Return To Death's Door

Taku returned to the slums to find the square in an uproar. The entire population of Sector Seven had turned out in their hundreds to protest against the Shinra’s decision to disconnect the plate above them and fuel the funding for ‘New Edge’.
The crowd was contained behind giant red barriers, designed to protect the Shinra Soldiers and their equipment from behind attacked. For every barrier, there were two guards, each one armed heavily with riot shields and rifles. A ringing explosion echoed through the slum, and everyone fell silent, staring at the plate- but the sound came only from an oil drum that had been set alight. Taku sighed, and ducked his head down low, continuing on his path to the town centre, where the executive stage had been violently pushed aside. The metal rigging was twisted and strewn over the dirt.
As he neared the central area, a shout rose from the rabble of the crowd, already deafening to his ears. Taku spun around in the direction of the cry, and clenched his fists as his eyes fell on the commotion. A Shinra guard had taken a group of children out of the crowd, and was preparing to beat the smallest, a girl of four years, with his rifle. The eldest boys threw themselves in vain at the guard, but he knocked them back with a simple sweep of his arm. They fell to the ground and cried.
Furious, Taku pulled his guns from their holsters and trained them on the guard. He fired a single shot that cut through his right leg blowing him from his feet. The girl yelped and ran into the arms of one of the boys. Taku approached the guard from behind and grabbed the collar of his uniform. He hoisted him from the ground and tightened his grip as to cut off the man’s air supply.
“Shinra scum…” He muttered, and threw man at the wall of the nearby bar. The body flinched, and fell to the ground, unconscious.
The girl stared at Taku, her eyes filled with grateful tears. He nodded comfortingly at her, and turned back to the crowd, where the Shinra guards stood, gazing furiously at him.
“AVALANCHE!” One of them gave the cry, and Taku was immediately surrounded. The children shouted something that he couldn’t hear and one of the boys, seemingly the youngest male, took the little girl to safety while the others grouped around Taku, ready to fight the Shinra.

The commotion was unlike anything Aerith had ever seen. Clutching her woven basket tightly, she watched the people all around, trying to break down the baracades and unleash their fury onto Shinra. This is insane.... she thought to herself, trying to make her way around the crowds, feeling the push and shove of unwelcomed hands all over her and she was swallowed into the unavoidable crowd.
Hearing sounds of gun fire she pushed faster. Something was going on, something not good. Pushing her small frame through the gaps she managed to find a space close to the incident. The scene before her made her stomach churn. A small child running from a soldier, and officer with a wounded leg. You didn't have to be smart to understand what had happened. She looked for the gun, seeing it in the hands of a strange guy, one she had never seen before. Though when the guards surrounded him she decided it would be best to help. In an instant her staff was summoned to her hand. Jumping over a barrier, and using the head of one of the guards she landed near the man with the gun.
"I don't know what use I will be...but when these people hurt innocent children I cannot stand idly by..." She moved forward and quickly thrust her staffinto the stomach of one of the guards, making him bend forward winded. She grasped the oppurtunity and smashed it down onto his head making him fall to the floor. "Let us hope no more back up will come..." she said holding her staff ready again. Her long brown hair swaying and she focused her emerald eyes on the enemy. She felt strange though, she never normaly acted this way.

Taku took his attention from the guards, and instead he focused on the young lady that had joined him. He watched with intent as she easily overcame one of the Shinra, and nodded his approval at her.
"Okay, we can take them..." He glanced down at the children- aside from two of the older boys weilding sticks like swords, they were unarmed.
Running towards the guards, Taku followed the two older boys, his guns targeted freely upon the nearest Shinra Soldier. The boys struck him hard with their sticks, knocking him to the ground, while Taku managed to fire a few rounds into the guard's body armour. The guard lay motionless upon the ground, and the boys leapt back, ready to strike at the next guard, whom would dare approach them.
Taku glanced down at his watch. Time was slipping away and the plate would be due to fall any minute. Scanning the area for the young woman, he called her over, and nodded his head towards the plate.
"We need to get the people out of Sector Seven...." He hoped that the woman had some decent persuasion skills under her belt. "We have ten minutes before this place is Hell City."
"The name's Ieuan by the way." He smiled, only for a second, and was ready to battle once more.

Aerith blocked the attack of one of the guards, managing to do the same manouver and wind him also. This is more difficult then I thought...i never imagine myself jumping into a fight so recklessly....but the chilren...who wouldn't have done this given the situation... she thought as she hit another guard on the head.
Hearing his voice echo through the carnage she looked around towards the plate "AH!..OH NO!" she said panicking "Let me help!..um...um...!" she said before running to a turned over truck and scampering up it. "EVERYONE! EVACUATE THE SECTOR NOW!" She prayed people were paying attention. To ensure she would be noticed she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. The materia in her hair soon gave off a bright glow that seemed to envelope her, making her stand out from the background "EVERYONE! GO NOW! LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS, STAY WITH YOUR FAMILY AND HELP GET EVERYONE OUT! PLEASE HURRY!" within an instant the energy from her materia dispersed and she jumped down, running to catch him up.
"Ieuan?...my names Aerith...though I wish our meeting was under better circumstances!" she said running holding her staff ready incase of anymore oncoming soldiers. "I...just hope they listened..."

"Wha- the..." Taku managed to watch the end of Aerith's spectacular display as he put the final Shinra guard to the ground. "White Materia, huh?" He smiled at her, a spark of interest finally washing across his face. He held his right arm up to show her the glowing materia orbs that were attached to his bracelet. "Though mine isn't as rare as yours."
It seemed that the crowd had taken notice to Aerith's command, and were slowly beginning to file out of the square. The boys that had halped fight the Shinra gathered around Taku and Aerith, their faces shinning with success.
"You're pretty strong, Lady." The youngest boy stepped forward, revealing the small girl that Taku had saved, who was quivering behind him. She fixed Taku with a teary smile and buried her head into her dress. Taku placed his hand onto her head and felt her hair, dirty with grime, beneath his fingers.
"We should leave too..." He warned the children, giving the square a reflecting stare.
"I-Ieuan?" The eldest boy stammered his name, as though afraid to speak out of turn. Taku nodded at him to show he was listening. The boy held out the long pole that he had been using as a sword and forced it into Taku's hands. "Fight for us?"
Taku gripped the hilt of the pole and clentched his fist. He looked across at Aerith, and nodded. There were ten minutes until the plate was going to crush Sector Seven, it was sure as hell that they were going to do everything in their power to stop it.
He swung the pole through the belt of his trousers, so that it was secured in place, and checked the clips of his guns.
"Aerith, i'm going to the plate support. I don't know what i can do, but i'll be fucking damned if the Shinra are getting their own way with this." He looked at her, his eyes set in stone as his will was decided. "I don't expect you to come with me, but i could really do with your help."

As if the uproar of the population weren't loud enough to wake up "Venrogg", it also took the fighting of Aerith and Taku to do the job. And awoke Venrogg did, groggily.

"Aw my head...." He proclaimed, getting to his feet. Venrogg had wound up in the fetal position right next to a building in between two trash cans in an alleyway, close to the fighting. "Where am I....?"

Venrogg had no memory of what happened to him or how he got to be in this sort of predicament, all he knew was that a loud noise was giving him the start of a major headache. One that he wished would just vanish, along with the loud thralls of people.

"Help....?" Venrogg let out, trying to get to his feet.

'Okay...mystery one solved....' He whispered to himself taking note that he was more than likely human...'whatever I did last night...I don't wanna do it again....shit!'

Making his way to the end of the alley, he quickly caught sight of why the people were in such an uproar. Shinra is going to bloody disconnect the plate! That's when it came to him...Heidegger. A little piece of the big puzzle fit perfectly into place as he recalled the many visits from Heidegger in his...cage of sorts.

Wrapping his arms around him, he realized the only things covering up his body were a cloth based pair of pants and a silk short sleeved shirt. His hair, touching the tips of the middle of his shoulders remained wavy as he moved. It's light brownish color looking like sun-kissed wheat.

Now that he was on his feet, his first order was to find out when exactly the plate is to fall and perhaps why.

Taku made his way swiftly to the cautioned region of the sector, an area usually forbidden to civillians by the Shinra. Of course, the evacuation was well under way so now the area was deserted. He paused, only for a moment, to stare up with his 'mismatched' eyes at the supporting pillar, that ran the length of the plate's main support. If the Shinra were planning to de-attach at low cost, it would be ultimately most effective to destory the support pillar. Then the plate would over balance, and collapse under its own weight. It made sense that any explosives that were to be used, would be planted somewhere on the frame work.


Taku stopped, thinking that the sound was only the wind, gushing through the holes that had formed in the congregated iron sheets, sealing in the plate support. He looked around and eas mildly suprised to see a man stood there, dressed like a civilian, staring straight at him.

Venrogg, noticing the man now, stopped as well. Although, with Venrogg, he wondered where he could have seen this man before. He knew he had.

Oh wells, that's something he could figure out later. Right now, he wanted to get to somewhere safe, somewhere he could relax and figure out what in the hell is going on. Though, he wondered if Heidegger himself were still alive. After seeing him for the last known time, Heidegger had been attacked.

Before thinking of anything else, Venrogg made his way up to the man and extended a hand, choosing sides right now would only do harm. He had to get away from this sector. He knew the Shinra, if not completely then very well. Everything that was on their "blacklist" he knew who had a hand in it and who was the top responsible. But, with being this informed, there were many steps Shinra had to take to keep "Venrogg" silent. Their method of choice with this project, drugging.

It was amazing that Venrogg could even remember the basic stuff from all the treatments they had given him.

"Hello Sir." Venrogg spoke happily, shaking the man's hand. "Where would the nearest connection be to the next section over?"

Taku stared in disbelief at the man that had approached them. It seemed that looks could, in fact, be deceiving, as even though he was dressed in an uncleansly attire, his accent and tone spoke authority.
"Well that would be either Sector Six or Eight, but both will be cautioned off by now..." He cocked his right eyebrow in wonder, until he suddenly remembered why he was even in this part of Sector Seven.
"Look i don't know who you are, but we have to stop the plate from crushing the slums. You can't leave town right now, so you may as well help us... right?" Taku sighed, and held out his hand. For such a short time, he was meeting lots of new people.
"'Names Ieuan-Eiyau... but just call me Ieuan." He shrugged and looked down at his watch.
[Shit, only five minutes to get up there...]
"So we partners?" Taku asked slowly, as he mind rushed, trying to calculate how long it would take them to climb the spiralling staircase that lead up the support pillar.

Aerith kept us as they ran towards the plate. She blushed at Ieuans and the boy comments about her"Um..T..Thankyou.." she had never recieved praise for fighting, since she had neverly openly fought off an enemy. "I thought you were going to head there, and regardless I am coming with you!...I will be as much help as i can!" she said running onward. "everyone be careful!"

As they finally arrived at the caution region of the sector she too was taken back by the man in civilian clothing ~What on earth?...I thought all civilians were evacuating...~ she thought worridly incase it was some form of trap or ambush because of their actions towards the guards. Those when nothing more than a question of how to get away from the commotion left his lips she felt a little more relaxed. Well as relaxed as you could be amungst the chaos. "Sir, please, evacuate immeidatly we have little time!" Aerith said, doing something she never expected to do and simply ran past the man, making her way towards the staircases to the plate.

"Consider that a deal." Venrogg replied as he looked up at the plate. "Let us get up there then."

Venrogg decided to take the lead, rushing up the stairs as fast as he could. He wondered if he could convince some Soldier members to help them stop this atrocity but, questioned it since it would show off he was indeed with Shinra.

Hmm, prove I'm with Shinra or keep that silent for now...Hmm, indeed.

Keeping it under wraps he shouted back to Ieuan, "how do you want to do this?" A typical question that hopefully would give him some order during this chaotic time. "Knowing the Shinra there are more than likely a squad of Soldier members at the top! We might be in for a fight!"

A fight in which Venrogg was very unprepared and unequipped for, however, he couldn't remember where it was exactly that he put his sword. Crap.

Taku didn't really know what his plan was, all he knew was that there were 100 steps and 2 minutes between him and the destruction of Sector Seven. Without even looking back, he silently hoped that either Aerith or Venrogg would come up with a plan... that reminded him...
Three men in uniform appeared at the top of the stairs, each one armed with a short sword and rifle.
"Shit, SOLDIER!" Taku shouted, pulling his guns from their holsters, praying that Aerith would be able to fight Shinra Elites. Without waiting to find out, he pushed his way past the guards, who were taken by suprise by Taku's urgency rather than desire to battle. The plate support then opened into a large platfrom, and there, beside a small black box, flashing silently with a little red light.... was Shugo.

Venrogg had an idea indeed. One that could cost him his new friendship but, could also strengthen that friendship if it works. His plan, to convince the guards that Heidegger himself ordered a retreat of all Soldier from sector 7.

Calmly slowing down to allow Taku to pass, Venrogg saluted the Soldiers.

"News from Heidegger himself....you are to retreat back to Shinra and await further orders for a cleanup operation run by him exclusively." Venrogg hoped to god himself that this would work but, braced himself for a backlash. "My partner and I have everything here..we're releasing the plate early. Those who are left behind are dead where they stand. And unless you would like to be, I recommend you make haste. Bombs have been laced up this staircase."

And there he did it. Lied through the skin of his teeth to save the hide of those that normally would have been on the receiving end of a bad Shinra operation. Quite sad really.

Now how wold he convince them NOT to speak to Taku himself? He couldn't make up any lies about him being a mute since he obviously spoke before hand. And Shugo? This was someone he hadn't known of....this could be trouble.

Maybe now was a good time to silence the Soldiers rather than lie to them.

Catching his breath on a landing alot farther down than he had started from he paused hearing voices beneath him a few levels down. ~SOLDIER....~ He thought through his fatigue bracing himself for a fight lossening his sheaths as he waited for his breath. ~Anyone that SOLDIER fights is an ally of mine.... Perhaps I should assist.... Only if they engage...~ Nodding to himself silently he swiftly and silently started closing the distance between him and those below him his right hand on his left sheath keeping it silent and ready to draw while his right elbow steadied the other blade keeping that silent as well his left hand tracing the stair walls.

Shugo swayed uneasily on his legs, as though they themselves were a completely different entity to the rest of his drunken body. He strained his eyes to focus on the three figures that had approached the top of the stairs, and eventually began to recognise Ieuan's short choppy hair, and the uneven glow from his right, blue eye.
"So even you have made your way back and returned to death's door?"
Taku furrowed his brow at the nonscence that his loyal friend and leader was saying. He struggled to reason with his senses, though the only logical conclusion to the matter was that Shugo's mind was no longer his own.
"Shugo..." Taku ran over to his side, but Shugo pushed him away with a simple sweep of his arm. The glint in his eyes sternly told Taku not to attempt getting too close again. Instead, he cast an urgent look for support back over his shoulder at his two companions.
Shugo staggered foward, clutching what seemed to be a black box, covered in cloth and tape in his arms. He showed it carefully to Ieuan, treating it as though it were a child... which reminded him...
"Ritsuko... Shugo! WHERE IS RITSUKO?"
Taku stared helpless around the supporting platform, but there was no sign of Shugo's daughter, only a strange figure that loomed at them from the far side. Whether he was friend or foe, Taku didn't have time to wonder. At least Ritsu was safe.
"Take care of Rits...u...ko..." The final words that spilled from Shugo's mouth were accompanied only by the beeping of Taku's watch, the timer reaching 60 secs, and the digital display flashing for the count down.
Shugo seemed to jump at the sound, almost the same way a deer would stir at the sound of gun fire. Shugo staggered back... and fell from the plate..........






Far, far below, and in mid descent, the bomb exploded in Shugo's arms....
Silence fell upon the platform....

Drawing his blades swiftly in the ensueing confusion he placed his blades on the throats of the two remain Soldier standing there. They jumped in surprise at his sudden appearence using his Shadow Step. "Don't move or we see if Soldier's can really without their heads." They tensed up until the pressure from his blades began to draw blood before they relaxed settling on glaring at him watchfully. "Much better...." He said focusing on the others that had encountered the Soldiers. "What's going on here?" He asked searching them quickly hoping snap them out of the trance they seemed to be in from man falling.