"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Stiff and uncomfortable from hiding so long, Elena checked the time on her wrist watch. It was a few minutes past midnight. Feeling a bit nervous, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the wire cutters. She fumbled around with the wires for a bit until she was positive she was holding the right one. Her breath was shaky as she ran through her plan in her mind for the thousandth time.
"Here goes nothing..." she muttered.
Gripping the wire cutters one hand, and the wire in another, she snipped the wire and fled the small building. Everything requiring electricity in Junon simultaneously stopped working.
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Reno woke mid-snore as the single light above him flickered and made an electronic buzzing sound. With bleary eyes, he watched the light flicker and finally turn off completely. Reno sat up so fast, his head spun. The room was pitch black.
"What's going on?" he murmured. "It's damn creepy in here."
He hauled himself to his feet and took some cautious steps until his fingers met the wall. He trailed them along the wall until they met the door. These doors are controlled by electricity...Reno thought, feeling somewhat dazed. He exerted a pressure on the door. He felt it move about two inches.
Now that the door was open a crack, Reno could hear confusion out in the hallways. Apparently the guards were at a loss of what to do. He put his fingers in the crack between the door and the wall and slid it open sideways, as quietly as he could. Reno's eyes met more blackness; the hallways were just as dark as his cell.
With one hand on the wall, and the other stretched out in front of him, he moved cautiously to his left. His fingertips met some sort of material. Confused, Reno moved his hand up and closed his fingers around...a tie?
"Rude?" he whispered. "Is that you?"
"Shh." Rude's voice hissed.
Reno felt Rude turn him around in the other direction and give him a shove in his back. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Reno began walking again, one arm outstretched. He had barely moved two feet when again he hit something. Thinking it was a guard, he swung his arm.
"Ow!" a man's voice hissed. "What in the world was that?"
"Be quiet Reeve!" Reno whispered.
Blindly Reno shoved Reeve forward.
"What did you hit me for?" Reeve grumbled under his breath.
"Thought you were a guard..." Reno replied, gripping the back of Reeve's suit collar as they moved along blindly. "Still behind me Rude?"
Rude's hand closed on the back of Reno's collar, and they continued along the wall.
"The prisoner's are escaping!" Reno heard a slightly panicking voice yell.
"Shit..." Reno cursed. "Run!"
Reno released his grip on Reeve's collar and began running blindly, only to fall backwards as he ran full force into someone else. He hit the ground and heard a thump as the person he ran into fell too.
"Dammit!" he yelled. "This is ridiculous!"
"Reno?" a voice asked, next to him on the floor.
Reeve's voice shouted from behind him, "Tifa is that you?"
"Yes, I'm right here!" Tifa called.
Carefully, Reno hauled himself to his feet and felt around on the floor until he found Tifa. Blindly he helped her to her feet.
"Thanks..." she said. "I can't see a thing!"
"No problem...Did everybody get out?" Reno looked around helplessly in the pitch black hallways.
"I'm right here." Reeve said from behind him.
Rude grunted to his left.
"Cloud?" Tifa called. "Where are you?"
"I'm here, Tifa." Cloud's voice said and Reno felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Whoa there!" Reno shouted twisting away. "I'm definately not Tifa!"
"Sorry, I can't see a damn thi-" Cloud was cut off short as gunfire filled the hallway.
Blind and helpless, they all ran.
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This is insane! Tifa thought desperately as she ran blindly. How are we supposed to get out if we can't even see? She squinted into the darkness as her feet pounded against the ground. A split second later, she ran face first into someone in front of her. Quickly, she grabbed a handeful of their shirt so she wouldn't fall back again.
"Sorry," she whispered as she righted herself. "Why have we stopped."
There was a slight pause and Rude's voice answered, "There's a door."
Tifa strained her ears, and heard a slight creaking sound as the door was opened.
"Grab onto one another," Tifa heard Cloud say over the sound of the gunshots. "The last thing we want to do is lose each other."
Tifa grabbed Rude's large hand in front of her and winced slightly as someone behind her fumbled to grab onto her injured hand. Acknowledging that now was not the time to think about the akward situation, she struggled to keep up as Rude began running on legs much longer than her own. Then, she heard a woman shreik, and her body slammed into Rude's back as the whole line of them tripped to the ground. Groaning, Tifa felt the person behind her fall onto her sprawled out legs.
"Ow..." she heard Reno moan as she shoved him off her legs.
"What now?" she asked, rubbing her legs. "Why did we stop again?"
"I ran into someone!" Reeve's voice said, sounding befuddled.
"Who?" Cloud's voice asked, projecting over the moans and groans. "Who was it?"
"It was me, you idiots!" a woman's muffled voice screeched. "Now get off of me!"
"Sorry..." Tifa heard Reeve reply sheepishly.
"Elena?" Rude's voice said. "Is that you?"
"Yes it's me!" Elena hissed.
From behind her, Tifa heard Reno ask, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm helping you all get out of here!" Elena replied, sounding slightly exasperated. "I cut off the electricity."
"Well thanks a lot Elena!" Reno hissed. "Now we can't see a damn thing!"
Elena made an angry noise at Reno. "Shut up! I'm not completely stupid you know! The emergency lights will come on in a minute or two!"
"Stop it both of you!" Cloud hissed angrily. "The guards will hear us if you don't shut up!"
Tifa rolled her eyes and stood up. "We should keep moving." she whispered.
She heard rustling as the others got on their feet. She was about to reach out and grab onto someone, when she heard voices at the other end of the hall, and a door being opened.
"Move away...quietly!" she heard someone hiss.
Tifa took a cautious step, but then heard someone stumble behind her. Blindly she turned around and grabbed their shoulders.
"What's wrong?" she whispered, trying to be as quiet as she could.
Reno's voice responded gruffly, "Damn foot's broken or something..."
Hearing the voices coming closer, Tifa's heart began beating out of control. Quickly, she wrapped one arm around Reno's waist and pulled his arm over her shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"Just do the best you can," she whispered.
Slowly they hobbled down the hall. Sweat beaded on Tifa's head as she tried to pull Reno along. Just as the voices seemed to be getting farther away, Tifa heard an electronic buzzing, and the emergency lights flickered on.
"Shit..." she heard Reno whisper.
The lights were dim, but left them completely visible. In front of her, Tifa saw the others freeze like deer caught in the headlights.
"Quickly!" a guard shouted from somewhere around the corner. "Check everywhere! We can't let them escape!"
The small group looked at each other wide-eyed for a second until Cloud's voice knocked some sense into them.
"Run!" he urged.
Elena, Rude, and Reeve took off down the hall.
"Tifa!" Cloud shouted. "Come on!"
Cloud turned around to see Reno holding onto Tifa for support as they slowly hobbled down the hall.
"Dammit..." he swore as he sprinted over to the two of them.
Cloud ducked under Reno's other arm and the three of them began moving a bit quicker than before. Panic swelled in Tifa's chest as she heard the voices behind her. They're going to find us...she thought desperately.
"You two go ahead!" Reno said, his voice sounding strained. "What's the point in all of us getting caught?"
Tifa adjusted his arm over her shoulder and set her jaw. "We're not leaving anyone behind."
Reno dug his heels in the ground and caused them to come to stumbling stop.
"Go on!" he said stubbornly. "It's my fault you two were caught in the first place!"
Cloud and Tifa exchanged a glance before checking behind them. The guards were'nt yet visible, but they could hear footsteps lurking behind the corner. Tifa turned towards Cloud, her eyes wide and frightened.
"What are we going to do?" she asked.
Slowly, Cloud faced her. Her hair tie had been lost sometime during the escape and her face peaked out frightenedly between the loose strands. Think...he told himself, his heart clenching in his chest. You have to get her out of here somehow...
"Idiots!" Reno hissed at them. "Just go! You're wasting time."
"Tifa..." Cloud said quietly. "You take Reno and try to catch up with the others. I'll hold them off until you two can get away."
Tifa snapped her head around and scowled. "No way, Cloud! If anyone's staying behind, then it's me! I can fight without my gloves!"
She slipped her injured hand behind her back. Cloud shook his head and touched her shoulder.
"Tifa..." he began.
Cloud was stopped abruptly by a shout down the hall.
"What the hell are you all doing?" Reeve shouted, his voice sounding panicked.
"Reno?" Elena's voice called. "Where are you?"
Just as Reeve, Elena, and Rude peaked their heads around the corner, guards burst in through the doors as the other end of the hall.
"Run Elena!" Reno shouted. "Rude, get out of here!"
"Reeve! Go to Cosmo Canyon! Get the rest of AVALANCHE!" Cloud shouted before turning towards Tifa. "Please Tifa... go with Reeve!"
"No!" she told him firmly. "Run! All of you!"
Reeve, Elena, and Rude took off down the hall as the guards approached Cloud, Tifa, and Reno from the other end. Wincing, Reno pulled away from Cloud and Tifa and stood on his own. Cloud watched as Tifa forced the fear out of her face and got into her battle stance. He took note of her gloveless hands and that her knuckles were split open. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes away from her and squared his shoulders as the guards approached.
Cloud looked over the approaching group with mounting anxiety. There were about fifteen or so guards, armed with machine guns...and behind them...five SOLDIERS. They approached slowly and arrogantly, their mako eyes glinting; they knew what Cloud knew- there was no way Tifa, Reno, and himself could win this fight. Cloud looked back at Reno, wobbling on his broken foot, and then towards Tifa, looking determined to fight to the last.
Slowly and delibrately, Cloud walked over to Tifa and took her hands. She looked up at him, bewildered.
"We're not going to win this fight." Cloud said quietly.
"But-" Tifa started.
Cloud shook his head. "We'll die if we fight them now."
Tifa met his eyes and nodded. The determination crept out of her body, and she moved closer to Cloud. She grabbed his hand tightly and looked up at him, fear written on her every feature.
"Don't leave me..." she whispered.
He squeezed her hand gently.
"I won't." he promised.