Saving Wedge

The remaining members of AVALANCHE were fighting Shinra's troops on the stairwell of the pillar. The helicopters buzzed around angrily outside of it, taking potshots through the opening in the girders.

The helicopter's loudspeaker came online. "Attention, AVALANCHE! You are surrounded! Stand down and surrender to Public Security immediately! Shinra does not negotiate with terrorists! Resist and we will use lethal ****! I repeat: Shinra does not negotiate with terrorists! Resist and we will use lethal ****!" The helicopter veered off sharply as a man with a machine gun on his arm started to fire at it with unerring accuracy.

"Got your lethal **** right here, asshole!" he yelled, watching with satisfaction as the copter limped off, smoke emerging from its rotor.

***

Tifa was panting as she made it to the pillar. The scene was hard to believe, a loud din of gunfire and screams and machinery. "Dropping a whole plate ... just like that. No. No way."

As the three made it to the pillar, the phantoms returned. Cloud drew his sword. He still didn't really know what these things even were ... just that they showed up at the most inopportune times. They delayed the three, swarming them for a dozen minutes, before abruptly leaving up the tower.

Distantly up the tower, they heard a familiar voice. "What you got!? Come on!"

"That's Daddy!" Tifa said. Just then, an explosion a dozen floors up the tower sent a large fat man in a red bandana flying. He shot a grappling hook out at the last minute to slow his descent. That, and his natural cushioning, saved him from a fatal fall.

"Wedge!" Tifa said.

"You okay?" Cloud asked, alarmed.

"Bro ... you made it," Wedge said weakly. "It's Shinra! They're trying to take out the pillar!"

"We know," Cloud said quietly.

"I have to go back—Barret and the others are still—"

"Stop! Tifa, Aerith, stay with Wedge. I'm going up."

"Okay," Tifa said slowly.

"I'm going too!" Wedge protested, his bruised body straining, "I can still fight! Biggs, he—They were shooting at me and he—"

"Wedge please. Let Cloud handle it," Tifa ordered.

"Don't worry. I'll patch him up," Aerith said. Cloud nodded, and started up the stairwell.