On the Brink

"So Jessie's dad was in there, huh?" Biggs said. Biggs and Wedge were full of pizza. Jessie had gone ahead to sneak into the warehouse. The three men would serve as a diversion to give her the time to accomplish her objective.

"Yeah," Cloud said uncomfortably.

Mako poisoning," Biggs replied. "Happened while Jessie was doing a show at the Gold Saucer. Ah, but what do you care?"

"Tell me," Cloud said. .

"Jessie always wanted to be an actress. Worked her ass off for years until finally she caught a break. Top billing. Parents were thrilled. And then… right before opening night… her dad had an accident. Collapsed from overwork… and in the worst possible, place. Mako storage. Lay there half a day before someone found him. Been like that ever since. No change whatsoever. That's what got her into planetology, and led her to seek out Avalanche. How far we've come…"

"Jessie's got a theory about it," Wedge said. "She thinks her dad's spirit is stuck. If things keep going the way they are, he'll get caught up in the flow."

"Mako's the essence of life itself," Biggs said, speaking with the assuredness of a true believer, of one of the Cosmo Canyon kooks. "Of memory and hope. It's not something you burn in a reactor just to keep the lights on. Hell no. Oh—don't tell Jessie about this little chat, okay? When she gets pissed, she gets punchy."

"No promises," Cloud said, smirking.

"He's serious, Cloud! She'll beat the shit out of us!" The three shared a grim chuckle.

They approached the gate, and immediately went on alert. The guards were dead.

"Shit," Biggs said. "Things are already compromised, but we stick to the plan. Cloud, cut loose where everyone can see you. Wedge, let's get up high and provide cover fire."

***

Visions of the past were always disorienting, and never convenient. He was back in Nibelheim. With Tifa. It was that night. He was sixteen.

"Hey," Tifa said. She was wearing a cute skirt, and looking a little uncertain. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"When spring comes," Cloud said, rocking back and forth nervously, "I'm leaving town and going to Midgar."

"All the guys are," Tifa said.

"But I'm not like the rest ... I'm not going for just work. I want to join SOLDIER, like Sephiroth."

"The great war hero, huh?" Tifa said, looking skeptical, but so adorable as well. "Isn't it pretty hard to get into SOLDIER?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, temporizing," So ... I won't be back for a long time."

"Guess not. Think you'll be in the papers?" She hesitated too, thinking. "Just… promise me one thing. When we're older, and you're a famous SOLDIER… if I'm ever trapped or in trouble… Promise you'll come and save me."

"Huh?" Cloud murmured, confused.

"That's what heroes do. They save people. Please? Just once. Come on, promise me!"

"Fine," Cloud said. It was a throwaway promise anyhow, he thought.

***

A flare shot into the air. That was the signal. Cloud marched into the spotlights, removing his Buster sword.

It was a bloodbath. Low-level security guards had no chance in the presence of an operator like Cloud, combined with the sniper fire from Wedge and Biggs. The security guards melted under the combined onslaught, and Wedge was coming down for more ammo when a gate opened, and several guard dogs ran into the lot. Wedge looked supremely confident. This was going to be a disaster.

"I've got this, Cloud!" he said exuberantly. "C'mon pups. Catch me if you can! Tasty treats! Come and get 'em!"

He started running, and the dogs quickly outpaced them. He yelped as the dogs sank their teeth into his large posterior. He screamed, as they tore a large hole in his pants. To Cloud's surprise, Wedge's cock was huge, hanging halfway down his thigh. He was distracted momentarily, taking out the dogs.

"Owww ... thanks Cloud," Wedge moaned.

The next obstacles were mechs, but Biggs managed to find some bombs in the ammo bag. But they were running low on ammo, and Cloud's magic points were quickly running on empty. If this kept up, the blows would be for real with the Protect magic completely expended.

"God damn it!" Cloud shouted. "Let's go!"

The three retreated towards the gate. They'd given Jessie all the time they could. And then, improbably, a deus ex machina. Masked men, heavily armed.

"Friendly, friendly!" the leader said. "Stand down! Your team shouldn't be here!"

"Glad yours is," Wedge said, his pants now completely gone, his cock hanging down like an elephant's trunk.

"C'mon," Biggs said, hustling them out. "Let's get out of here before they start asking questions."

"Who are they?" Cloud asked, as they escaped the **** compound, machine gun fire still being exchanged in the distance.

First guests to the party," Biggs said. Ah, Cloud thought. Rivals. "Another Avalanche cell. Our holier-than-thou friends from the old guard… It's always their way or the highway. Lately they've been a real pain in the ass… Till now."

"So then why are they here?"

"Beats me. We've been on the outs ever since our cell got labeled too ****… though they're the ones running around with mil-spec gear. Word is they've cut a deal with Wutai… Promised 'em all the materia in Midgar, apparently. Think there's any truth to that? Ah, who cares. Sometimes I think we're the only ones who've realized the war is over. Okay, mission complete. Let's find Jessie and exfil."