstick only if it was necessary. In other words, they were paycheck fillers. They accepted an abounding sum of money for the chance to sit on a boring watch because nothing ever transpired in the Reactor Zone. Terrorists never acted. Crimes were rarely committed. It was a perfect sense of security thanks to Shin-Ra Corporation headquarters being so close and the reactors being extremely vital.
A guard bedecked in a murky coloured uniform, thanks to the soot that rose up from the countless chimneys in the vicinity, stood against the side of an oil slicked brick building, smoking on a cigarette and trying to get some desperately desired shuteye. His ice-cold hands were tucked snuggly into baggy pockets, while he flicked open and shut the clasp to his grandfather's pocket watch. Apparent to any passersby, it was a dull job and the man surely disliked it; however, it paid well.
Tiredly, a yawn escaped his mouth causing the barely burned snipe to fall to the ground. Angry from lack of sleep, he halfheartedly stamped out the butt as he murmured to his companion, "Damn trains—hate it when they stop. Can't ever seem to get that ringing out of the ears, know what I mean?" His companion was a serious youth who was new to the job. Always striving to do well, he stood straight as a board on the edge of the cobblestone walkway beside the still steaming train. Turning on his heal, the boy was ghostly white and his eyes were wide with surprise.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Doubling over in severe pain, the guard removed the hand clutched to his stomach and stared at the blood that stained it. Turning to his companion he gasped out, "H-help me." Barely a whisper, the dying man fell heavily against the cobblestone in shock. His eyes rolled painfully back into his head as the older man could only stare helplessly at the limp vessel with terror etched out on his face.
"What the…what the hell? This isn't funny!" he screamed out as tears of fear burned in his eyes and his heart rate began to quicken, pounding heavily throbbed in his chest. "What the hell's going on here?" His voice sailed away in the misty blackness of the sky as his eyes widened; the rank odor of death ensnared him into a captivating lull. The sound of boots clunking along the cobblestone caused the man to hold his breath.
The killer loomed in the shallowness of the night air adorning dark ebony coloured locks and blazing blue eyes. Wearing camouflage green jeans and a dust littered tank top, he slowly stalked towards the man with a small handgun in tow. Stepping firmly into the pool of blood that stained the way, he murmured, "You could run away, you know. You could also try calling for help—you'd still reach the same end."
"P-please! Whatever it is you want—money—I'll get it for you. Just, don't kill me."
"Whatever it is I want?" Biggs, a man of the infamous terrorist faction, Avalanche, bated. "What I want is for all you damn Shin-Ra flunkies to die." His words ate hungrily into the frightened guard, his nightstick seemed a distant ornament—a prop; the guard was mortified, eyes wide with terror, breath raspy. Bees. A bee sting came to mind as the bullet shot through his back burning the flesh around the hole. There was a sudden empty feeling; a ringing sound filled the ears and reverberated as the mind emptied.
There were hands digging through the man's pockets until they came across the Reactor Zone security pass. Without thought, the guard shook his head, his voice a ghostly whisper. "Please, don't…" Snap! The strings of his life were breaking one by one as he collapsed in a heap; blood—life—oozed swiftly under his limp form, accumulating beneath his ragged body as it shuddered. His last words echoed painfully in the ears of the girl who had killed him. "I hate…trains."
"An unnecessary death," remarked a short woman with wispy brown hair. She replaced a small pistol into a leather belt pouch as she tried to stop shaking. Apparently, the train ride had caused an adrenaline rush. "You have the security card, right Biggs?"
"Of course, Jessie—who do you think I am?" stammered Biggs as a grin lit his face.
Jessie nodded her head. "We should get going before he gets pissed off."
"C'mon, Wedge! Hurry it up, will you?"
Atop the train perched a squat little man, anger and embarrassment stretched across his pudgy face. Two black calming eyes protruded beneath a grease-streaked bandana. "I'm afraid," he stated calmly, though he felt more like a clownish fool than a member of the feared Avalanche.
Biggs shouted impatiently up at the older man, "Afraid! What's there to be afraid of? The guards are—don't tell me you're afraid of heights? You got up on that train all right—you hung onto that train all right. There's no reason to be afraid. Of course, if you fall then your brains would be all over the sidewalk, but…"
"Knock it off, Biggs!" Jessie berated as she elbowed the man. "We have to hurry, Wedge. We don't know when other guards might show up. If you need help, there's a ladder right near your feet. Besides, Biggs will catch you!"
"Says who?" growled the man as he tapped his foot.
A long way down greeted Wedge as he reached the ladder and set one foot slowly in front of the other. His brown hiking boots made echoing clinks with every step. "That's the last time I ever ride on the roof of a train."
"Okay, you two. We've wasted enough time," Jessie stated firmly as Biggs and Wedge crowded around her. "We have to take that staircase," she pointed towards an eerily lit alleyway, "up three flights and we should reach the first gate, okay?" They ran quietly towards a little entryway lit by dimming fluorescent lights. The sound of their feet padding off into the night sang in their ears.
A behemoth of a man rolled off the top of the train with a loud thump as he hit the cobblestone walkway. The two bodies emanated an odorous greeting, causing the black man to wrinkle his nose with disgust. He glowered bitterly up at the train top in expectation of something.
"C'mon, newcomer! We don't have time to waste!" he bellowed angrily.
With deftness, a blonde haired youth back flipped in cue to Barret Wallace's demands and landed squarely on the ground. He dusted off his nylon knitted uniform and watched in dismay as the black man ran after the others in a disgruntled fashion. Resituating his black turtleneck and readjusting the belt that held a lethal broadsword to his back were simple preening jobs for him.
'What am I doing here? I feel like I'm part of a circus crew.'
He walked quietly towards the alleyway, where a winding staircase led towards the first gate. Walking gave him time to think and every time the youth thought his head would begin to throb with unfamiliar and foreign ideas. 'Why am I here? Where was I before all this…happened?' As he came to the head of the stairs he was greeted by the brilliantly coloured trio; Barret, leader of Avalanche, was nowhere in sight.
"Mind handing me a pair of pliers—the ones with the green handles, preferably."
Biggs dug through a tiny plastic toolbox. "Here you go, Jessie."
Wedge waved comically at the youth as he grimaced at the site of the stubby looking man. Turning to see what was transpiring, Biggs said, "Oh. You're an ex-member of Soldier, right?" Nod. "Wow. You used to be in Soldier! It's not everyday you find someone as talented as you in a group like Avalanche."
"Soldier?" Jessie gasped absentmindedly. "Aren't they the enemy?"
Laughing aloud, Biggs replied humbly, "He was in Soldier. He quit them and now he's one of us; if he weren't, Barret would of nailed his ass to the floor." With a blank look on his face, the man stood there in an idiotic stance. "Um, I hate to ask this, but…what's your name?"
"My name?" he mouthed the words. Foreign. "My name's Cloud." Before Biggs could open his mouth to speak, Cloud continued in a dry manner. "I don't care who any of you are. Once this job's through, I'm going to look for one that pays better."
"What the hell are yah guys doin'?" The large black man came barreling in on a two-foot-wide catwalk, glaring at Cloud with loathing chocolate coloured eyes. "I thought I told yah to never move in a group. Shin-Ra could'a spotted yah a mile away; yah stick out like daisies in a field."
Biggs nudged Cloud in the stomach. "He gets like that on missions. Don't piss him off—okay?"
Change. "You mean, he uses deplorable similes in times of stress?" The sarcasm left a bitter taste in Cloud's mouth as if it were the most unnatural thing he had ever stated. It was distant now, what he had said, but it seemed abnormal in some part of his mind; he just could not decide how or why.
"Done!" Jessie sang aloud as a hollow clicking sounded. The door screeched as it slid out of their way. "Biggs and Wedge—let's go!" Quickly, she slipped the remaining tools into their designated box and placed it in her belt pouch. She bolted after the two men as they dashed for the mako reactor.
Turning to face Cloud, the black man leered down at the youth. "Our target's the North mako reactor—meet up at the front gates," he grumbled in a disjointed manner. "You're ex-Soldier, eh? I dun trust yah, but I dun have much choice in company nowadays. The name's Barret—Barret Wallace—sure yah already knew that. An' you're Cloud Strife—Tifa told me. Anyways, let's go. We dun have time to waste."
"Why bother trying to get to know me? There's no point. We'll all go our separate ways in the end. I can see the hate in your eyes—so why do you bother trying to hide it? Why do you try and befriend me? Why am I so confused?" Cloud's thoughts throbbed throughout his consciousness. The sound of the group's feet pounding away on the metal flooring resounded through the vast labyrinth of twists and turns as the youth traipsed after them.
The pathway opened up into a vast area of luminous green emanating from the beneath the T-shaped bridge he now stood on. Cloud looked uncertainly around; shivers raced up and down his spine caressing the cloth-covered skin. "Why is this so familiar? I worked for Shin-Ra, so it should be. But, why do I get this nauseating feeling and my head…it's throbbing terribly."
Ignoring Wedge, who was happily humming an obnoxious rendition of a song from the infamous movie "Loveless", Cloud took the pathway heading towards the right; the reactor would be awaiting him. The job was to get into the reactor, set up a timed bomb, and obliterate the draining machine; however, something told him to stay away, that long ago something terrible had once happened. The odor of burning flora haunted Cloud's memory as his head continued to throb; struggling to recollect what danger he could be in.
The bridge was rusted in several areas and looked quite unsafe to the untrained eye. Walking briskly across as his boots clicked noisily, Cloud continued towards the reactor and disappeared into an intoxicating cloud of green mist. He came out into a large hallway and was given an immediate scenery shock. The walls were amassed with pipes and wires coated in a thin gold coloured paint, whereas the floor was marbled green.
Skipping step after step on a steep staircase, he wandered towards a towering sliding door, where he found Jessie and Biggs busy trying to enter a control panel. Biggs was laughing heartily as he spoke. "We're going to blow this tank! I can't believe it. This reactor's going to be nothing but dust in the morning and Shin-Ra don't know nothing about it!" His humor was lost on the all-to-serious Jessie.
"Be quiet. Just tell me the code."
Barret, who was standing against the walls, turned to face the youth. "Yer first time in a reactor, Soldier?"
"No," Cloud replied hastily. He was hesitant to continue. "I used to work for Shin-Ra. If you doubt my loyalty, I'll have you know that I was just taking my time walking up here. I'm not here to spy on you and your group—I'm here to blow up a mako reactor."
Glowering at the boy, Barret, leader of Avalanche, stated firmly, "Yah sure are cocky and dun seem to understand what we're tryin' to do here. The Planet's full of life energy—mako energy. People here in Midgar, and elsewhere, use it everyday. It keeps power running throughout the city. It's also the life of the Planet an' Shin-Ra keeps sucking out that life, slowly killing it off with his damn reactors. If someone doesn't do something, this Planet's goin' ta die and take us with it."
Nodding his head mockingly, Cloud glared bitterly at the older man. "I'm not here for a lecture. Let's just hurry and get this job done, so I can get my pay and leave this damn city." Anger. Hatred. Uncertainty. The headache was gone, but new feelings, ideas, and memories compiled themselves rapidly, filling the empty compartments of his brain. Cloud was lost and could not find himself. Barret's booming voice brought him back.
"You're a fine piece of work, ain't ya?" Barret growled, though a smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "Yer comin' with me, so no more running around an' starin' at the scenery, kay?" Clenching his lone fist out of frustration, he stared gloomily down at the forearm of his right arm. Grafted to it was a large gun. It was not unusual to see someone wandering around with this new form of weaponry; several people with lost limbs had gotten newfound devices installed.
Biggs and Jessie nervously pressed their ears to doorway. "There's no clicking. We think there's something wrong with the code that we've got."
Barret's eyes bulged. "Try again. Did ya make sure to press them in the right sequence."
Jessie shrugged. "I think we did. This is our last go. If we mess up again—it's bye-bye time and we'll be thrown in Shin-Ra Headquarters' prized jail."
"Hey, Jessie?" Biggs asked hesitantly; the girl turned and stared at him crossly. "I think that the what I thought was a number one, is actually supposed to be a seven."
"Are you sure?" Jessie asked.
"JUST TRY IT!"
The door screeched smoothly out of their way; the four of them let their breath out slowly. "I'll stand watch, right?" Biggs inquired as he squatted beside the open door. "Good luck, guys."
Running towards an elevator, Jessie punched the down arrow. "We're doing the right thing."
Cloud stared gloomily at her. Jessie was a great arsonist from what little he knew of her, yet she was so afraid of hurting people. The youth could not fathom how the ragtag group could be a feared terrorist faction. Though she was muttering under her breath almost inaudibly, he managed to hear her say, "Image how many people risked and lost their lives just for the codes to this building. So many people believe in us, yet we're such a small group."
"What does she expect? We're fighting against the Shin-Ra! It's only understandable that lives would be lost, I'm just surprised that they haven't been caught before this," Cloud sighed heavily. They don't look like terrorists, but…I don't really look like an ex-member of Solider." The thought hit him heavily as they entered the cramped elevator and the doors shut behind them. Slowly, the elevator wound its way downward.
"When did I join Soldier? Why did I join? I-I can't remember."
"There's no need to remember."
Cloud stared about him, alarmed. "What?"
Barret cleared his throat angrily. "I'd said, little by little, the reactors will drain out the life of the Planet, like I said earlier, and the human race—well, any race—is history."
"It's not my problem," Cloud remarked snappishly as he toyed with the ends of his spiky blonde hair.
"Planet protectors? These guys are really serious about this, aren't they?" He could not remember what he had been thinking about that had angered the leader of the band. Cloud shook his head out of annoyance. "Oh well. If it's important I'll think of it again, perhaps."
Barret swung his grafted arm heavily against the elevator wall. It made a loud grating sound and for the rest of the trip the elevator rattled from the mistreatment. "The Planet's dying, Cloud! Even a heartless asshole from Soldier ought to care about that, right?"
"The only thing I care about, Barret," Cloud let the man's name hang heavily in the air, "is finishing this lousy job before security finds out we're here. They're not going to write off two dead guards as accidents, ya know." With a loud thump, the elevator came to a halt and the doors creaked open permitting the trio to exit.
They came out onto a catwalk that led even deeper down into the reactor. Quickly, they ran down three flights worth of rickety stairs, trying not to create too much noise. The sound of their footsteps against the metal was impossible to drown out, however, even against the roaring sounds of the reactor just beneath their feet. Dreamy clouds of steam filled the air, creating a surreal feeling for the small group.
Upon reaching the end of their trek, they discovered themselves on cold soft earth of a sickly brown. They had finally reached the actual entrance to the reactor as an empty doorway wrapped them in luminous green light, which was flooding out of it. They entered into a large room with only a narrow walkway to greet them. Not expecting the sudden lack of flooring, Cloud almost tipped off the edge.
"You okay, Soldier?" Barret asked tauntingly. "I would hate fer yer tough-guy attitude to be damaged by a little trip to the bottom of this Hellhole. Then again, maybe that fat head of yours will spare you any major damage."
Cloud glared at him.
Jessie swallowed hard as Barret edged closer to her. "It's a long way down!"
"Don't worry," Barret reassured her, patting her on the back. "If yah fall, at least yah died with a cause. Just maybe you'll fall on some important computer or somethin' and destroy it. Doesn't that make you feel better?"
"Oh, yes. I'm feeling so much better," Jessie muttered uneasily as she pumped her arms breathlessly. She was facing a five-foot jump at the least. "Whoever built this damn place is going to die!" She sailed across the chasm. If she missed, she would impale herself on some metal piping, or something that resided on the bottom of the reactor, if she made it she would have to play sentry and hope that Shin-Ra lackeys would not come pouring in and kill her.
She easily made the jump and stumbled down a metal ladder shakily. Barret followed, making his landing look like a tremendous effort. He cracked his neck with sharp turns left and right with his head. Cloud easily managed the jump. Barret and he raced past Jessie and clambered down another ladder. They easily managed to scoot across a lengthy pipe where yet another ladder greeted them. Probably two to three miles in length, the ladder made both men stare longingly towards the exit high above them.
Sweaty palms and a racing heart did not help the youth in his endeavors as he placed foot after foot and hand after hand down the long ladder. Several times Cloud nervously wiped his hands against his grubby uniform, aware of Barret's constant watch. The rhythm of his heartbeat caught in his ears and he closed his eyes as he continued with the steps of climbing down the ladder. "Why am I so nervous? This ladder's a cinch. It's not the ladder, but…"
"Will yah hurry it up, Soldier? I thought you weren't afraid of heights."
Cloud retaliated with, "Bite me."
Laughing merrily as the youth reached the ground, Barret replied, "Let's go."
A bridge greeted the duo. "The way up will definitely be harder," he said aloud. All about them was the green aura of mako energy. The titanium bridge that they stood on hung maybe ten feet above a large mako pool and lead to the mainframe computer of the reactor. "You'd think Shin-Ra would have a backup computer in this place."
Barret shook his head. "It wouldn't matter," he stated as they walked along the pathway. "If the mako catches on fire, this whole place will go sky high." He stopped stiffly in his tracks. "When we blow this place, there isn't goin' ta be nothin' more than rubbish left. That's why I want yah to place the bomb. I can't bring myself to do it."
"He has a heart. How sweet. TOO BAD YOU'RE A TERRORIST!" Cloud thought, as he laughed to himself.
"Shouldn't you be doing it, Barret? After all, this is your idea, not mine. You should finish what you begin."
Barret laughed. "Quit being Mr. Nice-guy and set the damn thing. I have ta watch yah an' make sure yah dun pull nothin'. Ex-Soldier or not, yer still new an' I dun trust yah enough to have yah watch my back." The monstrously sized man pulled out a cereal box-sized bomb from an enormous pocket in his black vest and handed it to the youth. "Here. You'll be needin' this too." He passed Cloud a yellow piece of tablet paper.
"What's this?" Cloud questioned, curiosity laced his voice.
"Jessie says it's how ta set the bomb up," Barret remarked.
"Okay, apparently this isn't a very hard job if it's on such a small piece of paper."
Cloud turned to face the luminous mainframe computer. It had a small monitor connected to two large towers and a gigantic generator. As he stepped forward, sharp pain shot through his head.
The sudden migraine blinded him with pain, stopping the youth in his tracks. A man's voice filled his head with throbbing agony and echoed clearly above the sound of the reactor. "Watch out! This isn't just a reactor, Cloud."
Barret looked alarmed as Cloud almost dropped the bomb and piece of paper into the mako pool below. He steadied Cloud and hung onto his shoulders while staring into his glowing green eyes. "What's wrong?" he inquired.
Cloud turned. Thoughts back to normal, vision returned—everything was as it should have been. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, 'What's wrong?'" He peered, confused at the man's hand that resided on his shoulder. "Mind letting go of me? I thought we were under time constraints."
"You were takin' so damn long—I wasn't sure, so hurry it up! The sooner this is over, the better."
Getting on his hands and knees, he placed the bomb on the floor beside him. He pried open the panel listed on the piece of paper and read through the rough scrawl. "Use this poem to connect the four write in the panel:
"Yellow and blue make green" He connected the blue wire of the bomb to the yellow of the panel and the yellow of the bomb to the blue of the panel. "Red and blue make purple" He continued on, his fingers aching from the sharp wire pieces. He paused after reading the final two lines. "Yellow and red are mean" "Nothing rhymes with purple"
"Jessie's strange," he said aloud.
Barret gave a big sigh. "A poem, I bet? She wanted ta write when she first came to Midgar—Biggs made her quit. She don't exactly have a talent fer it, if yah know what I mean." With a smile, Cloud replaced the panel with the bomb attached when the alarm suddenly sounded. Red lights blindingly lit up about the area, dancing all around, reflecting off the walls and mako.
The sound of a motor caught in the duo's ears and they turned to see something bubbling up from the mako. "Something's coming," Barret muttered.
"What was your first clue?" Cloud wondered.
With a grating sound, an ominous machine protruded from the mako on top of a square platform. Painted with bright red, it had a riflescope located on what appeared to be the robot's head. Attached to two shoulder pieces were sniper rifles and directly behind the apparatus was a sweeping tail with what appeared to be a laser.
"What the hell's that supposed to be?" the youth pondered aloud.
The machine used its leg-like appendages to leap from the platform onto the bridge, causing it to shudder under its weight, leaving barely enough room to move around. It swung its deadly tail and looked around with heat-seeking technology.
"Biggs mentioned somethin' 'bout Shin-Ra's newest creation done by the Weapon Development Committee. He called it 'Guard Scorpion,' but he said it's a rather rushed machine. Shouldn't be too hard to beat up, right?" Barret replied as he leveled his gun arm with the invention's head and shot off a few rounds. They dented the thick armor, but failed to pierce into the interior of the mechanism.
"Shit," gasped the man as a red dot appeared on his chest.
Nimbly, Barret dodged the incoming bullets by falling flat on the floor. "That was a close one," he murmured, turning to see two smoldering holes in the floor. "Careful! They're acid tipped bullets!"
"No problem." Cloud began to chant under his breath, "From the four corners of the Planet, blizzard!" A blue mist formed around the youth and wisps of magical aura floated about the dense mako green air. Ice crystals formed about the machine and crashed down upon it, crushing its head further.
Barret grabbed Cloud by the ankle and yanked him down just as two more bullets were fired off, taking out the bridge's rail. "For Soldier, yah sure are stupid. Use lightning, yah idiot! It's a machine, so short-circuit its ass!"
The two barely managed to scramble out of the way as the creature's massive tail laser shot into the air and blasted a line across the bridge. Tipping slowly towards the mako pool, the bridge continued to hold the behemoth sized apparatus.
"From the four corners of the Planet," Cloud began as a red dot focused itself on his forehead. "Bolt!" Appearing like shards of broken glass, strips of lightning crashed down on the floor behind the machine, barely missing.
Barret turned and growled out of panic, "What are you doing, idiot! You're going ta die!"
Falling. With a loud hissing sound the apparatus fell into the mako pool as the floor sailed downward, firing the round meant for Cloud into the wall. The lightning had seared off enough metal from the bridge, that the machine's weight easily snapped it. With all the damage caused to its head, the machine began to sputter as sparks danced off its form and mako filled its vessel.
Barret was dumfounded after they had managed to jump the great distance and were rushing up the ladder. "How'd you know it'd work? I mean, what in the HELL were yah thinking?"
Cloud shrugged his shoulders as they scooted along the extremely narrow pipe. "I took a chance."
"You're one lucky bastard, ya know? We'd better hurry—only got a few minutes left."
"Cloud!" Jessie gasped, failing to get Barret's attention as he raced past her and up the final ladder. "Help me get my leg out—I fell through when I saw that machine and went to help you guys."
Cloud stooped and eased the girl's leg through the catwalk's bars. "There. Let's hurry. We only have a few minutes left." It seemed like he was in a daze as they raced through the maze of the reactor and into the elevator. His heart barely pounded in his chest and he lacked the time to think.
The elevator popped open and they raced out to greet Biggs. Following after the dark haired youth, they continued on towards the exit where Wedge was waiting impatiently for them. "Hurry up!" he gasped, opening their escape hatch as they all tumbled in. The fat man barely had enough time to secure the door before the reactor began to vibrate violently.
All of Sector 8 shook with a tremendous surge of energy as the bomb went off. The explosion was a massive rain of metal and flame as it swept the air of Midgar City in its brilliance. Lights flickered on and off in a haunting rhythm before power died completely. Everything was chaos as the reactor exploded into nothing more than a memory, barely leaving the Eighth Reactor Level intact. The roaring flames of Avalanche's fulfilled duty dulled the sound of the train, which was preparing to leave on its well-planned schedule.
"Almost got the configurations right," muttered Jessie as she pressed button after button on a small handheld device. She heard the impatient groans of her compatriots as the small cramped room of garbage became sweltering from the flames of the explosion that licked the outside of their container.
Biggs muttered, "That should keep the Planet going a little longer. I can't believe we actually did it and succeeded. This is so unreal. Perhaps the fates of this world are smiling down on us."
Wedge shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."
"Set!" Jessie called out as she bounded behind a barrier of garbage with the others. "I hope I calibrated the bomb correctly. If it's too powerful, we're all dead." Her smiling face did not reassure the group.
The street was soot layered and dusty, not to mention littered with paraphernalia and burning chunks of debris from the flaming reactor. Midgar was always a dingy city, layered in inches of soot and grime, covered in the populous' garbage. After the enormous eruption from the reactor, everything was an ear-deafening silence, except for a small explosion.
Fire billowed from a newfound hole in a metal garbage chute as four people rolled and tumbled out from the burning tank. A latecomer, a rather pudgy man, came rolling out, his pants on fire, and fitfully patted out the burning flames as he stared gloomily at the newfound hole.
"Let's get out of here—split up," Barret commanded. "Cloud and I'll go this way, the rest head over that fence." He pointed towards a run down chain link fence pressed against the cobblestone. "We're to meet up in the baggage car of the train, got it?"
"Hey!" snapped Cloud as he stalked after Barret.
"If it's about yer money, it's at the hideout."
Old posters for the movie "Loveless" were carelessly strewn about on the walls of ruined buildings; a makeshift shop of ruby red curtains and a mahogany table greeted Cloud, though a large metal rod now crushed it. Any people that had been outside that day had either been killed, or had hidden themselves somewhere safe. A young woman, however, with long braided locks was leaning up against a broken telephone pole. Her face was soot-streaked.
At the sight of the youth, she walked quickly over to him. Her leather boots making little to no sound against the ground. "Excuse me," she asked as Cloud almost passed by her. "Do you know what happened?"
She was dressed in a paisley pink jumper and a red vest. Her complexion was quite pale and two sea foam green eyes stared curiously at the youth. The girl grinned with ruby red lips; her face filled with question.
"I've got to get out of here," Cloud thought impatiently.
"I-I don't know," he lied. Stay. He wanted to stay. He knew he could not, but something inside wanted him to remain in that area next to the odd looking girl. She looked too "clean," in his mind's eye, to belong in the drudgery of Midgar City.
Nodding her head, the girl muttered in disbelief, "Oh. Well, that's all right."
Cloud noted a wicker basket at her side filled to the rim with multitudes of brilliant coloured flowers. "You don't see many plants anymore, especially in Midgar. The earth here isn't really healthy. Did you grow them yourself?" The youth was surprised at the beauties that resided in the woman's basket.
"Actually, I did grow them myself. If you like them, why don't you buy one? They're only one gil," she remarked. "It's hard to sell flowers nowadays, I don't make much from them. If I believe you have a good heart, I sell them for a cheap price, however, if someone's rank with dark intent I jack the prices up."
Grinning, the youth replied, "I guess I must not smell too bad."
The girl giggled. "You smell like smoke, but who cares?" she exchanged a beautiful white carnation for the money piece. "Thank you!"
"See you," Cloud called out as he ran off towards the train station. The girl watched, a smile on her face.
Both knew they would see each other again deep in their hearts.
The final stretch greeted the youth as he dashed for the train. The engine sounded off its final whistle and the smell of smoke filled Cloud's nose as he drew closer and closer for the overpass of train tunnel. He heard his feet pad loudly against the cobblestone. It continued to echo and grow louder as he neared his destination. The youth soon realized the footsteps he heard were not an echo.
"Hey, you there!" screamed a large man dressed in similar attire as that of which Cloud adorned. "Halt!" His voice was gravelly. The man could only have been in the lower ranks of the Soldier program, but when six other men came charging in, cornering Cloud on the overpass, the youth deterred his thoughts from fighting.
Cloud felt the foot high cement against his leg. "I don't have time to mess with you guys, why not let me go?" His fingers itched for the lethal broadsword that rested against his backside.
One of the men edged forward, his gun thrust in front of him. "He's probably one of the terrorists—grab him!"
Rumbling. Cloud turned on his heels and jumped downwards towards the railway below. The train swept by just as Cloud landed skillfully upon it. No guard dared to follow or take shot as the train speedily descended a spiraling tunnel, heading towards the slums of Midgar City.
"Cloud never came," Wedge muttered. He had grown somewhat fond of the youth with his smart-ass comments and cool exterior. The Avalanche members were crowded in the baggage car of the train, which was winding its way towards the Slum Level. The fat man was leaning against a large crate that read in large black lettering "Fragile." It was rather cramped within the compartment between the battered cardboard boxes and abounding miscellaneous travel objects that had been abandoned on the train.
Biggs was resting beside the sliding metal doorway. "I wonder if he got killed. It's a little unbelievable, since he used to be an elite Soldier member, but what if he did?" He crossed his arms defiantly against his torso and stared wearily at the dust-covered floor.
Barret slammed his lone hand against the train wall. "No way!"
"It's possible he abandoned Avalanche," Jessie murmured. "He didn't have to get the money, or anything, and he holds no obligation to us. It was easier with him, though. What a shame to lose him."
Biggs laughed. "Do you think he would have fought to the end for us?"
The black man was hesitant as his companions stared longingly at him for a reply. "Why yah lookin' at me? Do I like a mind reader, or somethin'? An' Jessie, what the hell yah talkin' like he's not comin' back? If yah guys weren't such screw ups we wouldn't have needed him at all."
Wedge daringly changed the subject. "Well, Barret. 'Bout our money?" A glare from the man caused him to shut up rather quickly. "Never mind. S-Sorry I asked."
Banging sounded on the door to the car. Biggs gave the others a questioning look and after a reassuring nod from Barret and Jessie, he opened the door by pressing a red glowing switch. It flashed green and the door slid open permitting a rather soot-stained Cloud to tumble inside. He looked ruffled—grease glazed his body, sweat drenched his hair, and his face was a commodity of dirt and grime.
"I had some trouble—sorry I'm late," Cloud stated as he rubbed a knot out his shoulder. "I definitely need to take a shower once we're back at the hideout."
Barret laughed. "Cocky bastard! Yah think yah can come walkzin' in here and make a big scene. Yer lucky I like yah so much. Yah had everyone worried about yah and yah dun give a damn 'bout nobody but yerself."
Cloud grinned. "It's no big deal, Barret. But, you were worried about me?"
"I'm deducting from yer paycheck—unwarranted sarcasm," Barret growled. He tapped Wedge on the shoulder; he had slept through Cloud's arrival. "Wake up! We're movin' out, so follow me!" The black man squeezed past the boxes that barred his path and wandered into the next car.
"Cloud?" Wedge sleepily patted the youth. "Huh. Well, you were great back at the reactor."
"We'll do even better on the next mission!" Biggs stated excitedly as he trailed after the sleepy Wedge. "Move it! A turtle could run faster than you walk!" The two disappeared after much grunting and groaning.
Jessie smiled as she shut the door. "Idiot. He always forgets to do things." She turned to face the blonde haired youth. "I wonder why I married him." She was referring to the childish Biggs with a smile. "Your face is pitch-black," she cooed as she wiped Cloud's face with a cloth. "There you go."
She walked past Cloud and was about to leave, when she called back, "Thanks for helping me at the reactor. I really appreciate it." Jessie went into the next compartment followed by Cloud, who was deep in thought.
"Last train out of Reactor Level Sector 8 Station. Last stop is Slum Level Sector 7 Station—Train Graveyard. ETA is 12:32 AM Midgar Standard Time," blared the train's intercom in a robotic mannerism.
Several people, at the sight of the Avalanche group, cleared out of train car as fast as possible. Wedge and Jessie wasted very little time running over to the train's computer to press their eager faces to the monitor. Biggs, however, lazily went to lean against a vacant wall and sleep against it, while Barret flopped comfortably onto a bench. Dust shot into the air hanging in a thick cloud as the man's bottom hit the seat.
Remaining in the car was an old man who stared lazily up at Cloud from beneath a moldy yellow blanket, which was tightly bound about him. "This is my house—but yah guys ken stay 'ere I s'pose. 'Was readin' dah Shin-Ra Times an' it 'pears a terrorist faction bombed duh Sector 1 reactor. Know nothin' 'bout it?"
His speech was about that of a child, causing Cloud to nod his head in simple reply. Wandering aimlessly towards the others, Barret snapped, "Stop messin' 'round! Just sit down an' shut up."
Jessie turned and made a face at Barret. "Quit being mean to the new kid!" she teased. "Hey, Cloud? Ever look at the railway system on the train monitor?" The youth shook his head in reply as Jessie motioned for him to come over. "Don't just stand there—I'd love to explain it to you. Bombs, monitors—electronic anything—I love technology."
Cloud walked over to where Jessie and Wedge were, the older man made room for the youth to peer, dumfounded, at the black screen. "Got to type yours and my name in. They like to keep the records of people who use the machines, you know. Mind you, we have fake IDs." The latter of her sentence was whispered. Jessie quickly pressed a few buttons on a small keyboard.
The blank screen immediately beeped and it showed a blueprint of the train route. "This is a complete model of Midgar City. The top plate is roughly 50 meters above ground. A main support structure holds the top plate, or Reactor Level, up at the center, and there are other support structure built in each individual section; Shin-Ra headquarters is, actually, classified as the top plate, though it's considered to be a third plate."
"When we initially targeted the reactor in Sector 1, we fluked and only managed to shut it down for the time being," the woman's voice was almost inaudible, but she immediately raised it again. "Then there's a total of eight reactors, which provide Midgar with electricity. Each town that these reactors belonged to used to have a name, but no one in Midgar remembers them. Instead of names, we refer to them by numbered sectors."
She sighed as the screen changed. "This is next—look!" she squealed excitedly. "This is the train's route. It spirals around the main support structure. We should be coming around the center are right now. At each checkpoint, an ID sensor device is set up. It can check the identities and the background on each and every passenger on the train by linking it up to the central databank at Shin-Ra headquarters."
Jessie voice lowered once more. "Anyone could tell that we're suspicious by our looks alone that's why we're using fake IDs." Just then, the light in the train shut off and a red flashing light turned on just above the computer. "Speak of the devil!" The computer screen shut off as the train continued on in utter darkness. "That light," she said, pointing towards it, "means we're in the ID security check area. When the lights go off, you never know what creeps will come out. Anyways, we're almost back now—that's a relief! Thank for watching this with me, Cloud."
Cloud went and took a seat beside Barret, who was silhouetted by the train's grimy windows. "Hey, Cloud? Look up there," the burly man said as he pointed out the window towards the uppermost plate of Midgar City. "This place doesn't have a true day or night. If that steel lid wasn't there, we could see the sky. Makes you wonder it's sunny, raining, or just cloudy."
"A floating city is pretty unsettling scenery," Cloud remarked solemnly.
Barret turned to face his companion. "'Never expected you to say somethin' like that. You're just full of surprises, aren't yah? It's because of that damned device that we suffer the way we do—that we have to do the things that we do. On top of that, the mako reactors keep draining up all the life energy of the Planet.
Looking quizzically at Barret, the youth inquired, "Why doesn't everyone just move onto the top plates like Shin-Ra and the others? They wouldn't have to worry about pollution, and there'd be restored order."
"They don't because the don't have anythin', an' because they love this land too much. It wasn't always this bad, yah know. It's because of the Shin-Ra that the soil's infertile"
"I know that no one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where the tracks lead it. It's just another form of destiny," the youth pondered aloud as the continuous rumbling of the train wheels continued onward towards their next destination. "Does anyone get to choose destiny's path?"
Chapter 2: Falling Farther In: I shall remain here with these people until I can figure out what's inside of me. There are memories and ideas that haunt me. Perhaps, somewhere out there, I'll discover where I belong. For some reason, I feel like I'm someone else that I once had known, but I can't remember what their name was or what they looked like. Perhaps, I'm falling farther in to the labyrinth of some else's design… "Falling Farther In" © October Project