The train hurtled through the murky darkness that hung over Midgar like a shroud. Barret Wallace glanced around at the other members of Avalanche standing around him, preparing for the assault on the mako reactor. They were all nervous. Despite all Avalanche's principles and their vocal protests against Shin Ra, this was to be their first act of actual terrorism.

      Barret glanced towards Jessie. She caught his glance and smiled nervously. Barret couldn't see how she could be so calm. Her backpack contained the bomb. Not that powerful, just enough to put their target out of action. It would give the Planet a little more time.

      The others were there primarily as strength. But they all shared the belief that what they were doing was right and this was the only way to get the results they strived for.

      The train began slowing. Barret glanced out of the window at the towering bulk of Shin Ra Reactor 1.

"Okay. You guys ready?"

The others nodded.

"Right. As soon as the train pulls in we go for the guards. They sure as hell know we ain't supposed to be here"

The train continued to slow.

As it stopped Barret wrenched the door open, leaping side ways firing from the gun grafted instead of his right hand. The guards didn't have time to react as the bullets tore through their bodies.

      Springing to his feet, he signalled the others. They moved quickly and carefully. Barret looked on pleased. He had trained them as best as he could.

      They met up at the main gate.

      "Hurry it up! We ain't got that long"

      "Alright, alright" snapped Jessie, punching in the code.

Barret glanced at his watch. So far only 2 minutes. He just hoped there wouldn't be too many guards inside.

      There was a beep and the massive door slowly slid aside.

      "Alright! Go!"

      Avalanche had infiltrated the reactor.

      The reactor was dimly lit. Good, thought Barret, it'll make us harder to spot. They quickly reached a second coded door. This time Biggs stepped forward to type the code. Again the door opened.

      The success started to neutralise the previous nervousness.

      "I can't believe we really going through with this,” said Wedge.

      "Believe it,” said Barret "It took enough preparation. I just hope this bomb works"

      "It'll work,” insisted Jessie.

      The group approached the catwalks that separated the mako reactor from the rest of the upper plate.

      "Wedge"

      Wedge nodded and ran to the opposite catwalk. Their escape route secure, Barret lead the rest to the elevator and down towards the reactor core.

      Biggs took up position outside the door once the elevator reached the lowest level. Jessie and Barret continued further. The catwalks gradually disappeared, replaced with ladders leading down towards the glowing mako pit over which they were suspended.

      Barret nodded to Jessie who unslung her backpack. She handed it to Barret and watched as he clambered down the ladder.

      Barret glanced around, slightly nervous. This had gone far better then he expected. The sooner the job was done the more life the planet would have. The ladder ended in a final catwalk suspended about 10 metres above the mako pit. Barret walked along carefully, trying not to slip in the leaking coolant. As he reached the core, he opened the pack and retrieved the bomb. Flicking the switches he set he time: 10 minutes. As he attached it to the reactor cover, there was a faint metallic clang far above in the darkness.

      "Jessie? That you?"

      No reply.

      Hurrying now, Barret locked the bomb in position and activated it. An alarm went off. Barret looked around panicked. There was a larger clang from above him. Then there was a flash of something metallic rushing towards him and the impression of size.

      The Scorpion guard hit the gantry with a metallic clang, almost causing Barret to fall. Barret was shocked but only for a moment. Checking his gun arm, he fell into his fighting stance and fired. The bullets alternatively ricochet off the armour or hit some of the more sensitive unguarded parts of the mechanism.

      The machine was unfazed, and projected a bright beam over Barret. Satisfied with the results it opened up with its twin machine guns. Barret leap desperately to the side, barely evading the stream of bullets.

      One thing was for sure, he couldn't take this thing down himself, his bullets couldn't penetrate the armour. Time for something else...

      Leaping up he ran straight towards the Scorpion. Just before he reached it, Barret let his feet slip out from under him. His momentum and the coolant kept him moving as the fell to the floor. As he slid under the Scorpion he fired at point blank range tearing holes through the armour.

      As he slid out from under the Scorpion, Barret grabbed one of the handrails on the catwalk. He turned, dismayed to see that the machine was still operational, but was less of a threat now due to it's inability to turn.

      Barret wasn't about to give it that opportunity. Quickly reloading his gun, he fired point blank at the supports for the section of the catwalk that the Scorpion was on.

      The plan worked. The weight of the machine pulled the rest of the catwalk into the seething mass of mako beneath. Barret didn't have enough to admire his handy work. He scrambled up the ladder.

      "Barret! What the hell happened?"

      "Guardian of some kind. No time now. We gotta get out of here"

      Jessie nodded and ran on ahead, Barret following closely. Barret was relieved to still see Biggs by the elevator.

      Barret still remained cautious.... he wouldn’t think of this as over until they finally reached the Seventh Heaven.

      Wedge looked panicky as they emerged from the elevator.

      "What kept you? We're running out of time"

      The others said nothing and just kept running. Wedge took the lead, taking them through service tunnels towards the upper plate. A huge explosion rocked the tunnel.

      "The bomb....."

      Jessie smirked at Barret, "Told you it'd work"

      As they reached the end of the tunnels, Jessie whirled throwing another smaller bomb into the tunnel. It blew a few seconds later, sealing their escape route.

      Barret collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard. After a few minutes, he looked up at the others.

      "Ok. Move. You know where to meet"

      The others nodded, running in different directions quickly vanishing into the gloom. Recovered, Barret got up and made his own way through the streets of Midgar. He glanced around with some resentment. The people who live here were the rich and the executives of the Shin Ra corporation, while the rest of the populace were forced to live beneath them, in the gloom under the plates: cut off from the sun.

      He hurried to the station, the only distraction a flash of pink. Barret looked again. A girl wearing a pink dress, selling what looked like flowers. Barret snorted as he hurried. Con artist. Everyone knew you couldn't get flowers round here.

      It was about an hour later when the train pulled up at the sector 7 station. Barret was shaken from sleep by an impatient Jessie.

      “C’mon. Tifa’ll be waiting”

Barret roused himself and followed the others off the train. He waited until the train had moved on before addressing the group.

      “We did well today. But don’t let the success go to your heads. Shin Ra’ll be after us even more now”

      The others nodded and started walking through the slums, weapons ready. While there shouldn’t be any Shin Ra soldiers, the slums were a dangerous place. The members of Avalanche made it without incident to the bar: the 7^th Heaven.

      “Papa!”

      Barret looked up at the shout. His adoptive daughter ran to him, her arms outstretched. Barret crouched and hugged the girl to himself. Behind her, Tifa stepped from behind the bar and up to Barret.

      “Well done. Our first victory”

      “Yeah we showed those Shin Ra bastards” Biggs put in from the table he shared with Jessie and Wedge.

      “Yeah, but one ain’t enough. We need to hit them again”

      Barret sighed wearily.

      “You okay?” Tifa asked.

      “Fine, fine” said Barret “Suppose we’d better plan the next one, eh?”

      Tifa nodded. Barret stood up and walked over to the antique pinball machine. Feeling underneath the edge, he flipped a switch. The machine descended downwards to the basement. The rest of Avalanche waited until the lift stopped before using the ladder to descend. Tifa paused only to lock the door to the 7^th Heaven before following the others down.

      “Okay, I’m sure you already know that our next mission is to destroy the reactor in sector 5. This one’ll be different. They’ll be expecting us to some extent this time, so there’ll definitely be more resistance inside the reactor. So this time we’ll use a smaller infiltrating force, myself and Tifa. The rest of you are to cover our entry and exit. We’ll be going into the reactor through the train tunnels, since the stations will be heavily guarded. Any questions?”

      No one spoke. Satisfied they knew what they were doing, Barret ended the meeting. He watched the small group split up: Jessie to her computer and lab bench, carefully mixing the chemicals for the bomb, Wedge grabbing a sandwich as he made himself comfortable in the corner. Biggs was already asleep, and Tifa leant against the far wall concentrating on her book.

      Barret turned to the sleeping Marlene.

      “I doing this all for you” he said in a whisper. “I didn’t want to do it this way, but it’s the only way to save the planet for you to enjoy”

      With that he turned to his own bed on the floor, determined to get at least a little sleep before the next attack.

      He drifted to sleep as the TV droned on quietly.

      “......today the No.1 Reactor was bombed. The terrorist group

AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility. It is expected that AVALANCHE will continue its reign of terror. But citizens of Midgar.... there is no need to fear. I have mobilized SOLDIER to protect our citizenry against this senseless violence. Thank you and good night”

      Barret was woken up by Tifa shaking him.

      “Time to go”

      Barret quickly stifled a yawn and slowly stood up. Marlene still slept quietly beside him. He checked to make sure she was okay, before clambering up the ladder to the bar where the others waited.

      “Sure she’ll be okay here alone?” he asked Tifa.

      “She’ll be fine down there. She knows you’ll be back soon.”

      “What if I’m not? What if something happens to us?”

      “It won’t. I made arrangements though. A friend of mine agreed to come and take care of Marlene if we’re not back by 11”

      Barret nodded, still not happy. Marlene was his only link to his past. To North Corel. He never wanted to lose her.

      “Alright” he said raising his head “Time to move. Get to the station. I’ll be along in a minute”    

      Jessie, Biggs and wedge nodded, and hurried off into the slum towards the station. Barret paused as Tifa locked the door to the 7^th Heaven, and then the two of them walked through the gloom to the station.

      A short while later, Barret and Tifa leapt from the speeding train into the tunnels that snaked their way through the city. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge had already left the train to secure the route into the reactor. Getting out was Barret’s responsibility.

      “Barret?”

      “What?” said Barret as he guided them through the dark tunnels.

      “Did you ever consider if this was the best way to save the Planet?”

      “It’s the only way”

      “It’s terrorism”

      “Nothing else works. We tried to tell the people the truth. You know how Shin Ra works”

      Tifa nodded. Appealing to the people to rise against Shin Ra had failed utterly. They owned the city and it’s people. The Shin Ra’s threat was simple, but ruthlessly effective at preventing rebellion: turn against us and you loose everything. Including your life. Tifa shivered remembering the live executions of the discovered members of Avalanche. Keeping their members secret was a constant struggle. They were forced to be paranoid, trusting no one now except the oldest, founding members.

      “Hey. We’re here”

      Tifa shook herself back to the present as Barret descended a ladder out of the tunnel. Tifa followed, occasionally glancing down past the suspended walkways to the gloom of sector 5 beneath them.

      Jessie, Biggs and Wedge waited at the next ladder, this one heading up to the reactor. She handed Barret the backpack.

      “We’re pulling out now. We’ll see you back at the 7^th Heaven”

      Barret nodded taking the pack.

      “See you there”

      Tifa watched them leave.

      “Get back safe, okay?” she called after them.

      “No sweat” said Biggs, the relief of leaving this early in the operation making him slightly cocky.

      Tifa watched them disappear off.

      “C’mon” said Barret “Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get out of here”

      Tifa could only nod, and followed Barret up the ladder.

      Tifa glanced around nervously as they worked their way through the reactor. Barret lead the way, moving quickly, glad that the reactors were constructed identically. As they crossed the final catwalk to the reactor, Barret stopped in the middle.

      “Here” he handed Tifa a gun. “I don’t want to get surprised again by any sentries”

      Tifa nodded taking the gun and watching Barret make his way to the reactor.

      Barret bent down fixing the bomb in place. This time there was no alarm. Barret grew suspicious, and glanced nervously around as he set the timer. Still nothing. He ran back to Tifa.

      “I don’t like this. This is too easy. The place should be swarming with guards”

      Tifa nodded. “You set the bomb though?”

      “Yeah. Let’s get out of here”     

      They started through the reactor heading for the exit to the upper plate of sector 5. They reached the reactor entrance without incident.

      As they crossed the catwalk to the exit, Shin Ra soldiers stepped from the gloom in the doorway, training their weapons on the pair.

      Barret looked shocked, but quickly recovered.

      “C’mon. We can still get out through the station”

      They turned, only to see a second squad of soldiers blocking the catwalk to the station.

      “What the hell is this?” exclaimed Barret.

      “A trap”

      The voice was cold, accompanied by the sound of footsteps on metal. President Shin Ra walked towards them from the entrance to the reactor.

      “President Shin Ra?” 

      “Why is the President here?” whispered Tifa.

      “So you’re Avalanche,” sneered the President “So small, so weak”

      “That doesn’t matter,” retorted Barret “this place is going up and it’s taking you with it”

      “Oh but it won’t be taking me. But you will not leave this place” said the President as he took his PHS from his pocket and mumbling into it. The sound of rotor blades descended from above. The helicopter stopped beside the President. He turned to call to Tifa and Barret.

      “Don’t worry. I’ve arranged some entertainment for you, while you wait for the end. Ironic isn’t it? Avalanche destroyed by it’s own bomb”

      With that he stepped into the helicopter that rapidly ascended. A movement caught Tifa’s eye, and she saw the soldiers from both ends of the catwalk retreating. She was about to tell Barret, when a new noise began growing louder: coming from the direction of the station.

      “What the hell is that?”

      “I don’t know,” said Tifa as it got louder still. “Don’t like the sound of it though”

      Something burst from the darkness moving at high speed towards them. It floated above the catwalk. A machine, covered with varyingly ranged weaponry.

      Tifa whipped out her pistol, as Tifa checked his gun arm. The machine emitted a blast of machine gun fire.

      “Damn it! There’s no cover!” yelled Barret, ducking to try and avoid the gunfire. “We’ve gotta take that thing out as quickly as possible”.

      Tifa nodded. Throwing herself sideways to avoid another barrage.

      “Aim for its fuel. We can try and blow it up” she yelled to Barret. Barret nodded, quickly searching the exterior of the mechanism for any sign of the fuel. There seemed to be something like that on it’s left side...

      “Tifa! Concentrate your fire on the left side!”

      Tifa nodded in response, and began firing. Barret opened up with his gun arm, his bullets ripping into the armour. Fluids started leaking from the damaged machine.

      “Tifa! Get back”

      Barret continued firing. The fluid caught on fire. Nothing happened for a second, but then the machine exploded taking a section of the catwalk with it. Barret and Tifa were barely out of the blast radius.

      “Come on!” Tifa yelled remembering the bomb. Barret followed her lead. As they ran onto sector 5’s plate, the mako reactor exploded behind them, showering debris into the sector below.

Author’s notes:      Hmmm…..story seems very similar so far. But...just wait till the next one...this is when it really starts diverting from the game. Thanks to Little Chiba ( little_chiba@hotmail.com ) for the script of the game that I found somewhere. It’s great reference material, even though I’ve completely rewritten all the dialogue.

Copyright:      All of these characters belong to Squaresoft. They aren’t any that don’t, that have appeared in the story, nor are there likely to be. So Square has control over them all.