The residents of Midgar stared with undisguised horror as the enormous Mako Reactor complex swallowed itself in the blink of an eye, after which the entire Sector One plunged into impenetrable darkness. No one could understand exactly what they had just witnessed or why it had happened. But the terrifying sight of the gigantic structure being sucked into an invisible vortex was forever etched into the citizens' memories, sparking a wave of widespread panic.
Rumors and recordings of the incident spread across the entire metropolis with the speed of a wildfire. Emergency news broadcasts looped the captured footage of the multi-ton complex vanishing, leaving behind only a gaping hole in the plate that plunged all the way down to the lowest levels.
At the same time, a group of five people was making their way through the technical tunnels of Sector One that led straight to the sealed passage into Sector Eight. Hearing the deafening roar coming from above, the entire team instantly stopped, covering their heads from the cascading dust and small stones. When the rumble finally died away, the companions exchanged glances, not fully grasping the scale of what had occurred.
"That was… what I think it was, right?" Wedge asked in a nervous tone, shifting his gaze from one comrade to another in turn.
"I think so… Looks like the Mako Reactor just up and disappeared. Damn it!" Biggs replied with a slight note of doubt in his voice and immediately swore in frustration.
"What's got you so upset, Biggs?" Jessie inquired, noticing how his face had darkened.
"I wanted to see with my own eyes how our new friend's bomb would work! He was going on about how the whole plant would shrink down to a single point… We absolutely had to see that!" Biggs answered with exaggerated drama, feeling a genuine, almost childlike curiosity about the fate of the Shinra facility.
"Hmm… It doesn't matter anymore. The main thing is we've achieved our goal. All that's left is to wait for their group. If they haven't been grabbed, of course," Barret said with a cold smirk, experiencing a deep sense of triumph at having delivered the first crushing blow to Shinra.
"They weren't caught. They're close," Claudia interjected. With her usual impassive expression she leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest, completely confident in her allies.
After Claudia's words, the sounds of rapid footsteps echoed through the quiet tunnel, followed by a ringing, cheerful laugh. A moment later Alex burst around the corner with Aerith calmly perched on his back, and Dean. Satisfied smiles played across the guys' faces as they continued laughing as they walked.
Spotting the trio's appearance, Jessie waved her hand happily and, meeting Alex's eyes, pointed to the bag lying at her feet. Biggs and Wedge also broke into relieved smiles, finally convinced that everything was fine with their new acquaintances' group. Even Barret perked up a little, feeling sincere relief.
After all, despite the fact that from the very first minute of their meeting he and Alex had kept clashing over their polar opposite views on life and methods of fighting, the leader of Avalanche genuinely worried about those who shared his drive to save the Planet.
Claudia allowed herself only the briefest of smiles upon confirming that Alex was all right. For a second it seemed to her that he strongly reminded her of someone from the distant past — in his manner of speaking, the way he carried himself around people, and how easily he drew genuine laughter from those he had only just met.
In that same second Claudia once again felt a sharp, piercing flash of headache as strange, tangled memories began flickering before her eyes like a kaleidoscope. Pressing her palm to her temple, she gave her head a slight shake, trying to brush the attack away. When the pain subsided, Claudia restored her usual cold expression and straightened up.
"You took your time. We agreed to meet here BEFORE the destruction of the Mako Reactor, not after," Claudia said dryly, folding her arms and staring sternly at the approaching trio.
"Something came up…" Alex replied with a light smile, not missing Claudia's latest flash of headache.
"And what held you up so long, kid?" Barret inquired, frowning slightly and slipping back into his customary stern tone.
"We just wanted to leave, but they staged a full-on raid on us. Had to improvise on the fly," Dean answered carelessly, as if he were talking about an ordinary stroll.
"A raid?! And… and how did you get out?" Wedge asked worriedly, genuinely concerned for his new friends.
"Had to activate the bomb a little ahead of schedule… And another reason we were a bit delayed — Aerith really wanted to plant a solid kick right in the Turks' leader's balls," Alex said with a laugh, pointing a finger at Aerith, who was still hanging on his back.
"She hit the Turks' leader… in the balls?! Her?!" Biggs repeated in astonishment, pointing with wide eyes at Aerith, who looked like just about the most harmless person in all of Midgar.
"And isn't the Turks' leader Tseng? They say he's the most dangerous and cold-blooded of them… Aerith, how did you even manage that?!" Jessie exclaimed admiringly, staring at her new friend with undisguised delight.
"I just went and did it! And besides… he started it!" Aerith answered in a completely innocent tone. Squinting slightly, she wrinkled her nose cutely and nimbly slid off Alex's back to continue on her own two feet.
"HA-HA-HA-HA! Damn, kiddo! I really hope that was one hell of a juicy hit! You're something else!" Barret roared with laughter, genuinely amused by what he'd heard and proudly giving Aerith a big thumbs-up.
The Avalanche trio headed by Barret was burning with curiosity, dying to hear the juiciest details of how the Turks' leader had received a crushing blow to the balls. Being incredibly sociable, Aerith launched into the brightest and most vivid account of exactly how she had kicked Tseng, even demonstrating the trajectory of the strike while they continued moving through the technical tunnel toward Sector Eight.
Alex and Dean followed the group a little behind, meanwhile thinking about where they could change clothes so as not to attract unnecessary attention on the streets of the Upper City. This especially concerned Alex and Aerith, whose bright outfits after the show differed radically from the strict black suits they had originally arrived in. The people around them, of course, couldn't help but notice. However, Aerith herself promptly took on the role of "press secretary," briskly explaining to their companions that their new outfits were simply part of the stage image for the performance at the Mako Reactor.
Claudia, for her part, walked calmly at the very rear of the group, never taking her intent gaze off Alex's back. Sensing that studying stare between his shoulder blades, Alex turned and tilted his head slightly, meeting Claudia's eyes. All he received in return was Claudia's customary cold expression; she merely lifted her chin the slightest bit with a silent question: "What do you want?" Compressing his lips at such an imperturbable gesture, Alex shook his head and continued on his way.
"Jessie, were you able to find a lot of the things from that list I gave you?" Alex asked, taking a couple of steps forward and drawing level with the girl walking beside Aerith.
"Not all that much, actually. A couple of electronic components, schematics, and various little odds and ends… But you still haven't admitted what you need all this for," Jessie answered with a light sigh, opening the bag and showing the finds from the lower levels.
"Some of the parts are for a future reactor… And the second part is a gift for this big guy here," Alex replied with a smile, nodding toward Barret.
"A reactor? Is that by any chance the thing Aerith was talking about? The one that supposedly doesn't use Mako at all to generate energy?" Biggs inquired, slowing slightly and looking back over his shoulder.
"That's right. One such reactor would be more than enough to supply light to an entire sector of the slums… And it does absolutely no harm to the environment," Alex confirmed with a smile, taking the bag from Jessie's hands and quickly checking its contents.
"Sounds pretty cool… I'd love to see that reactor when you put it together! And what's the gift for our stern leader?" Wedge asked enthusiastically, glancing at the frowning Barret.
"Just an ordinary gift… So a certain someone can properly hug his daughter without pressing a multi-barreled machine gun against her instead of an arm," Alex said in a thoughtful tone, not missing the chance to needle the giant.
"Very funny, kid! This little lady has saved my hide more than once. And I'm not about to trade her in for some useless junk you've dreamed up. As long as my little Angel is safe, I'm ready to turn my own legs into guns if I have to!" Barret snorted, proudly patting his machine-gun prosthesis and once again making it clear what he was prepared to do to protect Marlene.
Hearing Barret's boastful words, Alex barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes all the way to the ceiling. He knew perfectly well: the moment he showed the high-tech cyber-prosthesis he planned to assemble, the big guy would throw his gun-arm on the scrap heap without a second thought and start yelling for the operation to be performed as soon as possible.
After thinking it over, Alex concluded that if he sacrificed a few hours of sleep tonight, by tomorrow morning the brand-new prosthesis for Barret would be completely ready. He nodded to himself and decided to do exactly that — after all, all the necessary rare components and tools were already in his spatial inventory. And to any questions about where he had obtained everything, he would simply answer out of habit that he had taken a nighttime stroll through the Black Market.
Continuing to lay plans for the near future, Alex didn't even notice the group approaching the massive metal doors blocking the direct passage into Sector Eight. Coming to at the very last moment, Alex saw to his horror that Jessie was already packing plastic explosive, preparing to blow the steel leaves to hell. Before Jessie could set the detonation timer, Alex jumped over to her and gave her a couple of solid smacks on the palms, as if she were a naughty child.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Jessie exclaimed resentfully, rubbing her hands, which had turned red from the blows.
"That's what I should be asking you! Who in their right mind blows up hermetic doors in a narrow enclosed tunnel?! Do you want us all to get buried here?!" Alex answered with feigned irritation, then playfully flicked Jessie a couple of times on the forehead for her blatant stupidity.
"Stop hitting me! I just want to open the way for us! What's wrong with that?!" Jessie shouted and began actively fighting back, swinging her little fists and trying to land retaliatory "blows" on Alex.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm such a bad guy… I could have just said it in words instead of hitting your hands, I know, I know… All right, now I'm going to give you and the others a short lesson in practical chemistry. I'll show you how to make thermite in field conditions so we can quietly burn through these thick steel doors without any noise," Alex said with a smile, catching Jessie's wrists so she would stop attacking.
"You're going to mix thermite right here in this tunnel?! Seriously? Maybe we should just blow it up after all? Or you three, being former SOLDIER, can just kick the doors in with your feet?" Biggs inquired with obvious doubt, having no desire whatsoever to participate in creating such dangerous pyrotechnics in a confined space.
The moment Biggs voiced his concerns about the thermite, Wedge began nodding his head vigorously. After Alex's short lecture on the risks of detonation in a tight space, Wedge was seized by a full-blown panic fear of any kind of explosives and thermal mixtures in enclosed tunnels.
Barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes yet again, Alex looked at Dean and indicated the locked passage with a slight nod. Dean merely shrugged carelessly and sauntered over to the obstacle. Grabbing the edges of the massive steel leaves, they pulled simultaneously — and with a deafening crack ripped the entire metal frame out along with solid chunks of the concrete wall.
Seeing how the Alex and Dean had literally torn out the hermetic door through pure physical strength, Wedge and Biggs dropped their jaws in amazement — they had never seen anything like it. Aerith and Jessie, on the contrary, clapped their hands joyfully, enthusiastically appreciating the display of power. Claudia calmly lowered her gaze to her own palms, mentally noting that if she went all-out, she could probably pull off something similar… though nowhere near as easily as Alex and Dean had done it.
Having cleared the way, Alex and Dean tossed the mangled structure aside and let the group go first, entering last into the spacious warehouse hangar. Looking around, Alex spotted a small service utility room and, patting Aerith on the shoulder, pointed her toward the door. Instantly understanding the idea, Aerith nodded — although, to be honest, she still desperately wanted to walk around the city in her stage costume.
"You can wait for us outside or go on ahead. Either way, we'll meet at the train station," Alex said, taking the familiar set of clothes for Aerith out of the sports bag.
"We'll wait outside. Just no long fashion shows — change quickly," Barret announced his decision before leading the others toward the hangar exit.
Alex waved a hand to indicate that they would change quickly and be out on the street. Taking her things, Aerith shot into the utility room like a bullet. A couple of minutes later she emerged in her usual, familiar look — pink dress, red jacket, and boots — carefully holding the stage costume in her hands. By this time Alex and Dean had also swapped their bright outfits for everyday clothes.
Taking the costume from Aerith's hands, Alex threw it into an empty metal barrel without a second thought and immediately struck a lighter. Seeing what he was doing, Aerith's eyes widened in horror and she tried to put out the flaring flames. Catching her hands, Alex patiently began explaining that appearing in such clothes in the future would definitely bring a mountain of problems down on them.
But Aerith still pouted resentfully, muttering that she had sincerely wanted to keep these things as a memento — a symbol of her first truly exciting adventure. Sighing heavily, Alex affectionately stroked her head and promised that next time they would come up with an even better option, and a complete recording of this performance in perfect quality was already stored with Navi, who was right now hovering above them in stealth mode.
Hearing such arguments, Aerith squinted slightly but still shook her head, reluctantly agreeing with his logic. Taking Aerith by the hand, Alex led her outside, where the others were waiting. Emerging from the hangar, they began looking around for the group. Dean silently pointed a finger toward the display window of an appliance store: Barret's entire group was clustered in front of the televisions with frozen faces.
Coming closer and standing behind the group, Alex, Aerith, and Dean saw an emergency news broadcast. The anchor was enthusiastically recounting the recent performance by a mysterious gang and the completely inexplicable phenomenon of the enormous Mako Reactor evaporating.
"Holy shit… So that's how it really was! You guys… actually sang and danced?! And the WHOLE of Midgar saw it?!" Biggs exhaled in shock, unable to tear his eyes from the screen behind the glass.
"I warned you right from the start that I was going to put on a concert there. What's the big deal?" Alex replied carelessly, giving a slight shrug.
"But you didn't warn us that it would be played on every channel! I thought it was just a trick to distract the Grunts… Wow!" Jessie whispered in admiration, watching the replay of their performance in fascination.
"Heh, Hero of Justice, huh… Didn't think you'd be into that kind of nonsense, man," Barret said with a smirk, turning to Dean and giving him a light shove on the shoulder.
"And why not? Sometimes it's useful to lighten the mood and have a good time! You could try it yourself, make your little Angel happy — run around in front of her in a cape!" Dean retorted with a broad grin, playfully shoving the big guy back.
Hearing Dean's words, Barret for a brief moment vividly pictured the scene: himself running around in a long, bright-red cape, posing as a noble "Hero of Justice," while his little angel Marlene watched him with undisguised delight frozen in her eyes. Thinking about it, Barret nodded to himself with a satisfied smirk, deciding that he probably ought to play such a game with his daughter sometime.
The main thing was that this embarrassment should never, ever be seen by anyone else. While the others continued to watch the report in fascination, Alex leaned against the wall next to Claudia and unhurriedly lit a thin cigar. Noticing the wisp of smoke in front of her face, Claudia waved her palm slightly to disperse it and gave Alex a stern look. In response to her irritated gaze Alex merely shrugged innocently and continued smoking, for his special cigars and cigarettes didn't emit any acrid smoky smell at all, leaving behind only a light, pleasant tobacco aftertaste.
After standing a little longer in front of the television screen, Alex suggested splitting up, since walking to the train station in such a large group was foolish — it would attract unnecessary attention. There was no need to spell out the reasons, because right now reinforced patrols of Shinra guards were roaming the streets of Sector Eight, stopping and questioning every random passerby.
Seeing how briskly the patrols were operating, the group immediately agreed to disperse. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge slipped into a dark alley as a trio, counting on reaching the destination through back yards. Dean and Barret decided to move as a pair, skillfully posing as two old buddies who had gone out for a late-evening drink at a bar. In the end only Alex, Aerith, and Claudia with her customary cold mask remained by the store window.
"Let's go. And let's hope your giant sword doesn't attract any extra attention from the Grunts," Alex said, beckoning the girls to follow him.
"Hm. No need to worry about me. If they stop us — I'll deal with them myself, and you can calmly go on ahead," Claudia replied with a slight smirk, walking side by side with him.
"I don't doubt you for a second, Chica! I'm sure you know how to handle that big thing on your back just fine," Alex answered with a smile and winked at her, for which he immediately received an icy, thoroughly irritated look from Claudia.
"Maybe we should stop by some little shop on the way? So we definitely don't look suspicious! We can pretend we're just out for a walk," Aerith suggested cheerfully, happily linking arms with Alex and walking beside him, bouncing slightly in time with her steps.
"Another time, Aerith. At this hour all the shops have been closed for ages," Alex replied with a soft chuckle, pointing a finger at the dark display windows of the locked premises.
Noticing that all the shops really were already closed, Aerith sighed heavily. She had so sincerely wanted to stroll through the bright shops in Alex's company! After all, these places were thoroughly familiar to her — Aerith regularly came up to Sector Eight of the plate to sell her fresh flowers to the citizens. Continuing to act casual, as if they were simply enjoying a nighttime walk, the trio skillfully maneuvered between the streets, avoiding encounters with the Grunt patrols.
Shinra's security forces were currently on high alert, searching specifically for Alex, Aerith, and Dean after their bold escape right from under Tseng's nose. Spotting another squad ahead at the corner, Claudia lightly bumped Alex's shoulder and carefully nodded forward. Seeing how the Grunts were roughly interrogating a young couple, Alex decided not to risk it and turned toward the observation deck.
Climbing the stone steps, they watched the Grunts' movements from above. Waiting until the patrol disappeared around the bend, Alex, Aerith, and Claudia calmly walked along the observation balcony and descended on the opposite side. Continuing their unhurried stroll, Alex habitually glanced around, once again noting to himself that the Upper City differed little from the familiar landscapes of modern megacities — the same neon signs, asphalt, and cold concrete.
Walking literally a step behind Alex and Aerith, Claudia once again felt a wave of sharp headache rolling over her. And right through that piercing haze she suddenly made out a painfully familiar female silhouette turning into a dark alley a little farther down the street.
"How?.. This… this simply can't be… But then…" Claudia whispered in shock, clutching her temples from a new surge of pain and not taking her stunned gaze off the phantom from her past that had appeared.
Seeing that familiar, frightening silhouette once more, Claudia deliberately turned after it into the dark alley, despite the headache that had surged with renewed force. The farther she went into the narrow passage, the more piercing the flashes in her temples became, and the more the world before her eyes swam — it seemed she was about to lose consciousness. Bracing one hand against the cold stone wall and clutching her splitting temples with the other, Claudia stubbornly moved forward.
Suddenly the surrounding landscape began to distort: tongues of mad flame flared up along the walls, and the air instantly filled with thick, acrid smoke. This horrific picture felt painfully familiar — like a living memory from a deeply buried past that was struggling with all its might to break free.
Reaching the end of the burning alley, Claudia saw a female silhouette standing with her back turned, with long, dazzlingly silver hair. Overcoming her weakness, Claudia climbed the stone steps and stopped literally a couple of paces from the stranger. When the woman slowly turned her head, Claudia once again saw that horrifyingly familiar, icy face with an arrogant smile and phosphorescent green eyes with vertical pupils.
"This can't be… You're not real… You're… You're dead!" Claudia exhaled with enormous effort, pressing her palm to her temple and trying to focus her clouding vision.
"Me? Dead?" Sephira asked with a light, almost carefree intonation, continuing to look at Claudia with a cheerful, mocking squint.
"I killed you with my own hands… I remember with my own eyes how you fell!" Claudia said, breathing heavily and pointing a trembling finger at Sephira.
"Oh, you needn't remind me. That was our unforgettable climactic moment… But all of that was then, and you and I are here and now," Sephira replied, maintaining the same light tone, and took a smooth step toward Claudia, who immediately recoiled and convulsively seized the hilt of the Buster Sword.
"What… what does all this mean?!" Claudia exhaled, struggling to keep her eyes open and tensely gripping the hilt of her weapon.
"Who knows… But I have a little request for you. Our Planet is dying… Slowly. Helplessly. Painfully. Are you really just going to stand by and watch its suffering… Claudia?" Sephira began speaking with a tender, almost caring smile, taking another step toward her victim and softly extending her hands in her direction.
After these words Claudia's headache flared with a new, truly unbearable force. Her legs gave way, and she could no longer stay on her feet. In that same instant a nightmarish picture of her native Nibelheim, engulfed in all-consuming flame, appeared before her eyes, and frames of her own burning home flashed through her consciousness in a frenzied kaleidoscope.
Desperately reaching a hand toward the blazing building, Claudia continued to hear Sephira's enveloping voice, which echoed quietly right from the deepest depths of her subconscious. Yielding to the impulse, at the very last moment Claudia somehow jerked her palm back and tightly clenched her fingers into a fist. In that same second the vision of the flaming ruins dissolved. Now Sephira herself towered over her, extending a hand with a tender smile.
Overcoming the wild ringing in her ears, Claudia realized in time that she had almost seized that hand. Somehow bracing herself against the ground, she forcefully swatted Sephira's hand away, categorically refusing to accept any of her conditions. Receiving such a sharp rebuff, Sephira didn't even flinch. She merely continued to smile serenely — as if she were absolutely certain that sooner or later Claudia would surrender anyway.
"It's all right… Sooner or later you'll accept my proposal. And for now… run, Claudia. Run," Sephira said in a tender, almost lulling tone, leaning forward slightly and looking Claudia straight in the eyes.
"I will never… agree. No matter what you whisper," Claudia forced out, struggling to her feet and convulsively straightening her back.
"We'll see, Claudia. After all, the ending is already decided," Sephira said with a light intonation, bestowing a caressing look on Claudia, as if everything would be exactly as she said.
"Oh, just shut up already! Fuck fate. And you can go right along with it!" Alex's loud, irritated voice suddenly rang out from the depths of the dark alley.
Hearing Alex's familiar voice, Claudia turned her head with difficulty and saw him at the beginning of the alley — with the face of a man whose mood had just been thoroughly ruined. Sephira merely raised an eyebrow slightly, astonished that someone else besides Claudia was capable of seeing her. However, that confusion lasted only a brief moment until their gazes met.
Looking at Sephira, Alex could not deny that she was insanely beautiful. But right now her beauty didn't concern him in the slightest because of the wave of dull irritation that had washed over him. Flicking the smoldering cigarette aside, Alex took a step forward and instantly found himself right in front of Claudia, completely blocking her view of Sephira. A tender smile spread across Sephira's face — as if she had seen something far more interesting than the exhausted Claudia.
In response to that smile Alex smiled just as softly and without further words delivered a powerful kick straight to her chest. Taking the blow, Sephira flew backward and smashed through the stone wall with a crack. However, a moment later it was not Sephira who emerged from the breach, but a Grey Whisperer whose incorporeal torso was riddled with strange cracks, as if at any moment it could turn into a handful of dust.
"Interesting… It seems someone else has appeared who yearns to oppose Fate itself… This will be truly fascinating," the same tender voice of Sephira sounded from beneath the Grey Whisperer's hood.
"Oh, get lost already. This is my chica, and only I have the right to get on her nerves. And you, whoever you are — shoo-shoo from here," Alex waved her away in a completely lazy tone, demonstrating with his entire demeanor his disregard for Sephira's authority.
"I'm… not a chica…" Claudia exhaled through clenched teeth, still trying to get to her feet.
"We'll see how long you can protect them from what is preordained…" Sephira whispered her final words before the Grey Whisperer completely crumbled into sand.
Rolling his eyes at Sephira's pompous villainous phrases, Alex turned to Claudia, who was still suffering from a severe headache. Sighing heavily, he helped her up, habitually slinging her arm over his shoulder. Despite her sharp reluctance to depend on anyone, Claudia still leaned on the guy, accepting help in such a lousy moment.
At least this situation had made one thing clear to her: she was not going crazy, and someone else besides herself could see that damned Sephira. Walking a little farther along the passage, Alex met Aerith's worried gaze. In response to her anxiety he merely smirked and confidently raised a thumb, showing that everything was under control. At the mere sight of that gesture Aerith gave a quiet laugh, and all her fear from Sephira's sudden appearance instantly evaporated.
Skipping closer, Aerith took position on the other side and also offered Claudia her shoulder. Feeling such overprotectiveness, Claudia began quietly grumbling under her breath that she was not that weak, she needed no help, and she was perfectly capable of walking on her own.
Ignoring Claudia's grumbling, they reached the exit from the alley. But the moment they stepped out onto the open street, another irritated sigh escaped Alex. And the reason for his anger was an impressive squad of Shinra Grunts whom the Grey Whisperers had carefully led here. Seeing the ambush, Claudia immediately gently pushed Aerith away and reached for the hilt of the Buster Sword.
"We'll fight another time… You two get out of here for now, and I'll hold them off. Meet at the station," Alex said, stopping Claudia and shielding both girls with his body.
"I'll help. I've fought in far worse conditions," Claudia forced out, continuing to reach for the giant blade on her back.
"I believe you, I believe you… Aerith, get her out of here before she starts swinging that sword around," Alex said with a smile, giving Claudia a light flick on the forehead, and turned to her helper.
"All right… Just be careful. We'll meet at the station!" Aerith replied, leading the stubborn Claudia back into the darkness of the passage.
Watching Aerith lead the stubborn Claudia away, Alex turned to the Shinra Grunts, who continued shouting demands to surrender over one another. Noticing that the captain was about to send a couple of subordinates into the alley after Aerith and Claudia, Alex unhurriedly placed a hand behind his back. The moment the fighters took a couple of steps toward the passage, Alex in a lightning-fast motion drew a hidden blade of hell-steel and delivered several quick strikes.
In that same second the guards heading after Aerith and Claudia collapsed to their knees, dropping their automatic rifles onto the asphalt with a clatter. The shocked captain's gaze darted to his subordinates and he made out the neat deep cuts on their limbs. Alex merely lazily spun the karambit on his index finger, carelessly playing with the weapon in his hands.
Alex had no intention of killing anyone, but that by no means meant he would deny himself the pleasure of maiming enemies — and the simplest and most effective way to immobilize an opponent remained the precise severing of tendons.
Right now Alex couldn't care less about the root cause of this raid — whether it was the Grey Whisperers' sabotage or the Shinra troops coming to avenge the fact that he had recently twice beaten Reno and Rude with his face uncovered.
"Well, what are we standing around for, twiddling our thumbs? Are we going to fight or just stare at each other?" Alex said in a cheerful tone, once again deftly spinning the karambit.
"Open fire!" the Grunts' captain suddenly shouted, being the first to aim the barrel of his automatic rifle straight at Alex.
Along with his cry the Grunts' captain opened a withering barrage of fire directly at Alex. At that moment the officer couldn't care less about the Turks' clear order to capture the target alive — his sole goal became the desire to stop at any cost the monster capable of cutting down the entire squad in a couple of seconds. Following their commander, the rest of the Grunts also squeezed their triggers.
In that same second the street filled with the roar of automatic bursts, and the rare random passersby scattered in horror, fleeing the ricochets. However, while the shooting thundered, none of the Shinra soldiers even noticed that Alex had long since vanished from his previous spot. When the dry clicks signaling empty magazines rang out, the guards frantically began reloading their weapons.
And in that same instant the first scream of sharp pain erupted from the depths of the formation, immediately followed by a second. Turning their heads, the Grunts saw in horror that Alex was already operating right among them, with precise movements severing the tendons in the arms and legs of several more fighters.
Realizing he had been spotted, Alex merely grinned broadly. Catching the next attacker by the arm, Alex met his gaze for a second, looked the Grunt straight in the eyes hidden beneath the helmet, and delivered a couple of lightning-fast strokes. Having neutralized one more, Alex instantly switched to the others. Within a couple of moments the entire street was littered with sprawled guards who were helplessly writhing in pain in pools of their own blood.
As for Alex himself, he was lazily perched right on the back of the defeated captain and unhurriedly smoking a thin cigar. Deciding that the fun was over, Alex exhaled a stream of smoke and calmly extinguished the butt on the officer's helmet. Lazily stretching, he rose to his feet, preparing at last to head for the train station.
"You had yourself a nice little time here, SOLDIER boy. Who would've thought you'd take care of them so fast," Reno's familiar snide voice sounded from behind.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Alex groaned with deep weariness upon hearing that irritating voice behind him.
To be continued...
(So Sephira has appeared. I was thinking of making her appear even earlier, maybe back in the Mako Reactor, or when Alex was leaving the Reactor and accidentally saw her. Why did he hit her? Well, because it wasn't Sephira anyway, so what difference does it make. As for my plans for Sephira, well, heh. It's too early to talk about that. Anyway, let's move on, and it's time for me to eat. Peace, love, and you can't change what's destined. It can, because I'm Kung Fu Panda.)
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