My take so far, on what a Final Fantasy VII movie would be like. Let me know what you think, because this is all I have so far but I'm writing more. It's just a bit long is all, what I have now is five pages. Well, here you are!

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The film begins showing a village on fire, and a man running through the smoke calling out for survivors. We don’t see his face, just the back of him. A close-up of blue eyes has the head turning at the sound of a scream, there’s a pair of metal stairs rising from the village, and a woman falls backwards down them, groaning with a large slash wound in her stomach. The man runs and kneels beside her before looking up the stairs. Now the camera pans up to show a man in a dark cloak standing before a doorway amidst a series of glowing blue and red tanks. The doorway behind him slides back, sending a ray of light shining out from behind him, obscuring his features as we get a close-up of him. All we see clearly are bright green eyes.

“I am the Chosen One.”

The man turns and walks into the doorway, and with a cry the man rises to his feet and chases him.

“Sephiroth!”

Another close-up of blue eyes has them open, and with a small grunt the man sits up in the cabin of a train car. The car is dark, and the man stares up at the ceiling. A radio playing in the background mentions that the terrorist group calling themselves AVALANCHE have destroyed another reactor. Officials have no comment on the group’s demand that the city crack down on Shin-Ra’s corrupt president. The man thinks that the Shin-Ra are the ones who really run the city, and the train slows to a halt. The loudspeaker calls out “Sector Seven”, and the man climbs down from his bunk and leaves the cabin.

Now the scene changes to a woman cleaning up a bar with a black man writing on a blackboard, it’s a diagram of a building with various notes made about its structure. A small group of people, four or five, sit around him. The man says that the bombing went as scheduled but Shin-Ra still doesn’t see them as a true threat. It’s time to change that. There’s a knock of the door, and the man swings his arm around to reveal a large gun-barrel attached to the end of it. The woman cleaning the bar walks to the door and slides back the panel on it, looking outside.

“Relax Barret, it’s him.”

Barret lowers his gun-arm as the woman pulls the door open.

“Cloud, long time.”

“You said you had work for me.”

The man walks inside, and looks over at Barret giving him a dirty look. He tells the woman that with those eyes, he can’t be trusted, and calls her Tifa. Tifa protests Cloud is loyal, and Barret snaps that SOLDIER is in Shin-Ra’s pocket, Cloud will betray them first chance he gets. Cloud is silent while Barret yells, and asks what the job is once he finishes. Tifa explains that Barret is the leader of AVALANCHE, and that they’ve been attacking Shin-Ra’s Mako reactors. The people know Shin-Ra is corrupt to the core, but the city is refusing to take action without certain proof because half the budget comes from taxing Shin-Ra’s refineries and factories. Barret speaks up that they hope to try and force the city’s hand by bringing something public, something Shin-Ra can’t cover up. If the whole world can see Shin-Ra for what it is, they can shut them down regardless of what the Midgar officials say.

Cloud asks how they plan to do that. Barret says there’s a special reactor to the north of Midgar, Shin-Ra has been guarding it closely for as long as anyone can remember. Barret figures whatever is inside there has to be something big, something they can use against Shin-Ra one way or the other. That’s the job Cloud has been hired for, he and Barret are going to spearhead the assault on the reactor and nab whatever is being guarded there. Cloud mutters something about the plan being foolish under his breath, and Barret gives him another dirty look. Turning back to the board, Barret goes back to mapping out the building. Tifa walks up to Cloud and thanks him for coming and helping them. Cloud turns to her and asks “them?” Tifa nods and says she’s a member too, obviously, that’s how AVALANCHE is able to hide out in the bar.

“Funny. I never figured you for a freedom fighter. When did that happen?”

“You know when.”

Cloud nods and asks where he can go to get some rest. Tifa leads him upstairs to a bedroom. Cloud un-straps a large leather covering from his back and lays it against the wall. Tifa looks at it and says she never saw a weapon like that before. Cloud tells her its one of a kind, the Buster Sword. Tifa nods and asks where he got it. Cloud turns around.

“I…”

There’s a flash, and Cloud blinks and looks away. There are a few flashes of a burning village, of gunfire ringing out, and of a brunette man charging against a series of armored troops.

“Cloud?”

Cloud looks up to see Tifa staring at him strangely.

“I…don’t remember.”

Tifa nods and whispers “sweet dreams”, closing the door as she leaves. Cloud stares at the door silently. The scene fades out and fades back in to show Cloud lying on the bed, eyes closed. His brow furrows and he lets out a grunt, turning over in his sleep. There are a few snippets of dialogue here as he turns.

“So you wanna be a SOLDIER huh?”

“I don’t have parents. My mother…”

“You kept your promise.”

“Go, get out of here!”

“I’ve thought of a wonderful idea Mother…”

“Cloud!”

Cloud’s eyes open, and he sits up, glaring down at the bed. Raising a hand to rub his head, there’s a knock on the door. Calling out, Tifa opens it and tells Cloud it’s time. Cloud stands up, straps the Buster Sword to his back and follows her downstairs. The gang loads up into the back of a truck, and Tifa takes the wheel. As the truck begins driving, Barret starts giving orders in the back. The majority of AVALANCHE will storm the front of the reactor, but they’re just a diversion, so no getting killed. Barret and Cloud will sneak into the reactor and grab whatever they can find, and pull out before anyone notices. As soon as they get back out, the mission is successful. If either Cloud or Barret gets attacked, it’s aborted and they should scatter.

Stopping and climbing out of the truck, Barret takes a moment to load a cartridge into his gun-arm. Tifa pulls on a pair of fighting gloves, and Cloud unsheathes the Buster Sword, hefting it onto his shoulder. Barret eyes it for a moment, then wishes Tifa luck as she leads the rest of AVALANCHE down the streets to the reactor front. Calling him “spikey”, Barret leads Cloud down another path. The two are mostly silent except for a few hand gestures as they slip to the fence surrounding the reactor. Cloud steps forward and slices a hole in the fence, and they slip through. As they approach a door, a red light above it starts flashing, and Barret mutters that Tifa and the others must have arrived. There’s a short scene of the reactor front here, of the AVALANCHE members ducking behind cars and other barricades as they engage the guards in a gunfight.

Entering the reactor, all alight in red siren lights, Barret and Cloud walk down a long hallway, and Barret opens a door to the stairwell. Smiling that all the reactors use the same blueprints, he and Cloud head up the stairs. Stopping at a landing, Barret looks up to see one more floor above them. He says he doesn’t remember there being another floor in the other reactors. Cloud walks past him and heads up the stairs, and Barret follows. Cloud opens the door to see a long catwalk extending over a series of glowing tanks. Barret stops and whistles, leaning over. A small window in one tank shows a human being sleeping.

“What the hell are they?”

“SOLDIERs,” Cloud replies. He walks down the catwalk to the door, and puts out a hand for the control panel. He stops and flinches. We get a shot of the man from the opening sequence standing before the glowing doorway, before Cloud shakes his head and the image vanishes. Barret calls out, and Cloud presses his hand forward. The door hisses and slides back. The red siren lights only light up the room inside the door briefly, and Cloud looks around and finds another panel. He walks over and presses it, and the lights flash on. He turns to examine the room, and Barret mutters “the hell?”

The room contains a small dresser with a vase of white and yellow flowers on it, a table and chair with a few books on it, and a few other things like a small TV, a clock on the wall, and a bed. Cloud walks over and looks down at a young woman lying on the bed sleeping, facing the wall. Barret enters the room and asks what Shin-Ra would be doing keeping a woman locked up in one of their Mako reactors. Cloud shrugs and replies he’s not sure. Leaning down to turn the woman’s head slightly, Cloud sheaths the Buster Sword and moves hand to finger a small glowing orb tied up in a hair ribbon.

“Materia?”

Cloud looks down at the Materia orb, confused, and looks back down at the woman. Behind him Barret looks up at the flowers on the dressers, and looks at a picture frame of a woman with a small child, a younger version of the woman on the bed. Smiling at it, he turns around. His gun arm bumps the side of the dresser, sending the vase crashing to the floor. The woman’s eyes burst open, Cloud still cupping her cheek, and alarms go off. Barret curses as Cloud steps back, and the woman sits up. Barret yells at Cloud they have to go, but Cloud ignores him.

“Who are you?”

“You’re…AVALANCHE, aren’t you?”

Cloud nods, and Barret yells again at him. A pair of Shin-Ra grunts emerges at the far end of the catwalk outside, and Barret fires at them. A few bullets plink around inside the room, and the woman grabs Cloud and rolls them to the other side of the bed for cover.

“What are you doing here?” she cries over Barret’s curses and gunshots.

“We were looking for whatever Shin-Ra was guarding!”

“That would be me. I’m Aerith.”

Cloud looks at her strangely, and Aerith moves to get to her feet. Cloud stands up beside her. Barret ducks behind the door and snaps for him to think of a way out. Cloud looks at Aerith and asks her if she can use her Materia to help them. Aerith shakes her head and tells him her Materia doesn’t work. Cloud protests that’s impossible, all Materia does something. Barret demands to know why Cloud is asking her, she’s with Shin-Ra. Aerith tells him she’s just as hunted as they are, and before Barret can ask her what she means, the gunfire stops.

“You goddam morons, you wanna get the Ancient killed, by all means, keep firing.”

Barret leans over the edge of the door to see a man in a dark blue suit with red hair walking down the catwalk, tapping a nightstick on his shoulder. Barret swings his gun arm out, and the man stops walking and holds up his hands.

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy man, put the gun down!”

“Who the hell are you?”

“His name is Reno,” Cloud mutters behind him. Reno squints at Cloud as he walks onto the catwalk.

“Have we met? Nah, can’t be, I’d remember something like that,” Reno gestures towards Cloud’s hair, and grins. “Wha, no fun? I’m here to help ya out!”

“You’re a Turk, Shin-Ra’s main henchmen. Why would you help us?”

“First off, call me an Investigator of General Affairs, henchman is so undignified. Second, you got something we really don’t want hurt. Just hand the girl over and we might let ya off the hook.

“Yeah right!” Barret snaps. Cloud turns.

“You want to stay here?” he asks. Aerith shakes her head, and Cloud turns back to Reno. “Well there’s your answer.”

“Now why would you go and do that, now I have to kick your ass,” Reno groans, rolling his eyes.

“Try it.”

Reno swings his nightstick, and Cloud unsheathes the Buster Sword, blocking the attack. The two spar for a few moments, and Cloud swings. Reno jumps back and lands on the catwalk, smirking. Aerith calls out as Reno lifts his nightstick and twists a dial on the side. It snaps open, revealing two bands of electricity running alone inside. Laughing, Reno runs forward and the two battle again. Barret lifts his gun arm, and Aerith calls out to him. Barret turns to see her pushing against the bed.

“Help me, there’s an air vent behind here!” she explains.

Back on the catwalk, Reno swings, sparks flying, and Cloud blocks the attack. Reno brings his nightstick back for another attack, and there’s a beeping.

“Ah man, time out!”

Cloud looks at him confused as Reno pulls out a cellphone and brings it to his ear. Someone says something on the other end.

“Ah come on Elena, I’m starting to have fun!” he protests. There’s something else said. “Yeah yeah yeah, I’m on it.” Reno hangs up and pockets the phone. “Alright, gotta fly. Been real.” Reno turns and walks down the catwalk, lifting his free hand and waved it above his head. “Chow!” The guards open fire against as Reno leaves the area. Cloud lifts the Buster Sword and runs back into the room. He spots Barret using his gun arm to break down the grate over the uncovered air vent, and looks at Aerith.

“You coming too?”

“Better than staying here!”

“If they find us they’ll probably try and kill you, you know that right?”

“Then you’ll just have to protect me,” Aerith smiles as Barret flings the grate away. Cloud gives her a strange look as Barret squeezes into the grating, cursing about it being tight. Aerith runs over and pauses as she climbs in.

“Well?”

Cloud runs over and follows them into the grate.

You stopped! How could you stop? I was seriously getting into it! I cannot wait to see more of this. And, the opening was spot-on with the characters of Final Fantasy VII, and the detail was spectacular!

That's really well done, I like the stuff with Cloud and Reno fighting, that should have been in the game! Are you going to post more or do I have to stalk you at fanfiction? :lol:

Lol, I'm working on more shortly, I leave for work in a hour or two but I'll have another part up before then!

Wait. What do you mean "stalk me at fanfiction"?

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The three crawl through the ventilation shafts, and eventually come to another grate. Barret slams the covering off and drops down into a hallway. Aerith follows him, and Cloud hops down last.

“Now we gotta figure a way out of here,” Barret mutters, heading down the hall. There’s voices as the three walk, and Barret stops and peeks around the corner to see another man in a dark blue suit talking to a blonde woman in a matching suit.

“Tseng, they got the Ancient, we’ve lost track of them.”

“Dammit. We can’t let them take Aerith, the President will have our hides. Do what you need to do Elena, just find them!”

“Yes sir.”

Elena takes off down a side passage as Tseng pulls out his cellphone and dials. He talks muffled in the background as Barret turns back.

“We’ve gotta hurry now, they’ll be searching the whole reactor now.”

“I understand sir…no,” Tseng says in the background. “Alright, I’ll be at the roof, have the chopper waiting.” Tseng hangs up and walks down the hall.

“I hear our ticket out,” Cloud says, moving to follow Tseng. The three follow him down a hall to a door outside. Tseng opens it and walks out, and the three slowly open the door. Outside, Tseng walks towards a helicopter, a bald man in sunglasses waiting beside it. Cloud and Barret run forward, and suddenly, guards emerge from the shadows around the roof and point their guns at them. Barret skids to a halt as Tseng turns to face them.

“The hell is this?”

“A trap, obviously.” Tseng smiled. “Aerith dear, come out, we can see you clearly.” Aerith slowly steps up beside Barret and Cloud as Tseng flips open his cellphone. “We have them…yes…alright, keep her safe, tell her her friends will be joining her soon.” Tseng hangs up.

“Shit, you got Tifa too?”

“Considering what happened to the rest of AVALANCHE, consider her capture a show of mercy.”

“Bastard!” Barret charges forward, and the man beside Tseng steps forward and slams his fist into Barret’s jaw. Barret stumbles back, and with a few more punches and a roundhouse-kick, he collapses to the ground with a groan.

“Nice work Rude,” Tseng mutters. Rude grunts and grabs Barret’s collar, dragging him into the helicopter. “Anyone else want to be a hero?” Cloud glares in response. “Alright then. Aerith…ladies first.” Aerith walks forward and doesn’t even look at Tseng as she climbs into the helicopter. Cloud follows, and two Shin-Ra guards climb in opposite them. Rude sits down and Tseng slides the door closed.

The scene shows the helicopter flying towards Shin-Ra headquarters, and Cloud turns his head to look at it. It lands, and Barret and Cloud are pushed out. Aerith climbs out willingly. They’ve been handcuffed now. The three are escorted into the building by Rude and the guards, and down a hall, where two more guards are with Tifa. She looks up and runs towards them, handcuffed herself.

“Cloud, you’re okay…well…”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Who is this?”

“I’m Aerith…sorry I have to meet you like this.”

“Tifa, and likewise.”

The guards rattle their guns, and the four are marched into President Shinra’s office. Shinra looks up and stands as they stop in front of his desk.

“Ah, AVALANCHE…or rather, what’s left of it. And Aerith, dear dear Aerith. Imagine you betraying us so easily.”

“It’s a shock I’m sure,” Aerith mutters.

“Indeed, after all we’ve done for you. We’ve tried to do everything in our power to help you rediscover your lost legacy, and now you put yourself in with them. And they’re no better. If it weren’t for Shin-Ra, Midgar wouldn’t even be on the map.”

“Screw you, you’re killing the goddamn planet!” Barret roars. “As soon as Shin-Ra started sucking up Mako, the plants around Midgar don’t grow no more, and now the area around the city is a wasteland! Explain that!”

“We have scientists looking into it.”

“Like hell!”

“Rude, lock up the loud one, and do something about that little gun arm he has. Put the buxom one and the blonde in separate cells.”

“What about the Ancient, sir?”

“Hm…her too. Aerith, you can stew a bit and remind yourself what life is like when you don’t cooperate. Maybe in the morning, you’d like to hear what we’ve discovered about the Promised Land, hm?”

“You’ve found it?” Aerith cries, stepping forward.

“Perhaps…but since you’ve gone and done this, I think you need a time-out before daddy tells you.”

“You’re not my father!”

“No, I’m not. I’m smart enough to seize a chance when I know one.”

Rude puts a hand on Aerith’s shoulder, and the four are led out of the room. President Shinra reclines and smiles in his chair.

“Ah my dear, at last you shall help us, even unwillingly.”

The scene shows a guard pulling a cell door shut. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Barret have all been locked up in separate cells. Barret’s gun arm has been enclosed in a clear plastic box, and he struggles to get it off. In the cell opposite his, Tifa pulls on the bars. Cloud stands up beside Barret’s cell and looks across at Aerith, who is opposite his and beside Tifa’s.

“Aerith…” he calls.

“Yeah?”

“Who are you? Why was Shin-Ra holding you captive?”

Aerith looks away and bites her lip for a moment.

“Do you…know what the Ancients are?”

“Ancients?” Tifa says. “Weren’t they the first race?” Opposite her, Barret swings and starts smashing the covering of his gun arm into the wall.

“Yeah…my mother, was one of them. That’s why Shin-Ra keeps me around.”

“You’re one of the Ancients?” Cloud asks.

“Exactly…there’s an old legend, that the Ancients knew of a place, where Mako energy was abundant. That’s why Shin-Ra became interested in the Ancients and came after my mother. I was just a baby at the time. My mother…Shin-Ra said she died in an experiment gone wrong…” Barret looks up.

“Mako…so Shin-Ra thinks you know where this Promised Land is?”

“They think I can tell them, until then they’ve been keeping me prisoner, doing experiments. I’m one of the few Ancients left alive, maybe the only one…”

“How long have they kept you prisoner?” Cloud asks.

“As long as I can remember…”

The group falls silent, and Tseng comes down the hall a moment later.

“The President has declared that if you cooperate, we may consider leaving you alive and in our custody. If you are cooperative, you may be more useful to us alive than dead.” Barret curses at him. “Otherwise, we’ll have to make an example of you. There’s more than enough on AVALANCHE to execute you all for terrorism.” Tseng turns to Aerith. “Either way, I advise you enjoy this time with them, Aerith. You won’t be seeing them again, living or dead.” Tseng turns and leaves.

“Son of a bitch!” Barret yells. “Come back and face us like a man!”

There’s a hiss, and Cloud looks up. The ceiling over the hall retracts, and a dark white smoke billows out. The four cough as it fills the cells, and the door to the hall slides shut. Cloud falls to his knees, his vision blurring, and collapses.

There’s another dream sequence now. Cloud walks down a catwalk, and looks at the end to see Aerith. Aerith turns to him and smiles.

“I’m probably the last Ancient, you know…”

Cloud walks towards her as the door behind Aerith slides open to reveal a golden light. Aerith holds out her hand, and Cloud reaches out.

“My mother was an Ancient…”

Cloud takes Aerith’s hand, and she pulls him forward. Cloud looks at their hands and gasps when he sees a black gauntlet gripping his wrist. He looks up and sees a pair of bright green eyes looking down at him.

“And it’s time to claim Mother’s legacy.”

The man pushes him back, and Cloud falls to the ground as a long sword appears in the man’s hand in a flash of green. He sneers and swings towards Cloud.

Cloud opens his eyes and groans, sitting up and holding his head on the floor.

“What…was that?”

He looks over at Aerith’s cell, and jumps to his feet. The bars of the cells have been sliced apart, and the poles lie in pieces on the ground. Cloud stands up and notices the Buster Sword lying in its sheath against the wall. He grabs it and clips it on before running to Aerith.

“Aerith, everyone, wake up!”

Aerith turns over and looks up at him. In the other cells, Tifa and Barret wake up.

“The hell…what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Cloud shakes his head and pulls Aerith to her feet. Tifa and Barret step into the hall, and Tifa points, cupping her mouth with her other hand. Cloud turns and sees the door to the hall pushed open, the metal crumpling. The guards lie in a bloody heap on the floor. Cloud slowly steps over them and looks up and down the halls. There’s guards lying dead and dying up and down them.

“Who could have done this?” Aerith gasps.

“Who remembers the way we took from Shin-Ra’s office?” Cloud asks.

“This way.” Tifa walks forward and heads to the elevator. The other three follow her, and climb in. They encounter more guards along the way, all dead. “70th floor.” Tifa said, pressing the button. The elevator moves up and slides open, and Cloud and the gang recoil at the sight of President Shinra lying on the floor outside the doors. Cloud kneels as Shinra opens his eyes.

“You…escaped…run,” he coughs. Cloud looks down to see a stab wound through the President’s chest. Aerith steps out beside him as Tifa and Barret run behind the president’s desk.

“President Shinra, what happened?” Aerith asks.

“There was an alarm…I told the guards to investigate, and I watched him on the monitors…he killed them all…I ran to the elevators to escape, but…the doors opened, and he was already there…”

“Who?” Cloud asks.

“Se…Sephiroth,” the President coughs. Cloud’s face darkens. “He…he’s after…Jeno…va…”

“Where is Jenova, we’ll stop him!” Cloud pleads.

“Ru…run…” Shinra collapses, and Cloud stands up, leaving him on the floor. Aerith slowly reaches over to close his eyes. Cloud moves to Tifa and Barret.

“We need to find out where Jenova is held,” Cloud says.

“Um…” Tifa turns to a computer and types, then points. “67th floor!”

“I’m taking the stairs!” Cloud rushes to the door to the stairwell and rushes down the stairs.

Nice installment, Drake! My heart totally goes out to Aerith in this one.

I didn't mean anything sinister, I just thought you might continue it on fanfiction, you don't have a creepy stalker, don't worry :P

Ah, ok. I just took it to mean you read my fanfics is all, which I didn't know about.

I also wanna say, watching the X-Men films now, Cloud has some similarities to Wolverine. Listen this dialogue from X2 and tell me it doesn't sound like it could almost fit Cloud, especially the last line.

"Why did you come back?"
"You cut me open, you took my life!"
"You make it sound as if we stole something from you. As I recall you volunteered for the procedure!"
"....who am I?"
"You...are just a failed experiment. If you really knew about your past...what kind of person you were...the work we did together..."

EDIT 9/13/08 - decided to revive this! This is only a part update for now, more will come. The motorcycles in this scene are like the ones in AC, not real motorcycles.

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The elevators slide open with a hiss, and Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Barret step off. Aerith puts a hand over her mouth and cries out. The corpses of guards litter the hallway, a dripping trail of blood leading down it. Cloud narrows his eyes and follows the trail to a door. He looked up at the plaque on the door.

"Jenova"

There's a flash of a similar, but different plaque on another door, and Cloud shakes his head to disperse the image.

"Let me at it!"

Cloud steps aside as Barret swings his Gun-arm into the wall. The plastic breaks after a few tries, and Barret aims the weapon. He fires, and the door eventually snaps open. Cloud unsheathes the Buster Sword and finishes cutting away the door. The four walk inside into a lab. Aerith leans down to peer at a red lion-like creature sleeping in a cell as Tifa examines a computer. Cloud looks down at a desk and picks up an ID card.

"Hojo...this is his lab," he mutters, tossing the card back.

"Hojo?" Aerith asks, turning her head. Barret walks past her, looking up and down the lab. He stops at a motorcycle hooked up to some equipment and grins at it.

"Shin-Ra's top scientist. If it breaths and kills, odds are he caused it one way or the other," Cloud explains, walking around the desk. Barret whistles and calls Cloud forward. Cloud goes to look at what Barret has found. It's a long, circular tank set into the floor and ceiling, smashed open. Tubes, wires and machiney pieces litter the floor, along with a pale blue viscous liquid. Cloud looks up, and in a flash, sees a blue-skinned creature with white hair.

"Jenova."

"What the hell is Jenova?" Barret asks.

"That sounds about right," Cloud murmurs absent-mindedly, looking around the tank. Aerith and Tifa join them, and Cloud kneels down to examine a wire, thick orange blood dripping from it. He looks up and sees a trail of orange spatters leading deeping into the lab. "It's just like before...was he really here?" Tifa frowns at his words and steps back, leaning on a desk. She sits on a comptuer keyboard by accient.

"Unauthorized user ID detected."

Tifa jumps up as an alarm goes off.

"Ah shit, not again!" Barret snaps. Cloud looks around and points.

"There, emergency elevator," he says. "Go down to the third basement, that's the garage level." Barret runs towards the elevator, but Aerith and Tifa hesitate.

"What about you?" Aerith asks. Cloud unsheaths the Buster Sword.

"I'll cover the rear. I'll be fine," he says. Aerith still hesitates, but Tifa takes her hand and leads her to the elevator. The doors slid shut as gunfire rings out. "We should have helped him!" Aerith protests.

"There's no way spiky is gonna die, ain't you figured that out? 'sides, he wants ta be a hero, let him." Barret replies.

"Cloud can handle himself, he'll be okay," Tifa smiles. "We have to trust him." the elevator opens to the garage, and Barret runs to the guardshack near the gates. He taps he gun-arm on the window at the sleeping guard, who wakes up and screams.

"Ya give us a sweet ride and I don't fire, okay?" Barret says slowly. The guard nods and fumbles with a keyring, tossing Barret a key.

"The black pickup," the guard points.

"Thanks." the trio run and climb into the car. Aerith gets in the back bed and squirms slightly among a small pile of scrap iron including a few rusting iron bars. Barret revs the engine and drives towards the gate, swinging his gun-arm. The guard reaches down and opens the button to retract the door.

"Thanks again!" Barret calls, reaching into his pocket. He tosses the man a quarter and drives off. Aerith hunches down in the back as they drive onto the highway, stopping.

"What about Cloud?" Aerith asks. Barret leans out the window and opens his mouth, where there's a loud sound. Tifa leans out her side, and the three look up. One of the windows on the Shin-Ra building shatters, and Cloud roars out into the air on the motorcycle from the lab. It lands on the highway in a shower of sparks, and Cloud skids to a halt along the truck.

"Nice entrance!" Tifa calls. Cloud nods.

"We'd better go," Aerith cries, pointing to the garage door behind them. Barret takes off down the highway with Cloud behind them, Buster Sword unsheathed.

Back the garage, Shin-Ra troops scramble to board motorcycles and cars, and Rude is overseeing them. His cellphone rings, and he flips it open.

"Rude."

"They got the Ancient! Do not let them get away, I'm ordering you to retrieve her alive!" Tseng cries.

"Yes sir." Rude hangs up and walks to a motorcycle, pushing away the man getting on and climbing on. He revs the handlebar and drives down the road.

Back on the highway, traffic is present but sparse, and Cloud turns his head as Rude comes up behind him. Cloud narrows his eyes and slams on the breaks, spinning around and swinging the Buster Sword. Rude ducks and drives away as Cloud regains his direction and follows him. Rude is now following the pick-up, and Aerith looks at him.

"We've got company," she calls into the back. Barret looks up at the rearview mirror and curses. Cloud comes up beside Rude, and Rude turns to him, then turns. His motorcycle slams into Cloud's, and Cloud wobbles slightly. Rude does it again, and the wire coverings over the wheels get stuck. The two looks down at the locked wheels, and Rude grunts, and stands up. The two vehicles keep going straight as Rude stands on the seat, and kicks at Cloud. Cloud raises the Buster Sword to deflect the attack and punchs at Rude, who dodges.

Cloud climbs to his feet now, and the two spar, Cloud deflecting Rude's blows with the Buster Sword. Rude aims a punch, and then spins to kick with the opposite foot. Cloud cries out and topples back, raising the Buster Sword.

"Cloud!" Aerith screams in front of them. Barret looks up at the rearview mirror. "We have to help him!"

"Even if I could aim, I can't get a good shot with them like that!" Barret replies. Tifa growls and sticks her head out the window to watch.

Behind them, Rude growls. Cloud's eyes are closed, and he slowly opens them. His feet are balanced on the exhaust bar running along the bike, his hands gripping the Buster Sword, which is lodged into the body of the bike. Cloud slowly turns his head to watch the asphalt rushing past inches away, then looks back up at Rude. Rude steps across and reaches down to dislodge the blade. Cloud kicks up at him, catching him in the face, and Rude falls back to lie atop the two seats. Cloud kicks himself up, landing on the seat, and reaches back to grab the Buster Sword as Rude stands. He punches, and Cloud dodges and stabs the sword down between the bikes.

With a grunt, Cloud pulls and forces the two apart, the wire wheel coverings snapping. Rude teeters and falls into a seated position as Cloud jumps down likewise. Angry, Rude turns his head and drives back towards Cloud.

There's a clang, and the two look forward. Rude cries out as his front tire hints a lump of metal, and the bikes swerves. Cloud looks to see Aerith in the back of the cap, picking up another piece of metal and lobbing it out of the back. It hits the asphalt heavily, and Rude hits it. He goes flying forward as his bike flips up. Cloud watches as Rude lands, and his bike hits in front of him. Smirking, Cloud speeds up and leaves Rude in the dust.

The truck turns off the highway with Cloud alongside it, and the two vehicles zoom towards another gate. The guards scream as Barret spins the wheel, grinding to a halt, and Cloud drives his motorcycle straight forward. He leaps off, and the vehicle slams into the iron gate, exploding. Cloud lands as Barret, Tifa and Aerith climb off the truck. Barret swings his gun-arm at the guards as Cloud takes out his sword.

"Cloud...was what he said true, about Sephiroth?" Tifa asks behind him.

"I think so," Cloud nods. "He's alive..."

"Who the hell is Sephiroth?" Barret snaps.

"You want to save the planet? stopping him would be a good start," Cloud says. "Besides...I have business with him, so either way, I'm gone."

"Hell...AVALANCHE is done," Barret grumbles. "Damn Shin-Ra...so now what? Who the hell is Sephiroth?"

"It's...a long story," Cloud whispers. "We have to find some place with hide with Shin-Ra out like this. This gate leads to the outskirts of Sector 5, we can hide someplace there. I'll explain then." Cloud slices open the gate, and forces a hole large enough for them to climb through. Sunlight shines through as they all climb through the hole.

"I'd forgotten what it's like outside the plate," Barret mutters.

On the other side, small homes built out of shoddy materials and such form the streets along other scrap stuffs. Cloud looks around and catches sight of Aerith, who is staring up.

"What?" he asks.

"I just...never saw the sky before..." Aerith murmurs, a smile creeping onto her face. Cloud follows her gaze to look up at the sky above, in mid-afternoon "It's beautiful..." Aerith finishes. Cloud smirks slightly.

"No one can see the sky under the plate, most of the homes are covered with by the plate and the sky is full of polution from the reactors," Tifa agrees.

Cloud nods and looks around again, then points. "There." Aerith lowers her eyes to an old, collapsing church in the distance. "Come on." Cloud walks towards the church, Tifa, Barret and Aerith following him.