The Avalanche members sat around impatiently waiting and hoping that For Zhijie, Yuffie, and Sonon to return even though it had only been an hour. Phil sat at his desk tinkering with the old radio, his phone, and an old transmitter box with spare parts strewn all over the table in hope of any other news other than what they had just discovered.
Becky and Billy Bob were talking about the members their cell had just lost while Nayo sat quietly listening frequently looking over towards Phil and what he was doing. Polk had climbed up to the second floor of the shack base and lied down to take a nap. It only had a small business pavillion and one small functioning factory. The rest of the buildings, which were many, littered the fields and were abandoned warehouses and factories.
"I still can't believe they would stoop to such depths to get us" Becky said with disgust.
"I can, I've talked to some of the grunts off the job at some of the bars, and some of the stories they tell..." Billy Bob chuckled.
"Dropping an entire plate to squash maybe ten to twenty people... such arrogance" Becky punched her fist against her other open hand.
"It's not just the planet they don't care about, but human life in general. I've heard stories in the past of them rooting out people whom they thought were betraying them, and the reprisals they received...but I think I will leave those stories untold" Billy Bob smirked mockingly. Nayo continued sitting quietly near Phil offering her assistance when needed trying to tune out any more conversation about Shinra.
"So you really believe that Shinra will drop sector seven plate and sacrifice those on top as well?" Becky went on.
"I'm afraid so... I doubt Avalanche will send much help although we will all be blamed no doubt" Billy Bob confirmed. "I really miss the good ole days being a simple mechanic, going to the bar, hanging out with friends, having a beer, and just plain shootin' the breeze... those days are gone" he sighed exhaling.
"Shinra just keeps becoming more and more tyrannical" Becky agreed.
"I got an idea, let's play a game of Fort Condor, I'm sure Polk won't mind" Billy Bob said opening Polk's backpack taking the game out showing Becky.
"Why not? I'm pretty good just to warn you" Becky cracked a smile as they made room to make space for the game.
"Polk seems kind of nervous" Phil said in a low voice to Nayo as she handed him a screwdriver.
"Yea, he's still kind of new to all of this, but his heart is in it" Nayo explained.
"What about you?" Phil suddenly caught Nayo off guard.
"Me? Well, there are so many reasons that I can't name them all to you in one sitting; but I will say that I can't support a company that openly lies to the citizens of Midgar"
"And committing mass genocide... If we can't get more help then we need to begin spreading the word" Phil continued unscrewing a metallic remote.
"We'll do what we have to do" Nayo said with determination. Phil remained fixed on his tinkering while pondering his own dedication to Avalanche's wondering how many more lives would suffer.
Sonon, Yuffie, and Zhijie, continued up and over fences through abandoned property with minimal encounters. They stealthily made their way further toward the outer wall of Midgar, but Yuffie's curiousity was always a constant companion of hers. Why would Shinra build so many buildings, vehicles, robots, and simply abandon them? They finally reached the field near where the huge sewer drain pipe was down a ravine. Yuffie turned around to see just how far they had traversed, but unless she were to climb on top of a building, that would be impossible to guess.
"Why do you think Shinra builds things and lets them go to waste?" Yuffie finally asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Zhijie turned to her looking a little perplexed.
"I mean, just think of how many buildings and empty space we passed through... I mean..."
"That's exactly what Shinra is, you answered your own question" Sonon pointed out as they walked down the abandoned field as it gradually descended.
"What?" Yuffie asked knowing but wanted to hear someone else's explanation.
"Wasteful. Just like the planet, they are draining the life energy of the planet and what will happen when there's no more?"
Zhijie answered pausing to get a view of the high wall would kept outsiders and monsters from entering Midgar's space.
"Exactly, Shinra does what it wants without regard to cost, waste of resources, and human life" Sonon said starting to get a little aggravated with the thoughts, but he quickly composed himself as a cool breeze caressed his face.
Yuffie stood there considering their answers for a moment as the sun peeked out from under the steel sky.
"Well, I guess there's no sense in standing around" she quickly moved past both of them zooming her way down the hill. Sonon and Zhijie followed in kind.
Once they reached the bottom of the valley, they found the huge drain pipe which had boards and metal bars barring entry with various warning signs to stay out. A stench wafted between the barriers as the trio drew near the entrance.
"I think we should split up and investigate around the entrance before entering" Sonon suggested.
"Right, no clue is too small for the great Yuffie to find!"
The trio searched the area for about five minutes each of them yielding something of interest.
"All I found was a flyer with a beagle dog named Stamp on it" Yuffie said a bit disappointed.
"I found one of those Shinra helmets the guards wear, but it could come in handy" Zhijie said cleaning it off.
"How's so?" Yuffie looked at him a bit strangely also drawing a disconcerting look from Sonon.
"These helmets have night vision built into them, or at least most of them do" Zhijie said trying it on.
"I found an odd little wooden sword" Sonon held the three foot wooden sword that was a replica of the buster sword.
"What a neat looking toy" Yuffie admired it reaching to take it out of Sonon's hands but Sonon was quicker shifting it away from her.
"I imagine you have plenty of toys back home, those swords are all over the slums" Zhijie laughed.
"This sword must have belonged to one of the young victims" Sonon said somberly. Yuffie and Zhijie calmed immediately remembering the serious nature of their mission.
Another moment passed when they could hear squeals and squeaks coming from inside the sewage drain pipe. The trio instantly drew their weapons.
"What is it?" Yuffie asked anxiously.
Zhijie look through the barriers, but it was too dark to see very far. He quickly put on the Shinra helmet and looked through the night vision glasses built in.
"Rats! Big rats! And not your typical big rat- they must be doomrats" Zhijie correctly surmised preparing to try to pop off a few rounds and scare them back. He fired four rounds with only two of them hitting their targets, but the doomrats continued racing for the exit.
"Normally they don't like daylight" Sonon said a bit confused holding his staff ready.
"It sounds like someone or something has scared them" Zhijie said slowly backing away from the barricaded entrance.
"I don't like how you said 'some-thing'" Yuffie gripped her shuriken tighter.
Zhijie fired two more quick shots and dived out of the way as six doomrats busted through the wooden planks and squeezed through the metal bars blocking the way. Three ran for Yuffie and the other three for Sonon as they got in a defensive stance ready to ward off attacks.
"Get ready to spring Yuffie!" Sonon shouted. The doomrats leaped at them with razor sharp teeth and claws.
Sonon spun around in a whirlwind like movement with both hands holding his staff changing to an offensive stance knocking each of the doomrats back several feet.
Yuffie leaped high and used her ninjitsu ability to spring higher up and flip over their leap landing behind them. The doomrats immediately turned to face her, but Yuffie landed several feet away from them and threw her shuriken like a boomerang before her new position registered to the doomrats. Her shuriken slashed them each across their faces stunning them momentarily.
Zhijie took advantage of the moment to reload his gun just in time as one of Yuffie's attackers took notice of Zhijie beside the entrance.
"Zhijie! Lookout!" Yuffie shouted.
"Gotcha!" Zhijie aimed his gun at the doomrat dashing straight at him now. POP POP POP! The shots slowed it down only a little and Zhijie continued firing another five rounds straight into the creature as hit hissed and squeaked loudly at him in protest.
Yuffie had two blitz her enraged. One leaped for her head while the other dived for one of her legs. With only a slight opening between the two huge rats, Yuffie dived between them lightning fast while bringing the sharpest point for her shuriken scoring another slash as she went through the air. The rat airborne for her head continued and rolled on the ground while the other quickly regrouped turning back determined to catch Yuffie off balance. "Hang in there Zhijie!"
Sonon began twirling his staff in a counter-clockwise motion realizing for these creatures that a good offense was a good defense. Not giving them any time to recuperate from that quick blow, Sonon slammed the end of his staff into one pushing it back while bringing his staff down on the head of the second while hitting the third in the jaw as he brought his staff back up knocking it back another six feet. The other two doomrats rushed him, Sonon quickly reacted throwing his staff up in the air behind him leaping into a back flip catching his staff mid air landing six feet behind where he stood quickly glancing seeing how Yuffie and Zhijie were faring.
Zhijie backed as quickly as he could away without losing his aim, but the creature seemed only somewhat affected. He decided to fire toward its feet to slow it down, the first shot missed as it gained on him, the second and third shot hit it in the torso, but the hyde of a doomrat is very tough. Zhijie knew this shot had to count, if he didn't hit the doomrat in the right spot, it would be upon him. Luckily the shot struck true and gave Zhijie just enough time to put his gun away and take out his sais. The creature in a desperate raging attacking dived with the last of its energy, but Zhijie easily countered knocking away its bite with his right sai and stabbed it hard in its chest with his left sai taking it out.
"Time to end this!" Yuffie said summoning her ancestral Wutain power to electrify her shuriken. She didn't have time to throw it as the doomrats were upon her. She brought up her shuriken offensively once electrifying them and continued their shock as she batted away their bites and claws.
"You're going down!" Yuffie continued stunning them with electricity whilst still slashing them with intense speed until they both dropped to the ground and didn't get back up.
"Let's do it Sonon!" Yuffie quickly ran to Sonon's aid.
Both Sonon and Yuffie's energy began alternating between them as they became laser focused. Two of Sonon's doomrats came at him again, but this time it would be nothing but punishment for them as both their movements became faster if that could be possible. Sonon held out his staff and Yuffie jumped on it and sprang at the two oncoming doomrats with her electrifying elemental charge giving both shocking slashes across their faces as she flew past the rodent assailants. Sonon came dashing behind her with a wide arching attack sending them airborne finishing them off.
Sonon noticed the last doomrat coming for them during their synchronization, but Zhijie had engaged it with his sais. Zhijie circled it a little nervously but his adrenaline had him ready. The last doomrat leaped at him clumsily and Zhijie dodged to the side and struck out with a sai scoring a hit to its side causing it to make a very loud high pitched squeal. Zhijie continued circling it in a defensive stance. Weakened, the doomrat tried one last desperate dive attack, but Zhijie twisted his bite in mid-air with his sai and blocked a claw attack with the other while twisting and pivoting his body preparing to launch the creature with his weapons.
"Sonon!" Zhijie shouted getting his attention. Zhijie launched the doomrat towards sonon as he held his staff like a bat and swung knocking the last doomrat down into the ravine.
"What a fight! That got my blood going!" Yuffie said marching in place.
"Yea, that was intense" Zhijie agreed.
"Very good Zhijie, you definitely have your basic moves down, but have you ever trained in synchronicity?" Sonon suddenly asked.
"Only a few times, and the last time was the only successful one" Zhijie admitted.
"Let's go, we'll make a ninja out of you yet!" Yuffie complimented.
"We have to proceed with caution boss, these little rats were tough and for something to have them this scared means that whatever is in there, we can expect to be six times harder" Sonon warned.
The trio stopped for a moment to plan before standing before the entrance and deciding to finally enter. A lone shadow watched off in the distance from a top a building with a pair of binoculars.
"Impressive, I don't know which will be better hunt, the thing they are hunting or them..." he mused. "Either way, this will be a great training exercise" he finished jumping down from the building.