THE SHINRA COMPANY IS KILLING THE PLANET
A torn flyer layered on top of older, mouldering posters near the entrance to Sector Six. The text promised a protest meeting in Sector Four. A movement against Shinra - if such a thing was possible when survival down here was a constant struggle and left precious little time for any other activities. And impossible to ignore that living in the city inevitably fed time and money back into the Shinra company.
Tension hung in the air when Tifa arrived at the meeting. Nervous, wary glances, newcomers scrutinised. Look-outs wary and tense. The warehouse was near empty, the air cold and the floor slick. And now the horrible possibility this was the wrong place, these were not the people she was looking for. No. These were those like her who wanted to fight back. Small clusters of attendees muttered to each other, attention soon shifting from Tifa.
Only after witnessing the peaks and troughs of tension from those waiting did the reasons become clear. They were wary of an unwanted attendee. And who more likely than some Shinra goon? Or perhaps a member of SOLDIER. The thought left her shivering, recalling the flames, the screams, the blood, the pain erupting from her chest-
Dizzy, she reached out to a wall. SOLDIERs? Here? Surely not. And the same fate could not await these people. Unlike the residents of Nibelheim, they watched out for the threat in whatever form it might come. They must see SOLDIER as a threat too. If only she had previously.
Time ticked on, a steady trickle of people entering the warehouse, all dressed in dark colours, hoods and hats to obscure their identities. Could it be so bad that going to such an event was a risk? Again the sensation she should not be here – right place but with such risks. She could get out-
The murmuring of the crowd grew louder and a figure ascended to a raised platform at the end of the warehouse. People shuffled forward, crowding together.
"Shinra is killing the Planet!" A woman's voice roared into a microphone. "They have to be stopped!" Around Tifa the crowd cheered, fists raised in agreement. "Too long have they ruled over us. Too long have they leeched the life from the ground beneath us." The audience nodded and murmured assent. "My grandparents once grew their own produce here, but now-"
"Everything dies!" A shout from the crowd.
"The monsters move in!" Another chimed in.
The woman – name unclear, blond hair and tall – nodded. "We cannot allow them to carry on-" She broke off, staring over their heads and back towards the entrance. In between the figures – some following the woman's gaze, others still staring forwards and waiting for a resumption – the lookouts rushed forwards. Something was happening outside. A glint of green and a rush of red and yellow flaring. Too much like- An agonised scream ripped through the air.
"They're here!" The lookouts did not stop moving.
The crowd frenzied. Some surged towards the doors – towards the danger – while others rushed away. Ahead the speaker jumped down from the stage and burst through a flimsy door; some in the crowd raced towards it. Tifa moved with them, another flicker of red and yellow out of the corner of her eye somewhere behind her. A splintering smash. A dread name tumbled out as a hiss from someone nearby. "SOLDIER."
Tifa's stomach lurched and she scrabbled faster towards the door. The First would claim her, his sword would give her a matching scar or finish the job Sephiroth abandoned. More screams, all around her, shouts, demands from an imposing voice to halt. Some did – arms raised and turning back to whatever had entered the building. Tifa and the others forced their way past them desperately seeking the outside. The voice demanding they stop sounded all too loud-
A gap ahead and Tifa darted forwards. Out into the dingey light. No time to look; she ran. To her left and right, people charged into better lit areas. A burst of machine gun fire from her left, a glimpse of a blue uniform. Not merely SOLDIERs; the infantry was here too. She ran on, the infantry advancing slowly, those running that way caught and forced back or cut down. To the right- A dead-end.
Ahead was the opening to an alley. All too obvious as an escape but better cover and the only route she had left. A few stragglers vanished into the dim passage-way. Could she hope few enough took this route to risk notice? Into the alley. Her breathing echoed off the close walls, difficult to see much, the ground strewn with debris and refuse. A glimpse back; the warehouse was aflame, more people rushing towards the alley. No sign of the infantry or the SOLDIERs.
Tifa's foot snagged on something unseen in the dark. She sprawled onto wet concrete and what might charitably be mud. Her knee throbbed, her clothes now damp. Her own panting echoed in the alley. Had to keep moving. Another glance back. Nothing there except the flaming warehouse.
No way to stride now; Tifa limped onward, each step sending another burst of pain up through her leg. Had to make it. Another glance-
A figure in a blue-uniform, machine gun clutched in both hands stepped into the alley. His helmet light was on, the glare reflecting off of the wall. Too late. Had he seen her?
"Hey!" A voice close at hand. "C'mere!" A hand reaching out from behind a pile of refuse. It caught Tifa's and dragged her down. A woman with red-hair crouched in the darkness, peering back over the mound of rubbish. She glanced back at Tifa. "You okay?"
"Hurt my knee." Tifa kept her voice to a whisper; distant rubbish crumpled beneath the infantry's boots. Headed this way.
The woman peered at Tifa's leg and shook her head. "Can't do much about it without light. And-" She shrugged, gesturing back towards the approaching figure. The opposite end of the alley vanished into deep gloom. A turning some meters further down the passageway. Could she reach it?
Tifa tensed, ready to try and make for a break for it. Opened her mouth to murmur to her new acquaintance- The woman gripped her arm tight. "You won't make it. But don't worry. I have a plan." She grinned, her expression promising mayhem and confusion. "Just wait a bit longer-"
Heart hammering in her chest, lungs desperate for air, Tifa nodded. The woman fumbled in the pocket of her jacket and extracted a masses of wires and pipes. She pried open the mass with quick, nimble fingers, nudging some sections and pulling entire others out. She peered over their shelter. "Ready to go?"
Not fast, but as much as she could. Tifa nodded. Another grin from the woman. She threw the device over the rubbish and held one finger up. Tifa tensed-
The infantry let out a cry of surprise and cocked his gun.
A muffled bang echoed along the alley and the air dimmed.
Some new wordless shout from the infantry – wisps of haze swept along the alley, growing thicker and thicker. "Now." The woman took Tifa's hand and helped her to her feet. Back towards the alley entrance was a wall of black fog, the flames of the warehouse a dim spot of light; the helm of the infantry invisible. "Won't last forever." The woman tugged her forward and Tifa kept her pace as best she was able.
They did not stop once they rounded the corner – the woman pressed on, Tifa biting her tongue as the pain lanced over and over again. "Not much further." The woman took lefts and rights seemingly randomly. Behind there were no signs of pursuit; Tifa could almost hope they had escaped. The woman would not rest however.
Another turn- And out into the streetlights in Sector Four. The woman pulled her hat and coat off, flinging them back into the alley. Tifa moved to comply, only stopping when she noticed the muddy stain on her shorts. The woman grimaced. "Tie your jacket round your waist. Just need to look like we weren't even there." Tifa complied and with a limp walked at a slower pace away from the alley. The woman clicked her tongue. "Not going to get far like this. What do you say to coffee?"
"Sounds good." Tifa had to clench her teeth. "But first-" She held out her hand. "I'm Tifa."
"Oh!" The woman blinked and smiled. "Sorry. Forgot. I'm Jessie."