Going Down

Barret, Aerith and Red were riding the external elevator down when a huge explosion racked the building. Barret furrowed his brow. Tifa ...

"Gotta believe they made it out," he said. But ... "Screw it—we gotta go back!"

"Too late," Red said, nodding at the next elevator, which had a giant robot on it, armed with multiple guns. Barret gaped at it.

"Get down!"

***

Wedge snuck through the hallway of the 64th floor as best he was able. At least he'd found some donuts in that last office, he thought brightly. He heard an explosion.

"We're cool. Everything's cool," Wedge told himself. Then he saw the two elevators screaming down, sparks and smoke flying out as Barret and the others went past, with a robot attacking from the other platform. Barret? He looked around, thinking. What to do, what to do ... and then the whispers appeared.

"Not again!" Wedge said, as a powerful gust of wind enveloped him. He tried to fight through it. "You can't stop me! For Biggs... For Jessie… Tifa… and Barret too!" But it was too much, and the wind pushed him towards the void in the window. "I'm sorry, Cloud… Just… tell me that—that I made a difference…"

***

They were somehow still alive, leaping off just before the elevator crashed into the bottom floor. Unfortunately, the robot was still intact too. It was a beast built to destroy, beset by guns and heavier arms. The three hid behind a pillar.

"Get ready," Red said.

"I was born ready, Red. Plus I got a fuckin' microlaser."

The microlaser was indeed their saving grace. Despite the overwhelming **** pitted against them, the overpowered weapon adroitly carved up the metallic beast, though leaving the three heroes singed.

"Good to be alive," Barret said, panting.

"Quite," Red agreed. "But we could still die tonight. Cloud and Tifa might already be."

"The hell they are."

"then we need to find a way to escape and quickly," Red said, and Barret had to agree. They'd already overstayed their welcome. But prophetically, at that moment the lobby filled with troopers. And Heidegger.

"We have them surrounded," a trooper said. Heidegger rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I can see that. It was only a matter of time, and here we are. So then what is this ragtag group of misfits I see before me?"

"AVALANCHE!" Barret said.

"Local florist," Aerith said.

"Lab rat dog," Red sighed.

"And where are your companions? The faggot and the whore?"

"Up your ass!" Barret said belligerantly.

"Charming. Though not what I wouldn've chosen as my last words. Secure the Ancient, but feel free to kill both the idiot and the dog." Barret looked around. Even with the laser, this many troops...

"Aerith. You saved my Marlene. Now... it's time I returned the favor."

"Wait!" They heard a revving engine upstairs.