The Good Life: Reunion (ch. 104)

“Ohhh~! Is it finally time to set off the fireworks?” Jinx asked, her eyes dancing with delight as she twirled around in her bright blue and pink dress on top of the railing that overlooked her slice of the slums. She had done pretty good for herself, I could admit, feeling some pride as I leaned on the railing, making Jinx flip over me with fluid grace. “We can finally head home?”

“Looks like it,” I said, holding up a file that she plucked from my grasp with a backflip and opened it in a single smooth action. “You looking forward to going back?” I asked, watching her skim the files of the trigger that I had been waiting for -- the dropping of the Plate on Sector Seven. It was an event early on in the game that signified to the players that Shinra was irredeemably evil. 

Avalanche, with the help of Cloud, go and blow up the central Mako reactor. This then lead to Shinra deciding to tar their name by dropping one of the plates of Midgar onto the slums beneath it, uncaring of the tens of thousands of civilians living on it or in the slums below who would be crushed underneath. Honestly, it was so over the top evil that I just kinda loved it. But, more importantly, I knew that it was the trigger for Cloud, Tifa, and the others to leave Midgar and start on completing the rest of the game. 

I was a little fuzzy on the fine details of each story beat, but that didn't matter much especially as I had been fiddling with the timeline a bit to hit the beats that I did know. I had Tifa join Avalanche, though Barett never showed up for some reason, so I might have accidentally gotten him killed with all my changes. Cloud and Zack had been away for two years, completing tasks in order to cure the degeneration, and now they were on their way back. 

I had steadily been nudging the President to devote more and more funding into harvesting Mako energy, even as we massively outperformed the energy demands, just to move things along a little quicker. All the while, I had been guiding Avalanche into hitting Shinra where it hurt -- the leaders were Synth’d ages ago, and Rufus and Wutai alike had been funding the eco-terrorist organization for their own ends. I just made them a little more effective to get the kind of reaction that I was looking for. 

Namely, to get the President to decide enough was enough and that he wanted to crush them for good… while also profiting from the tragedy. I loved that man. 

However, for now, my focus was on Jinx as she read the file, closed it, and sent it flying with a flick of her wirst. “I think I am,” Jinx decided. “I want to finish that talk with dear ol’ sis.” It had only taken her about six years to get her head on straight and prepare for that conversation. Jinx had some Issues, with a capital I, in regards to her sister Vi. For the most part I let her work through it at a distance, letting her take whatever steps she felt she needed to prepare for the confrontation. 

Six years was a long time. In the end, I had spent more time here with Jinx than I had the rest of my journey since I became Law. Jinx took some pretty interesting steps in the healing process, such as making people dress up as Vi and dominating them physically and sexually, but we all heal in different ways. 

Made me excited for the fireworks when Jinx was reunited with the real thing. 

“This little vacay really helped me screw my head on straight,” Jinx continued and there was a manic energy in her voice that had been honed to a deadly edge. The once chaotic madness had been harnessed, controlled and channeled towards a specific goal. And it would be glorious to witness, I think. “I’ve mourned Silco. Did him proud. And I can pick up his reigns back home. Vi? I’m ready for her.” 

Her tone implied that their reunion would be no more peaceful than the first and probably about as disastrous. I couldn’t wait. 

“That’s good. I’m proud of you, Jinx,” I said, Shambling her over, and draping an arm over her shoulders while she immediately cuddled into my side. Her emotions were a heady mixture of love, devotion, and validation -- which all sang with an honest joy at my touch. Then I smirked down at her. “Want to go see another reunion to help get you in the mood?”

“Is it going to be messy?” Jinx questioned hopefully, and my smile was all teeth. 

“Oh, you better believe it will be.”

…

“Ah!” Zack shouted, throwing his arms into the air and sighing loudly from the back of the old truck that should have been retired years ago, but was still limping along and jostling with every bump in the road. “Home sweet home! Can’t believe that it’s been years since we were last here,” Zack remarked while Cloud's eyes were firmly on the approaching city. 

Midgar looked like it was dying. It was no less grand than the first time he had seen it as a hopeful recruit. He came from a small village of a couple buildings -- seeing Midgar the first time had been utterly overwhelming. Yet, even as it seemed to have grown in size to accommodate the constant influx of people seeking safety behind its walls and Shinra’s military arm, the city seemed sick. Dying.

Even from here, he could see the shanty towns that had grown three times over in the shadows of the upper city. People wearing rags and begging on the streets from those that didn’t have much more than them. The monster migrations had forced people to abandon their homes with what they had on their backs, and nothing more. Shinra did what they could, but the truth of it was, everywhere outside of the massive city was in a constant state of flux as monsters and people fought for dwindling resources. 

“Things have to be bad if they're recalling us,” Cloud observed. 

“More like desperate. The clankers are a poor substitute for SOLDIER,” Zack replied, half falling out of the truck when it hit a deep pothole. “We're probably some of the last ones left, you know?” 

“I know,” Cloud replied quietly. The degeneration had been swift to tear through the older ranks, the ones who had been SOLDIER for decades and during the Wutai War. Shinra had decided to shutter the program after Genesis went insane, which Cloud had mixed feelings about at best -- angry that they let things devolve to that point, but grateful that they at least understood the danger. The ranks further dwindled over the course of two years with the monster migrations until all of SOLDIER was pulled from front line duty to specialist roles, their previous occupation now filled with robots and regular soldiers. 

Or they were like them -- special attachments to people such as Dr. Waterloo. They performed whatever missions he had, and gladly aided his efforts to find a cure so what happened to Genesis didn't happen to anyone else. It felt like they were closing in on a cure when they were hit with the general recall. Cloud wasn't sure what the mission would be, only that they could get it over and done with as fast as possible so they could get back to doing what actually mattered. 

A loud silence bloomed between them, thinking on how they really were some of the last left. And that if they didn't find the answers they needed, then they could be facing a similar end as Genesis. 

The truck led them into Midgar, and Cloud saw that it was just as miserable up close as it had been far away. The Slums had always existed in Midgar's shadow, but now they seemed to be festering with poverty and crime, which was barely covered by a machine patrol that stomped through the streets. All the same, they made their way through the increasingly unfamiliar city towards a Shinra owned gate, where they were brought up to what the locals had taken to calling Topside. 

The Shinra building had undergone similar renovations, though while the slums grew worse, Shinra prospered. There was a pit in his stomach at the sight, but he swallowed it down as they entered the building and were brought up to a floor that at least contained a few familiar faces. 

As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Zack was already leaping out, “Angeal!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms around his mentor, who smiled lightly as he returned the hug with a hand. 

“Zack. Cloud. You both look like you're doing well,” Angeal returned, leaning heavily on a cane with a wane smile tugging at his lips. Cloud immediately noticed that the man looked weak. Weaker than he had two years ago, coming out of a twelve hour emergency surgery. An arm was deliberately covered with a sleeve, and Cloud felt that pit in his stomach grow three sizes.

“Some fresh air and monster fights is good for the body,” Zack said, throwing on a cocky grin, but Cloud knew his friend well enough to recognize the tightness in his eyes. The hints that something was wrong hadn't been lost on him either. 

“So I hear,” Angeal said, gesturing for them to follow. Cloud and Zack shared a pointed look behind his back as they did, a lot being said with a meeting of the eyes. “Dr. Waterloo sends his apologies -- he wanted to be here to greet you, but President Shinra keeps him close to his side these days. There have been a dozen attempts on his life this month alone.” 

Cloud winced, “He never said anything, but I heard he was being targeted. I didn't know it was that bad.” 

“Office politics are as deadly as a war front,” Angeal replied. 

“He could have recalled one of us if things were getting that bad,” Zack muttered as they entered a familiar briefing room. Inside, they saw another familiar face. 

Sephiroth was waiting for them, closing a well worn Loveless novel with a snap, “He could have,” he said, proving that he overheard their conversation. “But he said that your mission was of a higher priority than his safety. He is quite convinced he can take care of himself,” he added, looking to Angeal and his eyes were filled with barely concealed concern when Angeal half collapsed in a chair. 

Angeal was keenly aware of it, Cloud suspected, which was why he was so quick to move the topic along. “That is an indication of how important your missions are,” he said, pulling up a hologram of several mission briefings. “Avalanche, the eco-terrorist organization, have recently been launching an outright campaign against Shinra and its interests. This includes stealing war materials, a series of high profile assassinations, and acts of terrorism in cities world wide. Recently, with Turk intelligence provided from within the organization itself… We were made aware of an ongoing series of plots for an operation known as Landslide.” 

Cloud looked between the various briefings -- some of the missions were failures, some were successes, but all of them were building to something terrible. “Where do you want us?” 

“Sephiroth has been tasked with protecting Rufus Shinra,” Angeal informed. “Meanwhile, Zack -- you will be hitting a depot filled with war materials that are integral to the next phase of their operation.” Zack replied with a thumbs up and a nod. Then Angeal looked to Cloud, “You will be responsible for thwarting an attack on one of  Midgar’s Mako Reactors -- Reactor No.5.” 

“Understood,” Cloud nodded, accepting his mission with ease. As much as he hated being pulled away from their goal, he could admit that this was a good reason for it. Life in Midgar was hard enough. Taking out the reactor wouldn’t leave the city without power, but it would make it far more expensive. Expensive enough that people in the slums would struggle to afford it, with some being forced to go without. 

Angeal offered a thin smile, “Good. There is one more thing I should mention, Cloud. Your promotion has been cleared. Welcome to First Class.” 

The words took a moment to register with Cloud, but they registered with Zack first. 

The sound he made, that was suspiciously like that of a cat being strangled, was more of a reward than the promotion. 

…

Cloud was brought to the center of the reactor as he waited for Avalanche to arrive. In the time he waited, he ran a hand over his Buster Sword, a gift to mark his ascension to being one of the few First Class SOLDIERs to have ever existed. It might not mean as much as it had, but once they cured the degeneration, more SOLDIERs would be created. The Heroes of the Wutai War wouldn't fall to the wayside, and the protection of the people wouldn’t be decided by the cold calculus of a machine. 

His Buster Sword was modeled after Angeal's, a twin of the blade that Zack used. It was a long blade of six feet, more counting the handle, and it was the width of two hands. The thing didn't even have the concept of being balanced, but it mattered little. With his Mako enhancements, he was able to wield the blade with ease. 

It was good. He took some time to familiarize himself with it, but there was nothing like a real battle to get a feel for a weapon. Something that he wouldn't have to wait too long for, as he received a text on his phone that simply read: ‘Attack has begun.’ 

He was the last line of defense, and while it felt like a dangerous gamble, he understood the reasoning behind it. Simply put, while the Avalanche operatives were fighting their way into the Mako reactor’s core, they were exposed and accounted for. Meaning that they were out of position to defend themselves from the various task forces that struck at their known associations and bases, like Zack was doing right now. 

So, he merely waited for Avalanche to arrive, receiving an occasional update at the progress they were making as he followed along with a mental map. There was a squad of five that were punching their way through all resistance, making admirable time and short work of the machines that guarded the reactor. There was little doubt in his mind that they would reach him, so he prepared himself for the fight well before they blew through a bulkhead door with a number of satchel charges. 

“Blizzaga,” Cloud uttered, using the Materia embedded in the blade to send forth a wave of ice and frost that swept over the bulkhead door. It was met with a Fira, which filled the reactor with super heated steam, which the members of Avalanche used as a cover to enter the core. At least some of them did before the entrance was iced over. 

A hail of bullets erupted from the steam that Cloud deflected with ease, letting him focus on another that sprinted right for him. She leapt through the steam with a kick as fire formed around her foot as it smashed into the flat of his Buster Sword with enough force to stop his approach. Her legs were clad in black stockings and boots, leading up to a black leather miniskirt that was connected to a pair of suspenders. Her midriff was barely, revealing defined abs that flexed as she dealt a powerful blow, her breasts just barely clad in a white tank top over a sports bra. 

It would have been a simple thing to block the blow and counter, yet it was when their eyes met that both of them froze with inaction. 

“...Tifa?”

“Cloud?!” 

Tifa flipped off his blade and landed on her feet, and Cloud let her as his mind was reeling from the sight of her. Tifa. There was no mistaking her, even as her own expression mirrored his naked shock. She was unmistakable -- the same hair, the same red amber eyes, the same face… It had only been two years since Genesis slaughtered everyone in Nibelheim. Two years since he last saw her, thinking that she was one of the dead. 

The fact that she was alive struck him like a fist to the gut, but it was swiftly followed by the fact that she was here. In the reactor. With Avalanche. Every thought he had came to a screeching halt in that long second they stared at each other with stupified and uncomprehending expressions. At least until the sound of gunfire echoed in his ears and Cloud was snapped out of it when the other members of Avalanche came pouring through, creating a semi circle and shooting at him. 

“W-Wait! Wait!” Tifa called out as Cloud jumped back, shielding his body with his blade, and trusting the Barrier Materia at his wrist to cover the parts that were left exposed. Her squad- Tifa's squad obeyed with obvious confusion, but Tifa was looking at Cloud. “Cloud- are- is that really you?” There was a fragile hope in her voice that Cloud wasn't sure how to feel about. But it was also matched with suspicion and doubt. 

“... I feel like I should be asking you that,” Cloud replied. “Everyone in Nibelheim died. The only survivors of the massacre were me, Zack, and Angeal.” 

Tifa wavered, swallowing a lump in her throat, “I survived. Your mom survived. We managed to get out with Master Zangan! We- we thought you were dead!” She blurted, making Cloud lower his sword ever so slightly as emotion suddenly clogged his throat. 

“Mom… is alive?” He breathed, and that made the members of Avalanche make their decision to lower their weapons. 

Tifa nodded and took a step forward, “She's at our base. She's okay, Cloud. She… she's going to be relieved to learn that you are alright. We tried to find your body in the aftermath of the attack, but you were nowhere to be found and Shinra was already covering it up!” 

“I was working with Dr. Waterloo to cure the disease that drove Genesis insane,” Cloud swiftly answered, dropping his guard. “It's a disease that affects all SOLDIERs, Tifa.” That made concern flare up in her gaze, and Cloud didn't know what to make of it. And that snapped him out of his shock at seeing her again. “What are you doing here, Tifa? Destroying a reactor? Working with Avalanche?” 

“What are you doing still working for Shinra!” Tifa shot back, the shock similarly wearing off for her as the reality of the situation settled in. Namely that Tifa was working for a terrorist organization driven to an act of terror while he was charged with defending the reactor. “They killed everyone in Nibelheim! My father! Then they just covered it all up!” 

“They covered it up because one of the heroes of the Wutai war turned into a monster and slaughtered everyone! The war with Wutai had only just ended and they couldn't show weakness,” Cloud argued, but even as he said the words, they felt hollow. Like he was repeating someone else's opinion rather than his own. Tifa's expression twisted into one of fury and betrayal. 

“How can you even say that! It was your home, Cloud!” She argued and a rebuttal sat heavily on his tongue. Yet, before he could utter it, one of her squadmates spoke up. 

“Uhh,” the chubby one said, looking off at something to the side of them and overhead. “Is that… what I think it is?” He questioned, raising a hand to point it out. 

Cloud almost assumed that it was a trick until he saw the rapidly paling faces of the others, and only then did he flick his gaze over towards where he was pointing. And the moment he did, his stomach clenched. 

It was an explosive. He was quite familiar with them these days, having used plenty over the past few years to clear the way to various ruins. It was a compact explosive charge about the size of a brick -- it was neatly hidden along the seams of the tubing where the raw Mako was pulled up from the planet to be processed into energy. Then, slowly, he widened his attention and he saw similar charges placed in strategic locations across the core. 

His mind was blank for a half second, just trying to process what he was looking at and how to explain it. Had Avalanche already snuck in to deliver the charges? Then why send a team in when they could have just detonated them at any point in the past half hour, at the very least? It didn't make sense. The pieces weren't fitting together in his head. 

And it was that moment that a digital clock suddenly came to life with a countdown. 

1:00

“We need to leave,” Cloud breathed, watching as the clock ticked down to 59, revealing that they had a minute to get clear. It wasn't enough time. He knew that deep in his gut -- the explosive would ignite the Mako, and the whole reactor was going to go up. 

Still, he was already moving forward, grabbing a stupified Tifa by the hand. Her gaze snapped to him, “But-” 

“I promised to save you, didn't I?” He barked at her, though he never imagined that when he made that promise he would be saving her from herself. The fight bleed out of her in that instant and the others, who had reacted to his sudden approach, lowered their guns when she gave a confirming nod. 

“Let's go!” Tifa exclaimed, gesturing for them to follow and after a beat of hesitation, they did. They followed Cloud out of the reactor, but in his gut he already knew that they wasted far too much time there. In the back of his mind, he was keenly aware of the countdown that was ticking by the second, leaving them with fifty seconds left as they fled the reactor.

Reinforcing machines greeted them as they ran through the maintenance tunnels, forcing Cloud to run ahead as he cleared the way for Tifa and the others. They didn’t have time for drawn-out fights. Every second counted, so he lashed out with the full power of his magic and his Mako enhancements, tearing through the machines like they were barely there. 

The maintenance tunnels were crawling with them, and a sinking suspicion gripped his heart as he realized he was being targeted by them just as much as Tifa and Avalanche were. The whole thing was a trap. For whom and by whom, he had no idea, but when a sentry bot fell from above, they reached the checkpoint with far too little time to spare. Bullets slammed into the area around him, his sword offering mobile cover as he sprinted forward.

But then he felt it. A tremor underfoot and a low, distant explosion that seemed to rapidly approach.

“Cloud!” Tifa called out, and he had just enough time to look over his shoulder at her and the others when the reactor exploded. Fire erupted from the maintenance tunnel that they just barely were able to escape in time, but it did nothing to protect them from the force of the explosion that tore through the reactor like tissue paper. The very ground under their feet came undone, tearing apart at the seams. 

Tifa was immediately swept up in the blast, and he only had a moment to make a decision. But there was only one decision that he could make. 

He abandoned all thought of getting away and rushed to her, jumping from the debris and throwing himself at her like a missile. He half-tackled her out of the air before both of them were swept up in the shockwave, and he felt her hold onto him every bit as tightly as he held her. 

And then they simply fell together, not knowing that they would land in the very depths of hell.