Final Fantasy VII / To Be A Hero

Chapter 1: The Bombing Of Reactor 1

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises... Nothing shall forestall, my return.
To become the dew that quenches the land...
I offer thee... This silent sacrifice"
Loveless

On this cold street toward sector one was a girl. She was wearing a red jacket over her white robe, and was praying on her knees in front of a pipe, through which a green energy escaped. This energy was called "Mako energy", and was this planet's blood, also called the Lifestream. She got up and walked toward the crowded street. Her flowers were only one dollar each, but still didn't make as many sales as one would expect. She felt like something big was going to happen as the air got heavy. At another part of this huge center building, a train was arriving at a stationl. As simple as that, except it was a train of destiny that would lead to a new story unveiling before your eyes.

As time goes on, men always stroke for new submits, but what happened will forever be, and so goes on, that's why one must strive to
"Embrace your dreams..." The train stopped at the station where the infantry men were ready to inspect it. One of them disappeared so fast that his colleague didn't even see him !
"Hey, what happened ?" Said the soldier before a girl rushed toward him and kicked him in the stomach. A big man got out of the train, black sunglasses on his nose. His short hair slipped back elegantly. A mountain of muscle. However, the first thing people usually notices was the weapon he got that replaced his right arm. A massive machine gun, that wasn't there just for show.
"Get down merc" the man who was on the top of the train jumped down, his blond hair waving with the motion of his body. He wore a black overall with a black top sleeveless. He also had one shoulder pad on his right and two different gauntlets. He sheathed his big two handed sword on his back, a thin classic soldier blade he got for a small price. He walked toward the huge man when a group of infantry man walked toward him.
"You're up, merc" said the man as he walked past them. The soldier shouted "freeze" with their guns up and started shooting at the man who took his sword. He dashed fast toward and got quickly rid of them. He then proceeded to follow the group of four that hired him, protecting them from guards and dogs. Then a man wearing green with brown hair started working with the woman on a machine to get a door opened.
"He's really handsome, don't you think ?" Said the woman.
"Hey, he's supposed to be a kind of Ex-Soldier, whatever brought him with us, I'm glad we have him Jessie" Answered the man
"Yeah, so am I ! So hard to get professionals on the job, it's already enough dealing with you Biggs!" The man chuckled
-Oh, excuse me miss ! I didn't know "you" were a professional!" The girl opened the door.
"Huzzah !" She exclaimed. The muscles man got toward the Ex-Soldier.
"You better be worth the money merc, every last gil" The man sighed, "Cloud, you coming ?" Said the third man, brown hair and with a smile that would melt a thousand ice. But not the cold ice that Cloud got surrounding his heart.
"You're doing that for us right ? To save the planet?" He said still with this huge smile, Cloud replied
-Not interested.
-Wedge, get your ass over here !" Said the man with a gun for an arm.
-Ah Barret ! Wait for me" said the man running toward his leader. The swordman walked a few steps and faced the giant reactor expulsing mako. He looked away and started running to rejoin the others and help them.
They got through a multitude of checkpoints, hacking their way through rapidly to not raise too much attention on them. They finally got to the reactor, Wedge left on his left.
"I'll secure the exit ! You guys go raise some hell for me !" He said with a huge smile and his thumb up. Jessie and Biggs responded with a laugh and a thumb up while Cloud sighed. The big man got through and pushed Cloud out of his way. "Let's move."
He followed through and they walked in. Biggs openned a door and Cloud walked in, but some infanty men closed it right after he entered. He was alone with five man.
"Surrender !" They shouted
"That's my line" he took his sword and lashed a serie of furious slashes toward them, while expertedly dodging bullets, grenades and punches. They were no match.
Biggs reopened the door and apologised, Cloud told the group to move, and so they did. Biggs stayed behind to make sure the doors stayed open.
Jessie was configurating the elevator. She managed to get it easily, and then they were awaiting for it to reach their floor.
"Hey, you know Tifa right ? It's not really my business but are you guys close?" Cloud took a second before answering. He remembered the dirt of the old field at his homeland, Nibelheim. He was seven or maybe eight that day... He remembered Tifa, same age, claiming that he was ingnoring her.
"Tifa and I..." Barret got through the now open elevator. Jessie followed him and so did the merc. While getting down, the big man, furiously excited, gave a speech about Shinra.
"Those bastards are bleeding the planet dry, while we eat, while we drink, while we shit ! It's here sucking up Mako ! The hell you think is gonna happen when it's all gone huh ? You're gonna pretend you can't hear the planet cry ? I know you will !
-You really hear that ?" Answered Cloud
-Damn straight I do !
-Get help." The big man got closer to Cloud, angrily.
"The hell did you say ?" The elevator shook as it arrived to the desired floor.
"I'll worry less about the planet, and more about the next five seconds. Save the screaming for later" Barret sighed and left the elevator with Jessie. Cloud followed closely.
"I'm watching your every step merc. You hear me ? One single wrong move..." He shot behind Cloud and took down a turret.
"So much for being a swordman, there's just places a sword can't reach." Said Jessie while getting closer to Cloud. "Bear with him for me will you?" Barret laughed while showing his gun.
"Should have asked for more money." Said the merc as the group walked toward the core of the reactor. Taking down the turrets was easy for Barret while the amazing swings of Cloud's sword took down every soldier on the way.
"What are you again ? Twenty or something ?" Asked Barret
"Never went in soldier" answered the blond man
"I meant your age !
-Oh hmm... Yeah, twenty-two I guess...
-You guess ? So what, merc doesn't know his own age ? Basic math or something? Screw that?
-Screw you" Barret grunt but still got alongside the merc, and finally they got to the reactor core. Jessie told them to go and take care of it while she would wait for them. She handed the bomb to Barret who gave it to Cloud instead when they were in front of the core.
"So, let's see if the man can bite the hand that fed." He took it quickly and posed it on the core. He suddenly had a headache and saw a black feather. He knew what it was symbolising.
"Careful Cloud... It is not just a reactor..." He was dazzled for a bit, before Barret asked him how he was.
"I'm fine... What about the timer ?
-Your call merc." He sighed and put twenty minutes on the detonator. "Pretty cocky ain't ya ?" Said the big man when suddenly a metallic sound got their attention. "What in the hell ?
-Heads up!" Said Cloud as the giantous red mettalic scorpion fell on them.
"What's that !
-A guardian machine hear to protect the core.
-And so what do we do ?
-Lightning magic !" Barret laughed all out.
"Oh yeah ! Suck on this!" He fired a lighning strike thanks to the green materia he got in his gun's ornament. The thunderclap stroke the scorpion guardian violently. "Hell yeah !" He screamed while Cloud wasn't reassured yet. A flash of red light shine through the smoke. Cloud quickly pushed Barret out of a ray of raw energy.
"An auto barrier unit ? Never seen that kind of system before...
-What do we do now ?" The scorpion rushed toward Cloud who jumped out of the way, he tried to cut one of his legs off but the barrier made it rebound. Barret shot at it to gather his attention when Cloud saw that one bullet got through. "That's it!" He thought as he saw the core of the barrier, and slashed it violently! And then suddenly the barrier was gone, the volley of bullet got through the metal armor of the scorpion.
"What did you do ?
-Doesn't matter, kill it !" The tail of the Scorpion rose as a beam of light started to gather at it's top. Barret quickly jumped behind some debries that fell down from all the fight and the beam got fired at him. Thankfully the debries blocked it. Cloud quickly cut down the tail and got his sword down on it's head. Then he followed with a serie of three slashes in a cross pattern to destroy the armor.
"Get the job done !
-Firing one of !" Barret shot a huge orb of red energy and explode the giant scorpion from its inside. It got down but quickly rose up, and like a crazy machine started firing in all directions, all debris falling beside them.
"Shit the bomb !" Screamed Barret while the automated voice of the detonator said
"Twenty minutes until detonation" The Scorpion Guardian finally fell into the Mako, and exploded one final time.
"Think we got him ?" Asked Barret
"Let's move." Cloud started running followed closely by Barret, they got up but stuff was explosing everywhere because of the crazy rampage the Scorpion Guardian caused. "Shit" said Cloud as one part of the ground collapsed. He barely made it out and got close to Jessie, who was stuck under debries.
"Hey Cloud, you alright here ?
-Yeah, got Jessie with me" he shove off her the debris.
"My hero" she said.
-Let's meet up with Biggs !"Screamed Barret as the group got separated. They finally met back with everyone and rushed into the elevator. Barret started to get nervous and walked in circle in the elevator slowly rising up. He then saw Cloud with his eyes closed, patiently waiting. He sighed and watched Jessie as nervous as him. The door opened and they all ran as fast as possible when a part of the floor collapsed under Cloud. He jumped fast on falling debris to get back to them. Jessie who saw it all commented:
"Okay, that, that was pretty cool !" He smirked, and they finished their run outside of the blasting zone. The whole plate exploded, destroying cars. The whole town got damaged. Peoples were crying, people died. But the crew were unharmed.
They got out of the small tunnel they got in and arrived at the scene of the destruction.
"No... No way..." Said Jessie.
"It couldn't have been us... Could it?" Said Biggs
"What's done is done
-The merc is right" Said the leader, "It ain't petty but it ain't over yet, we still have a lot to do, but I'm here for you, to help take the load off your shoulder ! Whatever your needs, your fears, your worries, and yes, your fees" he said while staring at Cloud, "Whatever it is, I gotchu." Everyone rejoiced thanks to the speech of the man, Cloud started walking toward the exit.
"Let's split up, won't gather any attention that way.
-He always knows just what to say !" Sais Jessie
-Meet you guys at the train station ?" Said Wedge, while the whole team agreed.
"Hey" Jessie stopped Cloud, "This is for you, for saving my life" she gave him a healing materia. Cloud didn't know how to react. "I was lucky to have you help me" he sighed and replied.
"Survival is a matter of luck, or skill, and you can't rely on both" he said, following by a thanks. He then moved on.
A few metters further, an explosion went on, and threw off Cloud, who was making his way toward the train station. Everyone was screaming as fire started to spread. The merc started panting slowly. He remebered a whole kind of different fire, his hometown. When suddenly he remembered the black swordman with silver hairs. And black wings. He recovered his mind, seeing no one was before him, as he turned and hurt a chest. It was him.
"Sephiroth ?" His head started to hurt a lot as he followed the man, stumbling around. Finally he catched up to him.
"You're not real... You're... Dead..
-Am I ?" Said the man turning around
-Yes... I killed you with my own...
-Oh you need not remind me... This was the crowning moment of our time together ! Your town that burns so bright ! The cry of your mother pleading for me to spare you as her flesh yields to cold steel. Oh yes, but that was then, and this ! This, is now. Which is why I must ask you this. Don't worry, it's a simple thing. Run, Cloud. Run away! You have to leave ! You have to live."
That was too much for the young man. "You Bastard !!!" He yelled slashing in the wind as the ghost of his former foe disappeared.
"Good Cloud... Very good... Hold on to that hatred..." He said while Cloud gathered his thoughts.
"I'm seeing things... Fume from the mako maybe ?" He thought as he got back to the street. Then he stumbled across a woman.
"Are you okay ?
-huh?" Said the young man to the woman. Her brown hair falling on her back contrasting nicely with her red jacket and white dress.
"It looks like you just seen a ghost...
-I'm fine.
-Hey wait ! Here, this is for you." The young women handed him a flower.
"Lovers used to give those to each other, so find the right person to give it to." She said while putting it on his uniform. Cloud remarked behind her an infantry man looking for him.
"Hey, you should go, I'm involved in things, dangerous things.
-so?
-So keep your distance." He pushed the woman as an infanty man recognised him.
"Freeze ! Put the sword down !" Cloud smirked.
"You sure you want me to do that?" He leaped in the air and stroke down the man. He then ran as fast as he could away from the young lady who got asked questions by another officer. Cloud stroke down a few soldiers while getting cornered next to a hole.
"You've got nowhere to run, end of the line punk!" They screamed, but the swordman had one last plan. He jumped behind him in the hole that led to a train track and ended up on the top of one of them while the infantry men could do nothing but watch him go far and further away from them.
He managed to knock on the freight car door, which opened up. He jumped into it, scaring everyone. There was Barret and the others in it.
"Damn it, I was starting to worry !" Said Barret. Everyone looked at him strangely as he cough. "I mean what the hell were you up to huh ? Go now, spread out !" The group walked in the cars, Cloud chatted with Jessie for a bit.
"Hey about that bomb, it's just... I was sure about what I chose to put in it... Guess I was mistaken...
-Like I said, what's done is done. Maybe it triggered a reaction with the Mako.
-You think so ?
-Why not ?" She sighed
-No, it's my fault, if I gotta learn from it might as well take the blame. Thanks Cloud, you're a good listener."
The train arrived at destination. Everyone got back at their home while Cloud followed Barret back to Seventh Heaven. A young girl about the same age as cloud, black long hair, wearing a white tank and a black short, was waiting for them.
"Hey Tifa ! Where's Marlene?" Asked Barret. She put her finger in front of her mouth.
"Shh, she's sleeping" Barret sighed, and entered the bar behind her. Cloud sighed too, but greeted Tifa as they both walked toward their appartment. They were neighbour as Cloud had the middle appartment, in between Tifa's and his other friend's one.
"Are you okay ?" She asked
-Yeah, I'm fine don't worry.
-So, how was it on the plate...
-It was... Chaotic, but we managed." She sighed.
-Zack knows you got away... He's not happy with it.
-A job's a job." Tifa was worried, she felt like Zack was right. She was having second thoughts about this whole bombing situation. And she was worried about her childhood friend. But it was late so, they stopped at her appartment next to Cloud's, and said goodnight. She closed the door when she heard another one open.
"Cloud, we gotta talk." Said a man wearing almost the same outfit as Cloud but with black hairs and a scar across his face.
"Zack ?" Said Cloud
-You left to go help Barret right ?" Cloud sighed.
-What's the problem ?
-Really ? Bombing reactors ? Killing peoples ? Is that how you want to live your life ?
-It's not your business.
-Well it is ! I'm the one who taught you how to fight and I didn't do it so that you could destroy innocent lives !
-I did it for the money, we need it.
-Barret and his friend care for the planet at least ! You're gonna tell me you did all that just to get money ?
-It's not like that." Cloud was mad so he opened the door of his room but stopped for a sec.
-Zack, I'm sorry if I upset you. Good night." He closed the door. The other man sighed
"Boy oh boy, what am I gonna do with him..." He got back to his room and slept a full and good night.