Final Fantasy 7 Hentai-X

CHAPTER TWO: ATTACK ON THE MAKO REACTOR PART II

The shadow of a girl fell against the side of the Shinra building as she moved slowly down the alleyway, her braided hair bouncing softly against her back, her long flowing dress billowing pink and blue behind her. She clutched a large bunch of flowers in oned. Hd. Her white patent leather shoes clicked along the cobblestone. Slowly, she disappeared from sight as . . .
A train pulled up to tlatflatform next to the Shinra mako reactor. Two military guards stood at the ready, while three more guarded the gated entrance to the reactor. The train was used to transport workers to and from the site. The guard nearest the train peered in, waiting to see the flash of a security badge as . . .
Biggs swung down, holding the rail above the door, his feet connecting with the guard’s chin. Wedge followed, leaping at the second guard, kicking him square in the gut. The three guards standing at the entrance to the reactor rushed forward, machine guns at the ready. None of them could believe this was happening. One of them had been working there for the last three years without incident. This couldn’t be real. They moved forward, the senior officer shouting "put your hands up and surrender!" They attempted to surround Biggs and Wedge as . . .
Cloud leapt from the train, landing in front of the three guards. One of them let off a burst of machine gun fire that went wild, ricocheting off the side of the train. Cloud pulled his sword from the sheath slung across his back and swung it diagonally across, disarming all three of the men. Biggs and Wedge cheered Cloud on as Barrett and Jessie stepped off the train, hanging back. The guard who’d fired his weapon lept forward at Cloud, kicking out with his leg, but Cloud stepped to the side and swung his sword again. The man’s head rolled across the pavement as his lifeless body hit the ground with a thud. The other two guards backed slowly away, then took off down the alley, running as fast as they possibly could. Biggs and Wedge cheered.
"You’ve gotta be from SOLDIER to be able to fight like that," Wedge commented, clapping Cloud on the back.
"All right you turkeys, let’s get movin’!" Barrett grumbled. "We keep standin’ around here yakkin’ all day we’ll be caught. I don’t want none of you to move in a group. We split up and meet back on the bridge near the North Mako Reactor at 0900 hours. That understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then let’s go."
Jessie ran out in front towards the gate. Mechanical devices were her speciality. The gate had a numerical keypad lock on it, but she got it open before any of the others had caught up to her.
"Hm, you were pretty fast with that," Cloud said to her, almost under his breath. She almost blushed at the compliment. It was the first thing Cloud had said so far that day and they’d been up for the last two hours.
"Thanks. I used to be an engineer. In another life."
"Ok," Barrett called out to everyone, "just like we planned: Biggs, Wedge, you guys go down that corridor there and back around. Jessie, you head up these stairs…" He pointed to metal stairs along the side of the building leading up to a walkway several stories above. "And me and Cloud will go through these doors here. If any of you knuckleheads get lost, just consult the map. Ok? Then move out."
Barrett pushed the large double doors open and Cloud rushed in. The others took off, going their own way. Each team had one explosive device to plant. When they met up on the bridge, they’d have ten minutes to get out. Any mistake made could be deadly.
Cloud strode a few paces in front of Barrett. Seeing Cloud’s back made Barrett’s gun hand rise up. He had to fight to bringing it back down again without shooting that spiky haired punk. Barrett had almost not even gotten up this morning. If it had been a solo mission, he would have slept right through it. All night he’d fought to fall asleep. When he finally did, he didn’t even notice it. One minute he was awake, the next minute the light was bursting in front of his closed eyes. He’d blinked awake to the feeling of Tifa planting kisses over his face . . .

*******************************

"Wake up, sleepy-head," she murmured, kissing him again as she leaned over him, "It’s 7:15. Come down and get some oatmeal before we head out, ok?"
Barrett reached up with his good arm and wrapped it around Tifa’s back, drawing her closer and kissing her lips. She melted against him, holding the kiss, one hand caressing Barrett’s biceps and up to his shoulder.
"I missed you last night."
"I know . . . I’m sorry . . ."
"Shhh . . . Don’t. What’s done is done. We’re going to need his help today. I don’t like it but that’s life." He closed his eyes, sighing. Tifa’s face crumpled in sadness. She could see how hurt Barrett really was. She stroked the back of her hand against his cheek, trying to soothe him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, searching her face. Would he have to let her go? . . . No. Never. He would fight to the death. If that meant having to kill Cloud, he was prepared to do it. Might even enjoy it, he thought to himself. Just might enjoy it.
He lifted himself up on his elbows, slowly shaking his head to clear it. "Sorry I overslept. Doesn’t feel like I got any sleep last night at all."
"You look like shit," she whispered. They both laughed. That’s one of the things Barrett really loved about her. She could get him to laugh at any situation. Always made him feel better, no matter what was going on. He slung his legs off the bed, turning to sit up, then stretched back until his back popped. Not only had he not gotten much sleep but apparently he’d slept wrong and now his back and neck were sore.
"Oh, poor thing, you sound like you’re really stiff."
Barrett grinned up at her. "I usually am when you’re around."
Tifa giggled. "That wasn’t exactly what I meant, horn dog!"
"Growl! I’m a horn dog alright." He grabbed her ass and pulled her close. "And I didn’t get any last night either so I’m feelin’ even hornier then usual." He lowered his head to kiss her between her legs.
She softly stroked his shoulder. "Well, you did get an offer. You were just in too terrible of a mood to accept it."
He looked up into her eyes. "I know . . . I feel bad for gettin’ so mad at Jessie like that. She was just tryin’ to make me feel better and I blew up. I just . . . I can’t stand the idea of you and that . . . little BOY having sex!"
"Barrett," she laughed, "that little boy is almost the same age as me. In fact, he’s a year older then I am!"
"Well he should act like it. Not run around with his hair all funky like he’s some kinda Billy Idol wanna be."
"Ooooh like you should talk!" She giggled, stroking his hair.
"Yeah yeah . . ." he grumbled, standing up. Tifa’s eyes traveled down his chiseled body, taking in his strong upper chest, toned and muscled, then down to his flat abdomen. And gazing further down, she saw that he hadn’t been only joking about being "stiff." She reached down, stroking the palm of her hand against the head of his cock.
He shivered. "Don’t we gotta start gettin’ ready?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Well . . . you could always skip breakfast . . ." Lowering her head, she kissed his erection then flicked her tongue against it, lapping at the wet peehole. Her fingers slide down the shaft, softly stroking him. He rubbed his fingertips against her hard nipple, caressing it through the fabric of her blouse.
She smiled. "I know what we haven’t done in awhile," she said as she reached for her top, pulling it up then off. "How about you fuck my soft titties!" She shook her upper body playfully. Her breasts, restrained by a lacy white bra, bounced back and forth.
"Ah, baby, you always know what I like," Barrett replied, grasping the front clasp of her bra and unsnapping it. His hands moved apart, stroking over her breasts, pushing the sides of the bra open. Her nipples brushed against the palms of his hands, and she moaned softly. The straps slipped off her shoulders then down her arms and to the floor.
She slide her hands over top of his, holding them to her breasts, as she leaned over him, lowering her upper body down to his lap. Arching his back, Barrett pushed the head of his cock up to Tifa’s cleavage. Tifa brought her upper body down, sliding Barrett’s cock between her breasts. Her hands pushed them together, tightening around his erection.
"Oh baby . . . fuck my tits . . . fuck ‘em hard!"
Whenever Tifa talked dirty to Barrett it drove him wild. He started to pump his hips up and down, his cock sliding between her tits. She lowered her head, placing her chin against her upper chest, and stuck her tongue out. With every thrust, the head of Barrett’s cock brushed against her tongue. Precum spurted up out of his cock, slicking her cleavage as he slide his cock in and out between her breasts.
Barrett pinched her hard little nipples and rolled them between his thumb and forefinger, as he pushed her breasts together around his erection. His hips rose and fell onto the bed, pounding away at her. She flicked her tongue over the head of his cock, licking off the precum. Barrett growled, clutching her breasts tightly, his nails digging into her skin. Unzipping her pants, she slid her hand between her legs and stroked her fingertips against her swollen clit. She felt so deliciously dirty offering Barrett her breasts to fuck. Nothing made her hotter then being a naughty girl like this. The pads of her fingertips swirled hard and fast over her clitoris. She was going to cum soon. Very soon.
Barrett arched his back further, plowing his cock between her breasts. He couldn’t hold off. Howling loudly, he let loose a thick wad of cum, spurting up against Tifa’s lips. Tifa’s body shuddered, a rolling wave washing over her as she came.
She licked her lips, then lowered her head to suck Barrett’s cock dry. Her tongue lapped up every drop, and her lips sucked the last bit out of the head. Barrett collapsed back on the bed, spent.
"Mmmmh no you don’t, love," she purred. "We have to get going." She leaned over him to kiss his lips, the salty taste of his sperm still lingering on them. "You have to get dressed or we’re going to be late . . ."

************************************

Barrett, lost in memories of that morning, almost collided with Cloud. Cloud had stopped to look at their surroundings, taking in the enormity of it. Huge cylinders rose to the ceiling, hydrolic pumps encased in metal, pumping the mako out of the earth. Metal and plastic coils sprouted out of the tops like snakes from Medusa’s head.
"Yo! This your first time in a reactor?"
"Nah," Cloud replied, shaking his head, "I did work for Shinra, after all."
Barrett looked around, raising his hands up, palms out. "The planet’s full of Mako energy. People here use it every day. It’s the life blood of this planet. But Shinra keeps suckin’ the blood out with these weird machines!" Tifa had asked Barrett to try to talk to Cloud about AVALANCHE, to explain to him why they were fighting, in the hopes that Cloud would feel compelled to join them in their fight.
But Cloud was having none of it. "I’m not here for a lecture," he grumbled. "Let’s just get going so we can get this job over with."
Barrett put his arms down, his hand clenching into a fist. "Alright then, get goin’! Stop gawkin’ at it if you don’t want to hear about it!"
Cloud started moving, his boots rising and falling, their footfalls echoing down the vast empty reactor. The only other sound was the noise of the machines: thumping, wheezing, churning, metal on metal, the sound of steam, and the drip drip of an oil leak. Cloud really didn’t like how deserted the whole place was. There should be other people around, checking on the machines, watching gauges and readouts to make sure nothing was malfunctioning. And guards. There should be more guards then the few they confronted outside. And the two that ran away . . . they should have sounded an alarm, right? It wouldn’t matter too much. There was no way to completely seal off this place, and by the time more back up arrived, the explosions would have started already. Still . . . the other guards should be rushing them right about now. But there was no one.
Well, it didn’t matter. Cloud was ready to take on anyone and anything to get the job done. He had been in SOLDIER after all. This raid was a cake walk. And if they met no more resistance, so much the better. That would just make this go by faster. Then he’d get paid and get out. There was no way he could stay with them. No matter what Tifa said or did, she was with Barrett now. The way she’d gone right back to having sex with Barrett after their night together only reinforced that in his mind. She had seemed so happy that morning, too. Like she’d really enjoyed being with Cloud. She almost seemed to be in love with him. But of course that was impossible. She’d only slept with him because of their stupid childhood promise. But the way she’d looked at him that morning . . .

********************************

Cloud woke up feeling sore. Tifa had been far more of a work-out then he’d expected. That didn’t even take into account her extreme biting fetish. Or the claw marks down his back. He rolled over onto his side and saw her standing there in the corner, shadow boxing. Awake already. He looked at the digital alarm clock next to the bed to see it was only 6:30 in the morning. She was an early riser, a trait Cloud had never picked up. But this morning, everyone had to be out of bed by 7:00. That way they could all eat breakfast and go over the plans one more time.
"Well, you look positively energized this morning."
"Do I?" she asked, turning around to smile at him. Her face was practically glowing. "Must be because I had such a wonderful time last night," she said, walking towards the bed, then bending down to kiss Cloud on the lips.
"We’ve still got half an hour before everyone gets u. .\. ."
Tifa chuckled, stroking her index finger down the bridge of Cloud’s nose. "What did you have in mind?"
Reaching up, Cloud took hold of Tifa’s arm at the wrist and brought it down to his lips, kissing the palm of her hand, then each fingertip. "Something I didn’t get to do with you last night."
"Oh? And what would that be?"
Cloud flicked his tongue playfully against Tifa’s palm. "Return the favor, of course." He slipped his other arm around her back, drawing her down to kiss her lips again, then planting a kiss below her bottom lip and one underneath her chin. Tifa stroked her fingers through the messy tangle of Cloud’s hair. She smiled down at him as he kissed his way down her neck. She had to admit, he was stirring up all kinds of feelings inside of her that she’d thought were long dormant. After Cloud had left Nibelheim, she couldn’t get him out of her head. But she hadn’t seen him for so long, she’d had to move on with her life. And now here he was . . .
He playfully flicked his tongue against the nape of her neck. Shivering, she pushed him away so she could pull her top off. His fingers found the clasp in front on her bra and snapped it open, slowly stroking his hands over her breasts as he spread her bra apart. She let the straps slide off her shoulders until the bra fluttered to the floor. Cloud slipped his hands underneath her breasts, holding them up in his palms. His lips brushed across them, starting at her upper chest, moving across from one side to the other, then down when he got to the other side and back across. Her hands stroked through his hair and down the back of his neck to caress his strong shoulders. He twirled her nipple around with his tongue, then sucked it into his mouth. His teeth touched her areola, then he bit down, hard. Gasping, she clutched his shoulders tightly in her hands, her nails digging into his flesh. He rapidly flicked his tongue against her nipple as he held it between her teeth. Then he leaned his head back, tugging on her nipple. Gooseflesh sprung up along her body as she shivered from the pleasure. Cloud gently kissed her nipple, then swirled his tongue around her areola, right over the part he’d just been biting. When he moved his head away, there were visibly teeth marks where he had bitten her. Tifa loved it. As long as no blood was drawn, it drove her wild. Cloud playfully nipped at her other breast, pressing his teeth to her areola, then pulling his head back, raking his teeth along her nipple. After doing this several times he bit down on her areola and shook his head back and forth. Tifa growled, reaching down to drag her nails up his back. Cloud sucked hard on her breast, lapping her nipple with his tongue as he did.
Tifa couldn’t stand it anymore. She unbuttoned the top button of her shorts, then unzipped them and pushed them down. A large wet spot had formed inside her shorts where her wet panty-less pussy had pressed against the fabric. Cloud knew she couldn’t wait any longer for him, he knew she needed his tongue inside of her right then. He let go of her breast and planted a few kisses down her taut abdomen. She slide her fingers into his hair, clutching the back of his head, as he trailed his tongue down through her pubic hair. Tifa felt like she was going to cum at any minute. If Cloud so much as touched her clit with his tongue, she was sure it would be all over. And Cloud seemed to sense this and was trying to avoid making her cum too soon. That or he simply enjoyed teasing her with his tongue. He licked his way down one side of her labia, then up the other before dipping his tongue into her. He stroked his tongue up and down between her lips then sucked them into his mouth, drinking deep her nectar. Her whole body shuddered, a wave of pleasure coursing through her. And then Cloud’s tongue swirled over her clit and she was swept away by a tide. He kept stroking his tongue against her as orgasm after orgasm shook her body. And then she collapsed onto the bed, her body tingling, her nerve endings singing, all sound blotted from her ears.
Cloud’s lips pressed to hers as he leaned over her body.
She wrapped her legs around his waist as he entered her. She rode him as he rode her, pistoning their hips hard and fast together. He pounded his cock into her as she thudded against him, matching him thrust for thrust.
It was over almost as soon as it had begun. They both came, hard, clutching each other. They rained kisses upon each other, cuddling against one another, as Cloud’s flacid cock slipped from her. She softly caressed his back, but as he nuzzled her neck, her head turned and she caught sight of the clock.
"Shit, Cloud, it’s ten after seven! We have to get ready!
All he could do was chuckle and roll over onto his back as she sprang out of bed and started getting dressed again . . .

**********************************

"Little by little, the reactors’ll drain out all the life, and that’ll be that," Barrett said, snapping Cloud out of his reverie.
"It’s not my problem," Cloud replied, irritably.
"The planet’s dyin’, Cloud!"
"The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and the roboguards come."
If Cloud had turned around to look, he’d have seen Barrett clenching his fist tightly, trying hard to hold back from clocking him in the back of his head. He’d have seen the veins in Barrett’s neck bulging, the red color Barrett’s face was turning. But Cloud just kept walking. And, after apace, Barrett followed behind him.
And then they turned a corner and there it was in front of them. Their target. A huge red-colored metal plate covered the reactor core, the Shinra logo emblazoned across it. Pipes zig-zagged out of it in every direction. It was huge, twice as high as Barrett.
"Damn," Cloud said in amazement, "would you look at that thing . . ."
"When we blow this place, this won’t be nothin’ more then a hunka junk. Cloud, you set the bomb."
"Shouldn’t you do it, being leader of AVALANCHE and all?"
"Jus’ do it! I ain’t payin’ ya for nothin’!"
"Fine . . ."
Slowly, Cloud approached the reactor. All he had to do was stick the bomb to the metal plate and set the timer. But as he got to within a few feet of it, a strange sensation grew in his brain. His head started to throb and then really really hurt. He clutched his hands over his ears to keep his head from exploding as a blinding flash of light exploded behind his eyes.
A mysterious voice screamed, "Watch out! This isn’t just a reactor!!!"
As quickly as it began, it was over. Cloud shook his head to try to clear it.
It was only then that he heard Barrett calling to him. ". . .Cloud? What’s wrong?"
"Huh?"
"What’s wrong with you? Hurry up and set the bomb!"
"Yeah . . . sorry." Cloud had no idea what had just happened, but he wasn’t about to tell Barrett about it. He walked the rest of the way to the reactor, fishing the bomb out of his pocket as he approached. The hum of machinery was the only sound now. Cloud spurted some plastic cement onto the back of the bomb, then pressed it to the plate smack dab in the middle of the Shinra logo. He set the timer for twenty minutes, ten to get to the bridge and ten to get out.
As soon as Cloud did that, red lights started to flash and a loud siren erupted around them. A mechanical voice called out, "Unauthorized personnel! Defense systems engaged! Unauthorized personnel! Defense system engaged!"
Barrett yelled at Cloud, "Heads up, here they come!"
Cloud turned to see a giant robotic scorpion approaching them. He rushed forward as Barrett raised his gun arm and let off a blast of machine gun fire. Tat-tat-tat-tat it hit the metal scales along the scorpion’s body, a few richoceting off, others penetrating the steel. Cloud lept forward as the scorpion swiped at Barrett with its claw. The sword that Cloud had unsheathed as he leaped through the air came down hard on the stem of scorscorpion’s claw, severing it from the body. Sparks flew from the stump. The scorpion’s eyes flashed red, and then Cloud saw it raise its tail up.
"Barrett," he shouted, "hold your fire!"
"What is it?"
"Don’t attack it when its tail is up. I’ve seen this before. It’ll retaliate with an electrical charge if you attack it now."
"Alright," Barrett nodded, then jumped out of the way as the scorpion swung at him with its other claw. Since it missed Barrett, it kept swinging in an arch toward Cloud, the pincers snapping opened and closed. Cloud nimbly dodged out of the way. Then the claw swung back, heading for Barrett. He tried to sidestep away from it, but it slammed it him, hitting his chest with enough force to lift him off the ground and push him backwards. As Barrett’s body landed onto the concrete floor with a thud, Cloud noticed the scorpion’s tail lowering. He was about to swing his sword when he saw Barrett spring to his feet, obviously mad, and raising his gun arm as a red glowing ball of energy began to form at the tip of it. Cloud had seen this before. Sometimes when a fighter got really mad, or really injured, the energy from that emotion would cause him to be able to pull off a special technique that he just couldn’t do otherwise. He’d seen this happen before, and he’d even experienced it once, five years ago. In Nibelheim.
The ball of energy shot out from Barrett’s gun arm and slammed into the scorpion head on. The explosion brought Cloud back to the present. The scropion’s face exploded, showering sparks. The whole thing collapsed in a heap and stopped moving. They’d done it! Cloud twirled his sword the way he always did after a victory, then sheathed it.
Barrett ran forward. "Come on, Cloud, we gotta hurry and get outta here," he called out as he lept over the wrecked scorpion. Cloud nodded and ran after him.

********************************

Wedge stood leaning against the railing and sighed as Biggs paced back and forth. Neither Barrett, Cloud or Jessie had gotten there yet. In two minutes, they’d have to get going. This was not good. Not good at all.
"What do you think happened?" Biggs asked as he continued to pace.
"Would you please stop that. It’s making me nervous. I don’t know what happened. I told you I thought I heard an alarm go off. Maybe they were captured."
"Oh don’t say that!!! You’re making me feel even worse. How can I stop worrying if you keep telling me things like that."
"Well . . . maybe they were attacked and had to fight ‘em off. That would take time, wouldn’t it? So they’re just late. Well, not even late yet. Ten minutes to get to the bridge, ten minutes to get out. It hasn’t been ten minutes yet."
"It wouldn’t take ten minutes to get here though. It took us five and we were the furthest from this bridge of any of ‘em."
"I know . . . Look, just . . . don’t worry about it. They’ll be ok. They’ll be here any minute."
"Wedge . . .?"
"Yes, sugar plum?"
He held his arms out. "Hold me?"
"Of course," Wedge replied, wrapping his arms around Biggs, "anything to keep you from pacing."

******************************

Biggs had woken up before Wedge that morning, feeling nervous and a bit excited at the same time. This would be their first big mission. It was the start of a revolution against Shinra. They were going to save the planet! Biggs slowly stroked his fingertips along Wedge’s back as he snuggled against him. Then Biggs felt dry lips brushing against his neck and he knew that Wedge was awake.
"Mmmmh . . . good morning, hunk," Biggs whispered.
"Does it have to be morning already? I don’t think I got nearly enough sleep last night. How about you?"
"I actually feel pretty good. A bit nervous but otherwise . . . I’m ready."
"Well, let’s get up. Once I get some coffee into me I should be fine."
Biggs kissed his cheek. "You’re so cute when you just wake up and you’re all bleary-eyed and your hair’s sticking up every which way!" He giggled as Wedge wrapped his arms around him and acted like he was going to bite his neck.
"What time is it, anyway?"
"A little after seven."
"I bet everyone’s waiting for us. Come on, outta bed!" Wedge stood up on his knees on the matress and grabbed Biggs’ hands, pulling him up.
"But I wanted to fool around a little first!" Biggs playfully whined.
"Sorry, sexy, no time for that now." He kissed Biggs softly, then got up out of bed.
After they got dressed, they both rode the elevator down to the first floor. Jessie and Marlene were already there with a pot of coffee brewing and bowls of oatmeal set out for everyone.
"Everyone else is still asleep?" Wedge asked in disbelief. Today was a big important day. He couldn’t believe they’d all have overslept.
Biggs giggled. "That or they’re doing what we should have done!"
Jessie laughed. "Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. I was going to give them ‘til 7:15 and then go knock on doors."
At that moment, the pinball machine elevator rumbled to life, lifting up to the second floor. When it came down, Tifa and Cloud were riding it, hand in hand.
"Where’s Barre" Ti" Tifa asked, a note of concern in her voice. Cloud let go of her hand as she stepped off the elevator.
"Still sleeping probably."
"It’s ten after seven! Well, I’ll go wake him up I guess."

************************************

"Here they are!" Wedge exclaimed. Biggs heard the footfalls and turned around to see Cloud and Barrett jogging towards them.
"Where’s Jessie?!" Barrett called out, alarmed.
"We don’t know," Biggs replied, "She didn’t meet us here."
"Dammit!"
"Look," Cloud said, catching his breath, "you guys get out of here. I’m going to go find Jessie."
"Cloud, we’ve only got ten minutes to get out," Barrett said warily, shaking his head, "so if you’re gonna do it, make it fast."
"Can’t leave her here. There’s no other option. You guys go, I’ll come back with her. Trust me."
"Alright. Biggs, Wedge, come on." Barrett turned and jogged down the walkway, heading for the exit. Biggs and Wedge soon followed after him, as Cloud consulted his map to see what direction Jessie been heading in. When he located the spot where she’d have set her explosive, he headed off towards it.

********************************

Barrett stopped at a dead end and consulted his electronic map. "Shit!" He shook his head. In front of them stood a large steel door with a numerical keypad in front of it. "This thing shouldn’t be closed . . ."
"Maybe it locked when the alarms went off," Wedge suggested.
"Well, we better hope and pray Cloud finds Jessie and gets her ass over here, or we’ll all be dead!"
They all looked at their watches. Six minutes to go.

************************************

Cloud ran down the long metal walkway. "Jessie!" he called out, seeing her up ahead of him. Her long red hair had spilled down over her forehead as she yanked frantically at her leg.
"Cloud! My hero! Come help me, my leg’s stuck!"
He almost chuckled when he saw what had happened. Part of the walkway had collapsed under her and her leg was stuck in the floor. If she’d been wearing some other shoes besides the big clunky boots she had on, she probably would have been able to pull her leg free by now.
"Ok, just hold still and I’ll have you out," he said as he pushed down on the metal walkway. The mesh creaked and bent slightly. "Can you pull your leg out now?" He pushed harder on the metal to give her more room.
"I think so . . ." She slowly twisted her foot to get it through the gap and pulled up. It came out easily. "Thank you so much!!!" She threw her arms around Cloud, hugging him tightly.
"Ok ok," he chuckled, trying to extract himself, "We have to get out of here. You can thank me later."
"Oh you know I will," she purred in his ear. Letting go of him, she looked at her watch. "Fuck! We’d better run, Cloud!"
He nodded at her, then turned and raced her down the walkway.

*************************

"Five minutes," Biggs said gloomily, looking at his watch.
"Shush!" Barrett grumbled, "I think I hear ‘em comin’."
Everyone fell silent, listening. Sure enough, the faint clank clank of boots pounding against metal could be heard underneath the sounds of machinery lumbering away. And the footfalls were getting closer.
"Thank GOD!" Biggs exclaimed, slumping back against the wall.
Wedge turned to smile playfully at him. "You don’t believe in God, remember?"
"In that case, I guess I’ll save my thanks for Cloud and Jessie . . ."
"Would you two knock it off!" Barrett yelled.
Before anyone could reply, Cloud and Jessie raced around the corner, Jessie’s red hair streaming behind her.
"What the fuck’s going on?" Cloud exclaimed as they reached the others.
"The door, Cloud," Wedge said, shaking his head, "It won’t open without a code."
"Here," Jessie said as she stepped forward, "let me take care of it." She stood in front of the keypad, unscrewing the bottom with a tiny screw driver until the covering came loose. Then she pulled the wires out and counted them. Five, all different colors. That meant that if she cut the green one . . . She pulled a small pair of wire cutters out of her hip pouch and snipped the green wire.
The door rumbled open.
Everyone cheered. "Great work, Jessie!" Biggs exclaimed.
"Come on," Barrett barked at them, "Let’s get goin’ before this place blows!"
They raced out into the dirt-covered courtyard of the Shinra compound, Barrett in the lead, Biggs and Wedge side by side, and Cloud and Jessie following behind. They made it! But then Barrett came to a halt,and everyone behind him followed suit. A chainlink fence ran around the parameter of the compound. The gate before them was chained and padlocked shut.
"Are we ever gonna get outta here?!" Biggs exclaimed, exasperated.
"Yo, don’t you worry ‘bout that!" Barrett barked at him, "I’ve got this one covered." He raised his gun arm and fired at the lock. Ping ping ping, his bullets buried themselves into the metal. Then the fourth shot smashed through the lock mechanism and the clasp sprang open. Barrett ran towards the gate, pushing with both hands. The gates swung reluctantly open.
BOOM!!!! The ground shook violently as the sound of explosions behind them chased them out as they ran into the empty street, trying to gain some distance on the Shinra reactor. They’d done it! Barrett raced towards an alley, ducking into it, as the others followed him.
"Alright guys! Our first mission was a success! Now let’s get out of here before any SOLDIERS come. Rendezvous at Sector 8 train station at 10 hundred hours. Split up and get on that train!"

*******************************

Cloud walked out of the alley in a daze. He felt pretty good about himself, proud that the mission had gone so well and that he’d been such a hero. Not only had he rescued Jessie, but in doing so, he’d rescued them all. No one could have gotten out of there without her expertize. As they’d split up, everyone (except Barrett) had clapped him on the back and told him what a great job he’d done. Cloud really felt good.
But it confused him to be feeling like this. After all, he’d been in SOLDIER. He must have played hero any number of times. So why did he feel so good this time? Did he actually believe in their cause? He almost laughed. That couldn’t be it. So what was it? He had no idea. All he knew was how he felt. Which was elated. There was just no other word for it.
Lost in thought and the feelings of pride accompanying a job well done, Cloud almost ran right into the flower girl. She walked right in f of of him, and he didn’t even see her.
"Excuse me," he stammered as he skidded to a halt to keep from running into her.
"Oh, I’m sorry. I walked right in front of you. That explosion really unnerved me. Say, do you know what happened?"
"Nothing . . . I’m sure it was nothing . . ." Cloud’s eyes ran down the length of her body. She wore a pink dress with a blue sweater over top of it. Her brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail that she’d braided together, and it reached down as far as the small of her back. She had small breasts but they were just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand, or to fill his mouth with. She was rather pretty, and had a very nice figure, if a little on the skinny side. He could sense her blushing, knew that she had realized he was checking her out. Then his eyes fell upon the large bunch of flowers that she clutched in her right hand. "Don’t see many flowers around here. . ."
She relaxed a little, though she knew he hadn’t been staring at her flowers the whole time. "Oh these?" she replied, smiling softly. "Do you like them? They’re only a gil."
"Really? . . . Ok, I’ll take one." He reached into his pocket, which gave her an excuse to look down at him. Her first thought was that he had a nice strong chest. Then she watched him pulling the gil out of his pocket and her eyes took in the bulge in his pants. Her smile widened a little bit. Was he turned on by her? It couldn’t be but it seemed that he was. There’d only ever been one guy who’d paid her so much attention. . . She pushed that thought away. It was too distressful.
She took the bill that he held out for her. "Oh, thank you!" She practically beamed at him, then handed him a single pink flower. "Here you are."
"Thanks," he said, looking down at the flower. He turned to walk away. But . . . he hadn’t even gotten her name.
He turned back and she was gone. All that was left was the echo of her shoes getting further and further away.
And the flower.