Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

TWENTY-FOUR

"Raining pretty hard out there..." I said.

The drops made a steady staccato beat on the roof of the truck as we rode inside, four of us as well as the driver—myself, three Shinra soldiers, and Sephiroth. We were in an old pickup with an enclosed bed, better to avoid standing out and drawing attention to ourselves on the way to our destination, wherever that was.

As we drove along, I was the only one of the group on my feet, gazing ahead of us at the rain pouring against the front windshield as the truck's wipers desperately tried to keep up. Sephiroth and two of the troopers sat in the back—the troopers on one side and our commander on the other. I turned away from the rain when I noticed that one of the soldiers wasn't looking so good as he hunched over in his seat.

I went over to him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he insisted, waving me off.

The trooper was young, about my age, but I couldn't see much of his face under the metal helmet—they hid everything but the mouth. He did look a bit green, though, and his blue uniform was spotted with sweat in a few places. At first I thought he was just nervous about the mission we were on, but after a moment, I understood.

"Motion sickness, eh?" I said. "Wish I could relate, but I've never had it myself. Still, hang in there, alright?"

He nodded weakly. "Yeah, I will. Thanks..."

I patted him on the shoulder, then looked at the other trooper. "How about you? Holding up alright so far?"

He didn't answer, but I didn't mind. I didn't know him as well as the first guy, so I let the matter drop and started pacing eagerly up and down the length of the truck bed. My skin tingled with excitement as I stopped and did a few squats while thinking about the mission. Although I didn't know too much about it or even where we were going, it didn't matter as long as it was dangerous and unusual. I really wanted to see Sephiroth in action—the legendary war heroup close.

I looked at him for a moment. If he'd been standing, he would've had to duck his head because he was over six feet tall. Sephiroth's long strands of silver hair hung down past the waist of his jet black cloak. Like the rest of his clothes—pants, tunic, boots, and gloves—it was made out of tough black leather. The only parts of his gear that were different were the steel buckles and his gray shoulder guards. His pale green eyes glowed brightly with mako, but they were cold, like chips of ice.

"Sit down," he ordered.

I half-turned to show him the two colored orbs embedded in the slots on my massive sword, Buster. "Got some new materia before we left, and I can't wait to try it out! Ice and Lightning."

He sighed. "Just like a kid..."

"Just ready to kick a little ass out there, that's all," I said. "So anyway, you gonna tell us what this job's all about?"

"This 'job' isn't your typical mission..." Sephiroth began.

I pumped my fist. "Good!"

He raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"I joined SOLDIER to be just like you," I explained. "But by the time I made it to First Class, Wutai had surrendered and the war was over. So were my big hopes of being a hero. That's why I always sign up whenever there's a dangerous mission. To prove myself. So, what about you? What's your reason for being out here, Sephiroth?"

"Didn't you want a briefing?" he reminded me.

I nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sure."

Sephiroth went on, his frigid gaze never leaving me. "We've received reports of a mako reactor malfunctioning, creating vicious creatures that have been prowling the area. Our mission is twofold: first, we'll find and dispose of as many of these monsters as we can. Second, we'll inspect the reactor, locate the problem, and neutralize it. This may take several days, perhaps even a week. But it will be done."