Violet Shadows (FF7)

37) Train Graveyard

I hate trains. I hate crashed trains. I hate broken trains. I hate graveyards. I hate junk. I hate rust. I hate junky, rusty, crashed, broken trains in train graveyards. It's even worse when there's some stupid three way love fight going on and there are people try it to pump your blood full of lead. Today, in short, really sucks. It's also been extremely long... Shalua dying this morning, finding David, the Shera, now a raid on Deepground HQ. I'm going to lose it. After the Deepground soldiers are killed, a few of the WRO fighters rush toward us.

"Mr Valentine! Some of us... We missed our landing point." The woman sighs and looks around us. "This looks like the old Sector Seven slums. The train graveyard."

"Yes it does," he returns flatly. Thanks, Captain Obvious. The woman salutes.

"Sir. I've received a radio transmition reporting the remaining air squads have reached the upper level plates and joined the ground forces." What about Cid?

"Fine," Vincent says. He doesn't care, weird lady in a beanie. Then he moves on past her, the woman cringing and her hand falling from her head. I cross my arms and give Vincent a stern look when she stops him.

"Uh... Sir?" He glares at them. "Er... Requesting permission to accompany you until we have reached the complex!" I can just see Vince mentally rolling his eyes as he turns forward again.

"Do as you wish." The squad all smiles, saluting.

"Sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Give him a break," I huff, rolling my eyes, bow and quiver both black as ebony on my back. "He's a Turk, not a general."

"But I'm a general!" David grins. The WRO recruits eye him in confusion before mumbling and walking after Vince. David scratches the back of his neck, the other hand on his hip. "Darn, you guys are tough to get to."

"Life happens to us all," I reply shortly, turning my back to him and following as well. I hurry past the soldiers and stick by Vincent's side, though he doesn't acknowledge me. The seven of us kill our way through a warehouse, David finally focusing on the main goal and fighting with expertise I never thought he'd master with his gentle soul. Not , so gentle anymore, I guess, but he used to be.

On the other side, the enemy is more spread out, shooting quickly at us. I take two down in one shot, Vincent and the WRO recruits firing, and David swinging. Once they're all dead, the woman in the red hat crouches around a corner, gun resting on her leg, steady even as I approach her from behind.

"You know, I was born in Midgar. My brother and I used to play here all the time. My mom didn't approve, though. After she died, my brother joined a Shinra resistance group, but was killed when the plate fell and... I can't believe this place is still here." Her voice trembles and she shakes her head. Boots thump heavily as they run closer, a man panting heavily as he stops sprinting and speaks.

"Lieutenant! Soldiers!" I frown and turn around to face him.

"Huh?"

"Reinforcements," Vincent clarifies lowly, brushing past and reloading Cerberus. I huff and follow him on our killing spree, tackling one challenge after another. One of the men we're escorting drops dead, David looking back at him sadly before turning forward and fighting again. We move on to the next open building to find the WRO commander waiting for his troops to arrive.

"Commander!" A woman from the group runs forward. I recognize the man from Kalm as the on who gave us directions to the church. He nods toward us.