I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters.
Diversion
"Can I ask you something that's...probably personal?" Cody asked.
"Sure," Jessie said. "What's up?"
"Was your dad at work?" Cody asked.
"Why, you worried about having to ask for his blessing?" Jessie teased.
"Yeah," Cody said, rolling his eyes. "You caught me. I'm worried about his blessing."
She smiled, then sighed. "Well, you don't have to be. He's in a coma. He was a security manager at a reactor. He got worked a lot. Eventually, he collapsed. It was the same night I was playing the lead role at the Gold Saucer. I didn't find out until a day later, but he collapsed in Mako Storage. He lay there for half a day before anyone found him. He's been comatose ever since."
"I'm sorry," Cody said. "I can't imagine."
"In the end, it's what got me into planetology, and that led me to AVALANCHE," Jessie said. "I've got a theory about it, but...well...it's kind of stupid."
"Coming from you?" Cody asked, Jessie looking at him suspiciously. "I doubt it could possibly be stupid."
She smiled. "I think...I think his spirit is stuck, somewhere between his body and the heart of the planet. So...if we don't shut down the reactors soon..."
"He'll be caught up in the flow," Cody said. "If we did shut down the reactors, would it bring him back?"
"I don't know," Jessie said. "I haven't thought that far ahead."
Cody nodded. "Alright. Then I guess we'll just have to start with the reactors and see what happens."
"Really?" Jessie asked.
"Of course," Cody said. "Shutting the reactors down means fighting against Shinra. That's my goal in life. Besides, I can't let my fake girlfriend's dad be burned for mako energy. What kind of fake boyfriend would I be?"
Jessie rolled her eyes. "I think the only thing fake is you pretending we're not."
Cody snorted. "Keep dreaming, Angel." He said the nickname sarcastically and she rolled her eyes.
"Why'd I ever pretend to start dating you again?" Jessie said.
"So your real boyfriend could rob your house," Cody said, walking in front of her.
"Don't be jealous," Jessie grinned.
"Not jealous," Cody said.
Jessie smiled. "Alright, I'm going to go get in position. Good luck. And make sure I don't have to tell mom my fake boyfriend died breaking into a munitions depot."
"Oh relax," Cody said. "I'll only be mildly wounded so you have to play nurse and I can make you do everything."
"You're such a sweet-talker," she winked and turned, running off.
Cody shook his head, walking along the road and stopping beside Cloud and the others just outside of the security gate leading to the depot. As he arrived, Cloud handed him Roche's sword and his gun and he thanked him, then peeked out, frowning. Something was wrong. There were no guards in the building.
"Where are the guards?" he asked.
Cloud peeked out and swore. He nodded to Cody, who darted across the street quickly and knelt down before carefully peeking in, seeing two dead Shinra troops inside the gurd house. He crouched back down and looked to the others, dragging a finger across his neck. Cloud's frown deepened. He and the others stepped out from around the corner, Biggs and Wedge sprinting to a corner up ahead, the last one before the massive metal gate leading to the depot, a gate that was currently open about a foot, just enough to squeeze through. Cody walked over to them with Cloud.
"No need to rush," Biggs said. "Let's scout it out first."
"I can handle this solo," Cloud said. "Or with just Cody."
"What, you're trying to keep us out of this now?" Biggs asked. "Don't be a jackass."
"We're in this together," Wedge said.
"Don't expect me to save you," Cloud said.
"If you need to check your gear, now's the time," Biggs said. "Probably don't have long before the signal."
"When Roche shows up, assuming he does, I'll handle him," Cody said. "You focus on the dozens of other guards that I'm sure will be present."
Cloud scoffed. "Your funeral."
"Maybe," Cody shrugged. "We'll see."
Just then, a flare shot into the air. Not a very subtle way to signal for sneaking into a munitions depot, but it was good enough. Cloud and Cody both turned, walking to the massive metal door and slipping through it. As they did, there were five guards walking into the yard, looking around. Cody frowned. Flare or not, they shouldn't be out already unless they had already been tipped off about intruders. Just as Cloud drew his sword and Cody rested Roche's sword on his shoulder, a search light found them, the guards all turning toward them.
"You ready?" Cody asked.
"This will be a piece of cake," Cloud said.
"Tar-Targets sighted!" one of the guards stammered.
"Light them up!" another yelled, four of the five opening fire.
Cody sprinted to his left as Cloud used his sword to block the bullets, then took off the other way. As the guards were distracted, Biggs, Wedge, and Cody opened fire as well. Biggs dropped one first, then Cody dropped two. Wedge, being on the upper catwalk with a shotgun, didn't actually hit anyone, but it was a loud gun. Then, Cloud sped toward the last two as one moved to meet him, only for Cloud to nearly split him in half. Cody shot the last just as a dozen more suddenly flooded out of the warehouse. Cody smirked, shaking his head. This was great. An all-you-can-eat buffet of Shinra troops to repay for Cissnei's death. He sprinted toward them as Cloud did the same, spraying bullets at them and dropping almost half the group before the gun ran dry. Then, he and Cloud reached them, both tearing through them rapidly with their swords, finishing that group in seconds. Cody swapped out his mag and grabbed a replacement off of a corpse before grinning.
"This is more like it," Cody grinned. "No motorcycles, no threat of crashing. Just freedom of movement in any direction I need to. Plus, I've got a sword I can use this time."
"Enjoy it while it lasts," Cloud said. "Here come some more."
Cody looked over and raised an eyebrow, seeing grenadiers running toward them from across the courtyard. He smirked, resting the tip of his gun on the ground and set the barrel of his gun on it, opening fire and quickly dropping them all. As he was reloading, heavy rocket launcher turrets began to rise around them, just as several riot troops ran into the courtyard.
"Look at these assholes," Cody said. "Well, I guess this thing's useless now."
"Think you can keep up with that sword?" Cloud asked as Cody slid the gun through the back of his belt again.
"Piece of cake," Cody smirked.
He and Cloud charged, both readying their swords, and the turrets all fired a volley of explosions. Cody cut left as Cloud continued straight. The rockets followed Cloud, who began to flip and spin through the explosions, reaching two of the riot troops unscathed, if a little dirty, and split their shields entirely, killing both. Cody reached a separate group of three and leapt at them, kicking off of a shield and flipping over that troop, slashing him from above, then landed on his feet behind the other two and spun, slashing both, severing their spines. The turrets began to fire at them both again and Cody grabbed the metal riot shield off the ground, praying he didn't actually need it, and took off at a sprint. He could see Cloud once again dodging through the explosions toward his next victims, but Cody wasn't as durable as a SOLDIER. Finally, the last rocket slammed into Cody's shield and he swore as he went flying, crashing down hard. He groaned, slowly beginning to pick himself up as several riot troopers rushed toward him with their stun batons.
He staggered to the side in an attempt to run away, only for his head to spin and he collapsed. Suddenly, Wedge opened fire above them, emptying his entire twenty shell drum into the troops and killing all but one, who only barely survived. Cody raised a hand to thank him as his three Chakra materia suddenly flashed. Then, golden light shone from his body and the pain in his head faded as his senses sharpened again. He sighed in relief, standing and walking to his sword, picking it up just as one of the turrets toppled off the catwalk to the ground and exploded, Biggs already heading for the other one. Cody shook his head, looking around at the troops flooding into the courtyard again. Normal ones, elite troops, riot troops, and grenadiers. He shook his head, sighing. It was going to be a long day. He pulled his gun out, picking a cluster of troops and sprinting toward them, spraying them with bullets as he charged. His gun ran dry just shy of them and an elite troop swung his shotgun around, only for Cody to slash it to the side, the shotgun blasting the group's riot troop instead. Cody instantly flipped the sword to reverse grip and slashed back the other way, dropping the soldier instantly.
Just as he did, a Shock Trooper lunged for him, Cody spinning and knocking his hand aside before bringing the sword around, into a slash, only for the Shock Trooper to dive out of the way. Cody ejected his mag just in time to lean aside from the Shock Trooper's electrified gauntlet yet again, this time splitting him wide open, then quickly slammed a new mag in. As he did, Biggs sent the other turret crashing down in the middle of a group of riot troops, the explosion killing them all. He grinned, looking around as Cloud charged the last group of troops. He shot a few for him, briefly getting their attention, then cloud reached them and quickly finished them all.
However, it was a short-lived victory, because a second after he did, there was a loud bark as about a dozen guard dogs flooded out of a door off to one side, barking and snarling and charging the two intruders. Cody opened fire instantly, dropping a couple of them before abandoning his empty gun, as he'd run out of spare mags when he didn't have the chance to grab new ones mid-battle, then sprinted forward, tearing into the dogs with his sword. It was exhausting, but quick. He spun and slashed one that had gotten behind him, then cast Barrier on himself just before a dog slammed into him, knocking him to the ground but unable to bite through the protective spell. He rolled, slamming an elbow into it and knocking it off before slashing it and shoving himself to his feet. As he did, he saw Cloud slam a glowing sword into the ground, three waves of mako energy shooting out through the dogs attaching him and slaughtering them. He shook his head, slashing several before stabbing one at it jumped at him, taking his sword with it when it crashed to the ground. The last one around him leapt at him but he held out a hand, sending a Firaga into its face and launching it away. He ripped his sword out of the other dog and jogged over to Cloud.
"Having fun?" Cody asked as he grabbed a new gun off a nearby corpse, along with a handful of spare mags.
"Tons," Cloud said flatly.
Finally, an alarm began to scream from the building and Cody's gut clenched. Did she get caught? His moment of worry faded instantly, however, when he saw a pair of heavy shutter doors opening, allowing two Sweepers to stomp out of them. Cody sighed, shoving the gun into the back of his belt.
"I'll take right, you take left?" Cody offered.
"Sure," Cloud nodded. "Try not to get shot."
"I'll be fine," Cody said. "Nice to know you're worried bout me though."
"I'm not," Cloud said. "Without you around, Jessie would be even more annoying with her flirting than she already is."
Cody chuckled. "Probably true. Ready? Go!"
Both took off at a sprint, Cloud rolling aside from a spray of bullets before slashing his Sweeper. Cody dropped into a slide as his Sweeper's bullets sprayed over him, then slid to his feet and slashed the Sweeper's nose upward, forcing it back a step before pulling out the only thermite grenade he had and sticking it to the underside of the Sweeper's nose, pulling the pin and diving aside as the Sweeper's leg rose, then crashed back down where he had been. After a couple seconds, the thermite grenade went off, spraying white-hot flames that melted up through the nose in about five seconds, the Sweeper shutting down as its control systems were destroyed, collapsing. At the same time, Cloud flipped into the air, his sword glowing dark blue, then flipped like a saw blade as he fell, splitting his Sweeper completely in half before leaping backward just before the two halves exploded. Biggs and Wedge cheered above them.
"Stay where you are!" a guard said as a couple dozen of them sprinted out of the building as well as through the main gate, quickly surrounding them.
"Well shit," Cody said, glancing at Biggs and Wedge and tilting his head to the side slightly, both nodding and making for the exit while Cody and Cloud had the troops' undivided attention.
"Show my your hands!" a troop ordered.
Cody gave Cloud a knowing look, tightening his grip on his sword. Before he could go for his gun, or cast Barrier, or anything else, the sound of a motorbike engine revving reached them and everyone spun toward the gate just as a cherry red motorbike jumped over it, clearing more than triple the height required to get into the courtyard. As he began to descend, Roche cackled insanely, eyes wide with excitement and a new sword catching the light from his back. He crashed down in the courtyard, racing back and fourth, swerving between Shinra troops and scaring basically all of them as he laughed, his long, dirty-blonde hair, which Cody could actually focus on this time, blowing behind him.
"Well, aren't we having a good time kicking the hornets' nest?" Roche asked, finally skidding to a stop, smiling at the two calmly. "You know what I want. A second dance, just the two of us."
Cody stepped forward, dropping his gun off to the side so it wouldn't restrict his movement. He could make out Roche clearly now, and recognized him now that he could see his face clearly without one or both travelling at sixty miles an hour. Roche's hair was swept back on top and reached his waist, and he had a thin beard. He wore the long-sleeved, leather variation of a SOLDIER Second Class uniform, with silver shoulder guards.
"Been a while Roche, not counting that race earlier," Cody said. "Don't think I learned your name last time."
Roche grinned widely. "You didn't. you were too busy showing off for that beautiful red-headed partner of yours. What ever happened to her, anyway? I haven't seen her with the rest of them, and I don't imagine she'd like you skippin' town without her."
"She's gone," Cody said. "She died a few months ago."
"Oh," Roche said. "Sorry about that. But enough with the heavy stuff. Since you're here, you fancy a rematch? It's been a long time since you and I had a dance."
"Sure thing, Roche," Cody said. "I have a few minutes to spare between rounds of slaughtering Shinra's cannon fodder."
Roche laughed, taking a combat stance, Cody adopting one of his own, gripping the sword with both hands and holding it up by his head, horizontally. Then, Roche shot forward, slashing at Cody, who spun out of the way, deflecting the blade away from himself before slashing back. Roche flipped over it and spun, slashing again, but Cody deflected the blade over his head. As Roche landed, he slashed at him, only for Roche to knock the blade away and slam a kick into his side, flinging him through the air. He flipped, bouncing and rolling to a stop before Roche flicked his sword across the ground to him. Cody smirked, picking it up as Roche grinned widely.
Then, both charged, Cody casting Manawall on himself as they did. Roche slashed instantly, an arc of mako energy speeding out toward Cody, who spun clockwise out of the way, then slashed, Roche blocking it and grinning. He shoved the sword away and Cody used the force to spin, jumping and slamming a kick into Roche's jaw, sending him staggering sideways. He spun back to Cody in time to knock a stab aside, but as he moved to slash Cody, Cody's left hand caught his wrist. Roche laughed, throwing a headbutt, which Cody leaned out of the way of before he spun around Roche, getting behind him and leaping backward, sending a Firaga into his back and launching him. Roche flipped, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop before grinning, dusting off his shoulders. Cody rolled his eyes. He forgot how durable SOLDIERs were.
"You're as good as I remember," Roche grinned. "You still fight like a true rejected SOLDIER candidate."
"A what?" Cloud asked.
"Long story," Cody said. "Remind me later."
Roche shot forward in a blur, Cody barely deflecting the stab. As Roche shot past him, Cody spun, casting Slow on him, then Haste on himself, the world around him seeming to slow down. He sprinted forward, slashing at Roche rapidly, only for Roche's eyes to light up with an excited glee as he deflected the slashes one after another. Suddenly, he leapt over a slash and Cody dove to the side just before Roche crashed to the ground, a wave of energy exploding into Cody and shattering his protection spells, hurling him. He flipped back to his feet as Roche grinned, holding his sword in front of him with two hands in the basic form SOLDIERS trained in, which was a mix of offensive techniques and defensive ones. Cody pushed himself up, taking a more defensive stance as he waited for Roche to make a move.
"Some things never change!" Roche grinned. "Try this!"
He slashed his sword along the ground and a wave of flames raced toward Cody, who dove aside, only to realize Roche was gone. He swore, slashing upward from his left and his sword crashed into Roche's, only barely managing to deflect the blade, not that it mattered since Roche instantly spun and slashed in an arc, splitting Cody's torso wide open and hurling him away.
"Looks like I win," Roche said, just as Cody shone first gold, then green. "What was that?"
Cody pushed himself up, facing away from Roche. He picked up the sword that had landed in front of him, and the Shinra troops in front of him all gaped at him and the shallow scratch that was all that was left of the formerly fatal wound. Cody turned back to Roche, who laughed.
"You've got a trick up your sleeve!" Roche grinned.
"A few of them," Cody said, retaking his stance. "Shall we continue our dance?"
"We shall," Roche grinned, taking his stance as well.
Then, both charged. Roche pulled his sword back on his left side and shot forward slashing in an arc, only for Cody to flip over it, slashing at him. Roche rolled under it, regaining his feet in time to spin, deflecting Cody's sword upward, then slash back down. Cody turned to the side, Roche's sword missing, then brought his own sword down. Roche's left arm caught his and Cody's left knee crashed into Roche's gut. He grunted and Cody's sword flashed down and around, slashing upward at Roche, only for him to deflect the sword out to the side. He push kicked Cody, hurling him backward, and Cody flipped crashing down hard and rolled to a stop. He pushed himself up as Roche charged. He sighed. Roche had definitely gotten stronger since their last fight. Cody sprinted forward as well, both pulling their blades back. Then, as they slashed, Roche's blade shone with mako energy. There was a deafening crash as they met and Cody barely ducked out of the way of Roche's blade, the broken-off top half of his own slashing Roche's calf as it fell. Roche shouted in pain as Cody turned to him, looking down at the broken sword in his hand.
"Well that's a buzzkill," he said. "I kind of liked this sword."
"Fate, it seems, favored you, today," Roche said. "Your sword breaking deflected my blow and the angle of my blow sent the broken half into my own leg."
"That was an awful useful coincidence," Cody agreed. "Think you can still dance with that injury?"
"Unfortunately, not well enough for you, or for the former SOLDIER awaiting his turn for a dance," Roche said. "A shame, but I'll have to bow out for now. But make no mistake. You and I shall dance again. And next time, fate may not feel so kindly toward you."
"Next time I may use a different sword," Cody said, tossing the broken one he was holding aside and walking to his gun, picking it back up.
"I hope you do," Roche said. "I was a tad disappointed to not get to see that magnificent blade of yours in all its glory today."
Just then, an alarm began to sound as the shutter doors opened again, several Sweepers walking out of each. Several spotlights snapped on, shining on them, and Cody sighed. With no thermite grenades and no sword, he'd have to rely on magic and Cloud. He was already pushing it for what he could do without revealing himself. This might actually end up getting messy.
"Give 'em everything you've got!" one of the soldiers shouted. "But kill the one that still has a sword first!"
"Smart man," Cody said. "Well Cloud, it was nice knowing you."
"Don't be so dramatic," Cloud said. "You can probably heal yourself from bullet wounds easier than that gash."
"Actually, I'm pretty much tapped out for magic after all that," Cody chuckled. "It's exhausting to fight a SOLDIER as a normal person."
"No shit," Cloud said. "Not that you actually are normal."
"Oh go fuck yourself," Cody said. "You know what I mean."
"And you know what I mean," Cloud said.
"I think there are more important things to do, don't you?" Cody asked.
Cloud nodded just as a Sweeper to streak forward suddenly, only for Roche to suddenly slam into it from the side on his bike, cackling and cheering as he sped around them using his bike to take down all of the Sweepers in seconds. Then, he stopped for a moment, resting his hand on his chest.
"We really must do this again," Roche said. "Until then, try not to die. I'll see you on the road, my friends."
Then, he sped off, cackling and cheering. Cody spun instantly, shooting at any of the soldiers he could see rapidly, he and Cloud quickly using a Sweeper for cover as Cody swapped out his mag.
"So, now that our psychotic stalker is gone, what's the plan?" Cody asked.
Suddenly, the Sweeper began to stand and Cody swore, he and Cloud diving away from it as the other Sweepers turned toward them, opening fire, along with the handful of soldiers still in the clearing. He wasn't sure where the rest were, but at the moment, he didn't care. He sprinted one way, Cloud going the other. The Sweepers were all focused on Cloud, which freed Cody up to quickly drop the last of the troops. He turned to the Sweepers as Cloud slashed one's nose off. He couldn't use magic. He'd been serious when he said he was tapped out. His legs were starting to tremble from holding him up, and his arms were struggling to hold his gun up. he hadn't realized he was using so much magic, but he was pretty sure he'd be sleeping for about twelve hours tonight, assuming he made it home without passing out. Suddenly, bullets began to slam into the Sweepers as troops ran into the courtyard wearing sand-colored uniforms with silver pauldrons and dark green turbans with a cloth across their face and a pair of goggles to hide their identities. At their head was Biggs. Cody ran over instantly and Biggs told him to find Wedge outside the gate. He ran toward it as Biggs got Cloud and followed.
Cody climbed over a low wall using a dumpster and found Shinra transport trucks lined up outside, though the troops were on the opposite side, fortunately. Cody spotted Wedge in an alleyway off to the right and jogged over, dropping heavily against the wall and sighing, rubbing his eyes. A moment later, Biggs and Cloud reached them as well.
"That was one hell of a show you put on, Cody," Biggs said. "I had no idea you could take a SOLDIER and win."
"I got lucky at the end," Cody said. "I should have died when my sword broke, but instead, he aimed poorly and I was able to dodge it, and then the end of my blade cut his calf as it was falling to boot."
"Damn," Wedge said. "I wish I had that kind of luck."
"You fight well," Cloud said. "What did he mean you were a rejected SOLDIER candidate?"
Cody sighed. "It was before I was a Turk. Before I met Cissnei. I thought maybe the surgery and mako exposure that makes a SOLDIER would cure my allergy. I made it all the way through the training, got taught to fight like SOLDIER, and then I got rejected because of my allergy. So I went home and found out my father had been accused of trying to steal Shinra secrets from one of the research labs where my father worked. He tried to tell them that he wasn't stealing secrets, he was just working from home, with permission, even, and instead of listening to him, or verifying his story, they just killed him. I hated Shinra for years after that. Up until Cissnei was sent to recruit me into the Turks the day after I got into a drunken bar brawl with Public Security and took down a dozen of them before passing out onto a table."
"You took down a dozen Public Security troops blackout drunk?" Biggs asked, then snorted. "Damn. You're just hardwired to beat the hell out of Shinra, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Cody said. "I suppose I am."
"So what did Cissnei say to convince you to join?" Wedge asked.
"Honestly?" Cody asked. "She apologized on Shinra's behalf. She didn't try to recruit me first, she didn't introduce herself, she just showed up and apologized. After she was done, she introduced herself, told me about the Turks, then offered me a spot as her partner, and told me that as a Turk, I'd know all of Shinra's dirty secrets, ones that would hurt Shinra terribly if they were ever leaked. Not that I ever actually learned all of them. Basically anything to do with Hojo was always classified even above our paygrade."
"So she recruited you by being nice?" Wedge asked.
"Yeah, I suppose she did," Cody said. "At first, she made me question whether or not Shinra as a whole was corrupt, or just the people who killed my father. After a while, I figured out it was just her. And not long after, Shinra began to use her as leverage to keep me from betraying them."
"You made it!" Jessie said suddenly, dropping from a roof into the alleyway. "Are you all alright?"
"We're good," Biggs said. "Except maybe Cody."
"I'm just tired," Cody said. "I'll be fine."
"Good," Jessie said, then glared at him. "Could you have been any louder? I mean, it made my job easy, but..."
"You're welcome," Cody chuckled. "Happy to help." He pushed himself up and sighed. "So, I remember you saying you had a special plan to get home?"
Jessie smiled widely. "That's right!"
She turned, walking out into the street and began to shimmy between a truck and the gate it was parked beside, the others following, Wedge only barely able to fit. Finally, they reached the back of it, walking past the other and finding a pair of Shinra troops blocking the road and keeping a crowd of pedestrians who wanted to see what was going on from entering. Cody and the others cross the street and walked around the truck parked off to the side so the troops wouldn't see them, then followed the street for a ways. Finally, they reached a maintenance tunnel and jogged through it quickly for about three minutes, during which time Cody was pretty sure his legs just about buckled at least twenty times, before finally reaching a catwalk with the plate open below them, allowing them to see the slums. Cody had a sinking feeling he knew what Jessie had planned. As they reached the end of the catwalk, Jessie opened a large case and pulled out three parachutes. She turned to them, grinning.
"Oh you've got to be kidding," Cody groaned. "That's it. We're breaking up."
Jessie laughed. "Too late. You're riding down with me."
"Dammit!" he grumbled, Jessie laughing again.
She walked over with a pack and he pulled it on, clipping it in the front as Cloud got paired with Wedge and Biggs got to ride alone. They all climbed out onto a large pipe on the other side of the railing and Wedge began to panic as Cloud strapped him in. Cody held his hand out to Jessie as she climbed over the railing and she accepted his help, leaning back against him as he strapped her in. She smiled up at him teasingly.
"Try not to enjoy getting to be so close to me," she smiled. "You know, since we're broken up and all."
"Don't push your luck," Cody said. "I can still unclip you on the way down."
Jessie stuck her tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes. Then, as she opened her mouth to say something to Cloud, Cody shoved off the railing. She shrieked in surprise as they plummeted out of the plate, then her shrieked turned into an excited cheer, then a laugh.
"Pull the chute!" She called after a minute.
"I did!" He shouted back, forcing himself to sound panicked and feeling her go rigid in front of him.
"What!?" Jessie shrieked. "Pull the back-up!"
He swung an arm out to the side, though he wasn't holding the cord. "Oh fuck!"
Jessie screamed, beginning to flail. "I don't want to die!"
"Hold still!" Cody shouted.
"I don't want to die!" Jessie shrieked again, not listening to him. "Do something!"
"Do what!?" Cody asked. "Grow wings!?"
"Anything!" Jessie shrieked. "Please!"
"Okay," he said calmly, finally yanking the cord.
The parachute burst out of the pack, flailing for a moment before snapping open and slowing their descent to a gentle glide. Jessie stared up at it, eyes wide and watery and breathing still panicked before looking back at him, seeing the grin in his eyes. Understanding flooded hers and she shrieked indignantly, elbowing him in the side hard.
"That wasn't funny!" she said, elbowing him in the other side, then slamming her heel into his shin.
"Ow!" Cody said, laughing. "Alright, fine! I'm sorry!"
They both began to laugh.
"Geez!" Jessie said, wiping her eyes. "You scared the shit out of me Cody! What the hell!?"
"Hey, you're the one that's always saying you want more excitement," Cody said.
Jessie laughed. "That wasn't what I meant!"
He shrugged, letting go of the handles and wrapping his arms around her, giving her a quick squeeze before taking the handles again. She looked up at him curiously.
"What was that for?" Jessie asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling widely and turning back to the front. After a few minutes, they began to descend toward Scrap Boulevard. Cody wasn't entirely enthused about landing in a monster-infested area, but he didn't have many other options. It was too crowded to land in town, and would raise too many questions. Finally, he tugged lightly on the parachute's toggles and slowed them at the last second, allowing them to land lightly. He quickly unclipped them both and Jessie turned to him, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you for coming with me," Jessie said. "And for sticking up for me to my mom about the Golden Saucer, even though it was all bullshit. You really are a good actor. For a second there, I kinda forgot it was all an act."
Cody rolled his eyes. "Sure you did. Let's just get back before anything bad happens."
Jessie smiled, nodding. "Sure." Then, she began to turn only for her ankle to suddenly kick out sideways as a rock under the sand rolled. Jessie yelped in pain and went down hard, and Cody knelt in front of her instantly.
"You okay?" Cody asked.
"I think I just broke my pride," Jessie said, allowing him to help her stand, only for her to gasp sharply, face scrunching up as her injured leg buckled, Cody catching her. "Shit! I think I might need your help again. For real, this time, I swear."
Cody smiled and nodded, turning and letting her support herself on his shoulders before kneeling and letting her climb onto his back. Then, he stood and walked to the gate, the guy with the gun guarding it pulling it open for them. He walked through the slum to his apartment, setting her gently on the bed, ignoring her raised eyebrow as he got his alcohol bottle out.
"Here," he said. "I'm going to go let Tifa know you're not going tomorrow. Leave me some."
"You're just going to leave me here alone and undefended?" She asked.
"You'll manage," he said. "I'll be back in ten minutes."
After a couple minutes of walking, he knocked on Tifa's door and she opened it frowning and rubbing her eye.
"Cody?" Tifa asked, looking at his scratch and gasping. "Oh my God! What happened?"
"Hm?" he glanced down at it, only just now remembering he had been hurt. "Oh, that. Nothing major. Anyway, I have bad news. Jessie sprayed her ankle."
"What!?" Tifa gasped. "How?"
"She was out on Scrap Boulevard with me and there was a rock under the sand," Cody said.
"Shit!" Tifa swore. "Well, maybe Barret will agree to bring Cloud now. What about you?"
"I'm about to sleep for twelve hours," Cody said. "I ended up having to use a bunch of magic, and now I need at least that long to rest."
"Are you alright?" Tifa asked.
"Yeah," Cody said. "I just need some down time. I'll be fine by the time you get back."
"Alright," Tifa said. "I'll swing by Jessie's tomorrow to check on her."
"Actually, I'm going to have her stay over with me," Cody said. "I have something I need to talk to her about anyway, and this time she can wake me up if anything happens."
"What would happen?" Tifa asked.
"Honestly, it could be anything," Cody said.
Tifa narrowed her eyes before smiling widely. "Oh, I see. Alright. Have fun then."
"What?" Cody asked. "No, it's not-"
Tifa closed her door and Cody groaned, rubbing his eyes before turning and heading back to his apartment. Jessie immediately held out the bottle and he took it, taking a large drink before sighing and dropping onto the bed, pulling his mask back up.
"So, what happened to your chest?" Jessie asked, touching the end of the slit in his shirt, almost halfway through his torso. "It's only a scratch, but your shirt's cut almost in half."
"I was fighting that SOLDIER from the train tracks and he nearly split me in half," Cody said. "I managed to heal it to a scratch, but couldn't heal it fully, and doing this much drained me. I'm probably not waking up for twelve hours."
"You idiot!" Jessie snapped. "Why would you fight him alone!? Why didn't you let Cloud fight him!?"
"It was my score to settle," Cody shrugged. "Besides, it worked out."
"It might not work out next time!" Jessie snapped. "Don't do anything that stupid again! It would be horrible if you died!"
He watched her for a moment before nodding. "I won't promise anything, but I'll try."
Jessie sighed, nodding. "You need to change. You're all sweaty and bloody."
Cody groaned, then stood, grabbing some clean clothes and heading into the bathroom, taking a minute to wash and dry the inside of his mask as well before walking back out and collapsing onto the bed again. Jessie rested her head on his shoulder and pulled the blankets up over them.
"So, why am I here instead of my house?" Jessie asked.
"Because there were cameras at that depot," Cody said. "I seriously risked exposing myself, and if anyone in a nice suit shows up in town, looking for any of us, you're going to wake me up."
"Got it," Jessie said, wrapping her arms around his midsection. "Good night then."
He sighed. "You're acting like this isn't a king-sized bed."
"Oh it's a very nice kin-sized bed," Jessie said. "But you're warm and comfy."
He shook his head, sighing, and closed his eyes, his exhaustion claiming him in seconds.
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