Chapter four
Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous.
"Get out of here, now." Aeris craned her neck the same way Sephiroth did and her brow furrowed. "I went with you through the sewer, past the train graveyard, and now you think that I'm going to be running away just because of some gunfire?" Sephiroth's own brow furrowed as his gaze turned from the gun flashes to Aeris. "If Shinra is doing what I think they're doing, then it's more dangerous then getting shot. Now if you insist on doing something to help then go warn everyone you can to get out of this entire sector, it needs to be evacuated, understand?"
Aeris fell silent and Sephiroth fixed her with a commanding glare, causing her to finally nod and go rushing off further into the sector. He didn't have luxury of time to worry about her; he practically flew up the stairs careful to jump over the bodies of the fallen guards who littered the stairway. It looked like things we're pretty well in hand so far, but he hadn't seen who had killed them yet, though he had a pretty good idea. Finally he reached the top and found James and Mirri fighting side by side.
James had apparently once again taken the guard's guns, and Sephiroth saw him shoot two more guards lethally as they jumped from a helicopter hovering above the platform. Mirri glared at the helicopter which her blades couldn't destroy and then suddenly saw Sephiroth out of the corner of her eye. "Commander, great timing! Shinra is deploying guards and SOLDIERS from that helicopter!"
As she spoke the helicopter suddenly sped up and began to pull away from the platform. James scratched his chin slowly, as if about to make a statement but afraid it would come out wrong. Finally he made it. "Well then, I guess they ran out of expendables, thanks for coming anyway Seph...iroth good to see you alive!" James broke into his own personal salute, which of course meant he was still smiling (and doing it left-handed).
Of course a moment later the helicopter spun on its axis and headed right back at the platform losing altitude as it went. All three of them stared at it, wondering if the pilot would be willing to ram the platform with his vehicle. However at the last moment it altered its course still coming in low over the platform, and a man in a blue suit jumped from it. He landed behind the three, dashed a few feet to the center pole of the platform and slammed a black box onto it.
As the three turned around he pressed a red button on the box causing it to light up with flashing numbers. Then with a pirouette like a dancer the man turned to face the group and smiled. "Shinra sets up the shotgun, Reno gets the ball, clears the defenders and slams it in the end zone, TOUCHDOWN! Shinra 20, terrorists 16, with a possible extra point if I can kick your asses in the next few minuets before I have to evac." "Reno."
It was a low growl from Mirri. There was quite a colorful relationship between the two of them, and more then a few bets had been placed on both of them over the last few years. Granted other SOLDIERS had always been on hand to intervene and nothing had ever come of it. All things considered, it wouldn't be fair to say that either of them hated each other. Reno possessed some modicum's of decency and even when he was drunk he wasn't the type to try and force himself on a women, physically at least.
Still it was a well known moment in Shinra HQ when Reno, sotaly tober would stagger up to Mirri's room and ring the doorbell. Mirri would open it and would be greeted by Reno's inebriated breath. "Hey Catwarrior, wanna have sex with me?" Mirri would look Reno up and down as if thinking that possibly he might taste fine with just the right combination of spices, and then thought better of it. "No."
She would close the door, and Reno would stagger off, or more likely fall on the floor and Mirri would step over his body when she left in the morning. Reno was in possession of the same traits that James had, except to such an extent that they where annoying instead of amusingly pathetic.
Reno flicked his nightstick on and struck a defensive stance facing his three foes. "Okay then, guy, General, and Mirri, let's dance!" Sephiroth dashed forward with Masamune, but Reno dodged to the side of the thrust. He jumped away as Mirri tried to pin him between herself and Sephiroth. Then James struck.
He snuck around the huge pillar in the center of the platform as Sephiroth charged at Reno and fired as he jumped away from Mirri. A short burst, with three bullets slamming into the side of Reno's chest. The bullets thudded harmlessly against the body amour Reno wore underneath his suit or at least without harm other then the shock it gave him.
Reno turned around and saw James steadying the gun in his right hand for another burst. He tossed himself at James and swept the nightstick upwards to knock the gun from his hand. He succeeded and the gun went spinning over the edge of the platform and an electric shock went through the right half of James' body. Even as he went down on one knee, his left hand shifted position and he smiled.
"TASTE SOUTHPAW VENGEANCE RIGHTY!" James pulled down the trigger and emptied a thirty round burst into Reno's chest with the barrel almost touching him. Turk body amour is good stuff, designed to take a beating and yet still be flexible. However it was also designed to fit under a suit instead of the body amour guards wore that lined their heavy blue outfits.
At least three bullets slammed through Reno's chest and the impact pushed him backwards though he hung onto his nightstick. It might have been a lethal wound to someone without Jenova cells and mako enhancements, but Reno had both, so it was only about as bad as a flesh wound on a normal person. He managed to steady himself against a railing as Mirri and Sephiroth moved in while James loaded another clip into his gun. "What a sinister trick! Under-handed..." The remainder of the comment was cut off as James chambered a new round and stood back up.
"You can say whatever you want about my mind, but don't you dare insult the hand I favor! Just 'cause it's different doesn't make it inferior!" OWAN: James harps on this several times throughout this fic, bear with him, he's a proud leftie. I'll curtail it wherever I can Reno rolled his eyes. "Listen, much fun as it's been, I have to be going." With that he part climbed over, part leapt over the railing.
A few moments the helicopter came back into view from below the platform, Reno waving to the group. A moment later Reno was yanked out of sight and another man in a blue suit took his place. He had long black hair tied into a neat pony tail, and his face was all business. "Sephiroth, so you actually are alive, part of me though that Reno might have just gotten drunk and decided you where a convenient excuse. It would be more believable then some of the things he's told me." "Tseng."
It was a stone cold statement with no malice or other emotion. Tseng nodded. "I believe I have something that I should show you before you die." He moved to the side, and a moment later, he pulled Aeris into sight. Another low growl came from deep in Sephiroth's throat. "Tseng, taking hostages? That's low even for you."
Tseng looked Sephiroth up and down once and then let out a low sarcastic laugh. "You don't know? You honestly don't know! Shinra wants this girl because she's a Cetra!"
Sephiroth froze, the flowers, being able to grow flowers in Lower Midgar, he should have known. "By the way, that's not a bomb, it's a remote access terminal. The President has used it to access the pillar and has activated the plate released system. Only the president's password could deactivate it, and any password other than it, will instantly release the plate. No way to deactivate it. I'm sorry Sephiroth, you deserved a better death than this, you deserved to die in battle. But, most people already think you already have, and orders are orders."
A moment later Reno forced his way back into view. "By the way Mirri, if you could, save a stalagmite for me in the land of fire and brimstone!" A moment later Tseng pushed Reno out of view. "Well you've got about a minute left to live, goodbye." With that the helicopter took off and Mirri looked over at Sephiroth, arching her eyebrows. "General Sephiroth, this would be a good time for another one of your brilliant plans. Because I'm not in the mood to die right now, and I can't run fast enough to get out of this one."
Sephiroth needed only a single look around the platform before he had his answer. "There's a power line going from this pillar, we can slide down on it." James saw said power line, and he tossed aside his remaining gun, to wrap both his arms around the wire before he started to slide down it. Mirri cast another quick glance at Sephiroth. "You know I'm reminded of some line about where angels dare not tread right about now."
Sephiroth grabbed the wire with his gloved hands and kicked off the railing. "If you want people to follow you, you have to lead first." Mirri took one last look at the box which now showed "00:10". She looked down at her white gloves and muttered a quick prayer that they wouldn't be harmed by the journey. Then she grabbed the wire, and kicked of the platform clearing the railing.
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Aeris' head was spinning. Tseng had given her something to knock her out after he had showed her to Sephiroth. Whether it was to keep her from struggling, or to prevent her from knowing what would happen to her she didn't know. She would guess it was the second one; Tseng had always been nice to her even when the job left him no real choice.
That was why he had sent Reno to get her rather then going himself, he wouldn't have wanted to harm her if she resisted. The first thing she saw when her eyes came into vision was a dog... no it was a wolf. A wolf, and it was looking right at her with its golden eyes.
Aeris had heard that in Nibelheim Mountains there where wolves that grew over five feet in length. This wolf had to be around six and a half feet from head to tail. It stood close to four feet tall, and it probably could have fit Aeris' head in its mouth without even trying.
Needlessly to say that was not a pleasant image at all in the circumstances. Aeris tried to move away from the wolf, but all she managed to do was weak shuffle backwards before failing onto her back. /Don't be afraid Child of Gaia.\ It wasn't speech, but it had a voice, and Aeris understood it, she narrowed her eyes.
A moment later it came again. /Yes Child of Gaia it is I, the disciple of Fenris. You have good reason to be afraid, but not of me. The weave worshipers who have placed us in this cage are the ones who you should be afraid of.\ Aeris still wasn't quite sure, she understood most of the words, but all together it was hard to make out. She tried to scoot backwards even farther, but found that her back hit some kind of wall.
The wolf continued to slowly pad forward keeping the distance between them the same, but otherwise doing nothing threatening. Aeris had nothing to lose, she slowly reached out her hand and touched the wolf's fur. It was a brilliant white, almost silver and it felt unusually soft to the hand. /Yes that is me. Chained like a common dog.\
Aeris' eyes managed to focus some more and she saw it. Around the wolf's neck was a huge collar with spikes jutting from it at every angle. It glistened in the light, it looked to be made of silver and there was no clasp to release it with. /This cursed strand of weave which they have tied about my neck so as to also bind my hands. But my teeth are still sharp, and woe to the first of her servants who comes close./
Aeris felt some odd compulsion deep inside her, to cling to this wolf like a long lost cousin, but she pushed it aside. "What's going to happen to us..."
It was low plaintive tone, not a question to which she expected an answer, but she had one instantly. /We are to be saved, and Fenris' wrath shall fall on this building till it rots to its corrupted foundations. Your alpha's scent is strong on you Child of Gaia, and I can tell his strength just by his smell. He will not abandon you. His scent brings great joy to me even if it is mingled with hers, because it means that I will not die in this cage. Do not worry Child of Gaia, I have more power then the weave worshipers know, even with this thrice-damned collar about my neck, I can still touch Gaia. Not enough to do anything that would free us, but enough for one small gift. I will grant you dreamless peaceful sleep until we are freed.\
"Thank you." It hardly seemed the right thing to say, but it was the only thing she could think up at the moment. Then she felt another wave of blackness go over her, and she welcomed it as a brief escape.
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"We will save Aeris." As all things with Sephiroth, this was not so much a command but a statement; Sephiroth willed it, so it would happen. Mirri leaned against the wall of one of Sector Six's buildings and shrugged. "Okay, so we have to fight our way through god knows how many levels of Shinra HQ against its automated defenses and SOLDIERS. That I'm cool with, because I can fight it. But how do we get there first? Unless you're suddenly going to sprout wings and carry us there."
It might not have been the wisest way of stating that last comment in their present company. James' eyes instantly came alight with child-like desire making quite clear that he would be upset if Sephiroth had less than a 20 foot wingspan. Sephiroth however waved James off instantly knowing it was best to nip Firecat ideas in the bud. "No I'm not. However Mirri, haven't you always wondered how I got into Midgar?"
James' hand instantly shot up. "I KNOW!" wedged Masamune's sheath into the ground and pried a sewer grate up. "James we're going to pay your home a visit." James clasped his hands together in joy and shot down the sewer grate, descending lizard like down the walls.
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The only light came from the luminescent green glow of Sephiroth's eyes. He led the way with James in the middle (and apparently having the time of his life looking around at the various shadows being cast) and Mirri in back Sephiroth hated to admit it to himself, but in the end it had gotten to him.
This far below the world, cut of from everything else, he felt just like when he was young... He started talking to dispel the memories, he refused to let it go so far that the others would know he was afraid, particularly when it wasn't of what they would think he was afraid of. "Shinra had a secret lab down here. It's where they created James, and where I found him. I only knew about it because its original use was a site for military projects so I did regular checkups on the lab when I was general. I thought I might use it for a base of operations if Shinra had abandoned it, but they hadn't. I sent the lot of scientists who were working here straight to hell, they were most likely taking orders from Hojo, only he would play God so openly."
Sephiroth paused, the light casting shadows that showed a hint of James' ears even underneath his hat (which he had somehow managed to hang onto) upon the wall. "Of course I knew Shinra would investigate so I decided not to use it as a base, but I did leave one piece of equipment I couldn't take with me here. Shinra of course would believe that it belonged here and leave it alone."
Mirri was apparently beginning to catch onto what Sephiroth was talking about. "So you have one stashed down here? Can it take us all the way to Upper Midgar?" For a response Sephiroth just quickened his pace and let out a low "I hope" under his breath.
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James recognized the place even in the darkness. Granted James had very good night vision, but even without it, the feeling of the place would have been enough. He shuddered slightly, there where very few things that ever made him shudder, but this place had always "creeped him out" in his words. Still it wasn't like any of the people who had really creeped him out where still around, or even alive, Seph had taken care of that.
Of course now that he had Sephiroth and Mirri with him, he doubted anything could possibly go wrong. Sephiroth flipped a light switch and a few moments later among the sparks lights began to flicker on. James was instantly able to recognize the one piece of equipment that hadn't been there before, and Sephiroth was already looking at it. Mirri's attention quickly focused on it, and a few moments later Mirri was climbing into the back seat of the helicopter.
James followed and Sephiroth took the front seat next to the "wheel" such as it was. "This is the 'Black Angel' my own personal helicopter. One of the things I used it for was to make checkups on this lab. There's a shaft that runs from this lab to Upper Midgar, and I doubt the falling of the Sector Seven plate damaged it. If we have enough fuel we should be able to make it easily. If we don't... it's a very long way down. So I suggest both of you pray to whatever respective things you believe in."
James nodded, and Sephiroth pressed a button causing the helicopters interior to light up. Including a red light informing them with an important message "Warning: Low Fuel." James lay down, stretching out as much as he could (not putting on a seat belt unlike Mirri) whatever happened would happen. There wasn't that much to gain by agonizing over it.
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Sephiroth gave the engines one final jerk, and then they died. The blades stopped rotating, and he carefully leveled the helicopter off. Granted as they where above the edge of the Sector Seven plate had been, there wasn't anywhere in particular to land. He took one more look down, and then slid across the helicopter's front seat to open the door on the other side. "Everybody out!"
Mirri undid her seat belt and leapt from the helicopter just as Sephiroth did with James only a moment behind them. All three of them hit solid ground, but had plenty of time to watch the Black Angel plummet to its demise. Sephiroth saluted the craft, it had always served him well. Then he turned back to his still living companions. "Let's go, it's time to pay Shinra a visit."
OWAN:
I have allowed anonymous comments in the sincere hope that we will hear from the people who read this. In the sincere hope that people read this. I hope that people read this.
In a similar vein, I would like to address our sole reviewer, Demonsurfer. Thank you. Your support made this possible. Get all your friends to read it, and I'll even go back and fix some more errors.