Start Date: May 12, 2022
Windwillow
Chapter One: Raid on the Reactor
Scene One
Beautiful as it was, green light signified the end of light rather than its origin. A young woman knelt down by the well of energy, her hand softly skimming the warm heat. She wore a shin-length button-up dress under a red bolero, and her green eyes reflected the Mako's light against her own.
She was a flower-peddler, a simple commoner of the Midgar slums. Clutching her flowers she rose, turning towards the street beyond. It was a bustling metropolis filled with people, steel, and steam: the home of Shinra Inc., the glorious city of Midgar.
Not that it was very glorious down here. The city was divided into two levels, a layer of concrete acting as a plate that seperated the haves from the have-nots. Above the plate were cities and houses bristling with Mako energy and the people who used it, while the slums below survived on the dregs of its light.
Our attention turns to a train crossing from Midgar's Sector Eight towards an imposing locale, Reactor One of the Sector One Mako reactor. There was a man riding above it, one with the physique and aura of a warrior.
He was a well-muscled young man, about twenty, his bedhead blond hair drifting in the wind. He wore indigo pants and a matching sleeveles shirt, with a steel pauldron jutting slightly from his left shoulder held together by bolts, screws, and nuts. On his back was a sword almost as long as him, with a long handle and a curved, katana-like blade.
"Hey!" said one of the guards as the train pulled into the station. He narrowed his eyes as it slid to a stop. "No one said anything about a-"
His cheek met a gloved hand as the hand's owner slugged the MP to the ground. The attacker jumped from the train: a twenty-something man with black hair and a red bandana, who aimed his pistol at the remaining guard.
Before he could draw his weapon the soldier was struck in the neck and hurled to the ground, where a slender woman clutched his throat and slammed him to the ground. She wore a metal breastplate and a bandana matching her friend's, and her pistol was thrust onto the MP's forehead.
"Don't say anything," she whispered. "I won't kill you if you don't resist." The young twenty-three-year old hopped to her feet and holstered her gun. She smiled and stuck her tongue out. "We aren't here to kill. We're here to protect what's most important!"
"Hurry! Reinforce the station!"
Two soldiers armed with rifles rushed forward, the young woman's chest in their sight. "Fire at will!" they yelled. But before their guns could fire, the barrels were chopped in half with a single swing of the swordsman's blade. The warrior deftly followed up by slashing the soldiers in the chest, knocking them back with bloody gashes in their centers.
"You didn't have to kill them!" screamed Jessie. She turned on her heel and shook her head. "We aren't supposed to be killers!"
The swordsman was Cloud Strife, ex-SOLDIER 1st class for the Shinra Corporation, now a mercenary employed by the terrorist organization AVALANCHE. He shouldered his weapon, the mighty Buster Sword, and jabbed his thumb at the soldiers writhing behind him.
"First off, war's war. Second, the wounds aren't lethal." As he lowered his sword the mercenary turned to face Jessie. "For a terrorist, you're awfully soft."
"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "We're here to-"
"Protect the Planet, I know, I know..." Cloud said mockingly. He shouldered the Buster Sword. "You guys protect the Planet by blowing Shinra property to bits?"
From behind him a strong hand clamped on his shoulder. Cloud turned his head to see his employer, a dark-skinned and dark-clad man with a scowl on his face. What stood out was that, instead of a right arm, Barret Wallace carried a six-barrel machine gun jutting out half as long as his natural limb.
"Stuff it!" he barked.
Jumping from the train another man emerged, a heavyset sort with steel-shoulders and AVALANCHE's trademark bandana. He wore a black shirt under his leather harness and bandoleer.
"C'mon guys!" moaned Wedge. "We aren't here to fight each other!" He slung a rifle onto his back and rushed ahead with Biggs and Jessie. As they went ahead to open the gates, Barret turned to Cloud and shook him hard.
"Don't think you're so bad just 'cause you used to be in SOLDIER. I don't trust you, punk."
"Like I care," shrugged Cloud as he followed the rest of AVALANCHE. "As long as I'm paid, I don't care what kind of quixotic crap you spout. I'm in this for the money." From behind Barret fumed.
His sole fist tightened. "What an ass!" But as he lifted his Gun-arm and cocked it he gave a scowl. "This punk'd better deliver!"
Scene Two
Reactor One was normally heavily guarded, but the sudden attack surprised them and the garrison struggled to react. As AVALANCHE advanced their heartbeats quickened, a cold sweat sogging their brows. Planning a raid was one thing; going head-on into an enemy stronghold was almost more than their stomachs could bear. Biggs was the first to reach the initial gate.
As Biggs entered the hacking code to open it, the gate trembled from the hustling behind it. The soldiers weren't taking it lying down. The passageway cracked open and the sound of gunfire broke through the air. Biggs drew his weapon and cocked it, sweat dripping from his brow.
"I didn't expect this many!"
"Think about it!" yelled Jessie. "We're going headlong into a Shinra military installation! Just pull the pin and let 'er rip!"
With a nod, Biggs rustled through his knapsack and withdrew a small handful of grenades. He holstered his pistol and quickly yanked the pins from the bombs before hurling them towards the gate. As he and the team huddled a series of explosions rocked the reactor, multiple blasts clearing out the first wave.
Biggs again drew his gun and gestured to Jessie, who ran into the gate with her own weapon drawn. From behind Wedge came waddling with rifle in hand. After passing the remnants of the security force, they reached another gate and Jessie quickly hacked into it. The gate trembled and opened, and Barret and Cloud rushed into the facility.
They entered a t-shaped intersection, with one route leading to the enemy troops and the other barring way to the core. Jessie swiftly rushed forward and slammed her hands onto the console that controlled it, and the enemy's gate dropped down and locked. She turned to Biggs and Wedge and nodded, as they ran up to the gate and began to hack into the controls, making sure the door couldn't open.
As they secured the security gate, Cloud and Barret caught up with Jessie and they dashed into the other entrance. They reached a large elevator and Jessie activated it, and they began to drop down to the reactor's depths.
Barret looked at Cloud with a look mixing contempt and wonder. Whether they could trust an ex-Shinra was up in the air. He shook off his worries and lifted his Gun-arm. If they'd come this far, get the job done.
"Shinra's reactors draw Mako from the Planet," Barret remarked. "People use it for all sorts of things, from cookin' to cleanin' an' ev'rything in between. What they don't know is that Mako energy sucked from the Planet drains its proverbial blood drop by drop! Right under their noses, Shinra's killin' everyone with their 'kindness.' It's disgustin'."
Cloud shook his head. "And that matters to me for what reason?"
Barret grabbed Cloud by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up.
"It matters to everyone, jackass! The Planet's dyin' and they're making a damn profit off it! If the world goes boom, we all die! What part of us dyin' an' them killin' have you not been listening to?!"
Cloud brushed Barret aside and lifted HIM up by his jacket. If anything his grip was tighter.
"Let me repeat: I. Don't. Care. My job is to fend off the MPs and help you blow this place up, and then I get my money. That's what I'm here for." Barret shoved the swordsman back and turned to pout in the corner.
The elevator stopped and Jessie dashed through the door, her companions in tow. As they moved forward they reached a large open area with a gate at the back. Jessie rushed up and began to hack into the system.
As he continued to run Barret cocked his gun and began to fire at the Shinra infantry that appeared to intercept them. The shots met fire with fire against their rifles, but Barret's superior firepower riddled them with bullets and caused them to drop. Jessie finished entering the code and turned towards the open gate.
From behind the gate several weapons popped up from the floor. They were a fixed defense system called 1st Rays, but Barret shot them to death. The party moved ahead and Barret turned to cover Jessie for the second door.
Cloud hurried and dashed forward, drawing his Buster Sword. He broke into a sprint and leapt into the air, just as several landmine bits popped from the floor. They whirled their drills and flew towards Jessie.
"Watch yourself!" Cloud shouted. He held out his hand and tightened his grip before flexing his fingers and flicking his wrist at the Monodrives. Flame licked his fingertips, and his hand was covered in a sheen of fire.
He swept his arm in a wide arc at the machines, as a wave of fire burst from his hand and incinerated the Monodrives. As he landed he moved straight into a second volley, dispatching the next set of the bits.
"Shinra facilities have a LOT of different defenses! If you're not careful..."
Cloud crouched to the floor and leapt forward, his blade severing the 1st Rays that popped from the second gateway. He went immediately into a frenzy of blows, slashing through the infantry that had gathered to stop them. As he did Jessie watched in fresh horror, the sight of blood staining her vision.
"Stop...! STOP!" she shrieked. "If we kill them, they win!"
"Cut the crap! They've got machine guns pointed at you and you're still spouting that stuff?!" Cloud finished cutting down the MPs and gestured towards the second gate. "Shut up and open this damn thing!"
Jessie swallowed hard, but dashed forward and entered the code. The final gate opened and Barret ran forward to join her and Cloud. They entered a new area with a huge staircase leading down, with a large open space below riddled with Shinra infantry. As they began to fire Barret ducked behind a wall and cocked his Gun-arm.
He popped up from behind and emptied his clip at the onrushing soldiers. As they fell he and Cloud proceeded, but Jessie's gait was unsteady, hesitant.
Is this why we're here...?! Wanton slaughter?!
"Aren't we here to PROTECT people?! Just brush past them, knock 'em out, and move on!"
"And that's the kind of attitude that gets people killed!" shouted Barret. "This ain't pretty business. If you weren't ready to fire your gun, why the hell did you even come?!"
Jessie swallowed hard and nodded. She fired her pistol and nailed two MPs in the shoulder, rushing by and knocked them out with a single roundhouse kick. Cloud rushed up to the banister and hopped down blade first. His sword severed the arm of a patrol robot called a Sweeper, and a second slice diced its head off.
Several cyborgs called Grunts entered the area, their laser arms firing rapidly. As Cloud severed arm after arm, Barret jumped from the top and emptied his clip into another Sweeper, destroying it.
"Are you comin' or what?!" Barret yelled at Jessie.
I didn't come here to chicken out now...
Her resolve tightened Jessie vaulted the railing and landed on her feet, immediately shooting the guns from two soldiers and continuing on. They passed through another series of stairs and hopped over several broken pipes, but as they reached a ladder Cloud's eye turned towards a small, gleaming blue orb.
Cloud smirked and grabbed the sphere, opening a slot in his wrist where he attached it and it clicked into place before retracting into the gauntlet.
"No time for souvenirs!" Barret snapped.
"They call it materia! This one's a beauty!"
Jessie skidded to a stop, and drew her weapon.
"I've got this place!" she said. "Go to the reactor and get it done!"
Barret nodded and he and Cloud descended the final ladder.
Scene Three
Boot steps echoing through the dank air, Barret stepped up to the reactor's core. He turned his eyes from it to Cloud, narrowing them. He wasn't about to trust the mercenary. Barret examined the device carefully, before tossing it to Cloud.
"You do it," he said as a grimace formed on his face. "I don't feel like turning my back if I think it's gonna get stabbed." With that he forced a grin. "S'long as you don't do that, go ahead, newbie." As it flew through the air Cloud deftly caught it, palming it and cracking a smirk.
"Don't call me newbie. I've made it clear by now that I'm in this for the money." His feet shuffled from front to side as he moved forward. "And I'm not afraid to turn my back on YOU, so keep that in mind."
Barret's grip tightened as he gripped his Gun-arm. "Oh, shut it," he scoffed. "Don't make me blast that grin off your face." Cloud shrugged and stepped up to the core, explosive in hand. As he did his footsteps faltered for a moment, shuffling to an abrupt start.
"What's wrong?" taunted Barret. "Tough SOLDIER man gettin' cold feet?"
"Of course not. I just had a thought." Cloud shook his head. "I'm no coward, meathead."
As Barret fumed, Cloud stepped onto the plate next to his target. He reached forward and attached the bomb to the reactor cure, an automatic mechanism locking it in place like a bear's claw. The device's system flickered with light, and its grip tightened. Cloud cracked a confident smile, certain that his job was done.
Time to get the money and get out. Well, getting out comes first...
Watch out!
A sharp pang pierced Cloud's head. The words were seared into his eyes, almost like a computer screen typing right in his vision.
There's something wrong with this reactor!
Cloud yelled out and dropped to his knees, clutching his head in both hands. He'd heard the voice before, but now it beat in his eardrums like he'd been struck with a hammer. "What the hell?!" he screamed, his vision flickering in black and white. He caught sight of a sly green eye, and as he turned he detached the Buster Sword from his back.
The same noise startled Barret as the two leapt back in unison. A claxon sounded and from above a new machine fell. It had four legs and machine guns for arms, hunched like a metallic scorpion. Its lone eye locked onto Cloud.
"Aw, hell! Watch yourself, Barret!"
Barret lifted his Gun-arm and scowled. His eyes mentally locked onto the Guard Scorpion's own. As he did he smiled.
"Speak for yourself, hotshot! Stay outta my way!"
The Gun-arm locked and loaded, and as it rose the barrels warmed. With a shaking rattle of steel and steam, Barret pumped a hail of bullets at the machine. The rounds were deflected by its arm as it swung, slapping the shots away like a volley of paint balls.
Cloud's feet slid, almost danced, as his boots hit the steel ground with a leap and a bound. He escaped just in time for the machina's tail began to fire its rifle, stepping to the side and shoving Barret out of the way of the shot. The Buster Sword lifted and, with a mighty swing, Cloud's sword lashed out at the tail. It retracted just in time to evade the massive blade, trembling in place.
Like a whip the tail stabbed at Cloud's head, and he dodged just in time. Another flurry of strokes were parried with the backside of his sword, and as the Guard Scorpion's arm lifted he jumped high into the air. The resulting gunfire caught only the air around him as he vaulted over top and clashed the Buster Sword with the tail's sharp bayonet.
"The hell you doing!" Barret screamed. "I don't need no help from you!"
"You just did," Cloud shot back with a smile. His blade clashed and disengaged from the Scorpion with a sharp clang. The machina turned both guns on the mercenary, but he gracefully jumped over the fire again.
"You sonuva...!"
As he landed Cloud lashed with his sword and connected, severing one of the creature's legs. Though it tottered, it didn't fall. Cloud was caught by a backhand of the gun and he was propelled backwards. By the time the machine gun began to fire he had already moved out of the way.
With a scowl, Barret emptied a clip into the Guard Scorpion. The bullets dug into its steel body and rattled it, pockmarks forming at each hit. Its tail flicked up and began to glow, and a small dot formed on Barret's forehead.
"Watch yourself!" yelled Cloud.
"To hell with you! I can see the tail just fine!"
A sharp shriek sounded and the tail's rifle fired a laser directly at Barret, but Cloud fell to one knee and swung it, swiping Barret off his feet just in time for the shot to miss. Before Barret's curse reached his ears Cloud gave a mighty swing and severed the tail at its tip. He followed up with another three slashes that cut nailed two of the Scorpion's remaining legs, slicing them off cleanly.
The Scorpion dropped to the floor with a thud as its mechanical eye glowed. It quickly narrowed and no longer functioned as Barret pumped a load into it until the whole machine stopped moving and fell to the ground with a heavy crash.
"See?! I can handle myself without-"
"I'd start running!" shouted Cloud. He pivoted and broke into a full sprint. Barret's eye swerved and caught sight of the flickering timer. A foul word shot from his mouth and he turned to join Cloud.
The two clutched the ladder and furiously moved from bar to bar. As they hopped to the top Barret continued on, but Cloud's foot skidded to a halt.
"Keep moving, fool!" shouted Barret.
"We aren't alone here!"
Barret's eye widened as Cloud struggled to remove the rubble on Jessie's leg.
I didn't even see her!
Cloud managed to heave the crumbling rock over and grabbed Jessie's hand. Red flashed on her cheeks as she caught it and sprung forward, using the momentum to vault over a broken pipe.
"Well, damn!" Barret scoffed. "Y'ain't a heartless bastard after all!"
The three arsonists rushed through the door and hit the elevator. It rose and as it it the top floor they forced their way past it. Just ahead Biggs and Wedge activated the doors, and motioned them to come quickly.
Cloud nodded. He ran forward, and as Wedge's body dropped he caught his elbow and dragged him out of the way of the resulting explosion. The core of the reactor broke open in a flood of green light as it exploded, the chain reaction blasting holes in the entire facility.
As the reactor broke down the party managed to escape, just in time to dodge the fire that swarmed the area. They continued to run until they reached an open hallway and, as they jumped, narrowly escaped the flames. Wedge rolled while Biggs and Jessie righted themselves, but he caught himself and rolled himself onto his side and to his feet.
The aftermath was incredible. Fires burst open from every corner of the reactor and it culminated in a massive explosion that totally destroyed the rest of the facility. Sparks of fire and ember rained from the sky, dotting the area around AVALANCHE. Above the plate havoc reigned, citizens awoken from their peaceful sleep.
"Hot-hot-hot!"
Wedge frantically shook the flames from his boot. He was successful and slid down onto his face with an unceremonious thud.
Jessie wiped her brow. "Do you think it'll keep the Planet going?"
"For a little..." muttered Biggs. "But a little goes a long way!"
With a flick of his wrist Cloud spun the Buster Sword in an elegant circle before reattaching it to his back. "And that," he said flatly, "is mission complete." He turned to face Barret and gave a smirk. "Where's my 1,500 Gil?"
The AVALANCHE leader's fist tightened at the jab. "You really are an ass..."
Author's Notes
My previous works, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV, were unsatisfactory for me. I used to be a lot more detailed, and "showed" rather than "told." I lost that after Bleach Forums went belly-up, and here we have my two last pieces. Now, after studying my original style and adapting it - I used a color-coding system on the forum that wouldn't work here - this is the end result.
Now, I'm getting back into the swing of things. Expect more work like this, rather than individual lines of dialogue and action like my last two fics. I sincerely hope you enjoy my work. Feel free to review! I'm gloomy enough that I can take a few hits. Give me honest feedback, good or bad. Toodles!