Prologue
PROLOGUE
Those Who Lurk in the Night
The squadron waited with baited breath as Shears peered through the manhole cover, his hand held out in a gesture for them to remain silent. On the street above them, the low mutter of the Shinra patrol could be heard as the infantrymen passed the opening, oblivious to the threat that had gathered beneath their feet. Almost a minute elapsed before Shears descended the rusting ladder, cautious to keep his boots gripped to the slimy rungs, satisfied that the soldiers had vacated the surrounding area.
The young man could feel his heart pounding in his chest; the nerves of the mission affecting him as it had all afternoon. Today is the day that everyone will know our name. He grimaced uncomfortably as the ankles of his beige uniform grew damp with sewage water, shifting his weight between his legs in an effort to reduce the irritation. He saw a number of men in the rows in front doing the same, cursing in hushed voices.
At the head of the assembly, Shears cleared his throat; his way of gaining the attention of his troops. Since joining the militant group, the young man had always admired Shears; his style of martial arts combat, the way he spoke to the army, and even his dress sense. He stood before them all now in the same outfit as his subordinates, although his a pallid shade of grey, confirming again how he saw himself as one of them. His only differing attribute was the dark green bandana he had tied down over his bushy black hair, pinning the long strands to either side of his firm jaw.
"Our revolution begins tonight." declared Shears, his thick voice echoing throughout the cavernous sewer tunnels. "This is the beginning of our fight to bring down the Shinra. Too long have they poisoned our minds with lies and deceit. Too long have they drained the life of the Planet with their Mako Reactors. It's up to us, the people, to take a stand against them. AVALANCHE shall save the Planet from the unlawful dictatorship of the President. Down with Shinra!"
"Down with Shinra!" rallied the men, their fists high in the air.
"Now it is time to put our plan into motion." Shears ordered. "You all know the drill. Now, go! Kill anyone that stands in your way."
With a sudden bustle of bodies, the legion quickly began to part, most of the combatants following Shears along the murky stream and vanishing into the darkness of the sewers. Spotting the rest of his team at the foot of the ladder, the young man waded through the water to meet them. The four climbed the slippery frame, scrambling through the manhole and onto the deserted road. Old industrial office buildings and warehouses lay noiseless on either side of the cobbled street, their grimy walls illuminated by the faint green glow of numerous lampposts.
The party leader set off along the pavement, signalling for them to keep to the shadows. The distant sounds of a city alive with early morning activity drifted from the centre of the Sector8 downtown, club music and the occasional drunken argument disturbing the otherwise silent suburb. At the end of the road, the entrance to the cargo train depot could be seen, the broken and dusty windows suggesting how unkempt it had become. A man's cough from nearby stopped the four in their tracks. Careful to keep himself hidden, the leader glanced around the corner.
"There are Shinra soldiers guarding the path to the Reactor compound." he whispered, unfazed. With an air of determination, he suddenly strode around the bend, not hesitating as the men stumbled behind. "We'll have to improvise. Just follow my lead."
"Hey!" called one of the sentries, turning from his post as they marched towards the gate. "You can't be here. Entry into this area is forbidden."
"I'm sorry." replied the man as he approached the two infantrymen. "It's just me and my friends here are a bit lost and…"
With the sharpest of movements, he pounced on the first guard, snapping his neck with ease as his arms wrapped around his helmet. Before his partner could even comprehend what had happened, the team leader snatched the rifle from his victim's hands and pierced his metallic blue armor with a series of bullets. Speechless, the three militants gazed in disbelief as their superior slung the weapon across his shoulder without a flicker of emotion. Pulling his cellphone from his shirt pocket, he dialed the required number.
"Yes?" came Shears' voice through the crackling earpiece.
"Sir, we have eliminated the gateway guards." reported the team leader.
"Excellent." Shears acknowledged. "Proceed as planned."
"Roger that."
"What now?" asked the young man as the leader slipped the PHS back into his pocket.
"We're splitting into two groups." he replied, nodding towards the compound. "Two of you stay here and wait for the second wave to arrive. Make sure you deal with these corpses. I'm gonna secure the path up ahead."
Selecting one of the rebels to accompany him, he took a final search of the area for any enemies, heading to the high stone perimeter of the gateway. The young man looked on in awe as the leader tossed a rope over the wall of the complex and, scaling its height in a matter of seconds, disappeared into the facility. For a few minutes, the two remained in an unspoken trance, their thoughts laden with anxiety as they scrambled to lower the bodies of the infantrymen through the drainage outlet and into the sewers. The young man's nervous eyes scanned the street time and again; his throbbing imagination convinced that they were not alone.
"What's keeping the others?" he hissed, unable to conceal the agitation in his tone as he pulled the manhole cover back into place.
"They should be here soon." answered his comrade. "Everyone's counting on us. We better not mess anything up. After years of keeping it locked up inside, the time has finally come for us to be freed from our hatred."
"Yeah, down with Shinra…" mumbled the young man, jumping as the sound of a ringing phone split the air from the street they had emerged from. Exchanging a concerned glance with his teammate, he raised his fists, starting slowly towards the corner. "Hey, who's there…?"
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