Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Moving In, Moving Out ( Chapter 14 )

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Chapter 14: Moving In, Moving Out

 

Captain Michael Lynn stood on the deck of the Manifest and watched as the airship inched closer towards Midgar. He and his troops had successfully found the supplies that the citizens of Midgar desperately needed. Their trip was also rewarded with the addition of a few hundred of Junon's finest as well as the last functioning airship in Junon's fleet. He and his troops had to wake up at the crack of dawn to board the airship so it would take them back to Midgar in the morning. He was glad he had some coffee for breakfast this morning since he knew that today was going to be a long day.

 

As Midgar came into view over the horizon, Captain Lynn could hear the audible gasps of many of Junon's soldiers who were piloting the ship. He almost forgot how horrific the scene was the first time you see the rubble. It still amazed him how something that looked indestructible could be reduced to ruins in a mere matter of minutes. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the images of Midgar's destruction were seen all over the world. Unfortunately, he was one of the few unfortunate ones to see it with their own eyes: images that would forever be burned into his memories and pain that would never leave his heart.

 

"Attention! Attention! We will be landing in five minutes. Prepare for debarkation," the ship's captain blared on the intercom.

 

Captain Lynn took a deep breath as he looked at his watch. It would take at least an hour to unload all the supplies and get them down the long elevator shaft with the makeshift crane Junon's army brought. He knew he would also have to make a report before finally being able to take his leave and rest. His hands traveled to the small bundle he packed in his vest pocket, a small token of love he picked up for Tina in Junon. It was going to be at least four hours before he would be able to see her.

 

The airship touched down and the entire ship shook lightly as men began scurrying around the ship to unload all the supplies. Captain Lynn quickly walked to where his men where waiting. They were needed to lead everyone to where the entrance to Old Midgar was. Their jobs were essential to this operation as they were when they left Midgar with the task of finding food and medical supplies for the survivors of Meteor.

 

The young Captain kept his mind focused on his duties as the cargo doors opened up and he helped lead the way towards the entrance of Old Midgar. The city looked exactly the way he left it, except for the small band of men gathered around the airship. They looked like they had been digging in the rubble as their sooty faces all beamed with hope upon looking at the soldiers walk towards them.

 

"Boy are we ever glad to see the ShinRa boys in blue," one of the men said as he approached Captain Lynn. "We've been here trying to find some survivors here in the rubble. One of my men told me that they met two people coming out of it saying there was some entrance underneath Midgar where everybody's holed up?"

 

Captain Lynn's eyes scrunched in confusion over the man's last words. He didn't remember Mr. Rivers giving him any indication that anyone else was going to leave the city except he and his division. He also wondered who these men were and where they came from but he needed to find his answers one question at a time.

 

"Two people you say?"

 

"Yeah, they said they were heading out to Kalm with a plan to help dig the people out. What where their names again Bill?" the man shouted to one of his friends.

 

"Um, Thomas Wheeler and Private Peter Edinburg," the man named Bill replied.

 

"Yeah, they're the ones. But they told my man that you would show us the entrance to the city if you don't mind us giving you a hand," the smiled revealing a set of white teeth behind his blackened face.

 

He knew Mr. Wheeler was one of Reeve's assistants so the mission must have been important. He felt a bit sorry for Mr. Wheeler since he had to be accompanied by Private Edinburg who was a capable soldier, but had a tendency to talk too much.

 

Captain Lynn surveyed the small band of men that gathered around them. They looked like average citizens who were out to lend a helping hand. None of them looked like seasoned warriors, but by the look of the work they had already done, they were once miners. The Captain knew that the path leading towards the entrance was going to be a hellish climb for the soldiers carrying the crane equipment. A little help removing some debris in the way was definitely in order.

 

"I think we could use your help Mr. --?"

 

"Randy Lawson, at your service," Randy shook the Captain's hands roughly.

 

"Captain Michael Lynn, sir. Let me show you were the path is, we're going to need you and your men to help clear a path so we can get some crane equipment through."

 

Captain Lynn couldn't help but smile as he watched Randy Jones pick-up a shovel and sling it over his shoulder while he led them towards the path. With the added help of Randy and his men, he knew that they would get to the entranceway leading to Old Midgar much quicker and he'd be able to finish his mission. Today was going to be a good day.

 

* * *

 

The massive rubble of Midgar was slowly fading away into the distance as Thomas and Pete crossed the plains toward Kalm. Occasionally, the intern would look over his shoulder to watch the tiny specks of people working around the airship. Thomas wished that he could be there in Old Midgar to help Reeve and the others organize the supplies that were coming in and ration them, but he had another mission and that mission was vital to ensuring the citizens of Midgar's safety. He knew that once the hole between the Kalm mines and Old Midgar was dug, there would be no more fear of how many more days the supplies were going to last or when their supply of fresh water was going to run out. He had the most important mission of them all and he knew that failure wasn't an option.

 

The intern turned his attention back to Pete and the surrounding fields, keeping an eye out for any monsters that were lurking around the hilltops. Thomas kept a quick pace matching Pete's as the solider leisurely strolled the plains as if he were walking along a beach. Their pace gradually started to slow down as a strange odor crept up the two men's nostrils.

 

"Do you smell that?" Thomas asked.

 

"Yeah, it smells like something croaked and died out here," Pete said as he cautiously readied his rifle.

 

Thomas grew increasingly nervous as he watched Pete ready himself into combat position. The pair was about to climb over a hill, but Pete motioned for Thomas to stay back as he scouted for any potential dangers that were over the hill. The ShinRa solider pointed his rifle over the hill first as he slowly lifted his head so he could see.

 

"Holy mother of--" Pete cursed as he stood up on top of the hill to fully view the scene before him.

 

"What? What is it?" Thomas asked climbing up after Pete.

 

As Thomas's eyes landed on the chaotic scene, the bile in his stomach began to churn. The odor that the two men smelled was the decaying bodies of monsters that had been slaughtered by some creature. Large beasts and small animals alike were ripped apart as bones and flesh littered the plains. Limbs belonging to one creature were scattered haphazardly on top of another. The carnage was so widespread; it was hard to conceive that one creature was responsible for the massacre.

 

Thomas remembered Reeve mentioning to him that the creature Chaos was loose and had been last spotted along the Kalm plains, but Thomas didn't want to believe that it was Chaos who could do all this. He didn't want to think that after the planet had been saved from Sephiroth and Meteor, another new threat was rising.

 

"What, what do you think did all of this?" Thomas asked Pete.

 

"I really don't know, but I don't want to meet whatever did this," Pete answered as he shook his head in dismay.

 

"I'm going to report this to Reeve."

 

"Yeah, you go ahead and do that, I'm going to sit down and try to keep my breakfast from coming back up," Pete answered as he walked uneasily down the hill and sat down with his head between his legs.

 

Thomas wanted to join Pete and keep himself from vomiting, but there were more important things to do. He covered his nose as he unclipped the walkie-talkie from his belt and radioed in to report what he was witnessing.

 

"Chris here."

 

"Chris, is Reeve nearby?"

 

"Yeah, he's here. Did you catch a cold or something, your voice sounds strange."

 

"I'm holding my breath because of a rancid smell from . . . never-mind, just let me talk to Reeve first."

 

Thomas looked over at Pete and quickly looked away after discovering that his companion wasn't successful in keeping his breakfast in his stomach. Thomas could still hear Pete puking in the background as Reeve's voice echoed over the walkie-talkie.

 

"Reeve here."

 

"Reeve, this is Thomas. Remember how you mentioned the creature, Chaos?"

 

"Please don't tell me you found him," Reeve said not even bothering to hide the panic in his voice.

 

"Well, not him, but we may have found out where he was. We came across a pretty gruesome sight along the Kalm plains. It looks like several monsters were torn to shreds."

 

"That certainly sounds like something Chaos would do. How long do you think it was since the monsters were killed?"

 

"Eh . . . well, probably quite a while. The flies and bugs are making short work of what's leftover. I really can't say exactly how long, but it's not recent that's for sure."

 

"Hmmm . . . sounds like they may have been killed yesterday when Chaos was freed. Can you see anything else around you that can help pinpoint where you are on the plains?"

 

Thomas looked around as he stood on top of the hill, trying not to look down where the mutilated bodies lay. "I can see Midgar several miles behind me and in front of me I can see the faint outline of a river. Northeast of here and I see something on the horizon that looks like a town. I think Kalm is several miles away from where we are."

 

"Ok, I have an idea where you are. I'll make sure to give Tifa a call to let her know that Chaos was heading east the last time we saw him. Who knows where that creature may be though. Try to be careful out there and get to Kalm as quickly as possible, understand?"

 

"Don't worry, I didn't volunteer to help Midgar just so I could get torn to pieces a few miles away from home."

 

"Good, be careful out there. Report to me when you finally make it to Kalm. But how

was the trek out of Midgar?"

 

"It wasn't bad: not easy, but not impossible."

 

"Do you think average citizens could get out that way without much difficulty or danger?"

 

"I got through didn't I? Personally, I think the hardest part is that ladder."

 

"That's good to hear. We're trying to decide whether or not to make that exit open for everyone or not. Thanks for your help. But page me if you need anything else, I have a meeting to get to, Reeve out."

 

"Roger," Thomas said as he switched the walkie-talkie off.

 

Thomas carefully walked down the hill as he covered his nose so the foul stench of rotting corpses wouldn't fill his nostrils. He found Pete heaving as the soldier supported his pale body on his rifle.

 

"Are you okay Pete?"

 

"I'll be find as soon as we get out of this place," Pete coughed. "Just give me a minute and then we'll continue walking."

 

Thomas felt as if he was nodding in acknowledgement, but he knew that he wasn't physically moving his head. The rising afternoon heat and decaying odors finally caught up to him as Thomas found himself meeting his breakfast again. Why did I even bother to get up this morning?

 

"Just let it all out buddy. Trust me, you'll feel better after it's done," Pete said as he pat Thomas on the back trying to encourage him.

 

"Thanks. Let's go, I don't want to stay here another second."

 

"I'm right behind ya," Pete said as he helped Thomas back on his feet.

 

The two men wanted to get out of the plains as quickly as possible and smell the sweet smells of a town bustling full of life and people. It was going to be at least fifteen minutes before they could walk out of range of the putrid smell of rotting flesh. They both knew that and enthusiastically walked up the hilltop with amazing vigor despite their condition.

 

As the pair made their way through the field of dead monsters, they tried to keep their eyes fixed on the tiny dot that was Kalm. Occasionally one or both of them would accidentally step on one of the carcasses, much to their dismay. Thomas mentally chided himself for deciding to wear his new shoes out on this expedition. To him, it was worse than stepping into a pile of dog shit that usually riddled the streets of Midgar's lower plates.

 

Gradually, as Pete and Thomas walked further and further along the field of dead monsters, the bodies grew increasingly less. Soon they found the fields free of any dead carcasses, but neither of them was willing to breath out of their noses until they were miles away from the carnage.

 

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about fighting any monsters," Pete said holding his nose.

 

"What?"

 

"You don't have to worry about fighting any monsters."

 

"Really, you think so?" Thomas asked curious as to his companion's confidence.

 

"Yeah, cause whatever killed all those monsters back there probably got them all," Pete said with a smile.

 

"Yeah, but what about the thing that killed all those monsters is still out here?" Thomas asked skeptically, remembering Reeve's words about how dangerous Chaos was.

 

"Well, then we're fucked."

 

Thomas gulped deeply as he nervously looked around him. What a mess you got yourself into this time Thomas. Pete's right, if Chaos were to come barreling out way, we're fucked beyond belief. I just hope Reeve was right in thinking that Chaos probably moved on. If not, then good-bye cruel world.

 

"Hey, look on the bright side," Pete said interrupting Thomas's thoughts.

 

"What's that?"

 

"The air doesn't smell like dead monster anymore," Pete said breathing in deeply.

 

Thomas cautiously breathed in some of Kalm's air and sighed with relief as the smell of daisies and dry grass filled his nostrils.

 

"I never realized how clean the air smells outside the city," Thomas said more to himself.

 

"Yeah, it's always the small things you take for granted until they're yanked away from you."

 

Thomas lingered on Pete's words and realized how true they were. He had never really appreciated those small pleasures in life such as taking a walk through the plains and smelling the country air. The small things like the smell of wildflowers was something that the people of Midgar would never smell again if he didn't do something about it. Simple things were the ones you missed the most once lost and he was going to make sure that no one who was stuck in Old Midgar was going to miss out on them.

 

"Come on Pete, we've got to get to Kalm," Thomas said as he quickened his pace.

 

He and Pete were on a mission to get to Kalm to help dig the citizens of Midgar out of the underground city. He knew what he had to do and no monster-killing beast or fear of said monster-killing beast was going to stop him. Thomas Wheeler was going to save Midgar.

 

* * *

 

The old concrete houses were buzzing full of life as the many displaced residents of Midgar migrated out of their shelters to look down the cascading levels of buildings to the ground level where a large convoy of soldiers stood carrying in many boxes. Children poked their heads over the various fences that were mounted along each level of Old Midgar. Though Reeve had asked citizens to conserve batteries and gas until the supplies came, no body could help but light up their gas lanterns and turn on their flashlights so they could witness the scene.

 

On the ground level of Old Midgar, supplies were all lined up and ready to be disbursed among the different sections of the city. With the help of over twenty good Samaritans from Kalm, all the supplies had been moved from the Manifest to Old Midgar in less than two hours. They had done the impossible and brought more supplies than anyone had anticipated. The fifth infantry division had saved Midgar's citizens from starvation.

 

All the soldiers from the fifth infantry division, all of Junon's soldiers and even the twenty or so citizens who volunteered their help were all lined up standing shoulder to shoulder proudly standing in front of the fruits of their labor. Reeve had heard of the success of the mission and personally came out to congratulate and salute the proud soldiers. He walked down the line of the stern faces of all the soldiers whose eyes couldn't hide the excitement of finishing their mission. Reeve wasn't experienced in how to address ShinRa's army, but Eric had briefed him a bit on the key words he needed to say and stood by his side in support.

 

"At ease gentlemen! I stand here and see not only supplies to help feed the citizens of Midgar for one more day, but enough to feed the entire army of ShinRa for one whole week. All I have to say is that I'm proud of you all. Dismissed!" Reeve said as authoritatively as possible.

 

Reeve and Eric watched as the soldiers all ran in different directions to see their friends and family. Several of Midgar's soldiers came up to greet their fellow friends from Junon while the men from Kalm awkwardly mingled in with the crowd.

 

"That was short but effective, sir," Eric stated.

 

"Thanks. I wasn't sure what else to tell them. But have you already informed the mess hall that the supplies are in?"

 

"Yes, sir. I've also made sure to assign the next units that need to work on guarding the supplies," Eric said as he adjusted his glasses.

 

"Great. Make sure that the fifth infantry division gets to rest for a day or two. I don't know what the military protocol for those sort of things are, but I think they deserve it."

 

"I'll see to it."

 

"Good, I'm going back up to the office to finish discussing the set-up of the offices in Junon with Chris. You can join us when you're done down here," Reeve said as he walked back up to his office.

 

Eric Rivers looked down at his clipboard of papers to try and find the file on the fifth infantry division. Once he found it, he looked at the picture of their leader and started to scan the crowd for Captain Michael Lynn. Eric was lucky to find that Captain Lynn wasn't that far and quickly made his way past the various soldiers to get to him.

 

"Captain Lynn?"

 

Michael turned his head after hearing someone call his name and noticed that it was the new head of the military, Eric Rivers.

 

"Sir!" the Captain saluted.

 

"I have orders from President Anderson that you and your division are to take leave for at least seventy-two hours. I hope that you will pass the word on to your men?"

 

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir!" Michael saluted as he smiled.

 

"No, we should be thanking you. If it weren't for your hard work, Midgar wouldn't have lasted one more day. Good work soldier, you're dismissed," Eric said as he saluted.

 

Michael was ecstatic to hear that he and his troops were being given leave. Now he wouldn't have to feign an injury to find a way to see Tina. He knew that his men needed to know the news and quickly searched through the crowd to find all the men in his troop. It didn't take long since most of them were all together in a group talking amongst themselves.

 

"Gentlemen!" Michael shouted.

 

His band of troops quickly shuffled together and got in line to hear their commanding officer's orders.

 

"I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we haven't been assigned our next mission. The good news is that we won't get that assignment until seventy-two hours from now and you all are free on leave until exactly seventy-two hours from now. When that time has elapsed, I expect each and every one of you to report to me here in this spot. Dismissed!"

 

Michael smiled as he watched his men cheer and begin to run towards the shelters holding their families. Though his men didn't have another mission, he had one last duty he needed to perform before his mission was over. He wasted no time in heading straight for the temporary hospital after dismissing his men and had no intention of stopping until his mission was complete.

 

"Why is the Captain going to the clinic? I didn't see him get injured while we were out?" Private Harris asked.

 

"Oh, he's just looking for a little medicine called love from his fiancé," Lieutenant Darren snickered.

 

Michael had heard his subordinates talking about him, but he couldn't deny that what they were talking about was a lie. He was going to see Tina. He had remembered the first time they met. He could never forget. He had been stupid and gotten hopelessly drunk after celebrating with his friends on his new promotion to Captain. He didn't remember how he got injured or how the bar fight started, but needless to say, the scar above his right eye wasn't from fighting a monster.

 

One of the few things that he did remember from that night was fighting the massive hangover he suffered as well as the pain in his head from his injury. He didn't even know that he was in hospital until he opened his eyes and saw the blurred silhouette of the beautiful Tina Cross. She looked like an angel hovering over him and for a split second, he thought he was dead; he even thinks he asked that question. The soft touch of her hand on his forehead let him know that he wasn't dead and indeed still alive to suffer through the consequences of his late night adventures.

 

He's still amazed that he was able to win her over because he knows that not too long after waking-up, the alcohol had lurched back up to greet him and he had puked all over the poor girl's white uniform. He had never felt more like an ass for making the worst first impression ever. But apparently a miracle happened and through some means, she fell for him. He still doesn't know why she loves him, but he wasn't about to complain.

 

The walk to the Old Midgar hospital was short as Michael's focus was training solely on finding Tina. He knew that she would be working at the nurses' station and it would only be a few minutes until her shift was over. He hoped that the hospital didn't change its schedule because of the current situation, but it wouldn't matter as long as he got to see her. Finally, after he passed through a few double doors, he was rewarded with Tina's beautiful smile to greet him as his combat boots alerted her to his presence.

 

"Hey beautiful, look what I got for you," the young captain said as he pulled out a few flowers from his vest.

 

"Oh, they're so cute. I didn't know that flowers this tiny grew out in the wild. But what I'd really like is to see the sun again. I don't suppose you got me a little sunshine did you?" Tina said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Mike's neck.

 

"Nope, sorry. They were fresh out of sunshine when I got to Junon," he said as he kissed her.

 

"You're so silly," Tina giggled. "But how were things on the surface?"

 

"Not bad. A lot of people out there really don't know what to do or where to go even though their city wasn't the one that was destroyed. I spent a lot of time thinking about how beautiful sunsets were and how beautiful you are."

 

"You're lucky, at least you got to see one. I've been stuck here trying to help everyone who was injured during Meteor. Old Midgar did its job in keeping us from being crushed, but some debris fell from the ceiling and crushed a few people," Tina said sadly.

 

"Anyone seriously injured?"

 

"Yeah, at least one dead. A few with broken bones and everything, but when I think about those small injuries, I realize that it really could have been much worse if we didn't leave the surface," Tina said as she intertwined her fingers with Michael's. "It also helps that most of these buildings like this hospital are fully intact and almost functional."
"Everything will turn out in the end. I promise," he said as he gently kissed her forehead.

 

"I know it will," Tina smiled. "But will you be able to come over to my place tonight?"

 

"I'm yours for seventy-two hours milady," Mike bowed.

 

"Mine? For seventy-two hours?" Tina said excitedly.

 

"Yep, but I've been working hard so please be gentle."

 

"Oh, I'll be gentle . . . at first. Luckily we're fully staffed so I going to get off work in about five minutes so you just stay right there and look cute," Tina smiled as she walked back to grab a clipboard.

 

Michael watched his fiancé as she had her back turned to him and wrote some notes down. His eyes traveled up her long legs and paused a bit at her rear as he smirked. I get seventy-two hours of leave and I know that I won't be resting during any of that time. My body'll probably be so sore that I'll dread getting back to work. At least I'll be fulfilling my duties to Tina, and that's all that matters. Damn, today is such a fucking good day.

 

* * *

 

Reeve walked through Old Midgar and smiled as he watched the citizens talking about the new shipment of supplies. He was glad that some hope had been restored as he watched some children playing outside the shelters. They hadn't been in Old Midgar for long, but they were able to turn the dilapidated city into the largest functioning shelter known to man. Reeve had heard when he was a young college student that the tenacity of man was unparalleled when put in dire situations and this was proof of it. Everything was going to be all right.

 

He saluted to a soldier guarding a set of stairs that led to his new office as he slowly made his way up the long staircase. Chris was busy working on communicating with the world about the situation in Midgar as Reeve entered the office. The intern had been successful in posting bulletins on radio spots, the news and newspapers but since most of the major communication companies were stationed in Midgar, the word was slow in getting out.

 

"Reeve, you're back. I finally wired up some of your Cait Sith equipment with one of the company computers and established an internet connection," Chris said as he pointed to the computer screen.

 

"Excellent. How about the status on getting the word out?"

 

"After getting names and numbers of any and all channels of televised, print or radio stations from the surviving members of the media elite in Midgar, I was finally able to get the word out. I made sure they mentioned our need here in Midgar and that a rescue effort is being planned in Kalm."

 

"Good, have we gotten a good response so far?"

 

"As far as I can tell, but I just found a blurb on some website and heard from a radio company that the ShinRa-King Organization has been busy."

 

"How so?" Reeve asked anticipating the worst-case scenario.

 

"Well, it looks like they've put a price on all the current ShinRa, Inc. executives and the President as well as putting out a huge reward for the death of anyone in the ShinRa family, namely a Rufus or John ShinRa," Chris said as he paraphrased what he read on the computer screen.

 

"Do you think anyone will take it seriously?"

 

"I doubt that your average citizen will, but not your common thug."

 

"Great, hopefully we won't have to worry about that, but make sure you work with Eric on alerting anyone you think should know and I want you two to be careful from now on. But do you have any good news for me?"

 

"Yeah, I actually do. Finally heard back from Mr. Baker in Junon and he was able to work with some executives in the bank and set-up a relief fund that we can tap into. I also put up a blurb on how to donate to that fund so we should be ok for a little while until we can figure out how to deal with funds for the long-run."

 

"Right now let's just take things one step at a time. We'll let Mr. Baker worry about the long-term solution to financially support this company until he figures out the loophole to allow ShinRa, Inc.'s funds to be transferred over. What else do you have to report?"

 

"Well, the office in Junon has finally been restored after Scarlet and Heideggar decided to fire everyone once they took office," Chris said as he rolled his eyes over the mention of his short-lived bosses.

 

"Thank goodness they're not the ones trying to keep these people alive," Reeve sighed.

 

"Yes, it is. But about the Junon office . . ." Chris was about to say when a knock at the door interrupted him and Eric walked into the office accompanied by Randy Lawson.

 

"Eric, who do we have here?" Reeve asked as he looked at the older man with the sooty face curiously.

 

"President Anderson, sir. This is Randy Lawson. He headed up the small group of men from Kalm to help dig out survivors in Midgar. When Captain Lynn and his brigade made their way back, he and his men helped clear the path leading from Midgar's outskirts to the entrance to Old Midgar," Eric explained.

 

"Mr. Lawson, it's good to meet you," Reeve said as he extended his hand.

 

Randy nervously wiped his hand on his trousers before shaking it, "Mr. President, sir. It . . . it's an honor."

 

"I hear that you helped my men get here to Old Midgar, is that correct?"

 

"Yes, sir. It . . . it wasn't really much I mean we were just in the area and all and all that rubble was in the way. We were looking to see if we could find any survivors or anything and then these two guys came along and talked to one of my men Bill saying there was some entrance to here then your men come flying into Midgar and then here we are."

 

"Two men? So you saw Thomas Wheeler and his escort?"

 

"Yeah, I think that's who they were," Randy said slightly flustered for not remembering the names Bill told him.

 

"Mr. Lawson, I know that you and your men have already done a considerable amount of work, but I need to ask you if you and your men can help me out."

 

"Anything you want Mr. President," Randy said straightening up his body imitating a ShinRa soldier.

 

"I want you and your men to help clear out the path so average citizens can walk through and then escort as many citizens who want to leave Midgar to Kalm. There should be a man in Kalm named Casanova Jones who will take them in once they get there."

 

"Casanova? Do you mean Casey?"

 

"Yeah, Casey. Do you think you can do that?"

 

"Heck, that's easy. Most of the rubble was cleared earlier this morning when we helped get your boys here. Just give me the word and I'll head up top with anyone who wants to come along."

 

"Good to hear. I'll let you know when we're ready for that. We still need to alert the citizens of Midgar about it. Until then you and your men can take a rest. I'm sure you've worked hard this morning. I appreciate your help," Reeve shook Randy's hand once more.

 

Randy stood speechless as he looked at his hand and then gave a quick salute before excitedly stuttering, "I . . . I won't let you down . . . sir!"

 

Reeve watched the door close behind Randy as he turned towards Eric and Chris with a look of confusion on his face.

 

"Do you guys think I'm really that famous?"

 

"Well, you are the President now," Eric said as if Reeve's question was rhetorical.

 

"Yeah, but I don't feel like it."

 

"Speaking of being the President, I wanted to mention to you that the Presidential offices in Junon have been set up and if you want, you can leave with the Manifest in the morning to relocate there," Chris added.

 

"I don't think I could leave Midgar in the state it's in right now. I know that we just restocked our supplies, but I don't think I can leave this people here in danger while I am flown safely away to Junon."

 

"I understand, but I think it's best for your safety and to run the company," Chris pleaded.

 

"I agree. Also, the Manifest won't be leaving until tomorrow morning so if you decide to change your mind, you can still leave," Eric said.

 

"I'll think about it," Reeve said half-heartedly as he tried not to think about leaving to Junon.

 

Reeve didn't think he should leave and escape to safety when he knew that there were many citizens here who couldn't leave even if they wanted to. He felt partly to blame for Meteor falling on Midgar. He was there with AVALANCHE and ShinRa when Sephiroth stole the black materia and cast it. He could have done something to prevent Meteor from ever becoming a threat, but he hadn't. It was now his penance to stay with these people until every last one of them was free and he wasn't going to leave unless he was the last one to leave.

 

* * *

 

Thomas and Pete watched as the small dot on the horizon slowly grew into the bustling city of Kalm. The city limits had grown considerably in order to accommodate the vast number of refuges surrounding the city. Normally the refugee camp would be filled with people milling in and out of the tents, but everyone seemed to be gathered in Kalm's town square.

 

The pair quickly made their way inside the city despite the pain in their legs and the dry itching in their throats for water. A large crowd of people were gathered around a wooden stage that held several men and a very large red dog. Thomas and Pete could hear the whispers of everyone in the crowd asking if those men were AVALANCHE and why they called a huge town meeting.

 

Thomas smiled because he knew the reason for this meeting. He was glad to see that he wouldn't have to search the entire city to find the members Reeve said to meet. Thomas looked up to the stage and watched as two men seemed to be talking with the large dog on stage. He thought it odd for anyone to be talking to a dog, but when he noticed how one of them men looked like the poster boy for an anti-smoking campaign and the other as if he were getting ready for a war, it seemed fitting that they would talk to dogs.

 

"So that's AVALANCHE?" Pete asked with amusement.

 

"It seems like it."

 

"Oh, I just thought they would look more menacing, ya know?"

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The big black guy with the gun for an arm seems pretty intimidating, but not the one smoking," Thomas interjected.

 

"Hey, weren't there supposed to be some girls in AVALANCHE? The only girl I see up there is some nerd in a lab-coat. I thought the girls in AVALANCHE were supposed to be hot," Pete asked while peeking around to see if he could find them.

 

Thomas stared at Pete and shook his head as he tried to pretend that he didn't hear his comment. Suddenly the crowd hushed as the large black man approached the podium on the stage. Thomas was anxious as waited for the man to speak and tell everyone of the plan to free everyone in Midgar.

 

"Listen up foos! Mah name's Barret Wallace from AVALANCHE. I know dat you all probably heard we're terrorists or sumptin' like dat, but we ain't! As ya'll know, Meteor almost hit us, but Midgar's in fucked-up shape an' we need you all to work wit us and dig 'em out!"

 

"What did he say?" someone close to Thomas whispered to his friend.

 

"Hell if I know. I don't understand a single word that's coming out of his mouth."

 

Thomas sighed as he heard the two men talk and hoped that the man with the disheveled blond hair would take over. As luck would have it, the man tapped Barret on the shoulder and shook his head indicating that his speech wasn't working. Thomas and everyone else returned their attention to the stage as the new speaker was about to begin.

 

The man tapped the microphone hearing nothing and then turned the switch on as the audible whine of the microphone could be heard over the speakers.

 

"Barret you fathead, you didn't even turn the fucking mic on!" the man shouted at Barret and into the microphone for the entire crowd to hear.

 

"Hey there! How's everybody doing? My name's Cid Highwind of AVALANCHE. We're here because ShinRa had to go and fuck over the world by creating the asshole named Sephiroth and since everyone from ShinRa were a bunch of pussies, we had to go and cap Sephiroth's ass. As you fuckers probably know, Midgar's royally screwed over and we're the bitches that need to go and dig them suckers out so we need you all to haul your asses over here and do some digging."

 

Thomas couldn't believe the vulgarity he was hearing as he saw many mothers covering up the ears of their children and many men snickering at Cid's speech. A few were even starting to leave after growing disinterested in the speeches. Thomas hung his head low and knew that AVALANCHE wasn't going to be able to get as many men to help in the dig as he thought.

 

Just as some people in the crowd were starting to disperse, a loud roar echoed through the town square freezing everyone in their place. Thomas could hear a few people scream as they watched the large dog in front of the stage. To everyone's amazement and relief, the creature suddenly spoke.

 

"Citizens of Kalm, listen to me! My name is Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon and I am the last of my kind."

 

"Look mommy, the puppy can talk," a small child said over the hush of the crowd.

 

Thomas had heard Reeve talk about Nanaki, but never knew that he was a large dog-like creature.

 

"I know that many of you are just learning about what's happening and others are just hearing this for the first time, but underneath the city of Midgar are thousands of innocent civilians who are trapped underneath the rubble. I have had everything taken away from me and am now hundreds of miles away from my grandfather who is dying in Cosmo Canyon. Even though I know that I have family and friends who I should be with, I decided to fight. I didn't fight for myself though. I fought for them, to protect them. But they weren't the only ones I thought about when I was risking my life. I was also fighting for you all, for those who couldn't wield a sword or fire a gun, for those who couldn't do anything because they didn't have the power. But I did and I used it.

 

"Though we may have defeated Sephiroth and helped stop Meteor from coming down, the fight isn't over yet. I'm standing here before you because we are all still fighting, fighting to protect the ones we love and those who deserve a second chance. The citizens of Midgar are in need of your help and right now you all have the power to do something. I ask that you join us, join AVALANCHE and help us free Midgar's citizens. Someone asked why should we go out there when Midgar has done nothing for us? I asked myself the same thing before I joined AVALANCHE, but I realized that it means nothing when you think about the future of your young and the future of this planet.

 

"I protect others without question because I hope that one day when I am in need, someone will do the same for me. We're not standing here because we were ordered to or because someone paid us to. We're here because we all believe in saving the planet and proving to the world that humanity is strong and worth protecting. Don't work with us because we told you to, work with us because you feel in your heart that you want to make a difference and prove to yourself and the world that we're fighting to protect each other. If you strongly believe in this, than I ask you to lend us your strength to save the citizens of Midgar."

 

Nanaki watched as everyone in the crowd paused in awe of his speech. No sound was made as he quietly sat down and waited for the first sign that they had listened. The loud pop of a man clapping echoed through the square as Nanaki turned to see a younger man standing next to a ShinRa solider clapping for his motivational speech. Soon, other hands joined in with him as Kalm's square was filled with the thundering noise of everyone clapping and noisily asking him how they could help. AVALANCHE had been successful.

 

(continued…)