Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 1: Arrival

THIRTY

The lights flickered fitfully as Barret and I made our way down the tunnel between Sectors 4 and 5. Wires hung loose here and there, and I jumped a little when one sparked nearby. Huge chunks of stone lay on the ground in places, some so big that we had to flatten ourselves up in between them and the concrete wall to squeeze our way through. Now and then, the place would rumble and shake with tremors as Reactor 5 continued to collapse behind us.

"How much farther?" I asked as I followed Barret.

He motioned ahead of us. "Shouldn't be long now. Once we find us the doors out, we'll be in the clear."

I nodded. "Then we find a way home."

"Right. Train station oughta be pretty busy, so we'll jus' sneak on in an' ride it back to the slums."

"I hope the others are safe," I said.

Barret guided us through a maze of fallen debris and leaking pipes. "They are. No need to worry, Tifa. Biggs'll have made sure of it. They'll all be there waitin' for us. Marlene, Biggs, Wedge..."

"Jessie," I finished.

At the mention of her name, Barret stopped, his good hand curling into a fist. I stood behind him, understanding his anger even if I didn't share it myself. What we'd learned about her from President Shinra had shocked us both, and while I was sure Jessie must've had good reasons for keeping so much of her past a secret, I still couldn't believe she had kept her ties to Shinra from us, and for so long.

Barret frowned. "Don't wanna talk 'bout her right now."

I knew better than to press the issue, so I let it go for now as we got underway again. We found the doors a few minutes later, locked tight. Normally only maintenance workers came into the service tunnels that ran in between the different sectors, and these places were always kept closed to the public for security reasons.

"How do we get out?" I asked.

Barret motioned for me to stay behind him. "Back up."

I moved back a little and watched as he lifted up his gun-arm, took careful aim at the lock, and fired a few shots. It shattered in a shower of bright yellow sparks, and when Barret and I walked up and pushed on the doors, they swung open easily. We hurried outside into an enclosed alley and what looked like a war zone.

Several nearby buildings were on fire, and rubble was everywhere. I heard the wailing of sirens, and overhead, a Shinra helicopter flew by, probably surveying the damage. No doubt they'd blame us for all of the death and devastation. Although I knew we hadn't caused this, at least not directly, we were the excuse Shinra had used to bring it about. And I couldn't help feeling responsible.

"Was it like this last time?" I glanced at Barret.

He sighed. "Yeah. Ain't pretty, but even with all that's happened, we still got two reactors down. Six to go."

I stared at him. "You can't be serious!"

"Planet ain't never gonna be safe 'till we take 'em all out, one way or the other," Barret said. "Can't stop now, Tifa. Soon as Cloud gets his ass home, we gonna start plannin' for the next one."

"We can't keep doing this!" I argued.

He brushed past me. "Nothin' else for it. Planet needs us."

I followed Barret onto a nearby street. "What!? Have you forgotten what just happened back there? We walked right into a trap, Cloud fell off the plate, and we barely escaped with our lives!"

"Keep your voice down," he hissed. "We ain't alone out here."

I looked around and saw it was true. There were clusters of people huddled here and there up and down the street. They were talking with each other and casting anxious glances at us as we passed. I hadn't ever been to this part of the plate before, and I hoped Barret knew where he was going. Edging a little closer to him, I lowered my voice and hoped no one would recognize us.