Taking Care of Reno: Meteorfall
Chapter 25: Meteorfall
“They survived?” Rufus asked, almost not daring to believe it. If that was true, it was the first thing to go right since this whole mess began.
“Yes, sir,” Reeve Tuesti confirmed. He clasped his hands behind his back, shifting his weight somewhat nervously from one foot to the other. “They were able to reach an escape pod before the rocket impacted Meteor. We’ve just reunited with them on the Highwind.” He paused briefly, touching the earpiece that kept him in contact with the Cait Sith automaton. “… And we’re heading for the Forgotten Capitol next.”
Rufus, for the moment, ignored the references to ‘we’… He wasn’t entirely certain even Reeve knew who’s side he was on at this point. Though, he supposed, for all intents and purposes, Shinra and Avalanche were on the same side, for now.
“To what end?” he asked, “They’re not still trying to figure out what the Cetra girl was doing, are they?”
“Actually… we think we know what she was trying to do. We think she was trying to find Holy.”
“… And just who or what is Holy?”
“Bugenhagen of Cosmo Canyon described it to us as the ultimate white magic. Something powerful enough to counteract Sephiroth’s black materia and repel Meteor. He said… if a soul seeking Holy reaches the planet, it will appear. We believe that’s what Aerith was doing at the Forgotten Capitol… trying to reach out to the planet through her Cetra heritage to summon Holy. She had a… a piece of white materia when she died. Bugenhagen thinks it might be the key to all of this.”
“… I see.” Rufus pressed the tips of his fingers together and leaned forward against his desk. Even if they did penetrate the barrier… even if they did destroy Sephiroth… it was no guarantee that the massive object bearing down on them would simply vanish. But if Strife and his ilk had a plan to deal with that… “I want you to assist them in any way you can. Pass along information about our attempt to destroy the barrier around the crater, as well. Neither of our groups are going to be able to do this alone… but working in tandem, we may have chance.”
“Yes, sir,” Reeve replied, and unless Rufus was very much mistaken, the man looked decidedly relieved. If they lived through this, he might well have cause to question the man’s loyalty to the company. Assuming there was still a company to be loyal to. But for now, he was his only link to his tentative allies.
“How much longer until the cannon can fire?”
“I really wish we had longer to test the grid, sir.”
“But we don’t. How much longer?”
“A few more hours. Maintenance crews are reinforcing a junction in Sector 5 and another in Sector 0. When they’re done… we can begin charging the cannon. Once that’s begun, it will be a matter of minutes.”
Rufus nodded. “Keep me updated,” he said in dismissal, and Reeve quickly got to his feet, making his way out the door. The President, too, stood when he was gone, stepping out onto the balcony and gazing up at the meteor. The science department’s estimates were off, and that fact was now readily apparent… They didn’t have weeks. They’d be lucky if they had days. Rufus tried to ignore the growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach… but it seemed to become harder with each passing day.
Elena was hurrying up the stairs so quickly she hardly even acknowledged the man leaving Rufus’ office, until he paused directly in her path. She came to a halt, frowning.
“I didn’t have a chance to speak to you yesterday,” Reeve said, somewhat awkwardly. “You’re one of the Turks from Wutai… the one who was captured.”
She blinked in surprise, only then remembering that the man had been there… in a sense, at least. His mechanical creation had been tagging along with Avalanche for weeks now.
“Yes, sir…” she replied. Frankly, she’d have preferred to forget all about that little ordeal. It hadn’t been one of her shining moments of competence as a Turk… though at least Reno and Rude had refrained from teasing her about it. She was fairly certain they were just glad she hadn’t been hurt.
“I’m glad to see you’re alright after that,” Tuesti continued. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for the Turks… even if I don’t always approve of some of the things you do.”
“I… er… thank you, sir,” she stammered. She hadn’t been expecting that. Reeve nodded, and continued on his way, leaving Elena wondering whether the man was as genuine as he seemed or if she was just being naïve, taking him at face value. In truth, she knew very little about Tuesti. Her knowledge of him came largely from things Rufus and her fellow Turks had mentioned. She hadn’t even met the man until yesterday, and it had hardly been a formal introduction.
She shook her head and started up the stairs again. She’d analyze his intentions later. Right now, she was supposed to be with Rufus. As Elena pushed open the heavy wooden door, she was surprised to find the room empty. It took her a moment to spot her charge out on the balcony, looking out across the city.
“Sir?” she called out, and he turned to look at her.
“Did you have any luck?”
“No, sir,” she replied, joining him in the cool morning air. “Apparently Rude doesn’t have any cameras in the high security labs.”
“That is… unfortunate. But understandable. The cannon will be ready to fire in a few hours. I suggest you see to anything you may need to… I’ll want you here once we begin.”
“Already taken care of, sir. And Reno ordered me not to let you out of my sight. He and Rude should be here in a few hours themselves.”
Rufus looked surprised at the new information. “I take it, then, that Lieutenant Commandeer Nacelle has managed to secure transportation for them?”
“Actually… They’re going to be flying back in the executive helicopter. The one your step-mother took to Costa del Sol,” she replied, and Rufus laughed.
“Hmph. That bitch finally came in handy for something. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later.” He took one last look at the sky – it had begun to take on a disquieting red hue, especially in the morning and early afternoon, over the last few days – and ushered Elena back into the presidential office. “It seems we have some time to kill.”
Juliet Shinra had not been happy when he and Rude had descended upon the Shinra family’s beach villa and demanded the return of the company helicopter… And by ‘not happy’, he meant that the woman had screamed and kicked and clawed him until Rude had shoved her into the bedroom and held the door shut. Not the most gentlemanly of approaches, but they were in a bit of a hurry.
Reno didn’t know what the hell she thought she was going to do with it, anyway. She’d let it slip that her pilot had abandoned her almost as soon as they landed. In all likelihood, he was drunk on the beach somewhere, waiting for the end of the world. The aircraft wasn’t doing her a damn bit of good. She just didn’t want anyone else to have it.
He helped himself to the tray of assorted fruits and cheeses the housekeeper had set out for the Shinra widow in the kitchen, and then made his way up the stairs to the roof, prodding the still bound and gagged Heidegger aboard the helicopter that was neatly parked there. Rude followed moments later and joined him in the copilot’s seat.
The redhead started the engine and the familiar sound of whirling blades filled their air. As they left the helipad, Juliet emerged from the house, screaming what he could only assume were profanities into the wind. By then, however, they were well out of her reach, and she could only shake her fists ineffectively at them from the rooftop.
“What do you think? Three? Four hours?” Rude asked, the audio from the headsets slightly more static-filled than usual. Reno vaguely wondered if it had something to do with Meteor’s rapidly decreasing distance.
“Tch… Feels like we got a decent tailwind. If it keeps up the whole way, we can probably do it in two and a half,” he replied. They were already over the ocean… The seas looked rough today, and Reno found himself grateful that they hadn’t had to take the boat. The memory of his last transoceanic voyage was still much too fresh in his mind, and his stomach recoiled slightly just thinking about it.
“You’d almost think you were in a hurry.”
Reno glanced over at his partner and sighed.
“It’s just… There’s a very real possibility we’re completely screwed. I fuckin’ hope we’re not, but… I’d be stupid to think the odds are in our favor. If I gotta be around for the end of the world… I want to be with ‘Lena.”
“I’ll try not to take that personally,” Rude teased with feigned indignation.
“And you, too!” the redhead was quick to reply, but Rude waved him off.
“Get us home. I want the same thing.”
“Wish Tseng was gonna be there, too…” Reno sighed.
“He would be if he could. And I for one am not giving up quite yet. We’re gonna see him again, and I’ll be damned if I die before you finally get married. You have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to see that?”
The redhead looked at him sidelong for a moment before turning his gaze back on the vast expanse of ocean ahead of him.
“Keep talkin’ like that, ‘n I’m gonna start to think you’ve finally lost any ability you mighta had to tell the difference between real life and that damn show of yours,” he snickered, and his partner smirked.
“The story arcs in real life are much more interesting,” Rude chuckled.
He’d never seen Midgar so… dead. There wasn’t a single person… a single vehicle… a single anything on the streets. Many of the buildings were already dark… It could only mean one thing.
They’d arrived just in time to see the cannon fire.
Reno set down on the rooftop helipad on top of the Shinra Building and shut down the engines, looking over at Rude.
“Good thing we caught that tailwind…”
Rude nodded solemnly, and moved to the back of the aircraft, hoisting their prisoner out of his seat. The trio made their way inside, descending the short distance to the President’s office. Reno headed up to the doors first, pushing them open to find a small meeting going on.
“Ah… You’re back,” Rufus stated. “Where’s Heidegger?”
“Got’im right here.” Reno waved his partner up the stairs, and Rude all but dragged the disgraced executive along with him, presenting him to the President. Rufus eyed the man’s gag and raised an eyebrow. “Heh… He was gettin’ a little loud on the way back.”
The Turk smirked, and snatched the tape off of the man’s lips… ripping off a sizable chunk of beard along with it. Heidegger howled, and swore at him for several seconds before Rufus’ glare ended the brief tirade. The executive instead turned his attention on the President.
“Mr. President… I demand these two traitors be stripped of their authority and locked up!”
“They were not the ones who murdered a member of the executive board,” Rufus stated flatly, his eyes daring the other man to deny it. “Palmer may have been a useless lump of a man… but I think the label of ‘traitor’ fits more squarely on your shoulders than on my Turks’. This is no longer my father’s company… and I will not tolerate such abuse of power. I never trusted you before… and I certainly don’t now. You may consider this your dismissal from the board, and from my company.”
“You sniveling little brat! You can’t do this to me!”
“Oh, but I can… and I have.” He looked squarely at Rude. “Take him to the detention cells. He can rot there until we’ve dealt with more important issues.”
Heidegger’s protests could be heard all the way to the elevators, and Rufus said nothing until they abruptly ended when the doors slid shut.
“In case I failed to make myself clear…” he said, rounding on the remaining members of the executive board, “You work for me, and I won’t hesitate to have my Turks… clean house… so to speak, should you forget that.”
Reno couldn’t help but grin… which he was certain looked downright evil from the opposite side of the room, but he didn’t particularly care. He had to hand it to Rufus. The kid knew how to make a point.
“Now… the cannon.”
“The reactors will be coming online at full power in a matter of minutes, sir,” Reeve replied, “I’ll need to adjust their output as the cannon’s shells charge. Otherwise it could –”
“Ha! You worry too much,” Scarlet interrupted, “There’s no need to adjust anything. My Sister Ray can take anything you can throw at it. Those shells will absorb every last drop of energy the reactors can send them.”
Reeve shook his head. “It’s not the Sister Ray I’m worried about.”
“Watch it closely, Reeve. I don’t want the entire city destroyed,” Rufus said, ignoring the woman’s boasts, before turning back to her, “And as for you… You’re certain the cannon has the range to reach the northern continent?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then let’s get started.”
“Yes, sir,” Reeve and Scarlet chorused, and both departed, leaving the remaining Turks to tend to the President.
“You two, go and destroy that… thing… Scarlet’s building downstairs. She’ll be busy with the cannon for some time. Now would be an excellent opportunity.”
“On it, sir,” Reno replied. As he and Elena turned to go, however, a deep rumbling shook the entire building. “The fuck’s goin’ on?!”
Rufus steadied himself against the desk for a moment, before rushing to the window. The two Turks quickly joined him.
“Oh, my dear Shiva…” Elena breathed.
“Fuckin’ hell… Tell me that’s not what it looks like.”
Emerging from the sea to the north was a huge creature… one that was disturbingly familiar.
“Unless I’m very much mistaken,” Rufus replied, “That would be Diamond Weapon.”
The three of them watched in horror as the monstrosity began to move slowly towards the city, it’s every step shaking the ground.
“Shit.” Reno gripped Rufus’ arm and began to pull him towards the door. “We’re outta here.”
The President shook him off. “No. I doubt there’s anywhere in the building that’s any safer at the moment. Destroy Scarlet’s machine while you have the chance.”
“Sir…”
“That thing is directly in our line of fire. The cannon will deal with it long before it reaches Midgar. If we’re lucky, we’ll take care of two of our problems in a single shot. Now get going!”
Reno frowned, but grabbed Elena by the arm, pulling her along behind him. Rufus was right… the damn cannon was pointed right at it. And it certainly wasn’t in any hurry to get out of the way. They stepped into the elevator and Reno hit the button for the weapons research labs. As the car began to descend, he fingered the little box in his pocket. It wasn’t exactly the romantic setting he’d wanted for this… but at least they were alone together. He supposed now was as good a time as any.
“… ‘Lena? There’s… uh… somethin’ I’ve been wantin’ to ask you…” he said, his mind suddenly going completely devoid of the short speech he’d mentally rehearsed over and over again on the flight back to Midgar. He swallowed sharply, silently cursing himself, as Elena looked at him, curious. “I… uh…”
The elevator suddenly chimed, well ahead of schedule… and Reno realized that they were still a good ten floors above their destination. The doors opened, revealing Rude, who looked moderately surprised to see them before stepping aboard.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Felt like a damn earthquake a few minutes ago…”
Reno scowled and tucked the box back into his pocket. “Diamond Weapon’s headin’ straight for the city. Rufus is bankin’ on the cannon taking it out. Sent us to get rid of that fuckin’ Proud Clod piece of shit Scarlet’s been workin’ on while we have an opening.”
“Mind if I join you?” Rude asked. “Wouldn’t mind getting a little retribution on that thing, too.”
Reno mentally sighed, but shrugged in response. “Why not? The more the merrier.”
“Reno? What was it you wanted to ask me?” Elena queried.
“… Uh… N-nothin’ that can’t wait. Nevermind. We’ll talk about it later,” he replied. She gave him a slightly odd look, but didn’t press the issue. Rude meanwhile, stared at him somewhat incredulously… and with plenty of remorse for interrupting.
The elevator let them out on the weapons research floor moments later, and Elena headed straight towards the lab with a single-minded purpose. Reno and Rude, on the other hand, trailed behind her slightly.
Rude elbowed him sharply. “… Really? You were going to do it in an elevator?”
“I was gonna do it on one knee, in Costa del Sol, on the beach, with the sun settin’ in the background. Now, I’m gonna do it whenever the hell I can get her alone for more than two seconds. Ya know… if someone doesn’t come bargin’ in before I can even get the words out,” he hissed back.
“Sorry…”
“Guys! Hurry up!” Elena called out from halfway down the hall.
Rufus’ gaze was still locked on the hulking giant when the intercom on his desk buzzed.
“Sir… the reactors are ready to output at full capacity,” Reeve’s voice said over the speaker.
“We can begin the firing sequence at any time,” Scarlet added, with a triumphant cackle. Rufus didn’t look away from the window.
“… Fire.”
There was a deep, reverberating hum that filled the air as, one by one, the city’s eight reactors came online at full strength. Steam infused with the glow of raw mako spouted from the towers, and the jury-rigged conduits leading to the Sister Ray took on that same pulsating glow as power was shuttled to it directly. Moments later, the entire city went dark… even the lights in his office went out. At first, he thought something had gone wrong… until he saw it.
The end of the cannon was aflame with a deep, purplish blue light, that steadily grew in intensity. Rufus watched in awe as the compartments that held its mako shells locked into place, rattling the windows of the building as they did so. The light at the end of the barrel was almost blinding by then, and the President held his breath, waiting.
When it fired, the boom was deafening, and the kickback nearly knocked him off his feet. He heard the sound of shattering glass somewhere below his office, and realized that it must have been the building’s windows. His own had held… but then, the president’s office had security features the rest of headquarters did not, ballistic glass being one of them. He stepped closer to the windows, watching as the shell, trailed by a tail of light, streaked towards the Northern Crater – and towards the beast threatening his city – and nervously ran a hand through his hair.
In the distance, Weapon paused, and for a brief moment, Rufus worried that it might be fast enough to avoid the blast. To his shock, it instead stood its ground… but more concerning, the armored plate on its chest split open, as did the boney protrusions above its shoulders.
He’d seen behavior like this before… during Sapphire Weapon’s attacks on Junon. Diamond was planning to fight back. And seconds later, Rufus’ suspicions were confirmed, as it released a volley of energy blasts right back at the city. Circling high above the Weapon, Rufus suddenly spotted the Highwind. Avalanche had turned up… whether to witness the city’s destruction or to offer their assistance, he couldn’t be sure.
The shot from the Sister Ray found it’s mark, striking Diamond Weapon squarely in the chest and throwing it backwards… and, Rufus noted with relief, passing straight through its body and continuing on towards the crater. He just hoped it hadn’t lost too much power… because if the incoming energy beams were any indication, they probably weren’t going to get a second shot.
Weapon fell, and stayed down, unmoving… hopefully dead… and seconds later Rufus saw the impact against Sephiroth’s barrier. He very nearly cheered as the magical dome sealing it off shimmered and vanished. They’d done it!
“Sir! Incoming!” Reeve’s voice echoed out from the intercom.
Rufus already knew. As the first shots began to rain down on the city, he also knew that many people were going to die. For a few moments, he could only gaze outward… and then the first blast hit the tower. The entire building shuddered ominously… and more were headed straight for him. The next shot shattered the bulletproof glass windows on the far side of his office.
Rufus did the only thing he could do. He dove beneath his desk.
They’d only just gained access to the lab when the first explosion sent all three of them sprawling, and the painfully loud blare of the fire alarm filled the air. Reno almost immediately smelled smoke.
“What the fuck just hit us?!” he shouted, clambering to his feet, and helping Elena back to hers.
“… Weapon?” Rude postulated. The redhead glanced back at the lab and the Proud Clod inside.
“Screw this. There’s no point in stopping Scarlet from killin’ Rufus if he dies up in his office.” The other two nodded, and the Turks reversed course, back towards the elevators… but not before Rude paused at the security station. He slid his ID card through the scanner on the weapons locker and quickly found what he was looking for.
“… Don’t have time to destroy it, but might be able to keep her from reaching it,” he said in response to Reno’s questioning look, and held up a grenade. Several more impacts caused the building to tremble.
“Make it quick, partner.”
Rude gave nod of acknowledgment and disappeared back toward the lab, while Reno and Elena continued on. The control panel for the elevator was dead, and the doors stood slightly ajar. Thin tendrils of smoke crept out of the shaft.
“Guess it’s the stairs, then…” Reno muttered.
Rufus squeezed his eyes shut tight against the pain. He’d just barely made it in time… though the tiny panic room his father had secreted away in his office ultimately hadn’t been able to stand up to the onslaught. It had kept him alive, however.
He lifted his hand until he could see his fingertips. They were coated in a thick layer of blood. He was alive… though he couldn’t be sure for how much longer. He felt strangely cold… and wondered if this was how Tseng had felt when he’d been lying there on the steps of the Temple of the Ancients, dying.
His Turks would come for him. He knew they would. But he questioned whether they would come before he succumbed to his injuries. Tseng had only survived because of the lucky coincidence of Elena finding an extraordinarily rare piece of materia and being willing to sacrifice her own strength to save him. She’d been in a coma for days afterward.
But there was no more rare materia… and no one was here to sacrifice for him.
He tried to move, to ease himself up… but it hurt. Badly. It was easily the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life. Though to be fair… he’d seldom felt physical pain. His Turks had seen to that.
It seemed that Scarlet was going to be taking over the company after all.
At the sixty-eighth floor, they’d suddenly found themselves trapped. The stairs were blocked.
“Fuck.” Reno swore, “… Okay. ‘Lena, I need you to backtrack.”
“W-what?”
“Head back down ’til ya run into Rude, then get yourself outta the building. Rescue personnel will probably already be workin’ cleanup out there. They’ll have something that can get you up to the seventieth floor.”
“What about you?!”
“I’m goin’ up through there,” he said, pointing at the air vent about six feet up on the wall, above the sixty-eighth floor landing.
“I’ll come with you.”
Reno shook his head and turned to the vent, prying it open. “Don’t take this the wrong way… but you’re not gonna fit. This is gonna be a tight squeeze even for my skinny ass. Trust me, I’ve had ta do it once or twice before.”
“Reno…” she pleaded, but he was already pulling the cover the rest of the way off the wall. He tossed it aside. It landed with a loud clatter on the floor behind him.
“We don’t have time to argue about this. Turn around, go back downstairs, and commandeer the first thing ya see that’ll get you up seventy stories. That’s an order.”
Elena hesitated a moment, and then seized him, kissing him hard on the lips. A second later she pulled away and started down the stairs, calling back over her shoulder, “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone!”
“Like what?” he called after her, grinning slightly.
“Like get yourself killed!” her voice echoed back.
“… I won’t,” he promised softly, and turned to the dark opening in the wall, hoisting himself up.
It was just as tight as he remembered. His hips and shoulders just barely fit through narrow tunnel, and he was forced to inch his way along, arms tucked in beneath him, like some kind of odd looking caterpillar. He hoped nothing had blocked off the other end… because traversing the ventilation shafts in reverse was even worse than doing it forwards.
The metal conduit creaked around him as he made his way forward, and he tried to ignore the creeping sensation of claustrophobia. Small, enclosed, airless spaces had lost their appeal – not that they’d ever had much to begin with – after his ordeal in the submarine… but it wasn’t as if he had a choice in the matter. Rufus was trapped up there, and possibly hurt… possibly even dead already. They had to get to him, one way or another.
He came to a junction that let him stretch out a little, and hauled himself into the vertical shaft. Hopefully, he’d only have to go up a single floor. Up was a lot harder than sideways. The redhead wedged himself into the space, with his shoulders against one side and his feet against the other, using his legs to push himself upwards a few inches at a time. It was slow going, and by the time he reached the top, his muscles were burning from the exertion.
“Tch… If I never have to do this shit again, it’ll be too soon,” he grunted as he curled himself over the ledge and into the next horizontal tunnel. The last time had been years ago… and not for anything nearly as important as this. The last time, had only been a training exercise. Veld had ordered him to find a way out of a locked room on the forty-eighth floor, and into another locked room on the forty-ninth. And Tseng had quietly informed him that Veld had bet him a hundred gil he couldn’t do it. He’d taken great pleasure in seeing the Turk leader fork over the cash to his mentor when he’d calmly stepped out of the second room some fifteen minutes later.
The stakes were a lot higher than a hundred gil bet this time, though.
Reno swore when a sharp edge cut into his upper arm, and did his best to avoid catching himself on it a second time as he crept past it. At last, he could see a faint light seeping through the vent ahead of him. When he reached it, it took him a moment to reposition himself enough to force his arms out in front of him, but after that, knocking the cover off and squeezing himself out into the presidential lobby was simple. He tumbled from the opening headfirst, landing in a heap behind the receptionist’s desk.
“Hold it! Don’t go anywhere yet!”
This was bad… this was very, very bad. Power levels were spiking across the board, and there was nothing he could do about it. Someone had locked him out.
“We’ve got a problem. A big one,” Reeve relayed urgently. He jumped at the sudden sound of the door behind him banging open and spun to face the intruders.
“Scarlet! Heidegger! What’s going on?” he asked, eyes widening. This couldn’t be good. Rufus wouldn’t have ordered Heidegger’s release… and the Turks certainly wouldn’t have set him free on their own. What in Kjata’s name was he doing here?
Heidegger chuckled cruelly and pulled his phone away from his ear. “Strange. I can’t reach the President.”
“Kya, ha, ha… I hope nothing’s happened to the poor boy,” Scarlet cackled beside him. Reeve’s eyes narrowed. So that’s where she’d suddenly disappeared to just after they’d fired the cannon. She’d gone to let Heidegger out of the detention cells.
He again tapped the earpiece that connected him to Cait Sith. “No, not the President. The Sister Ray!”
“What’s the matter, Reeve? You’re talking so strangely,” she purred condescendingly. “Did your terrorist friends refuse to come and get you? Or are you just upset they didn’t stop Weapon from attacking the city?”
“None of that matters! The reactor’s output is increasing all by itself! The cannon is charging again!”
The woman’s expression suddenly changed to one of concern.
“W-wait a minute… That’s not wise. The Sister Ray needs a cooling period before it can fire again, or it’ll tear itself apart! Reeve… Shut it down!”
“I can’t,” he ground out. “The controls are inoperable. Someone has switched the machine over to mainframe operation. I can’t do anything from here!”
He nervously fumbled his PHS from his pocket, planning to call down to the staff operating the mainframe… only to find that the phone was dead. He tossed it aside in frustration and turned to his fellow executives.
“One of you, call the mainframe!”
Heidegger raised his own phone for a moment, before scowling at him.
“And just why are you giving orders, Tuesti?”
“For Ifrit’s sake… I don’t care who’s in charge! Don’t you understand? If that cannon fires, it will blow… and it’ll take the reactors with it! The entire city will be destroyed!”
Heidegger seemed taken aback by the normally mild-mannered executive’s unexpected change in personality, and Reeve lunged at him, snatching the phone from his hand and dialing the number for the department. It rang four times before someone picked up.
Unhinged laughter greeted him.
“… Who is this?” Reeve asked, unnerved by the sound.
“Just wait, Sephiroth. I’ll give you all the mako energy you want…” the voice said, and with sudden dread, Reeve realized he recognized it. It couldn’t be. No one had seen the man in weeks… his security access had long since been rescinded. He couldn’t be in the building.
“H-Hojo? Is that you?”
The only response he received was more laughter.
“Hojo, stop! The cannon… You can’t! It won’t be able to handle it! The whole city is in danger!” he pleaded, desperate to stop the man.
“One or two Midgars is a small price to pay…” the scientist said, ominously.
“Hojo?! HOJO…!”
“Show me, Sephiroth. Go beyond the powers of science. In your presence, science is powerless. I may hate it, but I’ll concede to it. Just… let me see it.”
The man was mad. Completely and utterly mad. There are no reasoning with him. Reeve tossed that phone aside, as well and tapped his earpiece.
“We’re sunk… Hojo is doing this on his own. We can’t stop it.”
“Can’t you shut down the reactors?” Cloud’s voice responded, and Reeve ran his fingers through his hair.
“We can’t just shut them down… not when they’re running at full strength. Shutting off the power grid won’t stop the flow of mako from below. All that energy has to go somewhere. If we just cut off it’s escape route… the blast will make the Number 1 Reactor explosion look like a firecracker. We have to stop this at the cannon!”
“Damn…!” Barret growled.
“Do what you can. We’ll take care of Hojo.” Cloud replied, and Reeve sagged slightly in relief, turning to Scarlet and Heidegger.
“Cloud and the others are coming. Stay out of their way.”
Heidegger laughed. “Shut your mouth, Tuesti. You don’t give me orders. Those bastards… it’s their fault the rocket failed. Their fault Rufus blamed me for it. Well… Rufus is dead. I’m doing things my way, now!”
“Shinra Company is under new management, Reeve,” Scarlet added, snapping her fingers. A second later several guards entered and surrounded him.
“H-hey! Wait! What are you doing?!”
“Midgar is lost. The planet is lost. But we’re going to make damn sure those Avalanche bastards don’t live long enough to see the end of either. We’re going to see how they fair against my new weapon,” she said, laughing viciously as she and Heidegger turned and departed, leaving him in the custody of building security. He activated his earpiece one last time.
“Cloud… Everyone. I’m sorry… It’s up to you now.”
“What… floor… are we on?” Elena panted as they rounded the landing and started down the next flight of stairs. The elevators were out all over the building… their downward trek had been by foot.
“Nine,” Rude replied.
Almost there… thank Odin. She didn’t think her legs could take much more. They continued down at a pace so fast it was hard to believe she hadn’t yet tripped and gone tumbling head over heels. At last, they emerged in the first floor lobby. Outside, she could see the lights of rescue vehicles flashing.
“Hurry,” Elena said, more to herself than to Rude. Rufus needed them… and so did Reno. The sooner they found a way back up, the sooner both men would be safe. The pair of Turks dashed through the front doors of the Shinra Building and out onto the street.
“… There.” Rude pointed toward an empty troop transport. It seemed that at least a few of the aircraft from Junon had been diverted away from the Norther Crater to help in Midgar.
“Can… can you even fly one of those?” Elena asked. Because she most certainly couldn’t. She’d never flown anything but the small helicopter reserved for the Turks. And she’d only ever been in the co-pilot’s seat on the larger executive helicopter. This thing was a much different beast.
“Been awhile,” Rude said with a shrug.
“Oh… That’s reassuring.” She followed him up to it anyway.
“And just what do you two think you’re doing?” a shrill voice asked as they were climbing aboard, and Elena turned, suddenly finding herself face to face with a very sharp-looking shuriken and an even deadlier-looking gun.
“For your sake, I hope the answer is a good one,” Vincent Valentine stated, dispassionately.
Elena looked from Vincent to Yuffie and back again.
“We’re just borrowing it. We need to get to the top of Shinra headquarters,” said Rude. “The President’s up there. So’s Reno.”
The former Turk eyed the pair of them for a moment, and then lowered his gun.
“Do it quickly.”
“W-what?!” Yuffie cried, staring at him incredulously. “You’re not really just gonna let them take it, are you? What about all the people we need to get out of here?”
Vincent holstered his weapon. “They’ll bring it right back,” he replied, looking directly at the pair of them, as if challenging them to do otherwise. Rude nodded in understanding, and he and Elena hurried aboard.
It took three tries before Reno finally managed to force the heavy wooden doors at the top of the stairs part of the way open. When he finally did, he saw why. Everything had been blasted inward. He was lucky the damned things had opened at all. The Turk wriggled his way through the narrow opening and into the office.
“Dear Ifrit…” he breathed, taking in the destruction. Most of the north wall was simply gone, fragments of broken ballistic glass clinging to the bent remains of window frames. He glanced upwards. What was left of the executive helicopter was perched precariously, hanging over the partially missing ceiling, it’s blades twisted and useless. Even if the engine were still in working order, the thing would never fly like that. Not that he was willing to make an attempt at a climb like that anyway. One wrong move could bring the whole wall… and the aircraft… down on top of him.
“Rufus?!” he called out, scanning the huge room. Nothing was moving. That wasn’t a good sign. Much to his relief, though, he heard a quiet moan in reply. Reno rushed towards the sound, shoving aside broken furniture and other debris until he finally found what he was looking for.
“Tch… No offense, sir… but you look like hell,” he said, kneeling down beside the injured man. There was a deep gash in his upper thigh and he was pale… from blood loss or from shock, the Turk didn’t know. Rufus reached for him, his fingers wrapping around the redhead’s arm, blue eyes looking up at him with a slightly dazed look.
“Take it easy. We’ll have ya outta here in no time.”
His leg was bleeding badly. Reno unfastened his belt, slipping it off, and wrapped it around the President’s thigh, pulling it as tight as he could. Rufus let out a pained cry in response.
“Sorry, kid… It’s gotta be tight, or it’s not gonna do you any good. Just hang in there. Rude n’ ‘Lena are findin’ us a ride back down.”
“… I knew… you three wouldn’t leave me…”
“Heh… ‘course not. ‘Sides… Who’s gonna sign my paycheck if I just let you bleed to death up here?”
Rufus managed a weak smile. “Get me out of here… and for once you will have earned it, slum rat.”
“Ya know… I was just thinkin’…” he said, easing Rufus out of the jumble of debris he was wedged into, “Now might be a great time to ask for a raise.”
The Turk carefully slid the injured executive onto a clear section of floor. Aside from the wound to his leg, he was in surprisingly good shape for someone who’d just survived a direct assault by a Weapon.
“Did you destroy Scarlet’s machine?”
“Didn’t have the time.”
The President gave a derisive snort. “No raise.”
Reno chuckled quietly. “Rude did make it a lot harder for her to get to it, though. Don’t worry about that right now. We’re not lettin’ her anywhere near ya… Proud Clod or not.”
Their conversation was cut short by the welcome sound of engines and rotor blades. Reno looked up at the demolished wall just in time to see a military transport rising into view. Rude waved to him from the cockpit and then turned the craft so that the large rear hatch slid neatly into the opening. The redhead grinned as it opened, revealing Elena waiting to help them aboard.
“Looks like our ride’s here.”
“Reno! Is he alright?!” Elena shouted over the sound of the engine, as she picked her way through the remains of the office.
“He’s been better. Any chance you got a stretcher in there?”
She nodded and returned to the transport, emerging again moments later with the requested item. The two of them lifted Rufus onto the stretcher, and carried him aboard. Elena motioned to Rude to take them down.
The transport dropped slowly, touching down on the street, and Reno stood as the hatch opened… surprised when a familiar figure boarded.
“What are you guys doin’ here?” he asked as Valentine approached.
“You don’t know? I had assumed Reeve would have passed that information along by now.”
Reno shook his head. “After the attack we went straight to for the President. Been outta contact with everyone else.”
“Hojo has taken control of the mako cannon. He intends to fire it again… to send the energy to Sephiroth.”
“Fuck…” Reno swore, “So what are you doin’ down here? Thought you wanted a piece of that bastard.”
“Yuffie and I will be joining the others shortly. But someone needed to help evacuate the injured. How bad is the damage to the building? Can we reach him from here?”
“Not through the front door,” said Elena, “Not if he’s at the cannon controls. Rude and I barely made it down. The stairwell collapsed on the twentieth floor or so. It’s completely blocked.”
“Building’s in bad shape. Main stairs are blocked… No power, so no elevators,” Rude reported, exiting the cockpit.
“Try the tunnels,” Rufus managed as he propped himself up slightly on one elbow. Elena was quick to gently ease him back down.
“Not a terrible idea,” Reno confirmed, “Subway has a station under the building. The access from there might still be open. Where are these transports headin’?”
“Junon. The city took heavy damage, and Midgar General is without power. They’re taking those they can, but they have limited resources. And… should Hojo succeed in firing the cannon, it could overload the reactors. The destruction we see now would pale in comparison.”
Reno nodded. “Guess that means the President’s goin’ back to Junon… and that means we are, too.”
“No.”
“Sir…” Elena began, but Rufus held up a hand, cutting her off.
“I’ll go to Junon alone. I’m of little use here anyway. You three… save as many as you can. Evacuate as many as possible to the slums and out of the city through the lower gates.”
“We’re not just gonna leave y–”
“This is Shinra’s doing,” Rufus said. “We’ve placed our city… our entire planet… in danger. And we won’t simply run and hide.”
Reno looked over at Rude and Elena, and sighed. “You two, get outta there. We’re stayin’ behind,” he stated decisively. They watched as other survivors were loaded into the transport alongside Rufus. Those responsible were working quickly, and before they knew it, the aircraft was lifting off again, bound for the southern military base. Vincent turned to the young ninja beside him.
“We’re done here. Let’s find the others.”
“We’ll come with ya as far as the station,” said Reno, falling into step beside the gunman.
“We could use your help with Hojo,” he replied, but Reno shook his head.
“Orders are orders. The President wants us to look after the people down here. We’ll leave that lunatic to you guys.” He smirked slightly. “‘Sides… wouldn’t wanna deprive you of the pleasure of takin’ that asshole out yourself.”
“Hmph… I’m glad to see the Turks have have kept to their own brand of honor even after all these years.”
They hurried down the stairs leading to the city’s subway system, and the station that sat nestled below the Shinra Building.
“Yeah, well… I’m glad Avalanche has got a Turk of their own helpin’ ’em out.”
By then, Elena had slipped out in front to scout ahead a little, and had disappeared from sight. Reno was just about to call out to her and tell her to hang back, closer to the group, when a startled yelp echoed off the tiled walls.
“‘Lena?!” He broke into a run, Rude and the others not far behind.
“Oh! They’re here!” an accented and faintly robotic-sounding voice declared, and as he rounded a corner, the redhead found himself suddenly facing down the missing members of Avalanche. Reeve Tuesti’s robotic moogle-cat was bouncing excitedly in front of the female Turk. Reno relaxed slightly and walked up behind her.
“Tch… Seriously? These guys scared ya?” he teased. “Don’t act so weak, ‘Lena.”
She glared at him, but before she could respond, Rude had flanked her on the other side.
“We’re Turks, Elena,” he stated, with a smirk.
“Ugh… You guys…” she muttered. Their former adversaries, meanwhile hadn’t yet backed down… though a look of confusion quickly crossed Cloud’s face as Vincent and Yuffie came into view. Reno stepped forward slightly.
“Relax… We got no problem with you. Just pointin’ your friends here in the right direction.”
“Come on… we’ve got work to do,” Rude reminded him, hopping down onto the tracks and starting towards the tunnels. Reno nodded, and he and Elena followed. He turned back briefly, and gave a casual wave.
“Later, Valentine. We actually manage to survive this shit, drop us a line sometime. Once a Turk, always a Turk.”
“Where are we even going?” Elena asked, as they followed the tracks, leaving Avalanche far behind.
“Little known fact…” said Rude. “The trains have a backup power supply.”
“Down in the slums. Emergency batteries, just in case somethin’ were to happen to the city power grid and people got trapped halfway,” Reno added. “Rufus wants us to get people down below… we’re gonna need somethin’ to move ’em with.”
They moved swiftly for several more minutes, until nearly three quarters of the way down, they came upon the train, abandoned on the tracks. Rude hopped up onto the back car and opened the door. It was empty.
“… What’s it doing here?”
“Behind schedule, maybe?” Reno offered, “Damn things are usually controlled remotely from the central depot. Maybe this one just didn’t make it all the way back to the station before things shut down.”
Rude jumped back down, and they continued on to the front of the train. It, too, was empty.
“Stay here. No power up top means no auto-pilot, so someone’s gonna have to drive. Me ‘n ‘Lena’ll go power things up, and then you can come pick us up. Saves us havin’ to walk back.”
“Hurry up.”
Reno nodded, and he and Elena set off down the tracks again, at a sprint. It wasn’t far, and they covered the distance, spiraling down the central pillar, in just a few minutes. The station was abandoned, as well… it seemed that, even in the slums, people had opted to take cover.
“Over here,” said Reno, waving her toward the station’s control room. Inside, it didn’t take them long to locate the backup power switch. The redhead flipped it, and the darkened station immediately lit up. The pair gazed up at the stranded train… now not so stranded… and watched as it began to move, slowly picking up speed as it descended.
Reno’s hand slipped into his pocket, and his fingers wrapped around the little box. They were alone, finally. And a train station was at least moderately better than an elevator.
“Just do it, ya goddamn wuss…” he muttered to himself. Elena turned away from the tracks.
“Did you say something?”
The redhead’s eyes widened slightly as he lost his tenuous grasp on what he’d planned to say. “Uh… No. Nothin’,” he replied, mentally kicking himself. Why the hell was this so damn hard?
“Reno… what’s wrong?” Elena asked, looking at him with concern. Reno took a steadying breath. He could do this. His hand tightened around the box with the ring.
“‘Lena… Will you –”
He was cut off by a loud whistle as Rude brought the train to rest in the station, and Elena looked back, watching it come to a stop.
“Oh, come on!” he cried, though his words were utterly drowned out by the noise. For someone who’d repeatedly proclaimed that he couldn’t wait to see him married… Rude certainly wasn’t making it easy for him to get engaged.
“All aboard!” Rude shouted, poking his head through the engine’s side window. Reno scowled for a moment, but followed Elena onto the train. Once they were safely aboard, Rude threw it into reverse and they started back up the pillar.
“So… what were you saying back there?” Elena asked, and the redhead mentally sighed.
“It can wait,” he replied, and pulled her in close, kissing her. “Do me a favor and hit the other end of the train. Rude’s gonna need a spotter to tell him when to stop when we get up there.” He grinned and kissed her again. “I love you… ya know that?”
She smiled warmly and returned the kiss. “I love you, too,” she said, before hurrying off to the last car. Reno silently turned to his partner.
“And you… I’m gonna kill you,” he stated.
“… What’d I do?” Rude asked, confused.
Everything seemed layer in a thick fog… though he couldn’t quite tell if it was an actual fog, or just a mental one. The last thing he remembered was staring up at the roof of a military transport and feeling tired. So very tired.
Rufus raised a hand to his eyes, rubbing them vigorously, before opening them again. It seemed to help, and he sat up slowly.
“You’re to stay still and rest, sir. Doctor’s orders.”
The President turned his head in the direction of the voice. Tseng was beside him, sitting in a wheelchair and draped in blankets.
“I would normally ensure that you did just that… but I myself am forbidden from moving from my present position. And Justinia has threatened to return me to my own room indefinitely should I disobey,” the Wutaiian Turk added.
“Tseng…” He relaxed, lying back against the pillows. His hand traveled down to his thigh, prodding the thick bandages there, and wincing at even the slight pressure.
“They said Midgar was attacked by Weapon,” the Turk continued.
“Yes… Just before we fired the cannon. But we were successful. The barrier over the crater is gone,” he replied, “And before you ask… your Turks are perfectly fine. And, as I suppose is to be expected, I own them my life. At present, they should be assisting in the evacuation of the Plate.” He looked away for a moment, eyes locked on the window. The curtains were drawn tight against the sun. Or at least he assumed it was still daylight outside. In reality, he had no idea how long he’d been unconscious.
“Did I make the right decision?” he suddenly asked, not turning to look at the Turk.
“Sir?”
“Leaving them there. I… wanted to do what I could to save the people of Midgar. But… they may be lost, regardless. I could have brought them back with me,” he said, “You could have seen them again… before…”
“There’s still a chance to save ourselves, sir. Don’t forget that.”
Rufus sighed. “When this began… all I wanted was to avenge my father. It seems so petty now.”
Tseng smiled slightly. “It was petty, sir. But we all understood why you needed to do it. And had you not we might not have learned of Sephiroth’s true intentions until it was much too late to do anything.”
The President looked up at the tiled ceiling and frowned. “I should have brought them with me. Even if we do somehow save the planet, I may well have sentenced them to death in that city.”
“My Turks are among the most resourceful people I’ve ever known. They’ve worked very hard to become so, and they can take care of themselves. They’ll manage, Rufus.”
“I hope so,” Rufus replied, “I truly do.”
They had worked the rest of the day and through the night, and were still at it as dawn turned to dusk once again. Reno had tried, repeatedly, to contact someone – anyone – who might have some news, but cellular service was non-existent, even up on the Plate. On his most recent trip up, it had been very apparent why. Meteor was nearly there.
He had learned, from a small group of building security officers heading down to the slums, that the threat Hojo had presented, at least, had passed. The reactors were powering down to normal output levels. Even so, no one was truly safe. He could already see the flames licking at the edges of Meteor as it drew a little too close to the planet’s atmosphere. He doubted the slums would protect anyone if that damn rock actually make contact… but what other choice did they have?
As the train rolled to a stop, Reno waved the next group of people aboard.
“H-hey! Hey!” someone called out, and the Turk scanned the sea of Midgar residents waiting to board. After a few seconds, his eyes fell on a familiar figure, waving to him from the sea of faces.
“Tuesti?!” He hopped down from his perch and pushed his way through the crowd with the help of a few Shinra soldiers until he reached the man. Reeve looked like he’d seen better days. His arm was in a makeshift sling, and dried blood coated one side of his face. But he was very much alive… and he looked very glad to see the Turks.
“I was worried there might not be anyone in charge. Thank Shiva someone’s keeping things organized here. The President… Vincent said you three rescued him. Is he alright?”
“He’s in Junon,” Reno replied, escorting the executive back to the train, and helping him into the engine. “He was hurt, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine. Ordered us to stick around and get as many people off the Plate as we can. Not the easiest thing to do with only one train runnin’. The ones that can manage on their own are walkin’ the tracks to other sectors, but there’s still a lot of people up here. You still controllin’ that cat robot of yours?”
The train very quickly filled to capacity, and Rude started them forward.
“I am,” said Reeve. “And we’ve found Sephiroth. It won’t be long.”
Reno cast another glance upward just before they entered the tunnel.
“Hope not… ’cause I don’t think we have long.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“… Don’t you need to pay attention to the robot?” Reno asked, but Reeve shook his head.
“Cait Sith is largely autonomous. It can make decisions based on past experience and adapt to new situations with very little input from the operator… Its AI learns as it goes. I’m really just watching most of the time at this point.”
Rude snorted softly from his position at the controls. “Sounds like you should’ve had Scarlet’s job. Your battle drones are a lot more effective than most of hers.”
“Cait Sith wasn’t really designed to fight. I built him for hazardous construction and repair, and for search and rescue. He was made to help people.”
The train glided along the tracks, descending into the slums.
“Heh… well, if you’re sure you’re up to it, ya mind takin’ over for me so I can give ‘Lena a break? She’s been workin’ crowd control on her own down below for hours now.”
“Sure thing.”
They rode in silence for the remainder of the trip, and when they at last pulled into the station in the Sector 5 slums, Reno was quick to disembark along with the other passengers.
“This way! Everyone, this way! There’s water and blankets at the end of the terminal, and shelters are being set up outside anywhere there’s space!”
Reno grinned as he spotted Elena standing at the top of a stack of crates, directing the new arrivals. He hadn’t actually seen her since they’d taken a very short break for for lunch… and that had been hours ago. She smiled warmly when she caught sight of him as well, and carefully climbed down, wading through the current of bodies until she reached him.
“You look exhausted,” he said, pulling her into a tight embrace. She nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
“So do you.”
Reno pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head, and began leading her away from the crowds. The train began to reverse direction again, and Elena looked up in confusion.
“Doesn’t Rude need you at the back?” she asked.
“Nah… Found a temporary replacement. I’m gonna take over for you for a little while so you can get somethin’ to eat and maybe sit down for five seconds. How ya holdin’ up?”
“I’m as exhausted as I look,” she replied, “But I’m okay.”
“We’re almost done… one way or another.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can probably get everyone that’s still waitin’ down in four or five more trips… assumin’ things don’t get bad before then. Meteor… It’s gettin’ close, ‘Lena. Real close.”
“… I wish we knew was what going on.”
“Reeve says Avalanche is takin’ on Sephiroth as we speak.”
“Reeve? Reeve’s alive?!”
The redhead nodded. “Ran into him up top right as we were gettin’ ready to leave. That’s who took over for me.”
“Finally some good news.”
They’d walked a fair distance by now, into a more or less empty section of the station. Reno tightened his grip around her, pulling her close against his side and took a deep breath.
“‘Lena? Before anything else goes horribly wrong there’s somethin’ I need ta ask –”
But he didn’t get to finish that sentence. Panicked shouting, and a repeated, urgent whistle drew both of their attention to the pillar, where the train was racing downward as quickly as it could.
“The fuck? No way they made it topside and back that fast. Somethin’s wrong…”
Very wrong, judging by the throngs of people who, not long after, came rushing down the tracks on foot behind them. The sight sent refugees from the slums and the plate alike running for whatever cover they could find. Reno and Elena ran for the platform, arriving just as the train rolled in. Rude jumped down, and Reeve wasn’t far behind.
“It’s starting,” the bald Turk said grimly. “Meteor… It’s tearing apart the Plate!”
And then they heard it. From high above came a whirling, like a great vortex of wind, and a crashing that reverberated down the pillar and into the ground itself. The mako-powered lighting in the slums flickered, and Reno could hear men and women screaming in fear on the tracks that wound around the pillar. The panic soon spread the those on the ground.
“We gotta get to cover! Now!”
Rude and Reeve both nodded in agreement, and Reno gripped Elena’s hand, pulling her along with him as he took off towards the interior of the sector.
“Where are we going?” Reeve asked as they ran.
“There’s a church. ‘Bout the only building left that’s still worth anything down here, structure wise. It’s our best bet!”
By then, debris was starting to fall as Meteor began to tear open holes in the Plate. Reno dared a glance upwards. All he could see was ominous red light and pieces of the world above swirling through the air. The power cut out, and the slums were plunged into an eerie twilight. People were everywhere, running in all directions, and making progress towards their goal was getting harder and harder.
He heard a shout behind him, and looked back just in time to see Reeve go down.
“I got him!” Rude shouted, “Keep going!” A second later, the redhead lost sight of him as well. He growled low in his throat in frustration, but there wasn’t anything he could do. If he stopped now, he and Elena would likely be swept along by the tide of people… or worse, end up getting separated. Rude knew where he was going. He’d just have to trust that his partner could manage to get there on his own.
He finally spotted an opening and lunged for it, pushing Elena out of the crowd ahead of him and elbowing his way past several people to join her in the tiny pocket between two piles of crushed and overturned cars.
“I don’t see Rude anywhere!” she said, worried. Reno scanned the cacophonous spectacle, but didn’t have any more luck than she had.
“He’ll be alright,” he assured her, “He’ll meet us at the church. Come on… we gotta keep movin’.”
She nodded, and the pair set forth again. It was slightly easier this time. Most people seemed to be fleeing away from the city center… probably hoping for a better chance beyond the city gates. Now that they were out of the main body of the herd, they could pick their way along the periphery with relative ease. They were nearly there. He could see the steeple.
“Reno!”
He turned at the sound of the frightened cry.
“Over there!” Elena said, pointing. A figure was crumpled on the ground, hugging one leg tightly against its chest. “I-is that… ?”
“Fuck… It’s Lira…”
They forced their way over to the woman, Elena holding tightly to Reno’s arm for fear of being pulled away from him. When they reached her, they found her terrified and in tears.
“Lira…” Reno breathed, dropping to his knees at her side.
“I… I think… it’s broken…” she said through gritted teeth.
“I gotcha, Lira…” he said, lifting her into his arms, “‘Lena… don’t fuckin’ let go of me for anything. We gotta move.”
Lira shrieked as part of the plate plummeted back in the direction of the train station, and wrapped her arms around Reno’s neck, burying her face against his shoulder. They started off again, but it was slow going carrying an injured woman, and things above seemed to only be getting worse. Somehow, though, they made it. Elena wrenched open the door, holding it until Reno and Lira were inside and then slipping in behind them.
“Rude! You here?!” Reno shouted into the darkened space, and paused to listen, but there was no answer. He settled Lira on one of the worn wooden pews and lifted the long skirt she was wearing to get a look at her leg.
“What happened?” he asked, probing it as gently as he could. He could very clearly feel the break. It was bad… but at least it hadn’t broken the skin.
“Everyone was running,” she sobbed quietly, “I couldn’t get out of it… and I tripped. They didn’t stop. I don’t even think some of them saw me… or maybe they just didn’t care. They just kept going, right over top of me…”
“That’s awful,” Elena said, shaking her head. Something slammed into the outside of the building, shaking it and showering them in dust, and all three of them flinched, expecting the worst.
“We gotcha now,” the redhead said, hugging her to his chest. “And me ‘n ‘Lena aren’t gonna leave ya.”
There was a loud creak as the door was hauled open once again, and two additional bodies all but flung themselves through it. The two Turks leapt to their feet, ready to fight.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Reno sighed, recognizing the new arrivals. “Was startin’ to worry about you assholes.”
Rude smirked as he helped Reeve slowly hobble inside. “Woulda been here sooner, but our illustrious executive decided to sprain his ankle,” he said, setting the man down on the pew next to Lira. Elena threw her arms around her fellow Turk.
“I was so worried…”
“Don’t ‘spose you thought to grab the first aid kit off the train by any chance…” Reno asked. “Lira’s leg’s fractured pretty bad.”
Rude shook his head. “Sorry. Had other things on my mind. But I’ll see what I can do.”
The deep red light filtering through the windows of the church suddenly changed huge, shifting to a brilliant white, and all of them had to shield their eyes for a moment.
“… Now what?” Reno muttered as it faded to a more tolerable intensity.
“It’s… It’s Holy,” Reeve said, his finger pressed firmly against the Cait Sith earpiece he still wore. “The magic of the white materia… Aerith’s materia. When we defeated Sephiroth, it was set free.” He looked up at them, slightly awed. “It’s trying to turn back Meteor…”
“Will… will it work?” Lira asked, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly… which, Reno belatedly noted was significantly larger than the last time he’d seen her.
“I… don’t know…” Reeve replied.
“Yeah, well… whether it does or not, there’s somethin’ I gotta do,” said Reno. He seized Elena by the arms, pulling her around in front of him and gazing deeply into her eyes. “‘Lena… I have been tryin’ to do this for two goddamn days now, and not even that fuckin’ space rock’s gonna interrupt me this time.” He glanced up at the crumbling building, made even less inviting by the grim lighting, and shook his head. “Not exactly the way I wanted this to be, but fuck it. I love you, ‘Lena. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you… whether it’s five minutes or fifty years.”
Reno let go of her, one hand going to his pocket, and drawing out the box. He dropped to one knee as Elena’s eyes went wide, and opened it, offering the ring to her.
“Elena Elizabeth Brewer… Will you marry me?”
“Oh, Reno…” she gasped, and raised a hand to wipe away the moisture she suddenly found in her eyes. “Yes! Yes, of course I will!”
He grinned widely, and slipped the ring onto her finger, before standing and pulling her in for a kiss.
“About damn time,” Rude and Lira chorused, and looked at one another in surprise. Rude snorted softly and shook his head.
Reno leaned back, breaking the kiss at last, and gently wiped away the tears that were making their way down Elena’s cheeks. He smiled. “Come on, ‘Lena… You know I hate it when women cry.”
She made a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, and launched herself into his arms.
The light of Holy began to dim, bathing the church in pale pink which quickly turned to a deep red, and the din above them increased ten-fold, as parts of the city began to crash into the slums. Reno gripped her tighter, unwilling to let her go.
“Reeve? The fuck’s goin’ on out there?!”
“Holy… Meteor… it’s breaking through,” he replied, shaking his head in dismay. “It’s not enough…”
“Oh, no…” Elena whispered, and the redhead felt her hands clench the fabric of his jacket. Reno looked over at Rude. Lira was clinging to him, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“Couldn’t ask for a better brother,” Reno said.
“Same here.”
Reno let his fingers twine themselves into Elena’s hair, softly stroking it. For a few short moments, he’d dared to hope that maybe… just maybe… they’d actually pulled it off. That all their effort had made a difference and they’d somehow come out of this in one piece. That he’d see Tseng again. That… he’d be able to have a life with Elena.
Witnessing those hopes die was almost too much to take. It wasn’t fucking fair. He’d finally found what had been missing from his life… and now, this was it. The end.
“I’m scared…” Elena said, her voice barely audible over the increasingly loud destruction above them.
“Me, too,” he admitted. “But I’m right here. And I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
Something landed just outside the church, with a mighty crash and the sound of shattering glass, and Lira screamed. Elena, too, tensed in his arms, as though bracing herself for the inevitable. Reno watched what little he could see through the high, narrow windows for a moment, before forcing himself to look away. He really didn’t want to see it coming. He just hoped it was quick… for all of them.
His eyes fell on the little patch of flowers blooming in the earth that poked through the broken floor near the alter. They were still growing, even without Aerith to tend to them. He blinked and looked again. It wasn’t just flowers that were growing out of that tiny plot of dirt.
It started as faint tendrils, snaking upwards from amongst the leaves and gradually fading into thin wisps before vanishing entirely… but bit by bit those tendrils became stronger and more solid, growing in size and in length, and shining with the brilliant green of raw mako.
“… ‘Lena…” He prodded her, turning her to face the strange sight. The others looked up as well, each of them equally as surprised by the sudden appearance of… whatever the hell it was.
The logical part of his mind told him that he shouldn’t be anywhere near something like that. If it really was mako… somehow seeping out of the ground all on its own… they’d be walking out of here with severe mako poisoning if they stayed. And he nearly laughed at that thought… the odds of them walking out of here were pretty much nil.
The less logical part, though… that part didn’t seem to sense any danger at all. If anything, it was telling him to be claim and just watch.
“W-what is it?” Elena asked, and Reno could only shake his head. He really had no idea. Reeve got to his feet, limping badly on his injured ankle, to get a better look.
“Lifestream…” he breathed, a look of shock on his face. “And it’s not just here. We can see it from the Highwind, too. It’s… coming from everywhere.”
The trickle of energy suddenly became a deluge, surging upwards, and Reno instinctively stepped back, pulling Elena along with him.
“What… the… fuck… ?”
“I… I think the planet is fighting back,” Reeve said, his tone almost disbelieving.
The group could only stare as the lifeforce of the planet itself poured forth, rising toward the threat of Meteor… and slowly, little by little, the red glow that had for so long signaled their doom was driven back, replaced by a warm green that filled the sky.
“Reeve? Don’t go quiet on us now… what the hell’s happening out there?”
“I… I don’t know. I’ve lost the connection to Cait Sith,” he replied, removing the earpiece and examining it. “There’s too much interference. Too much energy.”
It seemed to go on endlessly, and all they could do was watch, until finally, the stream began to slow. The light faded, and the tendrils of lifestream dissipated, a few stray motes of light shimmering briefly above the flower petals before vanishing, as though they were never there.
“… ‘Kay… so… Who wants to go take a look outside?” Reno asked. He hadn’t moved an inch through the entire show, and his fingers were gripping Elena’s shoulders painfully hard. She didn’t seem to notice.
“You’re in command…” Rude pointed out.
“Yeah… thanks for the reminder,” he muttered, and forced himself to release his hold on Elena. He turned toward the door and started forward slowly, realizing just as he reached it that she had followed him. He looked back at her, questioningly.
“Where you go, I go…” she stated. He nodded, and eased the door open, stepping outside.
“… Holy shit.”
The Plate – at least the section of it above Sector 5 – was gone. Parts of it had fallen, but most was simply missing. Either flung off somewhere else, or obliterated entirely. Far above, the stars shown brightly. So many stars. He’d never seen them so clearly over the city before.
Other survivors were gradually making their way out from various shelters, and a low murmur was beginning to buzz among those gathering. Rude crept up beside him, joining them outside.
“… It’s… gone.”
“It’s fucking gone,” Reno echoed.
A moment later, a cheer went up all around the sector.
Elena moaned and shifted positions. The ground was hard and the night was chilly. Reno gently rubbed a bit of warmth into her arms and she yawned.
“Can’t sleep?”
“I’m cold… and I think I’m sitting on a rock.”
Reno snickered quietly and lifted her onto his lap, kissing her neck just below her ear. “Reeve’s got us all on the next transport to Junon. When we get back, I’ll find ya the softest, warmest bed on the base. And I’ll make sure no one bothers ya.”
Elena giggled softly. “What if I want someone to… bother… me.”
“Oh, I’ll bother ya… I’ll bother ya ’til ya scream if you want me to,” he replied, grinning widely.
Rude suddenly groaned and sat up. “We just survived the end of the world… and you two are already thinking about sex?”
“We just survived the end of the world… and you’re not?” the redhead retorted.
“Save it for the honeymoon,” Rude muttered.
“Grouch.”
“I haven’t slept in almost three days. What do you expect?” He paused for a moment. “For that matter, neither have either of you. How are you so wide awake still?”
“Can’t speak for ‘Lena, but I think I’m so fuckin’ tired, I’ve somehow come full circle.”
Elena yawned again and snuggled against him. “Not me. I’m just plain tired.”
“That makes two of us,” Rude agreed.
“So get some sleep. I’ll just keep an eye on things.”
Rude grunted and laid back down. Really, it was probably a good thing that he did feel so awake. Survivors were still making their way out of the slums and into the makeshift refugee camp that had sprung up around the outskirts of the city, and the Turks didn’t have much in the way of shelter or protection out here. In fact, Reno and Elena were propped up against the trunk of a long dead tree, and Rude had simply laid himself out on the ground nearby. A small fire burned brightly between them… and there were hundreds of other such arrangements scattered throughout the area. And while most people, like themselves, were probably too tired to cause them any trouble, there were assholes lurking in just about every crowd.
Junon had been quick to send assistance… but Midgar was massive. Survivors were being prioritized as best they could. The worst injuries were being shuttled off to Junon. Those that were less serious were being taken to Kalm, or simply being treated in one of the medical tents that had sprouted up in a few places. Lira had been lucky enough to secure a seat on one of the Kalm transports. She’d been reluctant to go by herself, but there hadn’t been room for the Turks to accompany her. Reno had reassured her by promising to come and find her once things had settled down, and calling ahead to Talia and letting her know that her friend would be arriving soon. He’d also let the young woman know to expect a very large and intimidating man with a gun for an arm to come looking for his kid in the near future. He’d made sure to give her information to Reeve to pass along to Barret before the executive had departed, himself, to Junon earlier. It seemed only fair to return the girl… seeing as her father had been among those who defeated Sephiroth. Even if he was a terrorist.
Elena murmured something in her sleep and curled up slightly on his lap, her fingers unconsciously caressing his chest. He glanced down at her hand, and at the glint of gold on her finger in the firelight. In that moment, he didn’t care if the ground was hard, or the night was cold. All that mattered was that he was alive, his family was safe… and he was going to marry the woman he loved.
~fin~
Comments