Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, Crisis Core, Before Crisis, or any other part of FFVII.
AN: Blah. Sorry for the late update, everyone. But between playing Crisis Core (w00t!), writing several stories (Fun), and college (blegh. Research paper), I've been spread pretty thin. I'm even putting several of my currently unreleased stories on hold for a while. Anyway, I think we're looking at updates every weekend, to every other weekend. Hope you enjoy.
Thoughts
Time Passage
Well, let's get this party started.
Placing the Buster Sword on the magnetic holster on the back of his uniform, he picked up one of the smaller hardedge swords that had belonged to one of the soldiers unfortunate enough to come to the platform.
Yeah, I think Cloud could use this one.
Reaching the gated entrance to Reactor One, he noted that Barret was the only one who hadn't arrived yet. Jessie was kneeling next to the entrance, a cord connecting her small computer to a panel below the security control pad that had been pried open. Figuring that he probably wouldn't understand everything running down the screen anyway, he made some small talk with Biggs and Wedge as they stood guard, both armed with small handguns. Mostly out of habit, he noted that they were slightly dated Quicksilver models.
"Man, the hell you doin'!" Barret's annoyed voice sounded from their right, as the large man came into view. "I told you goons never to move in a group!" He gave an exasperated grunt, before continuing. "So what's the deal?"
Jessie put away the small computer as the green light above the door lit up, and they all walked inside, gathering near the end of the entrance hallway. As the door shut behind them, she began to speak.
"We're in what's called the 'Courtyard' of the reactor. There should be a door to the north that leads to a bridge connecting the courtyard to the Outer Sector of the reactor. There'll probably be a few security doors that go to the Inner Sector of the reactor, maybe a couple of guards, but nothing we can't deal with. From there, we take an elevator to the First Level, but it doesn't go to the Core Level, so we'll have to take the stairs. It should be a pretty clear shot from there."
Zack decided to add a little of what he knew to the mix, not that he had an exceptional amount of experience with reactors. "There's probably not going to be a lot of security. Not if it's still like it was when I worked at Shinra. The security's not lax, but they never really update anything."
Barret nodded, pointing his gun arm to in the direction of the reactor. "Alright, meet on the bridge in fronta the North Mako Reactor. Move out!" They all split up, even if just to keep Barret satisfied. Zack went on his own, while Biggs went with Barret, and Wedge followed Jessie.
As several soldiers came his way, Zack ducked into a small alley, watching as they rushed to the platform Avalanche had arrived on earlier. Okay, so maybe the big guy had a point. It'd be a pain to hide all of us at once, and Shinra's not stupid enough to let that much chaos go unchecked…Even if they are too cheap to put security cameras in the stairwells at Headquarters.
After about seven minutes and three more groups of soldiers later, he was in front of the North Mako Reactor, kneeling behind a pillar. Soon, Wedge and Jessie arrived, and Zack signaled them. As they joined him by the pillar, he gave them a small wave.
"So, see Barret or Biggs yet?" Wedge mumbled a negative as Jessie shook her head. I haven't heard anything. Hope they didn't run into any trouble.
"So how'd you guys crack Shinra's security?" Wedge looked over at Jessie curiously, wondering exactly who'd helped them out as well.
"Our Avalanche is a little bigger than just us. We've got some connections here and there, as well as a couple in Shinra. They couldn't get us the security codes, but they gave us the key we'd need to decipher them."
So it's an inside job. "Any idea who these guys are?"
She shook her head again. "Not really. Shinra's security is too good to send things through the computer, but our connections leave us information. Sometimes packages, sometimes envelopes left in the bar, that kind of thing. We've never actually seen them face to face." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, not me or Biggs, anyway. Barret might have, but I don't think so."
Isn't that a bit risky? He voiced the question, and Jessie gave a small smile, half-shrugging. "We don't really have any other choice. We can't let Shinra see our faces, so…"
Gotta work with whatcha got. As Jessie finished her explanation, he saw Barret's head poke around the corner, disappearing for a moment before he came towards them, Biggs in tow.
"Alright, let's go."
They entered the door to the Outer Sector of the reactor, on one side of the t-shaped scaffolding the mako reactors all shared. As they turned and walked down the path to the door leading to the outer sector of the reactor, Zack took note of the lack of security. It was strange for Shinra to slack off so much when it came to protecting their precious mako reactors…He wasn't expecting serious opposition, but he'd at least expected a few more patrols.
As they went through the door, Wedge stopped. "I'll watch the escape route. You guys go on ahead." Leaving Wedge to make sure they had a clear escape, the others continued on. From here on out, they could run into more problems. It would be much harder to avoid the reactor's guards inside the facility. Most of the rooms were pretty empty, so there weren't many places to hide.
Twirling the smaller blade a few times, Zack jogged to the front of the group, suggesting he take the lead. Barret agreed, letting him go ahead.
"S'all clear."
Jessie jogged to the door, and began taking off the panel below the security pad, as he'd seen her do before at the Courtyard entrance.
"Yo!" He glanced over at Barret's call. "This your first time in a reactor?"
Zack responded, shaking his head. "Nah. I've been in a couple when Shinra needed someone to check 'em."
"These things are killin' the planet. Mako energy is the planet's lifeblood, but these Shinra fools keep suckin' it dry with these freaky machines. They keep it up, 'n the planet 'll eventually give out."
Zack looked down for a moment, remembering his promise to his mentor. Our enemy is all that threatens the planet. "So you think Shinra's a threat to the planet?"
"O' course! That's what I've been sayin'"
"Then I agree. They should be stopped." Barret gave him an odd glance, but before he could say anything, Jessie called out that they'd deciphered the code. Silence reigned for a few more minutes, as Jessie worked to decipher the codes for the next door. It took all of five minutes for them to get through the security doors, and Zack was starting to feel a little unnerved. He doubted there was anything he couldn't handle, but the sheer lack of security was starting to get to him.
As they boarded the elevator, Biggs stayed behind to guard the entrance, and Zack pressed the yellow button near the back of the elevator, sending it on its path to the First Level. While the elevator descended, Barret had apparently decided to continue their earlier conversation.
"So…What you two got against Shinra? Can't be runnin' from 'em for nothin' right?"
"We had a problem with a couple decisions they made."
Jessie looked up at this. "Decisions?"
"Oh, y'know, just this and that. Things like locking us in a basement and experimenting on us for a few years." At their surprised looks, or more accurately, Jessie's shocked look and Barret's nearly enraged look at the thought of them doing that to people, he tried to calm them down a bit. "Hey, but it wasn't anything huge. I mean, it messed Cloud up for a while, but it was basically the same thing they put us through when we get into SOLDIER. Just…Longer."
The elevator came to a stop, and they made a quick run to the bottom of the stairs, entering the door just in front of their end. It took a few more minutes of jumping across some small gaps, and crawling down ladders before Jessie stopped as well, kneeling next to yet another ladder.
As he and Barret reached the Reactor Core, Barret walked off to the side, tossing him the bomb. "When we blow this place, this ain't gonna be nothin' but a hunk a junk. You set the bomb."
"But shouldn't you set it?"
"Not a chance. You got a nice story, but I still don't trust ya. Gotta make sure you don't try to pull nothin'."
"Alright…" Let's see…How the heck do ya set this thing? I shoulda paid more attention when Jessie was talkin' about this…Pressing a few buttons that he remembered watching Jessie point to, a ten minute countdown began on the clock.
"Got it! We should, uh, we should probably get outta here." As they began to walk, they suddenly heard gunfire echoing from above them.
"The hell!?" Even as Barret said it, a large red form fell to the ground just behind them, it's mechanical "tail" coming up behind it, charging with red energy. Well that's not good.
"Barret, watch out for the tails on these things!" Seeing Barret leap to the side as the red beam of energy shot passed him and began opening fire, he knew the man had heard him. Jumping into the air, he brought the hardedge down in a double-handed strike on the Scorpion's tail.
Its tail quickly shifted, the bladed end blocking the strike, and flinging him backwards into the air. As he turned in the air, positioning himself to land on his feet, he allowed the energy to flow into his materia, and fired a lightning bolt at the creature. The sudden electrical strike caused it to stumble as it made a charge at Barret, which the large man dodged with a strange sort of ease, sliding between the thing's legs.
Reaching his gun-arm up below the creatures right hind leg, Barret slipped the end between an opening in the creatures armor, and opened fire. When Zack landed, Barret was calling him, already making his way towards the ladder. Following behind the larger man, he glanced back at the Guard Scorpion as it struggled to turn. Between the lightning attack, and Barret nearly destroying the inside of one of its legs, it was barely able to move.
Besides, we don't need to destroy it. We just need to get out and let the bomb finish it off. Should be pretty clear sailing fro- "Barret!?" he called out at the man, finally noticing the blood running down his arm. "You alright!?"
"Don't worry 'bout me! Just keep movin'!"
Getting back up the ladders took half the time it took to get down. Running from a bomb could make a person move a little faster. As they reached the level Jessie had been guarding, they saw two dead soldiers next to a kneeling Jessie. The woman was pulling at her leg, a small trail of blood dripping down her cheek.
"I'll get her! You go on ahead and tell the others!" Barret sent him a nod, and began running for the next series of ladders. Kneeling down next to her, she spoke before he could ask what was wrong.
"Foot got stuck when I was fighting 'em. Think it might be sprained." Not wanting to take any more time than necessary, he grabbed the metal bars restraining her foot, and pried them apart, the added power of two SOLDIER treatments making the feat a simple task.
"You gonna need help walking?" She stood up, shifting her weight a few times before shaking her head at him.
"No, I think I'm good." With that, they began the dash for the entrance, meeting up with Biggs along the way. Though they saw a few Shinra soldiers, they encountered little resistance, as the troops had apparently figured out what was happening, and were more interested in getting out of the building alive than fighting the terrorist group.
As they finally reached the bridge to the Courtyard of the reactor, Jessie dropped to a knee, gripping her leg just above the ankle. Zack didn't waste any time pulling her up and lifting her arm around his shoulder, and continuing his run. He'd gotten used to running while carrying someone that was injured when he and Cloud were on the run. As he neared the door, he noticed that Barret, Biggs, and Wedge were all straining against the security door, which always closed automatically when the reactor was in danger, trying to hold it open. He passed through the entrance, and they let go just as the roar of the explosion echoed through the room.
Whistling as the sounds of the explosion started to quiet down, he glanced around at the others.
"Well, that was fun."
Three hours later, Wall Market…
"And where do you think you're going, Rod?" Sukueni, more commonly known by the codename Rod, knew who it was before the sentence was even finished. The redheaded Turk had a very distinct voice. Especially when he was actually trying to get on someone's nerves. Of course, it helped that Reno had been the one responsible for his recruitment into the Turks. It was hard to forget the person who'd basically gotten you where you were in life.
"Leaving."
"I don't remember you getting a mission." He flipped out a small cell phone, pressing a few buttons before continuing. "No vacations either. So, what's goin' on in that head of yours?" He shut the phone, placing it back in his pocket.
"You know what I'm talking about, Reno. I'm sure Tseng has already figured it out. And if he knows, you and Rude won't be in the dark for too long."
"Nobody betrays Shinra. Anyone who does won't exist much longer." That hardly needed saying. They were both Turks, after all.
"Is that why you're here?" He doubted he could take the man. He was one of the most recognized Turks in the business for a reason. Well, he was one of the most recognized Turks in the business for several reasons, but his skill was definitely one of them.
"Me? Course not." He grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm not on duty right now, so a little defection ain't my problem."
He smiled back at the older Turk. If nothing else, they could count on the fact that Reno and Rude were only ruthless when they were actually working. Otherwise, they were pretty laid back guys.
"Guess I'll be seein' you around then, Reno." He turned to leave, heading for Wall Market's exit.
"Sukueni." He paused, looking back at his 'mentor.'
"Hm?" What now?
"Tell Cissnei and the others to take care. We'll have to come after you when we're on duty, and we only have so much vacation time."
He nodded, before leaving. Reno and Rude liked the other Turks. They wouldn't hunt them down unless they had to, just like they'd only hunted Zack because they had to. They should have some time before Shinra realized exactly what had happened.
Now, we need to get to Fuhito. Who knows how much longer we'll have until Zirconiade's release.
AN: Well, there we go. Looking forward to any reviews. By the way, any other writers having problems with formatting on FFN documents recently?