"So y'er the one. 'parrently you come highly recommended."
"Seems so. You need a body to do something illegal."
"Tha's one way te put it."
"You don't need to beat around the bush. In and out of a Mako Reactor. You intend to plant a bomb."
"Jessie spil' da beans, huh?"
"I'll do it. 3000."
"Wha's tha' catch?"
"I want 1000 up front. Prove to me your serious about this. Avalanche is known to withhold payment."
"... Tha's it?"
"That's it. 1000 up front. I'll take the rest after the job is completed."
"Yer not tryin' t'e stiff me, are ye?"
"Would you rather pay the 13,000 Avalanche still owes me?"
"... Y'er made y'er point, merc. 1000. We meet at t'e train station. Has Jessie briefed ye'?"
"Enough. I know what you need from me. The less I know about the overall plan, the better for both of us. I'll see you tonight, Mr Wallace."
-
The air was cold. The night was getting on. It was approaching midnight. If everything went well, it would be just past midnight when everything ended and they would be on the last train home.
That, as I understood, was the idea. However, as the train rocketed along the tracks, my grip tightening on its roof, I was sure that it was just wishful thinking. Breaking into a Mako Reactor was not easy, and this would probably go south almost immediately after we left the station. Still, the weight of an extra thousand gil in my pocket was enough to convince me this group thought they had a chance. Whether that meant they were in over their heads or not was another matter entirely.
The train started to slow. We were approaching the station. Reactor 1's station was a secured station. Technically, no one should be aboard this train. That was why I was on the roof, and the rest of this motley crew hid among the crates. I was surprised that none of the sensors had triggered, but Avalanche's tech wizard seemed to be on top of it.
*Skrrrrrrrnnnnk*
That was the wheels coming to a stop. I let out a short breath. After all, it was what Zack would do. My hand reached back, counted the swords on my right side, and in that moment, I was reassured. We could do this.
The station was a citadel of concrete and steel. I could see some flickering lights of signs that had been long left to the elements. In the distance I could see the tips of buildings, and the grand cylinder that was the Mako Reactor. Green mist wrapped around it, raising into the distance. Where the Reactor stood, no stars shone.
"Hey, where are you!?" That would be one of the guards. There were always two. I remembered that from the old days. There would be a third inside the station, probably already radioing for extra men. There was no point putting this off. I reached to the edge of the train roof, took a deep breath, and flipped over the side.
My heel hit the ground and I pushed off instantly. The guard, wrapped in blue and white, didn't even have time to raise his gun before my elbow buried itself in his gut. I didn't let him down gently. He collapsed like a sack of messy potatoes.
"Wow. Nice job!" I glanced down the station. Three figures. One was a woman, chest wrapped in metal and fatigues. Jessie. She was the one who led me to Avalanche. One was quite large, a gun in hand and many grenades on his hip. That was Wedge. The last was thin, lanky, stubble on his chin and too many lines on his face. Biggs.
None of them could be called friends. They were true believers, people who believed so fervently that anything counter to their world view was too much to accept. That was okay. On this matter, maybe true believers were what was needed.
"Heads up." I spoke up. Three shadows at the end of the station. The alarm would have been quietly raised already. The Reactor itself was on a closed system. If we could get inside before the next turn of the hour, then they wouldn't be alerted by the hourly connection to the city grid.
We had maybe fifty minutes. I didn't trust the clock at the station to be right.
"On it!" Biggs and Wedge raised their guns, a handgun and a rifle respectively. My right hand reached back and seized the Hollow Sword and ripped it free of its straps. They had only just started to take aim as I rocketed past them.
My boot skidded as I slid down low. The guards had only just rounded the corner when I set upon them. Blood splattered and gunshots rang out, but it was a short, messy affair.
It wasn't a fair fight. They were dead before they could even attempt to scream.
"Clear." I called, taking a few steps back and stabbing down with the Hollow Sword. Their guns contained tracking mechanisms. I'd rather they just not be in the grid.
"Geez. Glad your on our side. What are you, ex-SOLDIER?" Biggs asked. I shook my head.
"Just a merc." I answered. "Where's the big man?"
"Cleaning up." Jessie noted, flashing me a smile as Wedge and Biggs shot past. Their technique was admirable. Biggs covered Wedge's six, and vice versa. The flaw was the big guys unfortunate agility, or rather, lack thereof. "You're pretty efficient, big guy."
"It's nothing. Better to be thorough." I answered dryly, flicking the Hollow Sword out and returning it to its strap. "Check the bodies."
"For what?"
"Medicine. Radios. Anything connected to the grid." I almost rolled my eyes. Radios were the big ones. I couldn't remember what the Midgar uniform had in it. I wasn't here as often as I'd like. "Nevermind, I'll do it." There wasn't much, but I wasn't expecting much. No one expected an attack on their home base. There hadn't been one since the SOLDIER defection about six years ago, if my memory wasn't failing me.
No. No point thinking about that.
"Loo's like the merc's already stepped up."
I rose to my full height, let out a long breath, and turned. Behind me was the leader of this Avalanche cell. Barrett Wallace. A mountain of a man with chocolate coloured skin and a right arm that was replaced with a small mini-gun. His eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses. Smart man, it'd likely keep him from being identified on the streets.
"It's what you paid me for. We're on the clock." I shot back. Barrett raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Know som'in we don't?"
"Plenty, but this one is probably a bit more important then most of it." I rolled my eyes, pointing at the clock. "The Reactor internal grid connects to the city hourly. We have another forty-fiveish minutes to get inside before we might as well just sound all the alarms ourselves."
"Huh. Tha' so." Barrett hummed. "Jessie. Get a move on."
"Got it." She was off, like a frightened dog if I was honest. This cell was not full of warriors. They were desperate men and women who wanted a better world.
"We should move too."
"We should." Barrett agreed. "The' w'a's y'er advice, soldier boy?" I ignored the slight, motioning for him to follow me.
"We split up. We need to get someone inside the reactor before the grid connects. That is the best chance for-"
"Not a chance. Jessie is the on'y one with the codes." Barrett retorted. "Got a better plan?"
"Well…" I bit my lip as we walked into the station. If splitting up wasn't an option, and we were likely to be found soon…
Well. There were options. I had materia, after all. Zack would applaud the head first option anyway.
[ ] Smash the alarm. You were a more then adequate distraction.
[ ] Lead Avalanche through the supply tunnels. It'd push it, but you could probably make it in time.
[ ] Charge straight for the reactor. The quicker you got there, the better. [Canon]
Cloud Strife joined the Party.
Fusion Sword obtained (Healing=Fenrir).
Cloudy Wolf Attire attained (Fire=Ice, Thunder=Empty).
1000 Gil gained.
