Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 1: Arrival

FORTY-FOUR

We found Biggs an' Wedge on the third floor along with a few guys from the watch. They was in a firefight with about four Shinra soldiers, guns blazin' as sparks flew off the metal girders and concrete columns. Our boots clanked on the metal floor as we joined 'em for jus' a second to drive the soldiers behind some crates an' power generators for cover. Jessie kept 'em pinned down, her aim deadly sharp, an' took one of 'em out before he could shoot back at her.

"'Bout time you guys showed up!" Biggs yelled, firin' away with his handgun. "Bastards got here just before we did."

"Keep 'em busy!" I ordered. "Catch up when ya can."

Wedge gave the other soldiers a taste of his flamethrower. "Will do, boss! There's more of these guys further up, though. Gotta be trying to keep us from getting to the top."

I grimaced an' kept shootin'. "Knew it'd be a fight!"

"You ain't kiddin'!" Biggs agreed. "Now get going! We'll take care of these Shinra assholes. Go!"

"Be careful, guys!" Jessie said.

Wedge shot her a thumbs up. "You too, Jessie!"

Jus' then, two of them soldiers popped outta cover, shot one of our watch friends, an' ducked back behind the crates as the guys shot back. I growled, fired off a few rounds, then hurried up the stairs, Jessie jus' a step behind me. She passed me quick, though, takin' 'em two at a time, her expression fierce an' determined as she held her gun in both hands. As I followed her an' shot at the choppers circlin' the pillar, I started to wonder if maybe I'd been too hard on her.

Found us another battle on the fourth floor, Shinra soldiers an' our folks from the watch shootin' back an' forth amidst the steel beams that supported the ceilin' an' surrounded the huge, curved bulk of the inner pillar itself. Me an' Jessie came out shootin', then hurried on amidst the muzzle flashes an' gunfire splittin' the air. Wasn't no more we could do. We had to reach the console and keep Shinra from usin' it. Everyone in the neighborhood watch knew that by now.

An' so it went, floor after floor, battle after battle. Jessie an' I passed more of the watch fightin' on the stairs an' takin' shots at the choppers, but them things was too fast. Took down some of our people, screamin' as they got hit, an' I swore under my breath. Then one of the choppers shone its lights at us as a voice came on over a loudspeaker. We slowed a bit to listen, not that it'd make a difference.

"Attention, Avalanche!" the voice demanded. "You are surrounded! Stand down and surrender immediately! Shinra will not negotiate with terrorists! Resist and we will use lethal force!"

I snorted. "Got your lethal force right here, asshole!"

Punctuated that with a bursta bullets from my gun-arm an' scored a hit on the tail as it flew past. Not enough to down the thing, but I got its attention, sure enough. Jessie opened up on it as well, shootin' again an' again as we climbed until it got outta range. When it swung back as we got to the seventh floor, it fired back with a triple-barreled minigun mounted on the underside of its body.

"Get down!" I grabbed Jessie by the shoulder.

Not waitin' for her to answer, I pulled her down along with me as I dove to the floor, shieldin' her with my body as a streama gunfire swept over us. It tore into the stairs, beams, barrels, an' more of our friends in the watch. The folks it missed, the goddamn Shinra soldiers took down before they even knew what was happenin'.

Soon as the chopper flew off again, I swept my gun-arm across an' sprayed them soldiers with bullets long enough for me an' Jessie to get back on our feet an' get movin' again. I kept on firin', coverin' her while she sprinted up the stairs, then ran after her.