Hey, what's up, guys, Flipkicks here. Today, I bring you a new chapter for Final Fantasy 7 called "Rewrite." Thank you guys for checking out the latest story and what you guys
Reviews:
Reshin Amara: It was, but the Sephiroth talking to Gaia has gone full psychotic since he's been doing this for a very long time in this story but gets foiled by Cloud every timeline.
Guest: I intend to add parts of the remake timeline, such as the compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Ever Crisis, and Intergrade characters, which are being added to the main and antagonistic parties.
I do not own the series.
Reactor 1
Mako Reactor 1
As the group continues with their 'excursion' to the primary source of the Mako Reactor, Cloud still questions himself as to why he got sent back in time to the very start of this emotional journey. Hell, the plate falling and the death of his three friends, Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs, would be the first people he would lose due to Don Corneo selling them out to the Turks. Perhaps the florist Aerith Gainsborough was his most significant loss in this journey. Even with him becoming closer to Tifa, his childhood friend, a piece of him died when Sephiroth killed her in front of him.
Cloud's resolve to overcome his trauma is unwavering, but the scars of his past remain. His return to the beginning of his journey presents a unique opportunity. He's determined to rewrite one of his most significant traumas to change the course of his journey. This is his biggest 'what-if, 'and he's ready to make things right.
'I promise to make this right.' Cloud takes the Buster Sword off his back and does a small prayer, 'I promise to change this story, Zack. I'm not going to them down.' He puts the Buster Sword back on his back and continues in the Mako Reactor.
Security was relatively tight like before, but it differed from how Cloud dealt with them. They were all infantrymen, and his skill set as a SOLIDER made it easy for him. One by one, each of the nameless infantrymen fell to his blade.
Eventually, he regroups with Barret and the others, with Jessie hacking into the terminal while Barret, Wedge, and Biggs are on overwatch.
"Wedge, head straight ahead, Jessie, Biggs, with me," Barret ordered as the group split up, with Cloud following behind. More of the infantrymen would try to slow Cloud and the others, but like the ones before them, they would fall to Cloud's blade.
Cloud would see Biggs on the terminal, hacking his way in while the other two remain on overwatch.
"Three, two.." He unlocks the door, "Damn, I'm good." They would enter the room where they saw the elevator panel, "I got this place covered. You guys go ahead."
Cloud would press the button on the wall, and they would wait for the doors to open, so Jessie thought of something.
"So...you know Tifa. I know it's not of any of my business, but are you guys close?" She asks the blonde-haired SOLDIER. Barret would roll his eyes at Jessie's thirsty comment.
'Of course, she had to ask him.' Barret mutters in his head, 'Even when we first hired him, her curiosity always got to her.' He recalls her first meeting with Cloud's 'cold SOLDIER side' when he arrived. Of course, Barret didn't give him the best welcome since he thought he was just your 'average' Ex-SOLDIER/Merc for hire until they set out of Midgar for their journey to stop Sephiroth, and that's where he got to open up with the crew and becoming good friends with Cloud.
"Uh..." Cloud tries to figure out the right words. He knows that Jessie has a crush on him, and many things are going through his mind after all of them have been through.
"Let's just focus on the task at hand, Jessie." Barret manages to say something before Cloud can say anything. "A lot is riding on this operation."
"Okay, but Cloud, you better spill the tea after this!" Cloud could only sweatdrop from her 'demand' along with Barret. Soon, the elevator opened up, and the three entered and went down into the main reactor.
As the three of them waited for the doors to open, a small hidden camera saw them and sent a feed to President Shinra's office on the 76th floor. President Shinra leaned back as he tried to figure out who these people were. He was a short, stout man with thinning blond hair and mustache. His suit and tie are lined with black stripes and white dots, respectively, and he is thinner than his original depiction, with a full head and graying blond hair.
"President Shinra." He looks at the corner of his right eye and sees a large man dressed in a green suit with red and gold details. His hair and bushy beard are black, and his eyes are brown. He has a large scar on the right side of his face. "These sewer rats appear to call themselves Avalance, sir. We are investigating the group and whether they are the same group that attempted your life. Rest assured, our inquiries will not take much longer."
"That outfit, though." President Shinra pointed out to Cloud's outfit, "He's a SOLDIER. Carries a large sword for someone but should be easy to figure out and judging the black, must be a 1st Class SOLDIER."
"Yes, sir, but we don't know who this one is."
The three members arrived at the utility access center a few minutes later. Jessie takes the lead and draws out her sub-machine gun with Barret behind her and Cloud following suit. The two of them would take out the turrets that were about to fire at them.
'So far, things are the same.' Cloud says to himself, 'At least Barret is still spouting the same shit from before while trying to at least calm Jessie down from trying to flirt with me.' The two of them head down their stairs and see Jessie checking the small terminal on the wall.
"I can't turn off the security laser, but I managed to ensure we could pass through them." Jessie tells them, "I'll check ahead to see what other security measures they have." She runs ahead when the lasers are turned off, leaving the two members alone.
"So what's the game plan? Still to the same story?" Barret asks Cloud.
"We have no choice with what's going on. Who knows what will happen with what we dealt with initially. Expect the same things from before, but always prepare for the unexpected." Barret nods, and the two of them run between the lasers, and eventually, they catch up to Jessie.
"'Bout time." She teases them, "Not used to the laser system?"
"Barret had to discuss my pay." Cloud had to lie about something. "He said he'd give me a pay increase if this bombing succeeds."
'That little!' Barret gritted his teeth with the pay increase lie, "Since we're dealing with a bunch of Shinra lackeys and the machines they have built, He thought it would best for him to have a bit more gil in his pocket."
"So who's idea?" Jessie needed clarification since Cloud said it was Barret, and he said it was Cloud's idea.
"Never mind the details. Let's focus on the task at hand." She nods and heads out, with Cloud and Barret following behind her. The three dodge the second laser system and head downward into the Reactor core.
'There should be...' Cloud's train of thought was interrupted as they saw a Sweeper, 'Just like before.' He draws out his Buster Sword, and Barret begins shooting the machine. "Barret!"
"I'm on it!" The materia in his left hand begins to glow, "Suck on this!" He unleashes a lightning bolt at it, causing the Sweeper to shut down temporarily.
Cloud's Buster Sword begins to glow a blue hue around it, and he jumps into the air, {Braver} "You're done!" He cuts the machine in half, destroying it and rendering it useless.
"Nice teamwork!" she praises them. Come on, just a bit further down, and we should be there." The three of them follow the path ahead of them, and they reach the core. "That's the target." She points at the core below them, "Use this bomb and set the timer; it won't take long for us to get out of here." She hands Cloud a C-4 Bomb, "I'll keep watch while you two plant the bomb." Cloud and Barret would go down the ladder and head toward the core.
"You think we should be fine, or we're still gonna encounter that big ass mechanical scorpion?" Barret asks Cloud.
"We'll probably encounter the scorpion, but luckily, we know where to aim. You can take the hits with your ability set, and I'll target the panel."
"So the black man has to be the target, Cloud?!"
"Not what I was saying, Barret!"
"Ahaha, just yankin' your chain merc, but I get ya. I'll lay some of the Lighting Materia when the time's right to give it a short haywire while you lay the smackdown on that damn thing. Only wished we had the materia we had last time."
"We'll use it like before, and we still have the potions and Phoenix Downs we stocked up on for this mission."
"So what time do you think we should be fine with?"
"My guess is 20 minutes. We know Shinra will try to rig the time when facing the Guard Scorpion robot. Luckily, we know we can take it down quickly."
"By the way, Cloud, have you ever considered your relationships with the girls?" Barret is referring to Tifa, Aerith, and Jessie.
"I don't think this is the time for that, Barret."
"Oh, come now, merc, you know it's been a major topic within the group." Cloud groans at the thought while Barret chuckles.
"I'm setting the bomb. Be prepared for the bot." He changes topics, slightly annoyed with some of the group thinking he has a harem of women based on his interactions with Jessie, Tifa, and Aerith.
Everyone from the previous timeline has discussed Cloud being a playboy based on his interactions with the girls. There were clear signs of Cloud being intimate with Tifa and Aerith. Some said he shows clear signs with Tifa, while others noted with Aerith.
"Incoming!" Barret spots the Guard Scorpion approaching them, "Let's make quick work of this tin can!"
"I'll keep it distracted; shoot its head!"
"On it!" Barret begins shooting at the Scorpion's head while Cloud attacks its legs.
The red laser sight on the Scorpion's side targets Cloud while Barret shoots the head. It shoots at Cloud, who would use his Buster Sword to block the bullets from hitting him.
"You're 'bout to feel the pain!" Barret's left arm begins to glow again, and he shoots at the Field Generator, temporarily causing the machine to bug out. "All you merc!"
"On it!" Cloud tightens his grip on the handle of his Buster Sword, and the blade emanates a blue aura {Braver}, "Brace yourself!" He cuts off one of the Scorpion's side legs clean off, causing the machine to limp and walk awkwardly.
"Time to fill you with a bunch of holes!" {Maximum Fury} Barret begins to shoot the machine with a lot of bullets towards the head of the machine.
{Prime Mode} "Time to get serious!" Cloud emanates a red aura around him and begins to target the tail since that would be the main problem they had to deal with, but the machine would shoot out several barrages of missiles at them. Cloud had to block the impact of the missiles from hitting him while Barret shot the missiles that were about to aim at him.
"Cloud!"
{Partners in Pain}
"On it!" He rushes at it and cuts the machine while Barrett shoots at the Scorpion's main body.
"You're done, bot!" Barret begins charging up his gun arm, Cloud's sword emanates a white aura, and the two attack the machine.
Minutes later, it was over. Cloud and Barret stood triumphant over the remains of the Guard Scorpion robot Shinra had set to protect this reactor. He was still shaking from the adrenaline rush, but he was unharmed; he couldn't say about the whole reactor core being up in flames and destruction everywhere.
"We betta get the hell out of here!" Barret looks at the timer, "We got 8 minutes left!"
"Let's move!" Both members rush toward the ladder, and they rush to get the hell out of the reactor core from killing them all here.
The same couldn't be said of Jessie, who had taken a bullet to the thigh. She leaned heavily against the guardrail, leaning over to bandage the bleeding wound. The ex-SOLDIER approached while Barret covered them with a lifted gun arm, wary of additional security. Cloud knelt to examine Jessie's condition. His blue/green mako eyes glanced up at the brunette, who was pale and sweating. "Can you walk?"
Jessie grits her teeth. "Not fast enough. There are only a few minutes before the bomb goes off." She took a deep breath. "Go on, I can't make it like this."
"Ain't no way," Barret said over his shoulder. "We're all gettin' outta' here together."
Cloud gave a firm nod. "He's right. We're not leaving you behind." He flashed a quick grin to the wounded eco-terrorist. "Time to put those biceps you like so much to the test."
Color returned to Jessie's cheeks at those words. "Wait, what're you gonna… whoa!" Before the brunette could object, he scooped her up in his strong arms, cradling her like a child. The shorter woman let out a hiss of pain. "Hey, watch your hands!"
"Sorry," Cloud said. "This probably isn't going to be a smooth ride." With that, they were off, Barret leading the way, Cloud jogging behind with Jessie in her arms. They climbed out of the Mako reactor's heart without much difficulty. The few remaining guards seemed more panicked by the strident alarms than angry, and the few who did try to stop them found themselves on the wrong end of Barret's gun arm.
They reached relative safety in the elevator, and the big man slapped the "Up" button with more force than necessary. The car began to rise, needing to be faster for Cloud's taste. The sound of their heavy breathing filled the small box. "How are you holding up?" the ex-SOLDIER asked her charge.
Jessie mustered a weak smile. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"Afraid I'm going to drop you?"
The smile faded. "I'm slowing you down. You should have left me."
Cloud shook his head. "We'll make it. Be strong." Jessie didn't expect to hear that from the Ex-SOLDIER; she wondered why he was more friendly now than in their first meeting. She began to wonder what he was really like and why he was trying to ensure someone like her made it out of there.
After what seemed a small eternity, the doors slid open again. Biggs was waiting on the other side, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Jessie. "Shit! Is she…?"
"She's fine," Barret snapped. "But we won't be if you don't get those goddamned doors open!"
Biggs remained frozen for a moment longer, then turned and entered the code to open the security doors leading back outside. They all charged out together, Cloud still cradling the wounded redhead. Ahead of them, the reactor's exit yawned open. "How much longer?" Barret shouted over his shoulder.
"Two minutes, maybe?" Jessie said, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. Their feet pounded against the bridge's metal, making for the fork leading them to Sector 8. Even as they reached the intersection, there was a series of concussive booms behind them, and the entrance to the power plant belched flames like a huge dragon roused from slumber into enraged wakefulness.
"Goddammit!" Barret howled.
They ran faster, outpacing the flames, diving through the door held open by Wedge and away from the building explosion. The chubby AVALANCHE member closed the divider, mumbling prayers under his breath just as the detonation peaked. The noise was overwhelming even through the thick barrier, making Cloud's ears ache. A blast of heat and a shockwave of displaced air kept them all pinned to the ground.
Silence followed. Then, a single word.
"Oops," Jessie said. Cloud could only roll his eyes as they made their way off the three-way bridge area, but one of the falling pipes managed to cut them off and was about to cause them to fall. Cloud instinctively jumped one pipe to another, and they would make it back to the door. "Okay! That was pretty cool!" She gives him the thumbs up, to which he only smirks, "Alright, keep heading this way, and we'll rejoin the others."
And that ends the chapter, guys! While some scenes were changed from the original and remake, I added some new stuff with Cloud's interactions with Barret. I have been trying to figure out the trios (Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge) roles in terms of how they can be 'played' so to speak, like how Cid is a Dragoon knight with his original gameplay was and Barret being a tank (Sentinel) so I want to expend their roles with the original classes in FF.
I will add some scenes in the later parts of the story of Cloud's interactions with his love interests and some moments that will make the girls fall in love with Cloud. I have also considered adding the Advent Children weapons for the party.
I hope to hear what you guys think of the chapter. As always, I'll talk to you all later.