CHAPTER 22
A series of loud, though distant explosions had caused the four companions to break out into a jog out of the train graveyard. They had passed the train station, where several dead AVALANCHE and Shinra troops lay. A tank was flaming in ruins, sending black smoke billowing into the sky. Then, as if just for effect, the tank exploded, the flame having reached the gas tanks and ammunition compartments. The sounds of gunfire could be heard from far away, prompting the four friends to look west, the general direction of the Sector Seven pillar.
"It's already started..." Cloud began, "We're too late."
"No, we're not!" Tifa replied. "The pillar's still standing, and AVALANCHE seems to be fighting the Shinra off..."
"But they've reached the pillar!" Cloud argued pessimistically.
"Then we need to haul ass over there and help out!" Zack pointed out, breaking into a run.
Without another word, the other three followed the former SOLDIER, each of their minds preoccupied with varying emotions.
Tifa was feeling a bit relieved: Dyne seemed to have had a plan and knew about the threat... but she was also feeling a bit worried, as the Shinra had made it too far into Sector Seven for her liking. She also felt a sense of violation, for which the Shinra were going to pay.
Cloud would not hesitate to admit that he was a little scared, but he attempted to hide it anyway. He gripped his small machine gun, as if holding the weapon tighter would give him a sense of power, or at least insurance. It did neither. His heart beat faster, his lungs breathed harder, his brow began to sweat, adrenaline pumped through his system with such ferocity that his fear began to subside, as the "rush" began to blind him to the danger which he was about to face.
Aeris took in the growing chaos around her, and started to worry about how things were turning out. Yes, many people would die this day, that much she knew. However, she began to wonder if perhaps more would die that was necessary? Or would AVALANCHE be successful in saving the plate? SHOULD they succeed in saving the plate? How would that effect things? A plethora of doubts and theories plagued the young woman's mind, which she tried to ignore as the group came to the base of the pillar...
A contingent of Shinra soldiers had covered the escape routes out of Sector Seven, pinning several AVALANCHE soldiers practically into a corner. Being backed up by tanks, they haphazardly and randomly fired their weapons, not letting AVALANCHE get a shot off, all of whom were either on the pillar or hiding behind mounds of debris. One AVALANCHE'er dove out from his cover and went to throw a grenade, but his efforts were futile. Just as he emerged, a Shinra troop shot his arm, causing him to drop the grenade beneath himself, setting it off.
The grenade exploded, disintegrating the man's body and injuring a couple near by AVALANCHE members. The Shinra realized they had a window of opportunity, and went to charge in...
Suddenly, the back-up tanks exploded in a flurry of lighting and fire! Many of the troops were killed instantly, though those who survived were thrown for a loop, as AVALANCHE'ers and the Shinra group blocking the way into sector six looked on in awe. Four figures emerged from the flaming wreckage...
Zack looked at the scene with confidant, dark blue eyes. "How many people wanna kick some ass?!" he sang out, charging straight into the thick. Swinging in a seemingly erratic pattern, he ran straight into the first contingent, then past. Skidding to a halt, he turned around, his sword ready to block anything that came his way. It wasn't needed.
The troops literally fell apart like a blood filled house of cards which had just been tipped over. Zack smiled in self satisfaction as he quickly turned to the second group standing in the doorway to Sector six. "Who wants some?!" he asked with a smug grin, raising an eyebrow.
The whole batch charged. Tifa sprang to Zack's side, prompting every able-bodied AVALANCHE troop to jump into the fray as well. Cloud and Aeris stayed back, backing their friends up with spells and bullets.
The Shinra knew they were at a disadvantage, so a few broke off to confront Cloud and Aeris.
Aeris saw them coming, though Cloud seemed to be in a blind rage (he was actually closing his eyes and firing off randomly, though Aeris didn't notice this). Readying her staff, she charged to get within range of her quarry. One troop stopped short, but the others kept running at the two interlopers.
Aeris swung out with her staff, clocking one troop upside the head, sending him reeling back and off to the side. The other troop arched away, hoping to dodge the staff as it continued to come across. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to hit that particular troop with a continued sweep, Aeris let the top part of her staff pass by, turned a bit and thrust out the bottom part of her weapon, catching her opponent in the crotch. The troop buckled over, prompting the normally passive flower girl to snap-kick him in the head, sending him back and away.
Zack and Tifa found themselves back to back, taking on a number of troops each.
"So, is this a normal day for AVALANCHE?" Zack asked Tifa, swinging out and decapitating one troop who had gotten too close.
"Fortunately, no," Tifa answered, breaking one opponent's leg with a side kick to this calf.
"Aw too bad, this seems like it would be a fun weekend mixer, DUCK!" Zack responded, grabbing Tifa by the shoulder and pulling her down. A troop had begun to open fire, but now that his opponent had ducked away, he found himself shooting his own men!
"Thanks for the save," Tifa said quickly. She shot up and did an aerial back-flip, kicking at the troop who had shot at them. He had been just out of her range however, so she just barely brushed him. The troop had reeled back, expecting to be hit. Noticing that he was still up, he went to shoot at Tifa again, only to find Tifa's foot coming across, this time connecting with his neck, snapping it.
Suddenly, something caught Zack's attention. Looking up, he saw Wedge on top on the pillar, backing away from a troop who was attacking him... unfortunately, he was backing up onto a plank which wasn't protected by a guard rail!
"WEDGE!" Zack yelled out as he witnessed the troop connect, sending Wedge falling off the pillar! Flailing his arms, Wedge began to descend back to earth, a fall that would surely kill him!
Zack had no time to think, but his Cover materia did the thinking for him. Zack found himself charging with all his speed and might up a mountain of debris, reaching up about ten feet in less than two seconds. He leapt out, catching Wedge in mid-fall, and used his own body to break the impact!
Wedge coughed, surprised to be alive, and saw Zack underneath him. "Z-Zack! You're here! You... you saved me!"
Zack groaned. "Didn't I tell you to lose some weight?"
"Are you two okay?" Tifa asked, knocking out another Shinra soldier.
"I'm fine," Wedge reported, getting up slowly and holding his back.
"I think I broke a few things..." Zack complained, not moving.
Tifa looked around, and though the immediate threat was gone, she heard more tanks and a few helicopters in the distance. She happened to eye Dox, who was bandaging up an AVALANCHE troop. She called him over to look at Zack, which he did. Quickly feeling around, he noticed a few of Zack's ribs were out of place. Not so much because they felt like they were in the wrong place, but because of how Zack screamed when Dox brushed his hands across his chest.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do..." Dox reported.
"I can," Aeris announced, walking up.
"Madam, this man needs a hospital, not a spell," Dox replied a tad snidely, noticing the restore materia Aeris had in her bracelet. Aeris ignored the goateed man and put her hands together. Everyone watched in awe as the woman's hands began to glow a pale blue. Breathing in deeply and concentrating, she seemed not to care that a wind had begun to pick up, though everyone else noticed: there was never wind in the slums. It was a cool, refreshing breeze which touched the AVALANCHEers, and strangely, mysteriously, their wounds began to mend!
Zack felt a tinge of euphoria as all pain in his body began to cease and quickly melted away. "Hey..." he noted, "My hangnail's gone!" Leaping to his feet, he looked up at the pillar...
Suddenly, before Zack could even contemplate going up, waves of Shinra MPs broke in from all directions!
"Aeris!" Zack said, going to her side, trying to get her attention. "Get Cloud out of here!" he whispered when he was close enough for her to hear.
"Wh-what?" Aeris responded.
"Please..." Zack pleaded, giving Aeris a look she had never seen: One of dire seriousness.
"But, why?"
"No time for that now!" Zack responded, unleashing an Ice spell on a few MPs, sending them down. Aeris glanced over to where she had left Cloud... He was being assaulted by two MPs, and wasn't holding his own very well as they wailed on his person.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Aeris shouted out, charging the two MPs. One of them turned, only to be struck in the head with Aeris' staff, and being sent flying several feet. The other, having just realized what was happening, didn't even have the chance to get his gun up before the woman's fist went through his mask and broke his nose. He fell flat on his back, and fell unconscious as his head collided with the ground.
Cloud looked up from behind his arms meekly, and slowly got up to compose himself. "Thanks..." he started, but found himself cut off when Aeris grabbed his wrist and pulled at him, forcing him to start walking or risk being pulled off-balance. "H-hey! What're you.."
"No time," Aeris spoke with a hint of agitation. "Where's Marlene?"
Cloud cocked his head to the side and gave the flower girl a puzzled look. "Who?"
Aeris stopped short and turned to look at Cloud, a wave of sadness and confusion almost overwhelming her "Marlene.." she tried again weakly.
"I don't know who that is... Where are we going, anyway? We're needed here..."
Suddenly, a hail of bullets came in Cloud's direction. He found himself pulled out of the way by Aeris, who had reacted quicker than Cloud could contemplate. A bullet glanced off Cloud's metal shoulder pad, causing him to draw in a sharp breath. It took him a moment to realize that he was actually fine, though almost getting shot would scare almost anyone, and he had to take a moment to recompose himself.
It was a moment he didn't have. More gun fire came, though this time he saw his attackers ready their weapons. The former soldier managed to dive behind a large pile of debris, all while tackling Aeris to get her to safety as well. The pair hit the ground hard, but it was far better than the alternative. Aeris immediately sprang back up, practically throwing Cloud off of herself in the progress. With lightning reflexes and absolute will, she summoned a hail of lightning on the troops, killing most of them, and leaving the rest in too much pain to fight.
The two made a bee line for Sector Six when Cloud stopped again. "Hey, wait... Where are we going?"
"You have to come with me," Aeris replied, resisting the urge to be a tad harsh.
"Look, no offense, but I'm not about to run off with some strange woman I just met when my friends need me!" Cloud retorted.
"I promised Zack I'd get you out of here," Aeris responded, starting to walk again, pulling on Cloud's wrist.
"What?" Cloud spat. Did Zack think that he would be useless? That he needed to be kept from danger? Cloud hadn't tried to join SOLDIER just to avoid fights...
"Please," Aeris pleaded, holding both of Cloud's hands. Her large, emerald eyes pierced Cloud's own glowing blue orbs with such intensity that the young blond-haired man couldn't put up much more of a fight. He wasn't about to leave his friends behind to possibly get killed... and yet, here this stranger was, talking him into running away. What was it about her that swayed him so?
"They'll be okay," Aeris said with a promissory tone, as if reading Cloud's thoughts. And without another word, the two jogged down the road towards Sector Five...
***
"We've got to get up there!" Zack commented to Tifa while cutting down two Shinra MPs. A club came down from behind at his head, and while missing its intended target, caught the SOLDIER at about the base of the neck. Wincing in pain and stumbling forward, Zack struggled to stay balanced as he turned around to confront his attacker.
Tifa punched an MP hard in the ribs, causing them to snap, which in turn made the MP buckle over in pain. She picked the man up and tossed him away, right at the same MP who had just assaulted Zack, sending both MPs to the ground.
"Agreed," Tifa finally said in response to Zack's previous statement. Scanning the battle field for a threat assessment, Tifa witnessed the newly invigorated AVALANCHE militia were fighting toe to toe with Shinra MPs, and while slightly outnumbered, were holding them off and suffering minimal casualties. Wedge himself was taking on six overly confident attackers at once, yet this confidence was short lived. The larger man used his mass to his best possible advantage by tackling and squashing four of the six MPs at once! Tifa then looked up, and realized that Dyne could well be by himself up on the Pillar's catwalk. That's when she saw a helicopter make pass by the catwalk and drop off a few troops, then fly off.
Tifa muttered a curse to herself at the thought of climbing 50 meters worth of stairs, but that was the end of her complaints. She charged through the open chain link fence and started up the stairs. She noticed that Zack was right behind her, and a thought came across her mind: If Zack IS the spy, this would be the perfect time for him to show his true colors. Still, she couldn't stop to interrogate the slightly older man, and she realized she had no choice at the moment but to trust him.
The duo came across Biggs, who was on the first few stairs, pulling a dagger out of a MP. Blood was leaking out of the intelligence officer's mouth, and from somewhere on his leg. Tifa slowed down for a moment, as if to offer some medical treatment, but Biggs was way ahead of her in this, and waved her on. The espionage expert knew Dyne needed her help more than he did.
The duo continued rushing up the metallic steps, as the green fog which was present around the pillar began to dissipate the further up they went. They trekked up wordlessly, as they needed every last ounce of strength and concentration devoted to getting up top and helping Dyne as quickly as possible. However, the task would not be as "easy" as running up stairs...
A helicopter-like sound presented itself, but it was a bit too quiet to be a full sized helicopter, which must of been why neither of the two companions noticed it amid the sounds of gunfire above and below them. However, it grew louder as not only was it coming closer, but it was coming from more than one source. Zack heard it first and quickly glanced to the side, a move which may have saved his life.
The Heli-SOLDIER kicked at the traitor with a spike-toed boot, suspended in the air by a large object on his arm which operated a man-sized propeller. He barely connected as Zack began rolling with the expected impact. Tifa quickly turned to look as two more Heli-SOLDIERS descended upon the pair.
The first one swiped at Zack with a large baton-like sword, an attack which was easily dodged. Or it would of been, if Zack wasn't on an uneven surface. He tripped on the next stair up, and fell backwards onto his behind. The SOLDIER went to strike again when Tifa landed a flying side kick into his gut. Buckling over for a moment, the Heli-SOLDIER accidentally pointed his propeller arm in front of himself, sending him flying forward and past his two opponents.
Tifa quickly assessed the situation as the next two came within attacking range. While they could not control very well how they moved, she and Zack had a similar disadvantage, forced to fight on an uneven surface. Not to mention that she wasn't used to fighting things that could fly, and wasn't too sure about Zack's expertise in that area, either.
One SOLDIER landed right in front of her, and slowing his Heli-arm down, and actually swung at her with his propellers, hoping to decapitate the ninja. Tifa arched back and fell to her hands. She jumped off her arms and up a few more stairs. The SOLDIER charged after her, preferring to try his makeshift weapon opposed to his sword.
By this time Zack had gotten up and was challenged by the third. Zack swung ferociously with his Buster Sword, missing his mark each time as the Heli-SOLDIER kept flying back away from the attacks. Changing tactics, Zack held out his sword, and began concentrating on his Ice materia, evidenced by the emerald glow that began to circle him. Seeing a chance, the Heli-SOLDIER dove in, aiming his baton at Zack's neck, ready to decapitate him! Suddenly, Zack opened his eyes...
"Sucker!" the former SOLDIER laughed. Snapping out of his meditation and canceling the spell, he swung out with his sword just as his opponent got within range, slashing him square in the chest. A bit of blood was drawn, but Zack's attack did its job in that it ruined the heli-SOLDIER's flight armor, forcing him to land as his propeller began to shut down.
Tifa kept losing ground, and was being forced down the stairs as her opponent continued to swing his heli-arm madly. She couldn't try to block the arm, she would risk getting her own arm chopped off! She also did not have adequate room with which to maneuver to get around him. The Heli-SOLDIER raised his arm to strike, and activated the propeller... and Tifa saw an opening. Charging in faster than the SOLDIER could blink, she grabbed the heli-arm, and landed a succession of bone-crushing punches to the man's head. Blood, bone, metal and circuits fused as the special-ops agent's helmet was literally crushed around his face by Tifa's assault.
But she wasn't done yet. Kicking her opponent down to the ground and still holding onto his make-shift weapon, Tifa grasped the propeller arm and tore it away, sending sparks everywhere as the man screamed from the unimaginable pain. Tifa was shocked and horrified that the man didn't seem to posses a lower arm. What, do the Shinra give their SOLDIERs cybernetic implants now? she wondered. Tifa's answer came when suddenly the propeller unit felt a lot lighter, as a bloody stump fell out of it, which turned out, upon closer inspection, to be the man's "missing" arm. The man screamed again at the sight of seeing his missing lower arm fall down and past the stairs and into the depths below.
Looking down with the slightest hint of regret in her eyes, Tifa shrugged, said "Oops," crushed the SOLDIER's windpipe with her foot and charged back up the stairs to re-join Zack.
The ex-SOLDIER found himself being attacked by the grounded Heli-SOLDIER and the first, who had managed to not crash, unfortunately. He was holding his own, however, as both had to resort to attacking one-handed, and somewhat clumsily at that.
Then, without warning or provocation, both the Heli-SOLDIERS found themselves spontaneously combusting! The one that was flying found his fuel line ruptured, and so he panicked and flew off before exploding in a ball of flame! The other, in true movie fashion, screamed and fell off the guard rail and to the harsh, unforgiving ground below, forgetting he could probably fly, breaking every bone in his body.
And then, regardless of a lack of a logical reason, he blew up.
Zack turned to Tifa and smiled. "Nice work with that Fire spell!"
"Well, we don't have time for this!" Tifa replied, charging back up the stairs.
Zack resisted the urge to ask if that meant if a blowjob was out of the question. Not so much because he particularly felt like receiving one at the moment, but because the though came across as funny to him, though he knew that it would have been inappropriate to say anything.
The pair raced up the flight of stairs, and eventually came across Jessie, who lay wounded against a railing. Her right arm was bleeding from about the shoulder, and she seemed to have a twisted ankle. Zack bent down to inspect the hacker's wounds more critically.
"You alright?" Zack asked, pulling a first-aid field kit out of his pants pocket. He proceeded to dress the shoulder wound, while Tifa stayed to guard his back in case more Heli-SOLDIERs came.
"I dunno," Jessie replied with a weak smile, "You think I'm alright?"
"Damn girl, you more than alright," the ex-SOLDIER replied with a flirtatious smile, "Hold still for a sec while I wrap up your foot. I'm gonna have to take off your boot though."
"How'd you know I twisted my foot?"
"SOLDIERS are trained to do just about anything we'd have to do in combat, from fighting to triage..." Zack had removed the boot and wrapped Jessie's foot with an elastic bandage. "Do you think you can walk?"
"Yeah," Jessie replied, summoning her strength. Zack helped her up, and allowed her to brace herself on the railing.
Rapid gunfire filled Zack and Tifa's ears, the top of the platform being just another story or so above them where Dyne was fighting off some Shinra MPs. He didn't see one coming up behind him, however.
But Zack did. Too far away to yell out a warning, Zack figured he only had one option open. He cocked back his sword, then threw it like a lance up at the MP. The gigantic blade sailed through the air, and pierced the metal fencing under the MP's feet, slicing into his leg. His cry of pain alerted Dyne to his presence, and was rewarded with a point-blank shot to the head.
The trio then went to re-join Dyne, Jessie being helped by Zack (and welcoming the closeness, one might add).
"Tifa, Zack, you're here!! Jessie, you're okay!" Dyne exclaimed as he saw them come up the stairway. Zack picked his sword up out of the flooring, though had to be careful in doing so. Jessie rested against the railing, and held a pair of pistols close to herself.
"What's our status?" Tifa asked, weary of the ever-increasing sound of a helicopter's propellers.
"They've been landing assault troops from choppers," Dyne explained, re-loading his gun arm. "And speaking of which, head's up, kids!"
A small helicopter flew by the pillar with such speed that Dyne didn't have time to get a bead on it. A sole figure hoped out in a flash of crimson and dark blue, his suede shoes clapping against the metal flooring of the pillar's walkway as he landed. He gazed at his four adversaries with confidant green-aqua eyes which were obscured by spikes of scarlet hair.
"Reno..." Dyne spat.
Inside the helicopter, another one of the Turks, the large, dark skinned man known only as Rude awaited to be dropped as well. However, he would not get his wish. He noticed that the helicopter continued to move away from the target area. He looked to Tseng, who sat next to the pilot, and also seemed to be preoccupied with something else.
"Yes, there, the pink dress!" Tseng practically yelled, standing up and pointing. He didn't know what Aeris had been doing here, or even if it really WAS her, but now she was out in the open, with only one other person accompanying her. This had opened up an intriguing opportunity to finally accomplish what he had been unable to all these years.
"What about Reno?" Rude asked in uncharacteristic form, and actually voicing his concerns for once.
"Don't concern yourself with him," Tseng replied with a near growl. The chopper flew down at the two figures, and it was apparent that one of them was a SOLDIER... But Tseng was rather shocked to see that it obviously wasn't Zack, based on the relatively short blonde hair the man possessed as oppose to the large mane of black spikes. Tseng wondered if another rogue SOLDIER was cause for concern, though he really didn't pay the notion much mind.
Aeris and Cloud charged down the dirt roads of Sector Five. Just a few more minutes and they would be safe... just a few more. It was a those few minutes that Aeris realized they did not have as the ominous sound of propellers drew ever closer by the moment. Too close, in fact, as the chopper roared right over the pair's heads, the force of it sending them both crashing to the ground. The flying machine slowed down to hover a few feet away, and turned to expose the side door, which slowly swung down to open into a make-shift platform. Tseng walked onto it, glaring down at Aeris and her companion like a wolf with his dark, beady eyes.
"Hello, Aeris," the Turk said semi-pleasantly with a smile. Aeris ignored him and got up, taking out her hidden staff and extending it to its full length. Cloud was a bit slower getting up, but readied his machine gun nonetheless. They both glared at Tseng with the same spiteful, cold stare.
"What do you want, Tseng?" Aeris asked, though already knowing.
"Why, since when do you care about me or my needs at all? I'm deeply touched!" Tseng responded with a hint of sarcasm.
"Touched in the head, maybe," Cloud muttered.
Tseng glared at the blond-haired SOLDIER, "Who the hell is this?" He then produced a pistol and aimed it nonchalantly at Cloud, who responded by opening fire!
...or NOT, as his clip was empty. Which caused Cloud to wonder what kind of idiotic fate was using him as its comedic relief. He then remembered that a pistol was still trained on him.
"Tseng, DON'T!" Aeris pleaded, seeing a slightly bloodthirsty look on the Wutian man's face.
"I'll do as I please," Tseng commented.
"No, wait!" Aeris tried, "I... I'll go with you... willingly, IF you give me your word as a TURK, bound by your Turk's code, that you won't let him be harmed!" she said, motioning to her companion.
Tseng smiled and looked at the flower girl. Her large green orbs held no sign of deceit, and her rod hung relaxed at her side. The Turk knew he had to avoid hurting Aeris if at all possible, and the only way to do that was to make her come willingly. "Very well," he agreed, pointing his gun up and away from Cloud. He motioned with his other hand for Aeris to climb on board.
"Aeris, no!" Cloud tried. She seemed not to hear him, even though she was only a few feet away. Tseng took Aeris' hand to help her onto the platform... then suddenly turned to Cloud and opened fire! Three rounds left his pistol and went straight at the ex-SOLDIER, hitting him across the chest and sending him to the ground!
"CLOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUD!" Aeris screamed in horror. "TSENG! You bastard! How could you!? You gave me your word you wouldn't hurt him!" She tried to strike out with punches and kicks, but found herself restrained by Rude. Tears streamed down her face as the helicopter began to rise away from the dirt road, sending a circular wave of dust in every direction.
Tseng offered Aeris an falsely apologetic smile, "Dead people can't be hurt, now can they?" he replied.
Aeris began sobbing uncontrollably, relaxing into Rude's arms somewhat by accident, as her own legs became too weak to support her. "It... It's not supposed to end like this... not like this..."